New look for a new year!!

Well, as you can see my friend's daughter redesigned my blog......cute, huh???  She's so talented!!!

So sorry for such a long delay but now that I'm working everyday again, I have to get used to rearranging all the stuff I was doing during the daytime.  While I miss being home and just puttering around, I am enjoying being at school.  The 3 yr. olds are busy little people!!!  They keep me on my toes, for sure!!  The teacher and I are working very well together and trying to get the 14 kids we have into some sort of a routine!!  I only work till noon each day, and then sub, if they need me to! 

And of course, I have to say a big shout out because BAMA rolled into a NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP again!!!!  WOO HOO!!!  We mauled LSU!!!  21 - 0!!  What an awesome game!!!

Glad to have a new follower.....Jess!!  Welcome!!  Leave me a comment and let me know how you found us!!

JEB is doing well.  Getting bigger......acting older.  Last week, after letting him out of the car at his school, he got in the line for breakfast with all the other kids, instead of going to his table and going to the line with one of his teachers.  I freaked out, of course.  Texted his teacher and she of course, told me he's been doing that for a while and loves it!!  The bigger kids are very sweet to him and its ok!  I was just being a 'MAMA' bear!  Then this morning, he hopped out of the car, by himself and told me "Bye!"  Love you mama!!  And off he went!!  Not too sure I'm ready for this independance!!!

Hope everyone is having a great week!!!

Merry Christmas!!

Well, I know it's been way too long since I've posted anything, but I do have reasons.

First, I have been very busy!  In fact, I subbed everyday but two for the three weeks since Thanksgiving!!  Yep, I've been busy!!!

It was so wonderful!  GOD is so amazing to provide the opportunities!!  This week alone, HE has gone about and beyond what I could even imagine! 

The biggest news is that I will be returning to work after Christmas break!  Not teaching, but in the classroom, nonetheless.  Due to the K3 program moving from our church over to our elementary building, they needed an aide in the classroom.  Sure, it's only minimum wage and for 3 1/2 hrs. every day, but it's more than I have now and it gets me back to my school.
I think it'll be fun!  And, if they need a sub, then they will pull me to sub, but I can also still sub in the afternoons! 

In other news, JEB went to the dentist today to do some of the work on his mouth.  We headed over there first thing this morning, and he did GREAT!!  Got to the back, to one of the rooms - The Superhero Room - and he wasn't too excited about going in.  Thankfully, they have Andre.....we call him the Bouncer.....to help pick him up and put him in the "Papoose Board".  While some parents would freak at having to restrain their child in this manner, I know that there is NO WAY in this world, that anything would get done with his legs/feet/arms/hands flailing about.  This way, he stays safe.  No pinching, pulling hands away from his mouth, or kicking the staff.  They started the Nitrous Oxide, and he started getting drowsy.  Amazingly, he got three shots to deaden his mouth, and he didn't even flinch or yell!!  I was shocked!!  But he was able to get one cap and two fillings done, this first visit!  I was so proud of him! 

So, you can see I've been busy!  I am quite busy this week and we will go to Alabama for a couple of days to see PaPa!

I hope all of you who visit me have a wonderful holiday!  Remember that Christ is the reason we have songs to sing and why we celebrate this great day!!

Merry Christmas to all of you!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! well, almost....

Happy Thanksgiving!!!  to all of you who come to visit me, once in awhile.

I decided to do this early, since tomorrow I will be helping the elderly lady across the street get ready to go visit relatives for an overnight visit, and cooking, cooking, cooking, because we are having another school family come over for turkey dinner!! They are from TX and had to stay in town this week because of bball tournaments/games.

I also wanted to take a moment to say what I'm thankful for.....
        - a loving husband
        - a sweet, lovable little boy
        - a wonderful sister and brother
        - the ability to teach and tutor and touch the lives of other kids
        - a home that is warm and food on the table
        - pretty good health
        - a car to drive every day
        - that I live in this wonderful, free country
        - the men/women who fight for our country to stay free
but most of all, I'm thankful that GOD loved me enough to send HIS only SON, JESUS, to die for my sins on the cross.  I love you LORD, with all of my heart, my mind, and my soul.

a visit to the dentist.....

