2010: A Year In Review

or alternatively titled, "2010: It's Finally Over; Let Us Never Speak Of This Again"

For the better part of the day, I have been trying to think of how I could wind up this year. To be perfectly honest, this past year has bit the big one. This is quite possibly the worst year we've had to date.

I was going to do a month-by-month review, but seeing as I didn't blog from December of '09 until May of this year....

You see my dilemma. Added with the fact that I can't remember something from yesterday, let alone March, I am pretty much done.

I thought maybe I'd give a list of the top 10 things that have happened this year....

Good: We paid off the car...
Bad: after the finance company decided to repossess it for the last payment. Our less-than-four-hundred-dollar car payment ended up costing over two grand. Yep--two-zero-zero-zero plus.

Good: I graduated from college...
Bad: but I still haven't received my diploma because the EDU department messed up. Therefore, the college considers me "dropped out."

Good: My husband asked me to work from home...
Bad: but freelance writing is a tough market and money's thin.

(Still a good thing, though. I LOVE my life right now.)

Good: We didn't lose our house to foreclosure...
Bad: so owe a very generous family member a chunk of cash.

Good: My mom was finally successful in teaching me to crochet and Big Daddy gave me knitting looms for Christmas...
Bad...but I am totally addicted to making things. Yarn (the really pretty and soft ones) is EXPENSIVE.

Good: My healthy children started 12th, 6th, and 5th grade.
Bad: My babies are growing up too fast.

Good: The photo studio were I worked closed in May which meant I could be off during the summer AND still get paid...
Bad: but the state of TN didn't think I was worthy of unemployment benefits and was DENIED.

Good: I turned 36.
Bad: I turned 36.

Good: We took a trip to Ohio in April
Bad: but unfortunately we went because my husband's grandmother passed.

Good: My husband still has a job.
Bad: The quarterly bonuses were cut, Wellness bonus was cut in half, and insurance changed.

2010 was not our year. Some of it was because of poor choices, but the rest was pure, unadulterated bad luck. We both agreed that 2011 has GOT to be better.



Happy New Years to you and yours!

Normal people don't procastinate. Normally.

I am terribly behind in my blogging which ironically is a perfect lead-in to today's topic from Sara's 30-Day Challenge:

Day 13-"What is the best piece of advice that you have ever received?"

Don't put off until tomorrow, what you can do today.

As the WORLD'S worst procrastinator, I am constantly putting off "until tomorrow." As I have grown up ever so slightly, I have come to realize the benefit of getting things done today.

Wait. I am thinking the above statement is incorrect. If I claimed to be the "world's worst procrastinator" wouldn't that mean I DON'T put things off and always get stuff done?

Perhaps it should read, "...WORLD'S BEST procrastinator...."

GAH! I don't know. I'll figure it out later.

Anyway, in an effort to get ahead on some things that have been put off enough this week, here is the next question in Sara's Challenge:

Day14- "What is the worst advice that you have ever received?"

A long time ago, I was going to a therapist. He had been trying to "cure" me of my OCPD*
when finally, during a converstation about toothpaste of all things, he says to me, "You are just not normal. You need to start doing things like everyone else."

I did not return after that appointment. I could not get past the fact he said I wasn't "normal." What does that even mean? Still to this day, it is extremely unusual for me to use the word "normal" in reference to a person. Or ever.

Further, it is possible that he exacerbated my OCPD. Telling me that I NEED to do something is pretty much guaranteeing that the opposite is going to occur.

Not that I am head- strong or anything.

We'll analyze that tomorrow.

We now interrupt this program....

Hey y'all.

I am sorry to have kept you hangin' on the blog challenge. I will get it back on track hopefully in the next day or so.

And then there is reading your blogs as well. You wouldn't believe how behind I am.


I have been writing the last few days like my fingers are on fire, but I am grateful for the opportunities. Plus, I've got a couple of deadlines the end of this month...

If that weren't enough, Big Daddy started his vacation on Tuesday. I love that he is finally off. These few days he has managed to gather are the first days off he's had since school started. We are three weeks into the school year....

