Desi-Ray-Ray

Housewarming Party/Birthday Party

2012-01-23T12:03:00.000-08:00

So this Saturday was spent celebrating my niece's fourth birthday along with my newly remodeled house! It was a very stressful morning because the company that we ordered the jumper and tables from cancelled because it was going to rain all day! Well I had looked it up and it was supposed to stop by 1pm and that's when the party was going to start. Needless to say we had to find other arrangements because in about 4 hours we would have a bunch of people over. Lucky for us, my mom called another company that supplied the chairs and tables for us. I called my friend, who guided me to another jumper company that saved the day!

Around 1pm all of my family started to show up. It was fun watching everyone look at my house and admire the work we have put into it. It was even better to see the faces of those that have previously seen it to know what it has progressed from. Audrey had a wonderful time with cousins and friends playing in the jumper and around the house. Lucky for us, the rain stayed away just like the forecast predicted.

Around 5pm, my "work" friends started to show up. I didn't think they would want to hang out with all of the little kids running around. We had a bunch of fun and the last guests left around 12:45am. It was a fun and exciting time and Audrey and I are both very thankful.

I missed out on taking pictures because I was so busy that day sorry.

SO....

2011-12-23T21:44:00.000-08:00

For those of you who do not know....I MOVED INTO MY HOUSE!!!! It doesn't resemble the same house that I walked through back in September 2009. It is a "brand new" house and it is lovely! Many thanks to my dad and mom!!! Without them, many of the "new" things wouldn't be done. Also thanks to my cousins Michael and Mando for my new tile and showers and for the lack of holes in my house!

I will post pictures at a later time when I actually have internet at my house. :)

Half way done!

2011-12-16T11:28:00.000-08:00

Today is the last day of the semester! I will enjoy the next three weeks off of school for Christmas Break before beginning the second semester of the school year. I can't believe how fast the year has gone. I think it is mainly due to cheer. For 12 weeks we had weekly football games that made those three months fly by! I can't believe that the football season is over and that we only have 18 more weeks of school! It's exciting to know that it is halfway over. Many times I still feel like I'm "brand new", but other times I feel right at home. :)

Now it's time to enjoy the next three weeks of vacation! :) (I know you are jealous...hehe.)

99.1 KGGI

2011-11-16T13:43:00.000-08:00

This year has been full of major events for my cheer squad. Today at 7:45 on 99.1, some of my cheerleaders and some of the football players will be on the radio station. They will be broadcasting to help promote Friday night's CIF football game. On Friday, the radio station will also be at the football game broadcasting live as well! This is an awesome opportunity for the girls to be able to participate in along with the student body. So even if you do not care for this music, turn the radio on to hear the girls tonight. :)

In 6 months........

2011-11-14T12:09:00.000-08:00

I WILL BE 30!!!!! YIKES!!!

One of my cheerleaders brought in balloons for her boyfriend for his birthday so all of the kids thought today was my birthday. This is when I realized in exactly 6 MONTHS, I will have my birthday and I'll be 30! Oh well, it won't be that bad, right??? :)

PINK OUT!!!!!

2011-10-17T18:09:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all!
Well since October is breast cancer awareness month my cheerleaders have been promoting all month long by wearing pink tanks that we got during the summer. They have the breast cancer ribbon on it and they are super cute. Football has also been supporting all month by selling T-Shirts at the Homecoming Carnival and at the home football games. They were raising money to donate to an organization.

Well because of all of this great publicity, the Channel 5 News came out this past Friday! It was super exciting for all of the students and for the staff as well. They wanted some of the students to get there early on Friday morning for interviews. Well that's what I was told on Thursday morning. (Yea they told me the day before.) So early Friday morning there was a gathering of football players, cheerleaders and ASB students. The whole thing was broadcasted on the news. During first and second period they also had short segments that were taped as well. Then during tutorial (after 2nd period), we had a pep rally in the gym. This was the most spirited pep rally I have seen yet!

I will now post the link so you can check it out. :) Make sure to look at the clips underneath, there are 3!

http://www.ktla.com/news/local/gayleanderson/

Weight Watcher's Update

2011-09-13T13:45:00.000-07:00

Well it's been a while, 6 weeks to be exact since you heard from me. I am currently a very busy girl with football and work, but I'll catch you up on that later.
First let's talk about Weight Watchers. I have been going faithfully for 19 weeks now! I skipped one week due to vacation, but I actually came back to lose some weight! I am currently only down about 7 pounds (I lost two and then gained two back to back). I have been "good" for the most part and it seems when I've been "bad" I end up losing more weight! Weird I know, but I don't let myself get into any bad habits. I keep having the common "up one week, down another" but it is different this time. For those of you who don't know, this isn't my first time at WW. I have done it before but never for this long. I am determined to keep trying to lose weight because not only do I want to be healthy, but I'm turning 30 next year and I need to look FABULOUS!!! Oh yea and my brother is getting married and I need to look cute. :)

So the reason I am rambling about WW is because of the "Hottie" award. I received it back in July for the Wednesday night meeting (which I attend sometimes), but I'm a regular Tuesday night girl. I actually received it last week and I will leave you with my entry into the Tuesday Night Hottie Book. :)

Hey everyone! September 6, 2011

First of all I would like to thank you for making me the “Hottie” this week. I love reading all of the stories of the other “Hotties” out there; they are inspiring and help me remember that I am not alone in this journey. I started Weight Watcher’s on May 5^th, with my mom, and I have almost hit my 5%. It seems like I’m always going up and down, up and down, but I know I’m not alone. I have been “doing” WW for 18 weeks now and I have almost lost 10 pounds! For some of you this is nothing and for others you can totally understand. J At this rate I might lose 20 pounds before my 30^th birthday and my brother’s wedding next year! Did I mention I need to look HOT since I’m in the wedding?! J

I love coming to the meetings and hearing other people have the same issue as me, and then those of you without this issue, it’s inspiring and exciting to celebrate with you as you lose weight. I love the Etools on my phone since it’s the only reason I actually track my food. For those of you just starting out, remember don’t give up and keep on tracking! For those of you that are ‘pros’ at WW, remember to still act like a newbie and don’t slack off! We’ve all worked too hard to start slacking off now, even if it’s only a couple of pounds lost! Our goal is to be able to go shopping for clothes not because they are too small, but because they are too big!!!! J Keep up the good work everyone and one day I will meet my goal!