FINALLY!!  We finally found a dentist who would do JEB's dental work in the office!

Ok, back the horse up a bit.......we had visited the recommended pediatric dentist in town, but his only recommendation was to do the work in his hospital suite, which we didn't have the money for and weren't too excited about.  Went to another new pediatric dentist in town, like her, but he was non-cooperative, so it was hospital choice again.  We were going to go thru this, but changed our minds at the last minute.  Went to a dental office, that goes to visit the schools in an RV and does dental work with kids who are unable to come to the office and they will take the Medicaid waiver that JEB gets. 

We had an appt this morning.  Weren't too sure what they were going to do, but we waited for a room to open.  JEB sat and watched the other kids come in and get their xrays and go  to the dental chairs for a cleaning.  We finally were able to go back to one of the rooms, where they could use the papoose board for him.  Now I know, some of you think this is not very pleasant for the child, but let me tell you......he has fast, strong hands and won't be still to get any work done if he is not restrained.  Did he scream/yell?  Yes, he did.....LOUDLY.  Did he thrash about?  YES, A LOT!  Did we get his xrays done?  YES!!!! We did!!!  Did he actually get his teeth cleaned??  YES!!!  HE DID!!!

He cried quite a bit, spit at the technicians, pinched one of them, yelled, continued to try and get unrestrained.......but there was also several times that he just stopped and let them do the work they needed to do!  He actually got his teeth cleaned!!!  I was so surprised!!!  Now we know what needs to be done to his mouth and he has nice, clean teeth!!!  WOO-HOO!!! 

He was so excited too, because he got to get a toy from the treasure box!!!

Here's to a Holiday look!!!

I know it's been FOREVER since I've posted anything, but I've been busy!!! 

Thanks to my bff's older daughter for updating my blog!!  She does such a great job and she is so creative!  One of these days, I really have to learn how to do it myself, but for now, she can do it for me!!  Thanks Mackenzie!!!

I'll write more later, but we are still kicking and looking forward to our week out of school for Thanksgiving!!!

A new school tool!

Hey everyone!  Thought I'd drop in and write a few lines, you know, just to let everyone know we're still here.  Things have been going well.  School started with a bang and is moving right along.

I've been busy.  Subbed several times already this year, which is good.  Seems the substitute pool is very limited, so it looks like they will call me often.  And I'm ok with that. 

I recently ordered this new educational thing for JEB from Lakeshore Learning.  Pretty cool.  His teacher was showing me one day how she uses it at school.  It's a Build-A-Word Magnetic Board.  It comes with magnetic tiles with pictures and letter of the alphabet. I will post a pic of it so you can see it.  Anyway, she chooses which picture tile to use, writes the letters with a dry-erase marker and then lets JEB match the letters she has written.  Then she sounds out the word and he will do the same.

I tried it with him this morning and he did great!!  Only instead of writing the letters with a marker, I simply places about 6/7 tiles for his viewing that included the correct ones, and said the sound of the letters.  He then would pick which letter made that sound, and he did pretty good.  Missed a couple of sounds, but for the most part, got the correct letter.  So, I will use this with him and see if it will help his reading skills pick up a bit.  I can also use it with my tutoring students that I work with in 1st grade and my 2nd graders with spelling words!!

It was a little more than I would've thought, $29.99 but I think it's going to be worth it!

I can't believe he can do this!!

Guess what JEB can do????

This evening, I was reading thru JEB's IEP and looking at stuff we needed to work on for this school year.  One of the things, was that he would be able to say his birthday, when asked.  So I asked him when his birthday was and proceeded to tell him, June 12.  I said it over and over, several times, and then one time he started saying....."june, july, august,.....sember (september)........otober......skipped November and then Dember!!  I said, "what?"  start again!  So, I started with January and he proceeded to go thru the months of the year.....sort of skipping thru a couple of them, but said them all nonetheless!!!  WOW!!

I immediately called his teacher and was screaming in the phone and jumping up and down, and she simply said, ask him what the days of the week are......so I did!!  I said, "JEB, what are the days of the week?".....he says.....Sunday, Monday, and so on!!!  AMAZING!!! 

I am soooooo proud of him!!!  Guess we'll be working on some other stuff too!!!  WOO-HOO!!!