Yesterday morning, we got up to some devastating news. At like 3:30 in the morning. The day was spent making calls and having to make hard decisions. I can't go into details here, but if you could send us some good vibes, we'd appreciate it. Big Daddy isn't one to get down, but even he was exceptionally quiet last night. And you know how well I handle stress.

Karma, what did we do?


Regular programming shall resume shortly.

Thank you and have a wonderful day.

See ya 2009. It's been real...

I have thought all day how I should send off 2009 on the blog.

Or at least the last couple of hours.

2009 hasn't been our best year, but it certainly hasn't been our worst. There have been highs that I haven't shared, and some mighty lows that I have. At the end of the day, or year even, it hasn't been bad.

I have grown and learned more about myself as a mother, wife, friend, student, teacher, and overall rider on this big spinning rock than any other time in my life these past three hundred and some odd days.

(Yes, I actually had to look up the number of days. Strange.)

(There are 365. Odd.)

I don't have any parting words of wisdom. I don't even have any resolutions. Unless, "I will not make impossible goals that I will never achieve," counts.

Some big things are on tap for 2010, so I look forward to see what else is in store for us.

Happy New Year to you all. Here's to another year of spotty posts...Thanks for sticking with me all this time.


::clinking of glasses::

It could have been worse

In light of other, bigger, more important things going on with some of my bloggy friends, I shouldn't complain.

But.

I had a crappy day.

I am also using nice language. Let's just say that third grade is not my cup of tea. Or more accurately, one specific class.

I had one child draw on his Scholastic News. He made the polar bear a "mama bear."

Only problem was that "mama" most definitely could be confused as being "papa" bear.

A call was put in to Mr. Principal, and the artist was carted away.

One of my rules in a classroom is that no one is to sharpen pencils after 8:30. Part of getting ready in the morning is sharpening two or three pencils. This cuts down on constant trips to the sharpener.

I had a sweet girl give me a note about mid-day:

Dear Mrs. C*****,
I have never sharpened my pencil or talked out. Just a friendly reminder.
Love, (little girl)

And that's why I'll go back again.

Someday.

When life hands you lemons, make it a blog post

Last summer, at my other place, I created a little meme called "Ticked off Tuesday." For some, it was a big hit. I watched it spread to people that didn't know my blog existed because I am/was private. Basically, it was just the little nuances that bug you at the time it happens, but not often enough to be called a pet peeve.
After about five weeks, I pulled it. I suddenly saw myself immersed in a world of negativity by looking for things to write about on Tuesdays. A couple of my friends admitted at the end that they wouldn't/didn't participate because they avoided negativity.

Today, I am feeling sort of blah. I am not sure if it's because of that sweet baby, the fact that nine weeks of school is over already, just tired from being up last night or what, but there are some things that just plain bugged me today. This afternoon, I decided to have a special fall edition of Ticked off Tuesday, which obviously has moved to a better time slot of Thursday. It's like the Vice-Presidential debates, except entertaining and honest.


Here it is...

**The motorcycle [driver] that followed WAY too close coming into the college this morning. Between all the speed bumps and stop signs, I honestly thought he was going to hit the car. Then he parked in the faculty lot.

**The geography instructor asked a student if she was going to, "da Sweeden." because she had her hair in two braids and pulled forward. She didn't really say anything so he says, "What's the matter? You [sic] having a bad day?" I just thought it was tacky. (His comment, not her hair. I actually thought it was cute.)

**I arrive in my Educational Psychology class. The assignment that I thought was due by 11 tonight, was due by 11 last night. I had two more examples to type up and had planned on doing it after class today while another girl and I worked on a couple of things. Anyway, he accepted a hard copy. Blech.

**I went to talk to the Media Writing professor and explain why I dropped the class. She gave me back the project I turned in last week with a 92 written on it. I got the highest grade in the class and here I thought I wasn't getting it.

