TOO COLD!!

ARGGG, I am really sick of this cold St. Louis weather. I know it's only mid February but DANG! It's just too cold! I really need a nice, warm vacation right now.


This should be us!!

Terrible Tragedy

Those of you living in St. Louis have surely heard about the tragedy that unfolded last night in Kirkwood. Two police officers and three Kirkwood city council members were killed, two others including the mayor were injured when a gunmen opened fire at a Zoning meeting.

This really hit close to home for me as the wife of a Crestwood police officer which is Kirkwood's closet municipality. Needless to say I was glued to my tv all night and getting updates from Bob who arrived late because he was downtown with me at the school board meeting where I got the award for the slogan. Bob reported horrors too graphic for this blog but he and all of the St. Louis law enforcement community are taking this really hard.

I had a hard time calming the fears of my kids who where really nervous about their father's line of work.

Please pray for the families of the victims as they struggle to get through their grief.

Life is too short to hold grudges, worry about impossibilities, or keep blaming people for past mistakes. I am trying to find something postive in light of this tragedy and I hope it will come in a renewal in faith of God, family and friends.

Good News

I have a little bit of good news to announce. In our district, they were looking for a new slogan that would represent all the changes being made in an effort to get back on track. Well they had a contest for employees to submit slogans and I won.

Last night I had to go to a board meeting and they presented me with a certificate and a check for $500.

Pretty cool huh?

My winning slogan is: Building Our Future: One Community, One School, One Child at a time.

February Is Already Here

Can't believe that February is here already. This school year is flying by. As a special ed teacher, Feb. and March are our busiest times of the year. Most IEP's and re-evaluations are due at this time which means lots and lots of paperwork for us/me! Plus this month is the Pinewood Derby and The Blue and Gold Banquet for CubScouts, I also have a shower and bachelorette party for my best pal from work, Kristen. Her wedding is in March along with spring break, the hockey all star game, our anniversay, my mom's birthday, my parents anniversary and Easter. WHEW! This will really be a busy couple of months.

AND, the best most exciting event for our family is our beloved dog, Sparky's birthday on March 8th. Hannah is already planning the party!! She thinks she is going to bake a doggie cake and invite Petey, Bandit and Baby to Sparky's party which she says should be at a Dog Park. I rarely ever post about Sparky but I must admit he truly is man's or in this case woman's best friend. I know I am probably a little bit biased but he is the sweetest, best dog in the whole world. He is usually pretty calm, except when another dog walks by our house then he barks like crazy from his perch in our front window. He will sleep with me, goes everywhere I go, runs to greet me at the end of a day and is always ready for some love.


See for yourself what a sweetie pie he is>>>>>

I'm So Excited

Okay maybe I'm not that excited but I have a new link to put up and I noticed that I had a hit on my blog from Europe!! WOW, someone all the way over there is looking at my little blog, how cool. You will also notice that I changed the look of the blog. I'm not exactly sure if I will keep like that or not we'll see if grows on me.

Anyway, my new link is to the website of an old friend from high school, Jacki. She recently married another old high school friend, Brian Simpson, their story is really cute because they dated in high school then didn't see each other for 15 years. In the meantime both had graduated from college, gotten jobs, Brian had married had a child and divorced. Then just last April, they met up again, fell back in love, moved in together, got married in September, are expecting their first child in April and bought a new house in October. Their story is like a little fairy tale!! I am so happy that they both found each other again.

Jacki's blog is a fun little diary about her pregnancy and other events in her new life. Check it out!

New Link, New Blogging Family

I just posted about a friend WHO has decided to take a blogging sabbatical, well now I want to post about a new blog that I have checked out lately and find to be incredibly cute and funny. This is the blog of Pam Jordan, she is the sister-in-law to an old friend from high school, Leslie. Anyway, Leslie and I have lost touch as she and her family live in Cincinnati and we really only exchange Christmas Cards, the occasional phone call and here recently an email or two. I ran into Leslie's mom awhile back and she mentioned her daughter-in law's blog and from time to time I check and so I thought I would include it as one of my blog links. The Jordan's have two sons and are very busy with work and life just like the rest of us. But if the mood strikes to see pics of two little cuties or the grumblings, opinions, and joys of another St. Louis mom then check out their blog!