First Day of School!

2011-08-08T22:21:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of school! Boy was it eventful! I was already a little nervous about being the "new" teacher at the high school, but I felt pretty confident this morning on my way to work. I was told by my department chair that we had to be at work at 7:15 (nothing different from Arizona), but that I better get there early if I didn't want to get stuck in the traffic. Well I got there this morning at 7am this morning and the front parking lot was almost full! There were also kids being dropped off already.

After I walked in my room and started to unpack some of my stuff I remembered that I needed to check my email to see if my copy code was given to me yet. I still had to photocopy my syllabus for both classes, parent contact sheet and first day activity. I was starting to freak out at this point! Luckily my nice department chair, Connie, had emailed me and told me to go to her room when I read my email. She was nice enough to help me copy all of my papers this morning. She "taught" me how to use the big high school copiers. :) By the way the copy room was pretty busy and I had to wait to use them. Plus one of the machines was eating the paper.

After this little trip to the copy room, I went to hook up my computer to the LCD projector. Mind you I had barely received the LCD and document camera at the end of Friday. So I had not hooked it up because I had to bring an extension cord to school today. (Luckily I remembered to grab one.) As I opened up the camera document box I realized that I only had the power cord and no connector to the LCD projector. I started to panic because I needed my computer for my back to school power point. So once again I run to Connie's room to get some help and luckily she found one in a box. I now felt better because I at least would be able to connect to my computer. I would just have to get another one later. Well as Connie helped me connect the cord, another lovely teacher gave me another cord and I now have TWO! Once again the stress level decreased immensely. I was even able to join in on the "pow wow" that most of the math teachers were having outside the classroom next door.

Some of you might be thinking..."Wow, you did all of this before school started at 7:30?". Well it just happened to be a late start day today. :) That means first period didn't start until 8:30. Lucky for me because when I finally finished all of this it was 8am. :)

Now how did my classes go you ask...well they started out fine until 2nd period. I had two boys start to argue over nonsense. I understood one of the boys, the other boy was talking and trying to act cool. This class is going to be a challenge. I have already had a couple boys give me smart remarks. By the way the majority of the class is full of boys.

Lastly I got a little sunburned out at cheer practice this afternoon.

I just hope that my days get better from here on out. :)

Baldo Gets Married!!!

2011-07-29T23:42:00.000-07:00

For those of you who do not know Baldo he and I met in our first year of credentialing classes. We had all of the same classes for two full years! We got to know each other right away and even shared homework with each other. We talked often about our guy/girl problems and were both wondering if "the one" would ever come around. Well it did for Baldo! Last summer he told me he was pretty sure he found "the one" and he would be proposing soon. Well around New Year's he did! He send a picture of the beautiful ring on her finger and everything!

So when I was invited to share the special day with him and his beautiful wife, I couldn't pass up the opportunity. He had a wonderful Spanish Mass in the Catholic Church (which I didn't understand at all) and a beautiful, fun reception at the Pomona Mining Company. It was a lot of fun!

And now for the pictures!

Weight loss...

2011-07-14T12:17:00.000-07:00

Well most of you know that I have started Weight Watchers. I have been on the program for a little over 2 months now and I have yet to lose my first 5 lbs. This is by far frustrating, but I think I have found a pattern that my body follows. Two weeks I lose weight, two weeks I gain weight and so on. Luckily I have not back tracked far enough to show that I have really gained weight. It's like I take two steps forward and one step back. Oh well! I have come to the realization that this is just my body and I will have to live with it. I figured it out, if my brother gets married in July of next year I will have lost 30 lbs by the time the wedding arrives! Hopefully this is true!

Another weight watcher note...there is this thing called the "Hottie" award. Well I was given the award on a Wednesday night meeting which means I was supposed to read it and then write my "story" in it. Well I did read most of it, and I did write my story, but I was stalling until the last possible moment. I was a typical procrastinator and wrote it about 30 minutes before the meeting. Thanks Julie for passing it to me! :-)

I just need to keep working hard and I should be successful! :-)

Hi Ya'll!!!!

2011-07-13T12:50:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd take the time to say "HI!!!" to everyone! Don't worry I will be blogging soon! I have an awesome recipe that I will be posting along with Audrey's first time to Disneyland! I just need the pictures first. :) Talk to you soon.

So it's time...

2011-05-13T11:26:00.000-07:00

So my mom and I have been talking for a couple of weeks of joining Weight Watchers again. I had been feeling unmotivated to do anything to try and lose weight and I was starting to get into trouble with my doctor. So last week Thursday we decided that it was time to do it! We went to weigh in and start the "new" program. It seems so much easier than last time I did it. I feel very confident that I might actually stay with it this time.

On Tuesday we decided to weigh in instead, because of the leader of the meeting, and I was so sure that I had only lost 0.5 lbs. I was going to be totally fine with this, but when I stepped on the scale the lady didn't tell me anything. My mom was the one that asked me what I had lost, so I looked in my little weight book and I was shocked! I lost 1.2 lbs!!! This was exciting since on Sunday we had Mother's day and we eat out twice that day. I was very excited. Now the trick is keeping it off and working to get more off! :)

Ps. Thanks Jennifer for being an inspiration and making me go back! :)

Oh happy day!

2011-03-18T08:52:00.000-07:00

So I know I haven't blogged in a month or so, but really where does the time go?! I read everyone elses' blogs but don't have time to actually sit and write my own posts. Well here is one for you...

So I have been feeling a little stressed lately and the end of the year always brings more stress than normal. So when the eye twitch reappeared this year (it's been gone for awhile) I knew I was in for some trouble. The eye twitch usually occurs because of my double block Algebra class. I know you are thinking two hours of math, oh my! But most of these kids are behind in grade level math so they really need these two hours. Plus many of them actually make significant growth in this class and actually are able to learn the Algebra! Exciting I know! :) So when the twitch appeared early this week I knew it was going to be a long two months of school.

