Home By the Creekside

3 Joys--My beautiful children and husband, my 3 dogs, and my LDS membership 3 Fears--Spiders (ewww), Losing all of my hearing, and Being Friendless. 3 Current Goals--Lose weight (lost 10 pounds this summer), Finish college classes, Scrapbook my kids' life (not doing a very good job) 3 Current Obsessions--Reading, Surfing the internet, and trying to be the most creative 3 Random facts about myself--I wear hearing aids because I had too many ear infections and listened to loud music in headphones when I was younger, I love chips and salsa, and I like to cook/bake new things--coming up today--Huckleberry Buckle.

Well, I survived the first week of school. It has been 7 days in session. When is it going to end? 173 more school days until summer! I do have to say my class is WAY better this year than last. I moved out the modular this year. Now I am trailer trash. I love it. It is so quiet and people do not come in and distract me. I get things actually done. I have four windows and door to the outside. I have my own air conditioning. I am set. The only thing I wish I had.....a sink. I have 23 students. I think I am the only one with 23 so that means I get the next new student that caused problems at his old school and parents think a change will do them good. Why do parents do that? That always happened in Phoenix. The latino parents would move students to a new school at the end of the quarter because their own child was failing. They figure it was the teacher! Don't tell anybody...but it usually is the student with no support at home. I do love teaching! Anyone who walks in my classroom c...

I head back to work for training next week. Then I officially report for full duties in less than 2 weeks. Where did the summer go? I can tell you that I watched it pass by while sitting on my bum not doing a darn thing. It was good and I plan to do next summer ((maybe)). I did not get to my baseboards, walls, or under furniture as I had wanted. But... I got to see my darlings spend time with each other, play without a care, and of course, fight... I had no stress for the last 2 months. I read about 20 books on my comfy leather couch, took endless naps on my comfy leather couch while the kids were napping, stayed up until midnight almost every night without being tired the next day, and spent time being a mom.

Do not get me wrong. I really like staying home with my kids this summer instead of working. Lately, they have been driving me nuts. Really nuts! If it is not the fighting, it is the whining and saying unkind things to each other. I know....welcome to motherhood and staying home full-time with my adorable kids.When they get this way, I feel like I am trapped in a tiny box and my kids are on outside beating and kicking and the only thing I can do is roll up into a ball and hope it will pass. I know some of you know that feeling especially you stay home all the time moms! :) Even when I am teaching, my students do this but in other ways that drive me just as crazy as my kids. My students will talk too much, be fidgety, or even argue with each other at recess. My husband would just roll his eyes when I would complain of how tired I am of my students behavior. But it does pass and they are angels once again until IT happens again. So after my walk with my good friend, I look up and lo! a...

T he kids love holding the sparklers and waving them. I really love fireworks! We love that we live here in Idaho and get to light fireworks. It is a luxury for us since we could not light them in Arizona. My brother and his family were up here for the 4th. We had a good time with them and we did not even have a brotherly/sisterly fight. We must be growing up. Next year, we would like to go and do more festivities. We took everyone to Menan for the fireworks show. I think they are really nice ones. Heck, it beats sitting in 105 degree temps watching the fireworks. That is something that we do not miss from AZ. Even though Idaho Falls is supposed to have the best fireworks west of the Mississippi, we have yet to brave sitting in the sun for 5 years I mean hours waiting for them. I have no patience especially when it comes to keeping Lyndee and Brayden out of everyone's way.

We decided to forego the mountains for our backyard. We set up our tent. Clayton should be a pro at it now. We started a fire in our pit and roasted marshmallows. The kids loved the s'mores! My cutie pie nephew, Tyler, totally had lots of fun sleeping outside in the tent and of course, eating s'mores. It was his first time and wants to do it again. I forgot to change Lyndee's pj's to warmer ones. As a result, she wanted inside around 3am. Clayton took her in and she finished her rest in the luxury of her room. I can tell you this we were all up pretty early that morning except for Brayden who burrowed down inside his sleeping bag.

I enrolled the kids into their first swimming lessons here in Idaho Falls. It is at the aquatic center. It is actually a nice place and the kids have a part where they can stand in the water without drowning. They are enjoying them so far. Although Lyndee can't sit still and Brayden is so eagar to start swimming, I can tell that they are having fun.