Oregon or bust!

Back in June, we took our first family "vacation" to Oregon. My parents and sister hadn't had a chance to see Hannah since she was born and my brother-in-law hadn't met her at all.

To be honest, I was really worried about flying with an 8-month old. I did a lot of "research" and took to heart many of the tips that had been shared with me. Fortunately, my worst fears were never realized. Hannah was an amazing baby on each and every flight. Within 5-10 minutes of being in the air she fell asleep and stayed asleep until we were about 10 minutes from landing. She never cried, just got a little fussy, which truly, I was a little fussy as well. We had a great flight attendant on our flight from Grand Rapids to Minneapolis and he made sure that Hannah received her first pair of "wings."

I had a few specific requests for our time in Oregon. You know, a few local restaurants that I just "had" to visit. For example, I had to enjoy my favorite dish (arroz con pollo) at Ixtapa. I really "needed" to enjoy the deliciousness that is Bing's Chinese Kitchen. A stop at Taco Time for their crisp meat burrito was also on the agenda. And of course, no trip to Oregon would be complete without a trip to the coast and a teeny, tiny bowl of clam chowder at Mo's.

Speaking of going to the coast, what a trip that was! My parents rented a van and my sister and brother-in-law came along. Let me just say that while a van can "claim" to carry 7 people, they should really specify that 6 of those 7 people can't all be adults. Tom, Jeremy, and I had to share the bench seat in the back. We were very, very close by the end of the trip. Our trip to the coast started with a tour of the Tillamook Cheese Factory. I grew up eating Tillamook's mild cheddar cheese and to this day, find that it is the BEST CHEESE EVER!! Thankfully, our local Costco carries it. The tour concludes by letting you sample any of their cheeses, which is probably the best part. Of course we couldn't leave without also enjoying some of their yummy ice cream. Poor Hannah wasn't able to partake, but I'm sure she'll have her chance again. We drove down the coast and stopped in Depoe Bay, with the hopes of getting the best salt water taffy available. Sadly, they were already closed. :( We continued on our way and went to Agate Beach. Hannah absolutely LOVED the beach. She loved having the wind blow in her face, she loved putting her little toes in the sand, and even enjoyed putting her feet in the freezing waters of the Pacific.

Other than our day at the beach, we really just spent time relaxing with family. Shannon, Tom, Jeremy, and I had the chance to spend a day together, which was lots of fun. This of course gave Grandma and Grandpa some "quality time" with Hannah, which they loved, of course.

All in all, it was a great trip. Hannah did such a good job - she adjusted to all the changes really well, which was wonderful. Plus taking the trip was just a great way to start off the summer.

A Brand New Year

Tomorrow marks the start of a new school year for me and I truly am looking forward to it. Last week we had our Open House, so I was able to meet around 16 of my 26 students. From those that I met, it seems like I have a really good group of kids. For the first time in recent years, I have a lot more girls in my class than I do boys. Thankfully, I teach 4th grade, so having more girls doesn't necessarily mean the same thing that it would if I were to teach middle school.

In a lot of ways, the first day of school feels the same to me now, as it did when I was the student, not the teacher. I still get nervous, I still have a hard time sleeping the night before, and I still have a fear of oversleeping the morning of the first day. I get completely giddy looking at school supplies and still think it's fun to get a new outfit for the first day. Although this year there was no new first day outfit as I've had to buy a lot of new clothes as a of late.

Of course, the first day of school also means that summer vacation is over. Now is the time when I reflect back on my summer and think about whether or not I accomplished everything I had hoped. Well, I had hoped to read a lot of books and was able to do that. I wanted to finish the quilt that I'm making for my precious little girl, and sadly, that I did not get done. Although it's almost done and hopefully, by the end of this week, it should be complete. I had hoped to get my home completely ready (clean and organized) for the arrival of our new family member. I can give myself a 50% on that one. It's looking a lot better, but still needs to have some work done. I can't be too disappointed in myself as I really enjoyed my summer which is the most important thing.

Well, to those of you heading back to school or sending kids off to school, enjoy the first day. To the rest of you, well, I suppose you can enjoy your day as well! :)

I know, I know...

Okay, I know it's been awhile since I've posted! I promise to get something up soon. With school starting next week, things have been just a teensy bit busy for me. Be patient, posting will resume soon!

Summer Reading - Children's Literature Edition

This summer I have had the chance to finally spend some time reading. I love reading and during the busy school year hardly find the time to get it done. But, this summer, I was determined and boy did I meet my goal!

One of my favorite genres would be children's literature. Being that I'm a 4th grade teacher, that shouldn't seem real strange. It's one of the first things I check out when I'm a bookstore or library.

Thankfully, for the sake of our family budget, most of my "kid lit" books are purchased at a reduced price, thanks to my monthly Scholastic book orders. I'm also a frequent shopper of the semi-annual Scholastic warehouse sale in my area. I think Jeremy cringes deeply when that time of year rolls around. For those of you interested in "kid lit," I encourage you to check out the Scholastic warehouse sale site. They usually have 1-2 locations in each state and it's truly a wonderful thing. I also pick up used books at garage sales and thrift stores. How can you say no to finding a Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle book for a quarter?

This summer I have discovered a new fantasy series that I was surprised to actually enjoy. After last summer and the release of the final Harry Potter book, I was sure that I would never read fantasy literature again. I've never actually cared for the fantasy genre, but like the majority of the world, I found myself longing to know more of this magical world where Harry Potter and his friends lived and was sad when it all ended last summer.

I was a little leery of this new series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, written by Rick Riordan. It is about a boy, Percy, who finds out that he is the son of a Greek god. I have never been interested in Greek mythology and find it all to be a little confusing, but decided to persevere and finished the first book of the series, The Lightning Thief. It was such a good book that I immediately told Jeremy that he needed to read it, since he really does enjoy Greek mythology. He couldn't put it down and right away wanted to know when we could get the 2nd book in the series. Thankfully, by the time we discovered this series, the first four books had already been released. We're currently waiting, somewhat impatiently, for the fifth and final book of the series to come out.

This isn't a series that I can put in my classroom, as the content is a little too mature for my 4th graders. However, for my nephew, who is going into 6th grade, I think this series is ideal. It's very entertaining, while managing to hold you in suspense. Overall, it's just a really well-written book.

New Addiction

A few weeks ago, Jeremy and I decided to change cable companies. We had a plethora of reasons for changing, but mainly to save money. With our change in companies, we are now getting many more channels and spending less money. To me, that is a win-win situation. However, with the addition of new channels, comes the addition of a new addiction. I have discovered the fun that is Jon & Kate Plus 8.

If you have never watched this show, you should. It is so refreshing and enjoyable to watch because this couple, along with their 8 children (a set of twins and a set of sextuplets, all under the age of 8), are so real. The parents get frustrated with each other and aren't afraid to show it. The kids aren't perfect and discipline is key to teaching these children right from wrong. You can also tell from the very beginning that these parents love their children and desire nothing more than to give them a good life.

While I sing the praises of this show, the problem is that it has sucked me in! I'm addicted! I believe they are on season 4, so I've been busy trying to catch all of the reruns of past episodes. I think it's safe to say that Jeremy thinks I have a problem. I do feel guilty sometimes, sitting there just watching TV. But then, I remind myself that I am on summer vacation. I have worked hard all during the school year, many times 12-14 hours a day. Even now, during my "vacation," I am taking a grad class for 6 hours a week, tutoring 6 students, and working in my school's office every morning, M-F. So I think it's okay if I want to sit and watch a little mindless television. :)