When one of the counselors approached me and asked if another kid could join the class, I politely asked if I could trade out a couple of them. She agreed and guess what...the eye twitch has disappeared for now! I couldn't believe it! I was actually able to teach and get my lesson done and there were minimal distractions. This is so exciting because I was able to play a game as well (Card Go Round) and they were quiet and focused as well! :) I'm hoping the good behavior continues for the remainder of the year. So far so good! I'm so excited the twitch has decided to subside for now. Let's see what the next couple of weeks bring with CST testing right around the corner.

I'm not very smart!

2011-01-31T08:00:00.000-08:00

So today I woke up a little late and was having a very slow morning. This means that I was having a hard time get ready. I was sleepy and did not feel like I slept the best. So when it was a couple of minutes after 7 I hurried outside to leave for the day. My parents have a gate around their house so you have to back out of the drive way and make sure you clear the gate. Normally this is not an issue, but today it was. After 12 years of driving out of the same drive way with the same gate, I hit it today. Not only do I feel like a moron for hitting the same gate I drive past everyday but I put a nice big dent in my bumper. So to top everything off, I will now have to pay for my car to get fixed. I'm now in the category of people that can not back up correcctly. (Did I tell you I have a back up camera?)

Award

2011-01-14T10:45:00.000-08:00

So at a staff meeting a couple of months ago, we were given this paper to nominate people for the January board meeting. It had certificated, classified, parent volunteer and even a spot for an 8th grade student. I of course threw the paper away since I did not want to write anything. :) Well I guess someone voted for me since I won! I was chosen to be the Certificated Employee of the Month for the month of January and was recognized at the board meeting last night!

The principal got up and read a whole page on the "wonderful" things I do at work. It was cool and my mom was able to go with me as well. We even took a picture. The board took a picture along with my mom. :)

It was a great honor, yet the one thing I could only think of is "Who picked me?". Oh well I guess I'll never know, but it was nice to be recognized for all that I do.

Back to the Grind!

2011-01-06T08:59:00.000-08:00

Well the first couple of days back have been great so far. The students are paying more attention and are willing to learn and apply themselves. Let's just hope this lasts more than this week! I have been busy once again, but I actually left work one day this week before 4:30!!! If you know me at all this is a HUGE improvement! I am hoping both my positivie attitude and the students' positive attitude lasts for a very long time!

My Face Hurts!

2010-12-15T10:56:00.000-08:00

I am so sick right now! It all started last week Thursday when I had a headache, well the headache lasted all the way until Sunday. Sunday morning when I woke up my throat also hurt. I knew this was the beginning of something horrible. Well I was correct! Monday at work I did not feel well at all and my stomach actually hurt too. I went home after work curled up in a ball and started to watch tv while laying in bed. At about 6:15 I decided it was time to drive over to urgent care. Well I came out of there with a prescription and four papers on what I had and how to take care of it! So the verdict was strep throat, double ear infections, bronchitis, and a viral respiratory illness! YIKES!!!! This is why my head had been hurting and my face hurts due to all of the pressure.

So I called in a sub for Tuesday and stayed home all day. I couldn't stay home for more than one day, I would get too behind at work, so here I am at work sitting in my chair. Luckily the antibiotics kicked in for today so I can actually breathe right now. :) I know the little things in life make me happy.

Hopefully this sickness goes away quickly because it is a bad one! On a good note, this is the first time this school year that I have gotten sick. That's an improvement for me.

Busy Bee

2010-12-09T08:34:00.000-08:00

This week has been a little crazy...and I have definitely been wanting some desserts!

I have been very very busy all week! It all began Monday with Gift Avenue at work; a time for the students to purchase gifts for family and friends. This has been before school, at lunch and after school! Not only did we sell items, but dance tickets as well! I had cheer on Monday and Tuesday with games going until 5pm! And just when I thought I would be able to leave work early on Wednesday, I had a leadership meeting until after 4 and then plan for the rest of the week of Geometry. Today is the school dance and tomorrow I have cheer practice from 5-7. Even Saturday is going to be busy due to the cheer competition in Murrieta! Oh well...next week will be peaceful and quiet and I will not have anything to do. Yea right who am I kidding! :)

Hope all is well with everyone else!

First day back!

2010-11-30T13:34:00.000-08:00

Well the first day back c ould be one of two things..work or blogging. :) Let's talk about yesterday in my classroom. The students were not the only ones that did not want to be back at school. I was exhausted from my week off of work which consisted of manual labor in my house. Not only was yesterday very cold, for us So Cal people, but my classroom was freezing as well. The high in my classroom was 68 degrees and that's only after three hours of the students in my classroom. Good thing I was dressed in multiple layers yesterday. Today I came prepared with my pea coat, but the heater was working today! That is until all the students left my room 2nd period and cold air started to blow out agian. :( Thank goodness it wasn't freezing in my room today, just cooler than normal. Better luck tomorrow!

Pumpkin Patch!

2010-10-25T21:04:00.000-07:00

So on Sunday my parents, sister, niece and I all jumped in my parents' suburban and took a ride over to Cal Poly Pomona. My mom had heard about the pumpkin patch so we dressed up my niece and took a ride over there. There was a huge pumpkin patch where the pumpkins were only $5 and we took lots of pictures. Here are some..

Hiding in the corn...

Yes...I got a pumpkin!

"Adorable!"

This is the pumpkin patch from afar.

Hi all!

2010-10-11T10:20:00.000-07:00

Well it's been two months since I last blogged and I have been soooooo busy and stressed out that I haven't had time. Here is me saying "HI!" to everyone and you will hear from me shortly. I will be doing old blogs and of course current ones, but I will start blogging! I promise!
See you all soon! :)

Teaching assignment & students

2010-08-24T20:36:00.000-07:00

Well I haven't blogged in forever so I thought I would blog a little about my teaching assignment for this year. I am teaching all of eighth grade which is awesome because I do not personally like the 7th grade curriculum. Seventh graders are sometimes fun to teach, but the math isn't for me. I am also teaching a new class for me, Geometry. This means loads of planning and taking notes on the content before I actually teach it. I sometimes feel like a new teacher since I am re-teaching myself (with the help of Claudia) Geometry all over again. Last time I saw it was in 9th grade! YIKES!!!

