Yes, you are so right when you stated that it takes two sane people to work together post-divorce. NKK (Nutty Koo Koo-XH) didn't come over today and we did just fine.
Kids didn't even seem to mind one bit.
We got up. Lit a fire. Played some xmas music. It was wondeful. My kids got the Wii and have had a ball playing with this thing..so cool.
Had a wonderful xmas eve at my mom's and then New Guy's family. My sis, her family, my bro, his family and my mom and dad all spent the night together along with New Guy and his D. It was wonderful.
Then, we went to New Guy's and it was equally fun. We are all so blessed.
NKK went all out and gave the kids money to buy me gifts this year. My D was so sweet. She remembered so many little details as to which soap I like, perfume, etc. I must have opened ten gifts. Was a little strange since NKK and I aren't talking..My D was excited, though and I didn't question it. My S gave me the prettiest silver necklace with matching earrings. I had lost this set of earrings and he remembered So sweet.
New Guy came over here early a.m. and was like Santa. He gave me a beautiful charm of a graduation cap for my charm necklace. It made me cry. He also gave me matted and framed grad pics of me in black and white to hang on my wall. He is so thoughtful. I also got a nice array from Victoria's Secret, too.
Happy New Year my friend and to all my dbers out there.
All has been quite on the MTN front for which I am grateful.
Rang in the New Year with my friends (SA3!) and had a great time. What a wonderful way to kick off 2008!
I am off for a few weeks from teaching which has been nice. My D10 has been sick for a week which has been rough, though. Bad headcold that landed her in the ER last Friday due to some kind of asthma attack that had never occurred before. She is fine, now, and I believe that she had a bad sinus infection. Having a real xmas tree hasn't helped, either and I am tackling that, today.The poor thing..She is a real trooper and is back in school but I know she was scared out of her mind..The doc gave her an inhaler and she is on antibiotics so she is on the mend.
As for me, XH has been busy doing his thing (he iceboats) which is great. He was always so happy in the winter. He loves to build boats and sail them which is fun for my S13, too. So, for now, the focus is off the dysfunction and drama and on his sport..phew..
New Guy has been busy winding down his season of landscaping. He has been a HUGE help around here fixing broken things, etc. It has been terrific.
As for me, I am have been busy getting D on the mend and starting my tutoring business. I have been designing brochures and trying to find office space. I will be having group tutoring as well as one on one. It has been fun coming up with strategies to market my new business and designing things. My next step is to get organized with all my materials and have them in my fiile cabinet categorized by grade/age. My main focus will be study skills and organizational strategies for kids. I have a good feel for this and am really excited. So far, the feedback has been wonderful!
Well, off to go get tree out of here. I want the house cleaned up before D comes home. Then, off to tutoring.
Happy New Year my friend and to all my dbers out there.
All has been quite on the MTN front for which I am grateful.
Rang in the New Year with my friends (SA3!) and had a great time. What a wonderful way to kick off 2008!
I am off for a few weeks from teaching which has been nice. My D10 has been sick for a week which has been rough, though. Bad headcold that landed her in the ER last Friday due to some kind of asthma attack that had never occurred before. She is fine, now, and I believe that she had a bad sinus infection. Having a real xmas tree hasn't helped, either and I am tackling that, today.The poor thing..She is a real trooper and is back in school but I know she was scared out of her mind..The doc gave her an inhaler and she is on antibiotics so she is on the mend.
As for me, XH has been busy doing his thing (he iceboats) which is great. He was always so happy in the winter. He loves to build boats and sail them which is fun for my S13, too. So, for now, the focus is off the dysfunction and drama and on his sport..phew..
New Guy has been busy winding down his season of landscaping. He has been a HUGE help around here fixing broken things, etc. It has been terrific.
As for me, I am have been busy getting D on the mend and starting my tutoring business. I have been designing brochures and trying to find office space. I will be having group tutoring as well as one on one. It has been fun coming up with strategies to market my new business and designing things. My next step is to get organized with all my materials and have them in my fiile cabinet categorized by grade/age. My main focus will be study skills and organizational strategies for kids. I have a good feel for this and am really excited. So far, the feedback has been wonderful!
Well, off to go get tree out of here. I want the house cleaned up before D comes home. Then, off to tutoring.
Happy New Year!
MTN, Good luck with the tutoring! If I might give you some advice and a little help since we are kinda in the same profession. Get all of your new students that you are tutoring planners. Make them write down all assignments they have in all the classes, if they don't have assignments in a particular class, have the teacher sign off on it. Get all of youe students a jump-drive, or flash drive, whatever you want to call it. Students can save assignments they do on those and will keep them at all time. Lastly, give a reading assessment to see what level they are on. Its been my experience that poor reading skills cause kids to fall behind. I suggest using the GRADE assessment by AGR. These strategies have helped me and my school achieve to unreal levels!! Good luck!!!
What do you grade level do you teach? I gather you tutor, too?
I would LOVE to pick your brain a bit on how to get this all started!!