**The girl that sits next to me in History chomps on her gum. Loudly.Every.Single.Day. Sounds like cattle grazing.

**Fall break started at the end of school today for students. Since Big Daddy is working, and the kids have no homework (for two whole weeks! EEEeee!) I was going to knock out some projects. Then, the phone rang. Pfft...You know how plans go.

** The lady that parked in the handicapped parking just to return her RedBox DVD.

** The girl that asked me what I would like to order at McDonald's as I was walking in the door. Literally.

To counter the negative effects, here is a short list of things that were good about today:

*The sun was out, not a cloud in the sky, temps were perfect. It just smelled like fall.
*My education instructor accepted my assignment.
*The Media Writing prof asked me to be a student editor for the publication the school puts out. She also has requested my manuscript (ahem, as soon as I finish it) because she may know the right people to have a look. (Emphasis is hers. Did I mention she is a published writer?)
*I got to have dinner alone with my youngest. A rare treat.
*The middle child was invited to play at a friend's house (thus adjusting my plans), but I know how important these years are socially.
*Knowing that I will write this post, and someone will read it.

(and hopefully comment)

How was your day?

The best laid--

I had a plan.

Because I have a husband that understands how important my education is to me, and the children that are at the age homework is primarily solo, handling my homework was going to be fine. I would even be able to blog regularly. It was even recommended! Ok, technically that was the Media Writing professor, but still... Life was golden.

Then, it happened.

The youngest decided learning would not be on his agenda this week. I decided that it would be. We fought nightly until bedtime. I do not exaggerate.


I wrote a note to his teacher asking for her help. She thinks he is struggling (not just lazy as I suspect) and wants to meet next week. We may possibly modify his instruction.

::sigh::

I came into today thinking there was no problem; it's a four-day weekend! I can accomplish my long to-do list and get back on schedule.

-At the library today, there was a sign for an interesting lecture . There is a couple of hours at least gone from Saturday to attend.

-Big Daddy wants me to help him with the Weenie Wagon on Sunday. "Only" from 11-5, he says. It is hot this weekend. I will be exhausted by the time we get home.

-I promised the boys we'd go shopping. Pants shopping-always a crowd pleaser. ::shudders::

-I have this bad habit of wanting to sleep at night. Maybe I should trade with one of my friends who wishes she could.

All my professors have talked this week on how important reading, writing, and critical thinking is for growth. Being they didn't mention format, you think I could convince them that daily blogging (including reading and commenting on others) is essential?

Then, my plan would be complete. Except for that whole stubborn 8-year old business. Unfortunately, he gets it honest.

Don't tell him.

Good/Bad

Good: I didn't get called into work today.
Bad: I didn't get called into work today.

Good: A company, that I have been trying to get on with for MONTHS, finally sent me another email with an invitation to work.
Bad: I can't get the schedule that would be most conducive to my current situation.

Good: The doctors have decided my gallbladder is making me sick.
Bad: I have to have surgery on Friday.

Good: I am finally going to be rid of my gallbladder.
Bad: I will not be able to work for at least a week.

Good: One child had to use admire in a sentence. He wrote, "I admire my mom." (And meant it) His explanation was because I teach him "stuff."
Bad: The other child took over an hour to do math. He didn't understand place value.
Tears were shed. And he was upset, too.

Good: Tomorrow is payday.
Bad: More money needs to go out than will make it in.

Good: I caught at least three grammatical errors on a note home from school about the Open House.
Bad: I have never posted an error-free entry.

Good: I saw a sign that made me laugh (on the car of a Longaberger rep): "Friends Don't Let Friends Buy Wicker."
Bad: (It's never bad to laugh)

Good: Computer Renaissance sold me a RAM stick for 4o (ish) bucks. And installed it for free.
Bad: He opened the side, and I didn't know could be done, only to expose six years of dust.

Good: Big Daddy went with me to town this morning.
Bad: He is at work now and won't be home until 11:30.

Good: This attempt an interesting entry and making you smile at least once.
Bad: Not making you smile and you'd click on the x....

Your turn...what's your Good/Bad for today?