As for my students this year, they all seem awesome and for the most part eager to learn. Of course they all are not super excited to be sitting in my math class, but they are pretty good overall. My double block is sometimes a challenge, but that's what a double block is for. :) Too bad I have them for two and a half hours because our advisory period is not running like it should. So I am keeping a positive attitude with them and I understand they are tired of me and I tired of them. Hopefully we can start to switch kids around because they need a change of environment and teacher as well.

Overall I feel both positive and excited for this year. I feel like a brand new teacher at times (geo) but I also feel that I am becoming a better teacher with the way we are presenting the material. Hopefully I keep up this positive attitude for the rest of the school year. :)

Aquarium of the Pacific

2010-07-26T14:10:00.000-07:00

So my sister had two tickets to the Aquarium, so we decided to all go and enjoy the Sunday in Long Beach. It was all of our first time to the Aquarium so it was a great experience. Watching Audrey get super excited about all of the animals was very funny and it was even more exciting to watch her when the ray came up in the water right by her. She laughed and said "that's funny!". She was even more excited when she walked by the "Nemo and Dorry" tank full of fish. So my sister had two tickets to the Aquarium, so we decided to all go and enjoy the Sunday in Long Beach. It was all of our first time to the Aquarium so it was a great experience. Watching Audrey get super excited about all of the animals was very funny and it was even more exciting to watch her when the ray came up in the water right by her. She laughed and said "that's funny!". She was even more excited when she walked by the "Nemo and Dorry" tank full of fish.

Our next trip is definitely Sea World!!!! We want to see all of the shows!’

We ended the day with dinner at Bubba Gump’s…it was delicious!

Let's Go Fly a Kite!!!!

2010-07-22T17:24:00.000-07:00

My dad had purchased a kite from Costco a couple of years ago thinking that he would take it with us up to June Lake, CA when we go every summer. Well every year we forget that we have it and we go up there and then remember...Hey we forgot the kite. So now that Audrey is old enough we decided to fly the kite outside one day. My parents have a half acre of land so we had plenty of room to fly it.

It took many attempts to get it up in the air, but we finally did it! Audrey thought it was the greatest thing that Nemo was flying up in the air!

Fruit trees

2010-07-09T12:57:00.000-07:00

So my house has many surprises as many of you already know, the latest surprise is that I have a couple of fruit trees. I knew that I had a tangelo tree (orange and tangerine mix) and my friend Claudia figured out that I had a persimmon tree as well. ( I have no idea what to do with persimmons.) I have now discovered that I have a peach tree as well (apparently it's a late bloomer) and I have purchased a nectaplum tree as well. (nectarine and plum mix...delicious!)

So I am going to have lots of fruit with a little extra in some cases. :)

Peaches!!!

Persimmons

Master's in Education X 2

2010-06-30T15:20:00.000-07:00

Well as many of you know I have finished my second master's degree in Education Administration. I finished my first master's degree last year in 2009 and during the winter session in '09, Jennifer talked me into starting the second master's degree. I complained A LOT since I really didn't think that I could be a principal or even a vice-principal. I still do not know if this is the path I am supposed to follow, but I do know that if I do I have the master's behind me so I don't have to go back to school.

There are many times when I sit and think, Wow I have two master's degree and there are many teachers out there that do not even have one! I know I am thankful and blessed that I have had the time, money (kinda...thank you Direct Loans), and the support to finish all that I have. So THANK YOU JENNIFER for making me work on the second degree. I know one day it might come in handy and I will be very grateful that I finished it back when I was only 28. :) (After 23 years of school, since kindergarten, I am officially done!!!)

Master's in Education, Curriculum & Instruction 2009

Master's in Education, Education Administration

My family

The "Fab Four"

Arizionians

Math Buddies

She was practicing holding a college degree!

Memorial Day Weekend

2010-06-24T23:38:00.000-07:00

So I am finally blogging about my camping (not really camping) trip to June Lake, CA. My parents decided to drive up there for the weekend and I wanted to go as well because I wanted to see it with snow! Well there sure was snow and freezing weather...well not freezing, but sure darn cold! Here are some of the pictures to capture how lovely it was up there.

Chuck E. Cheese

2010-06-18T16:19:00.000-07:00

Since I did not blog very much this school year and I have lots of time off, I'm taking the time to blog events that happened this year. The first one is when my mom and I took my niece to Chuck E. Cheese for the first time. She was excited and scared at the same time. She loved the music, games and food, but not so much the dancing puppets on the stage or Chuck E. Cheese.

Here are some pictures to enjoy...

My mom making sure she didn't get too scared.

She is dancing to the music, but she would not get any closer.

We told her we were going to go play games and she took off running.

I made her stop and smile!

She loved this ride!

Staring at the screen in concentration.

Her cheesy smile...

She was amazed with the balloons.

She had a wonderful time and can't wait to go back again! :)

BUGS!!!!

2010-06-16T11:59:00.000-07:00

Well this is going to be a little gross so if you don't want to read anymore that's okay. I'm going to rant about the bug issue in my classroom.

So every year I have dealt with the issue of killing cockroaches almost every day. The always appear when the weather starts to get a little warm and the bugs start to come out. Well this year was no exception and beginning end of April the roaches started to appear. So every morning there would be a couple of roaches in my classroom and a student would come in and kill them for me. It became a routine so every morning I would open my door and look outside for one of the two boys that would kill them and then would walk right over. Some days they would already know and open the door with me and start killing them. I would reward them with food, drinks or candy (after they washed their hands of course).

One day during 5th period I picked up the phone and screamed (yes screamed) when a roach came out from under the phone. So when the secretary asked if there were any classrooms that needed to be sprayed because of bugs I emailed her right away!

So last Wednesday I went to work for cheer practice and went to my classroom to pass out shoes to the girls. The lights were off and when we turned them on there was about 50 roaches all over the floor that were dead. The custodian came and vacuumed them up and that was the end of that. Well today I went back and there was more!!!!! UGH!!!! So in closing I am leaving you with a picture so you can understand......

Mind you this is not nearly as bad and only a portion of the floor.