BTW-- what does "AGR" stand for as far as the reading assessments?
Thanks again for the feeback! I am very excited to get this all underway!
hugs, MTN
MTN, LOL I do a little bit of everything, I'm a principal. GRADE is by PERSON, not AGR. LOL I get confused sometimes with all the assessments we give. I will help you any way I can, just let me know what you need to get started. We have offered tutoring for years, during school and after school. Quality assessments are the key, got to know what's broke before you fix it, and you have to be able to measure progress and discover weaknesses.
Anyway, getting the assessments done are key as you had posted. There is so much to think about but I LOVE LOVE LOVE the thought of helping kids individually.
Anyway, getting the assessments done are key as you had posted. There is so much to think about but I LOVE LOVE LOVE the thought of helping kids individually.
What state are you in? I am in NJ..
Have a great night!!
hugs, mtn
I work in Ky. We have a lot of the issues that the city schools have, just in a different setting. Small classes are also key, I hate the concept of consolidated comprehensive schools. Its just killed education.
Great philosophy on schooling and class size. I agree completely.
Well, I went to my family C and we spent half the session coming up with a game plan for my new business venture. My C is very business savy and it's fun that he is very optimistic about my future endeavors. (well, that is what I pay him for, right? )
While I was in the session, XH texted me THREE times. My S left his gym bag full of his basketball clothes in his dad's car last night. My C if ten minutes from XH's shop. XH agreed to meet me. WEll, I AGREED to meet him, let's say..lol
He was so impatient about meeting times you would think he had to go to meet the president for lunch..He was so uptight. When I met him he looked good and was with our mutual friend..they were going to lunch. Mutual friend works for XH. XH really looks the best he has looked since he left. We talked for a while..engaged in brief chit chat. I talked mostly as I haven't seen our friend in months. It was awkward and familiar at the same time.
I can tell XH is cycling again. It's so strange. I can almost predict how he will act week to week. I just can't believe I lived with that for 13 years.
Holidays are funny as they are a time for reflection. I think alot of the reflecting is not only about visiting relatives and reliving traditions, but it's getting out all the memorablia from holiday's past, etc. Even the cleaning gets me nostalgic as I find so many lost things when I am digging through closets, old boxes, etc looking for holiday decorations or cleaning for guests.
Yesterday I came across one of our wedding videos. This was an amateur one that XH did himself with the help of his brother. It had our rehearsal dinner on it and karaoke at a bar afterwards. It was fun to watch the reception and see all the relatives that have since passed. I saw my aunt on the tape and it was bittersweet to visit with her once again as it has barely been two years since her sudden passing.
Anyway, it was intersting to see XH's body language and demeanor back then. It was good to see us as a couple, too and remember the good times. He truly was a different man back then; attentive, caring, funny, creative...The look in his eyes was even different.
My demeanor has changed, too, I did notice. I was dancing up a storm at my wedding which I thought was funny. I have since calmed down a bit and tend to be more reserved which my kids thought was funny. I spent most of the reception dancing with my friends and noticed XH was not around much. Funny..I didn't seem to even care..
Had I had a crystal ball..lol
I did tell XH that the kids were watching the video. He looked surprised and intrigued.
They were good times and I think it was fun for the kids to see us having fun..They laughed so hard at all the bad 90's hairdos, too.
Well, I am exhausted today because I do think that trip down memory lane took its toll on me. I was a little sad later on in the night and was like, "what the heck happened to that couple?"
Today, I accepted it. It's life. This stuff happens. I am grateful to have two beautiful kids, a great family, wonderful friends..terrific new guy. And that was that.
Now it's time to make an appointment with my couch for a nap. I haven't done that in AGES and it's time to sit back and smell the roses a bit..
Just keeping you up to date with my world and to journal my thoughts..
Well, D10 has been sick for three weeks. It has been pretty rough. She has had bronchitis for the past week and a half and bad sinus infection that set in the day after xmas. We had a trip to the ER as I think I wrote previously. Many trips to the doctor and chest xray. I am happy to say, though, she is in school today for the first time this week! YAY!
As for the XH stuff, he called me at 11 p.m. last night to chit chat. Was the STANGEST thing in the world. I had sent him an email about the kids schedules and he replied..a little sarcastic..so I sent one back saying..
whatever..
He called me ll p.m. last night..so weird.
He is so all over the place..I do think he may be bipolar..I really do..His moods fluctuate to the extreme so often that it is scary. It was a horrible way to live. It really was. To be married to a man and not know which H was going to walk through the door at the end of the day..nice one..withdrawn one..sarcastic one..nasty one..
I am not putting much thought into the call other than I am grateful that he was the "nice" XH for now..that's it. He wants to see the kids this weekend as he has "no plans" as he made sure I knew..
That's fine..he can see them whenever he wants provided his personality isn't the "nasty XH"..when he is like that..well, he insn't welcome to be with them..
Okay..off to get my haircut! It's a me day..woo hoo!!