Feeling Blue

The color of my blog exactly describes my mood lately, blue. Don't know why but I have been depressed lately. Maybe it's the cold weather and short days or maybe it's the holidays, they always remind me of how much debt I have. Or it could be the fact that nothing seems to go right.

1. We have had our house for sale for 5 months, 4 of those with a contingent contract. Yesterday we were informed that the other people can't sell their house and want to release the contract. GREAT, back to square one again. I am really getting fed up with selling this house. Someone please buy it!!

2. My job is really bugging me, the kids at Monroe are really wild and out of control. At Mallinckrodt the kids are good but the teachers are all nuts. Can't win on either account.. At this point, I am not sure if teaching is the right thing for me. Not to brag, but I am too smart for this. I should be doing website design or event planning or public relations or something. Is it too late for a career change?

3. My own children have been disappointing. Justin's grades have fallen especially in math, Hannah has become very willful and disrespectful. Adam has no interest in school. Anyone want to borrow three kids for a while?

4. My personal life has gone down the drain. It seems like all my old friends are gone. As we age, the stress of life and family pulls us away from our friends and that is what has happened with me. Bob and I have long ago given up doing things together so when you also don't have any friends, life gets a little lonely despite how busy and hectic I am. Any old friends who view this, hey where've you been?

I have never been one to like winter and right now I could use the spring. Maybe that's what I need to rejuvenate.

Those Crazy Cub Scouts

As most of you know, I am the leader of Adam's cub scout den. I thought when I volunteered that it would be fun, WRONG!! It is just plain work and the meetings are so chaotic with 14 second grade age boys running around. Last night we had a meeting and we were trying to complete some requirements to earn our WOlf Rank so I had the boys making paper bag masks, performing a skit, playing a game and making a chore chart. I thought this would take up the whole meeting. WRONG, it took up about half the meting because they don't care about sitting and making a mask or a chore chart or performing a skit. All they care about is running around and rough housing and yelling and screaming, this has probably added to my stress level this week. But I am posting a couple pictures of the rowdy crew so you can see for yourself.


The Cub Scouts with their paper bag masks. Adam is the one in the blue striped shirt.


Playing a game at cubscouts, whose the fastest at eating a doughnut dangled from a string without using your hands.

Long Week

This has been such a long week. I guess because it is the first full week back to school, but it seems like there have been 8 days in this week. I have so many things to do at school, tons of paperwork and assignments to complete that it has been really stressful. Going to two different schools is hard because I am constantly thinking that I left something at the other school undone when I am at the alternate one. Makes life frustrating.

To top it off I checked Justin and Hannah's grades online and noticed that they were both in getting a D in one class. The quarter ends next week so I was wondering why we never got progress reports in early December. Well after grilling both kids for a while we found out that Justin threw the progress reports away before we got home one day. Man I was furious!! The worst part is Hannah had no idea her grade was so low and it turns out it was mostly due to some missing assignments when she was sick with the Poison Ivy for a week in November. So now she is furious. But I did manage to talk to her teacher and she is able to make up the missing assignments so hopefully that will raise her grade. She got a B in that class first quarter and the rest of her grades are all A's & B's. Justin's other grades are all very good also, mostly A's but he is struggling gin pre-algebra. However he never brings homework home. But he is now grounded from his new xbox 360 until he brings the grade up to a B.

Anyhow, it has been a very long week!

Weird Weather

Can you believe the weather we are having in St. Louis for the last few days? Yesterday we had a high of 73 and it is currently 69 degrees right now. We turned off the heat and had the windows open. We bar-b-qued some steaks and took the dog for a walk. This morning Justin wore shorts to school and I didn't even need a jacket. Ofcourse Justin has a rule that he can wear shorts if the temp is above 32.

This is great but with St. Louis weather, it won't last, in facct they are forecasting for a chance of snow on Thursday evening. Crazy, but we are enjoying it while it lasts.

Tired of Hearing about the I 64/40 Shutdown Already

Is anyone else sick of hearing about the highway 40 shutdown already? It has only been closed for 2 days now but that is all they talk about on the news, I am really tired of hearing about it. They have had a count down to the shutdown going for 85 days. It's too much!!

Maybe I am just biased because the shutdown does not really affect me. I don't travel on 40 much to begin with and I don't travel on any of the highways to get to work so I really just don't care.

They even have websites devoted to the shutdown.