House Update...Kitchen

2010-06-14T20:23:00.000-07:00

Well I haven't updated everyone on my house in a really long time so I thought that I would do so now. When I purchased my house I only wanted to remodel the hall bathroom. Well this turned into me changing out both bathrooms and adding an entry way and then doing the kitchen/dining room as well. After finishing these items I thought I was almost done...until my dad really looked at my kitchen and said "Well...we can change the cabinets." When looking at the kitchen cabinets with the lovely new diamond tile it was difficult to think I would have to live with my Andy's Mint cabinets. So we decided to take out the cabinets and are now waiting for the cabinets to be finished. Here are some pictures to take you along the process...

The kitchen when I purchased it (before my new tile)

Day 1...most of the kitchen is out (only the soffett and uppers remain)

Day 2...all of the cabinets are out!

Now it is time for my cousin to come in and do all the drywall work and the cabinets to be installed. I can't wait!!!!

Patience

2010-05-10T08:49:00.000-07:00

Well there are only 12 more days of school and I have run very low on my patience. I know it's the end of the year, but the students are annoying me more everyday. They have decided that since "testing" is over they are done with school. Unfortunately this is definitely not the case! I have been fighting their lack of motivation for over a week now and I have completely lost my patience! I need to stop and try and be positive everyday, every period, every minute but it is sometimes too difficult. So I am asking for all of you to pray for me to have this patience with my kiddos for the next 12 days. Without this help, I might say something that I will regret!

Why I love teaching...

2010-04-23T22:24:00.000-07:00

So this week has been a little bit of a rough week with my students. We have started testing and I know their brains are fried, but then again so is mine. So I have been exhausted all week and my patience was running thin. Today I went to my box (where you find all sort of things for you) and found a green paper with my name and the schools name. It was stapled shut so I was curious as to what it was.

It read:
Dear Ms. Recendez,
This past week we watched the movie Tuesdays with Morrie. It made me think about some of my past teachers. I wanted to thank you because not only were you an excelent teacher, but your class showed me that you can express yourself, have a fun time, and learn a great deal of work. As I thought back to all my classes and teachers yours is the one that stood out to me the most. I am also glad that I was in your class right before high school because it prepared me a lot for these four years that are now soon going to end. Thank you again.

This was a great thing for me to get after this week. It makes me feel good to know that I have influenced someone's life. As a teacher it is difficult to know if you are making a difference in someone's life temporarily or permenantly. This student was from my first year of teaching. For those of you that know...that was one rough year! I was still able to make a difference! :)

Testing...

2010-04-22T10:28:00.000-07:00

So testing has begun...the CST has finally arrived! I am still stressing out about it since I am not done reviewing in my Algebra courses, but I'm hoping they will suprise me and do awesome! Well not suprise me, but do me proud! I have been reviewing and reviewing and reviewing with 7th grade math which has made my life boring for the last month and a half. I am ready to start teaching again and I can't wait until testing is done.

F0r the first time ever I am not testing my own students. This was difficult for me to put my head around since I have always had my own students and I feel that sometimes they do better with me in the room. I know I can't help them and they know that too, but it puts them at ease that I am in the room. So I am testing my friend Renee's 7th grade honors class and it is an experience. Not only do I not know their names, but I do not know their personalities either.

It has been a fun three days of testing (2 days of testing & 1 day of testing block). The last two days they were actually testing for Language Arts. Today though was a different story. I was to entertain these students for 135 minutes! Yikes that's a long time. So I decided that we would do missing work/extra credit first. This worked out since most students finished at least one assignment. Then we were going to play Jepardy. I made a math one for first semester concepts and we played this for the next 45 minutes. Now I should have paid closer attention to the schedule and my math skills on counting time because we were only at an hour and a half (roughly). So I thought the students were about to leave my class when I looked at the schedule and realized YIKES, they have another half an hour with me. What to do what to do?!?!?!?

Well I decided let's play "Heads up, seven up!" They played this for the next 20 minutes when they started to get restless. A student asked if they would play "4 corners" and then they did this for the next ten minutes. All in all today was not too bad with these students that I do not know very well. It was a fun 2 hours and 15 minutes. :)

Spring Break

2010-04-04T21:40:00.000-07:00

So the last week I have been off of work due to spring break! I love the fact that I get to still have spring break at the age of 28!! :) This year was the first year that I did not have to worry about starting school at CSUSB in the middle of the week, which was awesome! So I thought...maybe I would go somewhere. Well this did not happen....did I mention that I bought a house five months ago and I'm currently working on remodeling. So here is a list of some things I DID get to do during spring break...

dinner and a movie with Robyn and Jennifer (Remember Me...it's soooooo sad)
shopping trip to Lowe's and the Floor Liquidators store (picked out some flooring and priced windows)
went to the movies with my mom (Our Family Wedding...it was good, made me laugh at the Mexican jokes)
watched my brother give a presentation on his fieldwork for his masters degree (he passed...don't worry)
spent a long time at the mall (5 hours to be exact)
went to the movies with my mom and dad (The Last Song....sad too, made me cry a little)
spent Saturday shopping at Costco and making confetti eggs for Easter
spent Easter with a lot of my family at my Great-Aunt Jenny's

This is a short recap of the major things I did during spring break. I did have fun and it was quite relaxing...I'm now ready to conquer the last eight weeks of work and start my summer vacation. :)

Wheelchair to room 12...

2010-03-26T07:59:00.001-07:00

Well it started out as a wonderful St. Patrick's day...the sunny was shinning and I was dressed up with a great t-shirt the kids loved along with a head band that had clover antlers. :) Then all of a sudden at the end of my 5th period (approx. 1:30 pm) I started to feel really bad.

I was getting an upset stomach and I thought I might have to run out to throw up, and my heart was pounding in my chest. I got really, really cold and I was still trying to teach to my students which was difficult at this point. My head started to feel really wierd and I thought to myself, I feeel a little dizzy and I think I might pass out. So in between 5th and 6th period, I walked outside to ask my neighbor teacher if I looked ok. She told me I looked a little pale and she asked if I was alright. She did tell me not to pass out on her though. :) Then a special education aide walked by and told me I looked like crap! Yes she said crap!

I then said I didn't feel right and she went to get the principal. The principal told me to sit down and then she radioed for the vice-principal. I then had two very tall adults that were looking at me and asking me if I needed a wheelchair. (I felt like a little kid) I told them I would be fine, but then the principal got on the walkie-talkie and said she needed a wheelchair to room 12. Yep that's right, I was wheeled away from my classroom in a wheelchair. I then had to sit in the office with an ice pack on my head and the principal took my temperature. :) I had to call my mom to come and pick me up (just like the students) and I sat there waiting. Thankfully my dear friend Burskey saw me and resuced my students for me being sitting with them. Oh the joys of having an inner ear infection that makes your ear not only congested, but inflammed!

