Just an Update

I am officially back at work.  I have mixed emotions about this.  On the one hand I miss Claire like crazy!  On the other hand I do enjoy my job; it is challenging and rewarding.  However, I am not giving up my hopes of winning the lottery so that I can afford to become a SAHM, haha.

I will post more this weekend!

My Nightstand

I must admit that I have a bit of a voyeuristic side.  I enjoy watching house tours, those "What's in My Purse" videos, and hauls (I especially love grocery hauls, though these are not too common).  Since I enjoy these things I assume others do as well.  Therefore I thought I'd give you a peek at what's on my nightstand.

1. Alarm clock
This alarm clock is amazing!  I can't stand really loud alarms, so I bought one that wakes me up to birds chirping.  It also has a little sun on top that lights up and then rises.  I love it!

2. Magazines

These change pretty often, but right now I have InStyle, Popular Science, Martha Stewart Living, and a teacher supply catalog. 

3. Books

I am always reading a book, and the two I'm working on right now are both nonfiction.  One is a biography of John Adams, the other a self-help book titled Creating Your Best Life Now.  

4. A movie

This is by far the most embarrassing item.  It is one of my favorite movies, but I hate to admit it, because the thing is so darn cheesy!  Oh well.  Everyone needs a little cheese in their life.  The movie is called The Good Witch.  There is a whole series of them shown on the Hallmark Channel, which I don't get because I have stupid Uverse.  Anyway, this is the only one available on DVD.  And I love it.  

There are a few other things: a lamp, a coaster (that I made myself!), and three tealight holders (all of which are empty with the exception of some Chapstick).  

Mechanical Horses = Pure Bliss

Claire is obsessed.  If she sees a carousel or any mechanical horse ride she goes nuts.  And how can I resist letting her ride when she looks like this:

I love this particular ride because it's free.  That's right - FREE!!!  All I have to do is push a button.  It's at my grocery store, which is even better because this way Claire gets excited about going to the store with me.
Now on actual, bigger carousels  Claire will be all grins but also yell, "Whoa!" over and over. It's stinkin' adorable.  I love this kid!

Sleep

Ever since I can remember I've hated sleeping.  As a child I thought it was an enormous waste of time, and that attitude has somewhat stuck with me into adulthood.  However, the older I get the more I realize how much I need sleep.
This point has really hit home the last week.  I have been off work for a few weeks, and will be reporting back next week, so I have been working on getting Claire and myself back into our regular routine.  Since we've been getting up early I've made sure Claire's in bed by 8, but I've been staying up way too late.  And by way too late I mean 11:30 or midnight.  My alarm goes off at 4:4o, with me snoozing it until 5.  So yeah, I'm getting about five hours of sleep.  The side effects of this sleep schedule have not been very obvious to others, but I can tell: I'm more quiet around my friends, I've been having a difficult time concentrating during conversations, I'm not very articulate when trying to get a point across, and for me the worst side effect has got to be feeling down.  Yesterday I felt so depressed, even though I have no reason to feel this way, and I really think it's due to lack of sleep.  So last night I went to bed early and I feel 100% better today.
With school coming I am concerned I will fall back into my minimal sleep habit.  In the past I've tried to suck every second out of my evening, usually resulting in falling asleep around midnight.  Then I feel miserable the next day.  Well, I think it's time I grow up and realize that to be a happy and productive person I need to sleep more.  It's not a waste of time after all.

The bed that I must spend more time in! 

Book Review: Guided Math

Guided Math by Sammons Laney
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book would probably be great for a beginning teacher.  If you have been teaching awhile and have done guided reading, I would say this book is a waste of your time.  Especially if you are familiar with Debbie Miller, Fountas and Pinnell, and Marzano.  This book did a great job of explaining why guided math should be done, but not a lot of how it is done (which is what I was looking for).  I was quite disappointed as I want to try guided math next year (hence, I don't need to be convinced), and wanted some structures from someone experienced in guided math (not a lot of this, unfortunately).


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Book Review: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Pride and Prejudice is my favorite book, so I must admit that I was a bit skeptical about the addition of the undead.  However, I didn't much mind it.  It sort of added a touch of Kill Bill to the famous plot.  I did find it a little humorous to imagine the Bennet sisters slaying zombies in their early nineteenth century gowns.

Now, for my criticisms, plus some spoilers, so consider yourself sufficiently warned:
First of all, there is a scene where Elizabeth kills ninjas and takes a bite out of one of their hearts.  Gross. Too far.
Secondly, I didn't much like the subtle - and some not so subtle - sexual innuendo.  As absurd as zombies are, they fit so much better than Mr. Darcy speaking of his balls, or Elizabeth referring to the outline of Mr. Darcy's sexual parts (I can't remember the exact phrasing), through his pants.

Overall, I would say that if you love Pride and Prejudice, and aren't offended by an author taking some farfetched creative liberties with the plot, then you will probably like this book.


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