Life Update!

2010-03-02T10:32:00.000-08:00

Well I know that it has been FOREVER since I last blogged, but you know how life just gets in the way sometimes?!? I have been busy helping take care of my niece along with going to school, working, and having the soccer/softball season at work with the cheerleaders. But that was February and guess what...it's now March! Yikes!!!

So here is a list of some things that occured during the month of February to keep you all up to date....

week off of work
went to Universal Studio's with Jenni and her family
family birthday parties
school
work
soccer/softball games
fieldwork hours for admin credential
took care of my niece
shopped at Lowe's/Home Depot
who knows what else.....

That's February in a nutshelll now on with the wonderful month of March!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-02-03T07:00:00.000-08:00

new layout

2009-12-22T11:13:00.001-08:00

new layout if you wish to take a look... :)

I know what moms deal with....

2009-12-22T10:39:00.000-08:00

So yesterday was a day that I can say I don't envy moms. I think moms are great and I love mine dearly, but since I am not a mom I do not know why I had to put up with this. :) My lovely niece is currently potty training and is usually pretty good about it. I had picked her up yesterday from day care and we were out running errands. My brother happened to be with me when I went to go pick up pizza from Papa John's. We decided to walk across Magnolia to Big 5 since the pizza was going to take awhile. While we were waiting at Big 5 looking around my niece was getting annoyed. She wanted to take all of the balls and throw them. (Probably not a good idea.) So I decided to take her to the front of the store to wait for my brother. As we were waiting I was holding her when she decided to pee on me. Yes I said it...pee on me! She started peeing and realized that she didn't have a diaper on (she wears one at daycare) and said to me "Poo-poo". A little late for that! I was peed on and so was the floor at Big 5. Oh well! I now know what moms go through and let me just say "YOU ROCK!".

Sick!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-12-04T08:42:00.000-08:00

So as some of you may know, I have already been sick 3 times this school year!!! This is not a good thing. I was sick at the end of September with the swine flu, broncitis and strep throat. Yes I know a great combination! This left me out of work for two whole days and I took about a whole week to fully recover. Then at the end of November, right before going on Thanksgiving break, I came down with strep throat! This was a really bad case of strep throat. I had not had a case this bad in a looonnnggg time!! And then just when I think I can make it the last three weeks of the semester to Winter Break, my tummy decides to not like me very much and takes me out of work yesterday. I am tired of being sick...I can't take it anymore!!!! Any suggestions as to how to make myself not get sick when I am around a bunch of 7th and 8th graders all day long?!?!?!!?!

Pumpkin Cheesecake

2009-12-01T07:54:00.000-08:00

So I decided that I was going to ignore my previous baking fiascos and try Robyn's pumpkin cheesecake. I went to the store and purchased all the ingredients that I would need and thought to myself "How hard can it be?" As I was making my pumpkin cheesecake with the help of my sister (she was my supervisor), she noticed that there appeared to be too much pumpkin. I told her that I specifically read the directions, which I did re-read about 10 times, and so we added more cream cheese. Well then it turned out that we had enough filling to make about 6 cheesecakes which at that point my sister said I had to be wrong. So I decided to re-read the directions for the 100th time and low and behold, I WAS WRONG! I know it doesn't happen too often :) but I had made a crucial mistake. I was only supposed to add 1 cup of canned pumpkin instead of one can of pumpkin! I decided that I was going to attempt it again and so I went back to the store for more cream cheese. The final result was amazing and everyone seemed to enjoy them! Even the people that do not like pumpkin pie! THANKS ROBYN!!! :)

New Moon

2009-11-19T21:06:00.001-08:00

So today was going to be the day where I stayed up really late and went to the midnight showing of New Moon. Unfortunately that did not pan out. Jenni and Robyn will be braving out the cold and all of the people with Melissa in my spot. I have unfortunately have come down with a case of strep throat which has put me in bed. UGH!!! Oh well I guess I will be watching the movie next week during my week off. :)

Wordless Wednesday

2009-11-11T22:23:00.000-08:00

Weekend Work at the House

2009-11-10T07:30:00.000-08:00

So this weekend began the first work on my house! I will break it down by days so it's easier to follow.

Friday...
Dad and I went over to the house and turned on the lights and then decided to turn on the water. My cousins were there when we turned it on and we had some leaks in the house and the water heater. Dad decided we needed to keep the water off until he could fix it.

Saturday....
Dad went over to the house to do some yard work around the house since there was bush by the driveway that the car mirror would hit. Dad cleaned around the yard and even turned on the sprinklers! We even took a little trip to Home Depot to look at tile, mirrors, windows and doors. I bought hose bibs and the valve for the water heater along with a medicine cabinet. So far this is all that I have bought for the house, but there is a lot more to come. :)

Sunday....
Today Dad went over to the house again to fix all of the hose bibs and the water heater valve. He also sprayed the yard for bugs since there was an infestation of ants. Jenni decided that she really wanted to start the demolition of the bathroom and find what was behind the lovely yellow tiles in the shower/tub. Of course we found some lovely mold on the plywood they decided to tile on. Why would people even use the shower looking like that?!?!!? It was obviously gross and it is just the beginning. Next step is to take out the plywood and see the damage behind it. Wish us luck!! :)

Midterm

2009-11-09T19:43:00.000-08:00

So for two whole weeks Jenni and I have been studying for our school law midterm. We have had no life for two weeks by studying with flashcards and by reading the huge text book we had to buy for $120. We started the midterm around 8:40 and we were done by 9:15 or so. Hopefully we passed with flying colors, but we will wait and see. :)

House Keys

2009-11-07T21:14:00.000-08:00

So I have officially bought a house!!!! I have the keys to prove it as well! I still can't believe it but it is actually real! I haven't blogged about the day I received my keys since my computer cord was broken and I just received a new one...so here is my blog!

House Keys

2009-11-07T20:44:00.000-08:00

Signing the "docs"

2009-10-29T19:06:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, I actually signed the official loan and escrow paperwork for my house. Jennifer thought that it would be entertaining to take pictures of the process, so you could see!

October 27, 2009 through October 27, 2039 I'll be paying a mortgage payment!

If all goes smoothly, we will record and finalize tomorrow (Friday) and I'll have my keys.

Oh my! Time goes by fast!

2009-10-18T21:29:00.000-07:00

So I logged on today and realized that I haven't posted a blog in a couple of months! I haven't even had time to sit and read many of the blogs other people post. Well I am now going to take the time to find out what is happening in everyone's lives and to keep everyone posted on me. :)

First let's start with work. I have been teaching now for two complete months and I am enjoying my year so far. There are days when I have to sit back and take a deep breath, but for the most part everything is going good. I have been more busy this year then in previous years due to the fact that my district is in DAIT (let's just say trouble) and we are doing tons of data analysis. Now I like looking at data (nerd I know), but I do not like having to do it soooo often. It's getting better and I am learning how to prioritize my work load. I have five single classes which is different for me. I have had double blocks before (two hours of math) and it gives you a little breathe time. I love teaching all of the single hour classes, but it is taking me some getting used to. I also just started tutoring this past week. Hopefully this helps me and my students gain a little relationship.

Second...my house hunting. Ok...so many of you know that I have been house hunting since FEBRUARY, and I still do not own a house! I have been in escrow a couple of times and right now I am in escrow as we speak. Everyone needs to pray, cross your fingers and thing good thoughts that the bank will except my offer since they do not want to drop the price. (Long story...) We will know for certain within the next couple of days. :)

Third...I have been having fun with my niece who will be two in January. I can't believe she is getting that big, but she is and she is really cute. :) I have spent the last month or so watching her most nights at home so my sister can work. This in turn leaves me no time for anything else. But I still love my little "stinky".

Fourth...school. I am in my third quarter of my second masters program in Education Administration and I am so glad that I only have one class. This one class meets 5 Saturdays throughout the quarter which is awesome! I unfortunetly have not been doing my school work like I should. Probably due to all of the baby sitting going on. I can't wait to be done with the program.

Lastly, I have officially been initiated into Jenni's group of girl friends for girls nights and outings. I love the fact that I am now being invited and that I am making connections with all of the girls. Thanks for inviting me and including me! :)

That's all for now...I know a lot to take in...but I will try to keep everyone updated more often . :)

6th Period Mammogram

2009-08-24T21:03:00.000-07:00

Ok so I have started teaching and I already have a hilarious story. If I ever decide to write a book with all of the funny things that happen at work this one would enter it.

My 6th period class is a honors 7th grade math class. I was giving notes on rational numbers when a student raised his hand and told me, "Ms. Recendez did you know Mr. Bush taught his class how to do mammograms?" Of course I look at the kid like he might be crazy and I say "Mammograms?!" and he says "Yes". I of course am looking at him like he's crazy when he then says, "And they are doing it on each other!!" Oh my! I am now looking at him like he really is crazy or Mr. Bush is crazy. I think to myself, Mr. Bush can't be teaching about mammograms...right?! When he then procedes to get his pencil and tap, tap, tap....tap, tap on his desk. I then look right at him at say "MORSE CODE?!?!?!" He states, "Morse code, mammograms, same thing". I then put my head down in my hands and start laughing. I couldn't help it. Just when I think the conversation is over, a girl raises her hand and asks "Ms. Recendez...what is a mammogram?" Oh my...how in the world am I going to explain this now?! So I then procede to say, "Its something 40 year old women get". This then causes a little giggle around the classroom. AND THEN, I use my hand in a clockwise gesture from my face to my belly and saw, "In this area". This causes a great giggle to pass across the classroom.

A little later when the boy tried to say something in my class again, I told him "SHHH! I can't take anything else from you...Mr. Mammogram!"

Who knew I was going to have to teach some life science in my 7th grade honors math class?! I now have a great story for this school year. Let's see if anything can top it!

Graduation Luau

2009-07-07T12:05:00.000-07:00

Well my party was a huge success!! I had loads of fun and it was very nice to know that my friends and family were there to share it with me. I had a yummy taco lady that made homemade tortillas and my aunt and uncle made yummy salads. My cousin also let me have the party at his house which was awesome! I'm grateful to have so many friends and family that love me!
Thanks everyone!!!

I'm back!

2009-06-18T09:34:00.000-07:00

So as I sit here in summer school, teaching of course, I thought I might fill everybody in on my life thus far. I finished the first masters program and I am walking across that stage, with my good friend Jennifer of course, on Sunday. Yes Father's Day, so HAPPY FATHER'S DAY DAD! I will then have a wonderful graduation party on the following Saturday where I will celebrate to the max!

So my summer so far has been full of many things. I am teaching summer school as I have already told you, along with getting the new cheer squad ready to go to camp and start the next school year. Yes, I do get to go to cheer camp which will hopefully be less drama than last year.

I'm still out looking for that perfect house as well. Well not perfect, but perfect for me. I have spent A LOT of time online looking at houses as well as out with the realtor. I feel like giving up at times, but I know if I stay focused one is bound to be mine.

I am still going to school to finish that lovely second masters program. At times I think to myself "Why am I doing this?" and then I remind myself that I don't have kids and I'm not married and I'll be done at 28 years old. Then I know that I can keep going and I won't give up!

Well I think that's my life so far in a nutshell. I haven't had time to blog or even read anyone else's so it's time to catch up! Ta ta for now!

My Birthday

2009-05-14T21:32:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to say that today was a very fun and special birthday! I spent time with my close friends and with some friends I haven't seen in years! It all started today with my friend at work buying me a large cone hat that said HAPPY BIRTHDAY. I then went to my testing block which happens to be my first period where I continued to receive one large cookie cake, two mini cakes, a chocholate piece of cake, and one cupcake. I do not know why my students all decided to bring me dessert, but it was very thoughtful. I then proceeded after school to Yard House to spend the rest of my birthday with a bunch of my friends. It was fun and very exciting and I thank all that spent it with me. THANK YOU!!! Twenty-seven is turning out to be a great year already!!! (I didn't like twenty-six)

Cheer squad

2009-05-01T18:35:00.000-07:00

So today I had cheer tryouts for the 2009-2010 school year. The tryouts seemed to go well and the girls all worked really hard before and during tryouts. I hope all goes well with my 20 cheerleaders and 1 mascot for next year. Cheer camp is in July in Irvine and if nobody hears from me...HELP!!!

more about the house

2009-05-01T18:33:00.000-07:00

Ok...so I am now faced with the dilemna of hoping that the seller of the house (who is the realtor) will lower her price to $178,000 or I will not purchase the house. So since I do not think she will be doing this I am back once again looking for houses. I guess next time I will not be telling anybody about the house search since I seem to have bad luck. Oh well...my dream house is out there somewhere.

House Update

2009-04-30T21:52:00.000-07:00

Ok...so many of you probably know that my offer on a house was accepted! Yeah me!!! Well what I found out today is not so exciting. Let me start off by first saying that I have a 40 day escrow and it started on April 13th and ends May 20th and I have had my house inspection and my electrical quote and I'm just waiting on May 20th.

Well today I learned this was not the case! My house was appraised at $199,000 but the bank only wants to lend me $178,000. This is due to the fact that the seller bought the house FHA and flipped it and then is trying to sell it and she has refinanced it with the FHA...I think. That or she bought the house and since she has not owned it for 6 months, that is causing the issue. All I know is IT'S NOT MY FAULT!!!! Ok so I'm a little disappointed and I hope she can bring down the price of the house.

The other option is to go with a different lender. All I know is I really like this house and I am praying it all works out. With only 20 days left...it better be mine! :) Well pray that it all works out.

Mount Rubidoux #2

2009-04-07T21:38:00.000-07:00

So today I walked up Mount Rubidoux with my friends Jenni, Tawni, Sammy (Tawni's cute baby), and Reese (Jenni's dog). We took awhile to get to the top but once up there we decided to cool down and enjoy the great day. Walking down the hill was much faster and overall not that long. After we did our excercise we all went to lunch at Flame Broiler. It was a great walk and lunch. Jenni- only 8 more times!!!

Long time no blog...

2009-04-02T16:47:00.001-07:00

Ok...so I just realized that I have not blogged in forever and I thought it was about time. I have recently been really sick as some of you may know and I am finally feeling well enough to think straight. :) So my life has been crazy in the last month. I finished up my last class in my first masters degree and now am going to start my next masters this saturday. I am still on the house hunt and everytime I think I find a house that I can live in....BAM...it's gone!! I am still looking and am trying to not get discouraged. When the right house comes along...it will be fine! House hunting on saturday...hopefully it's promising.

Mount Rubidoux

2009-03-09T20:39:00.000-07:00

So I know I haven't blogged in awhile, but I thought I would talk about my latest adventure with my good friend Jenni. We decided to make a deal to walk Mount Rubidoux and when we get up and down TEN times we get to buy ourselves a sweatshirt from our old colleges. Well let me just tell you it was definitely an adventure. When we first got there I was going to take my sweatshirt but Jenni told me I would be fine since we would be walking. Unfortunately she was sadly mistaken. First it was a little cold, and then we reached the other side of the mountain! Oh my it was windy!!! By the time we got to the top I had to go to the bathroom really really bad. I never thought we would make it down in time. But we accomplished it for the first time and we will be returning! Only 9 more to go!! :)

Masters Program

2009-02-25T19:23:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I've been thinking that I am going to start my second masters program this April!!! I know I might be crazy, but I keep thinking that I might eventually be a vice principal one day. I know this is a long shot of becoming a vp, but if I wait for a later time in my life...I probably would never go back. So in April if you hear me complain about still being in school tell me to be quiet since I will be done in one year from April!!!!

House Updates

2009-02-16T19:54:00.000-08:00

So today I went looking for houses for the first time! Exciting...right!?!? Well I am totally excited about buying a house and I found one I really like but of course it needs work. The only problem is that I am uncertain about my job. With the state not having a budget I heard that my school district will be getting rid of 150 teachers!!! YIKES!!!! So I am still looking for a house and the realtor is still looking for me and will take me to look at houses, but I'm not making a decision until I know for certain that I will have a job. March 15th seems soooo long away and yet I hope I don't get that pink slip! PRAY FOR ME!!!! Thanks!!! :)

Updates about the house

2009-02-11T18:43:00.000-08:00

Ok so I went to meet with the realtor last night and she is now out on the search for a house for me! Oh my!! She told me to be patient! Now someone will need to remind me of this when I complain later. :) Now we will wait and see which house I view first!

D words

2009-02-07T13:09:00.000-08:00

It's Harder Than It Looks!Rules: It's harder than it looks! Copy to your own note, erase my answers, enter yours, and tag 10 people. Use the first letter of your name to answer each of the following questions. They have to be real. . .nothing made up! If the person before you had the same first initial, you must use different answers. You cannot use any word twice and you can't use your name for the boy/girl name question.Have Fun!!

1. What is your name: Desiree

2. A four Letter Word: done

3. A boy's Name: Derek

4. A girl's Name: Danielle

5. An occupation: detective

6. A color: dark brown

7. Something you wear: dangling earrings

8. A food: danish

9. Something found in the bathroom: dirt

10. A place: Duarte

11. A reason for being late: darn dog

12. Something you shout: Darn (when I need to correct my student's foul language)

13. A movie title: Defineltely Maybe

14. Something you drink: dr. pepper

15. A musical group: Dashboard Confessionals

16. An animal: dog

17. A street name: Dauchy

18. A type of car: Dodge

19. A song title:

20. A verb: dance

House

2009-02-05T18:01:00.000-08:00

Ok...So I finally decided that it was time to get pre-approved for a house! I know a big big step in my life. I want a decent house that is well priced and isn't going to be too much work! I don't know how Jenni does it?!?! So I am waiting to hear how much I'm pre-approved for and hopefully all those student loans don't do too much damage! Wish me luck!!!

Why I'm here....

2009-02-04T19:14:00.000-08:00

Ok...so I'm bored in class right now and I decided that maybe I should let my friends or people I know what's going on in my life right now. Well I am currently in my masters program as you might know and I can't wait to be done! Counting down the days until I'm done...and graduation WILL be in JUNE!!! See you there?!?!