Success in the Cotton Bowl

For those of you who may have missed it, Mizzou gave Arkansas a solid beating in the Cotton Bowl on New Years Day. Just goes to show that they should have been a contender in a BCS Bowl Game. But Gary Pinkel recently got a well deserved contract extension and Chase Daniel is only a junior and Jeremy Maclin only a freshman, so here's hoping that the future is bright for the MU football team!


GO TIGERS! M I Z- Z O U!!

Happy Holidays

It's been a while since I have blogged but it's just been so busy that there hasn't been time. Since I last blogged we have had Adam's birthday, the end of school for Christmas Break, Christmas and New Years. And now low and behold I am back at school!

I wanted to take the time to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year on behalf of our family!

I am posting several pictures of the birthday and Christmas with my thoughts and captions to catch up the world on Nixon happenings in December.




Adam is 8 years old.


Clowning around at Happy Joes with friends.


Hannah looking more grown up every year.


Adam in front of all the Christmas loot.


Sparky enjoys Christmas!


Justin gets another coveted hoodie for Christmas

Updates

I updated my blog's look but am still not quite satisfied with so it may change again.

I am doing pretty good so far with my Christmas shopping. But I have this overwhelming feeling that I am running out of time. There are 13 days until Christmas and the next two weeks are extremely busy. The only people I really have to shop for are the adults, who are the hardest. Plus now I have to do a secret santa thing next week at work. Good thing Bob's work doesn't do any of that, men just don't care about that kind of thing and since there is only one woman police officer in Crestwood, she is at a slight disadvantage.

I am looking forward to some much needed time off for Christmas break! It always seems to go by so fast though....

4th place is okay

Well Chase Daniel came in 4th place in the Heisman Trophy vote. But hey, that's okay, there hasn't been an MU player in the running in quite some time. I know I am still extremely proud of Chase and the team.

I'll be changing my blog's colors again, I am giving MU the spotlight on my blog for a few more days!

BIG 12 Letdown

Once again, Oklahoma ran over Mizzou's offense in their win on Saturday. It was a devastating loss for those of us who have been following the team's season. Now it's the Cotton Bowl on New Year's Day against Arkansas. Hopefully our Tigers will eat some Hog that day!! M-I-Z, Z-O-U!

Heisman Bound?

Is Chase Daniel bound for the Heisman Trophy?

M-I-Z Z-O-U

Quarterback Chase Daniel

Can you believe the Mizzoui victory over rival KU? As most of you know I went to Mizzou for 3 years and even though I graduated from UMSL I still sort of consider myelf a alumni. It was a great game and I enjoyed watching it with Justin who is a huge football fan and now thinks he wants to attend Mizzou himself. And as of Sunday Mizzou was ranked the number 1 college footabll team for the first time in 47 years. Pretty impressive!!

http://mutigers.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/recaps/112507aaa.html

This is a link to a story about the game in case you missed it!

Scary Poison Ivy Girl

Here is a picture of Hannah at the height of her flu/poison ivy epidemic. I will post pics of the new puppy and Thanksgiving dinner later, but this one is too bizarre not share.

Puppies, Poison Ivy, the Flu and Thanksgiving

You name it and it has happened this Thanksgiving. First off Hannah contracted Poison Ivy last week, by Tuesday evening it had somewhat faded and our plans for a Thanksgiving at home were going ahead as scheduled. That evening my father got a new puppy, a black pug. Then came Wednesday, the kids were all off school but I had to work and so did Bob. Generally this is not a good combination but they are getting old enough to stay home alone now so off we both went to work. By 11am I got a call from Justin saying Hannah was sick. So I went home thinking I would stop in and check on her and then go back to work as we didn't have kids that day at work just a series of "teacher meetings". When I arrived, Hannah was sitting on the toilet with a towel wrapped around her and stuff coming out of both ends. To make matters worse, everywhere that she has her poison ivy, which was mostly on her face, was a ghastly shade or purple. I mean it was horrible!!!! SO after getting the boys situated at my parents' house, I called the DR. to tell of Hannah's condition. She had already been there on Monday and they diagnosed the Poison Ivy but the color was now a big concern. As the afternoon wore on, I decided to take her in. When we arrived at the Dr's office and got taken to the room the Dr comes in and goes " I've never seen anything like it before." Not the best news from your child's dr. But after examining her and seeing her throw up a few more times, he sent her home with nothing more than a "keep an eye on it and take her to the er if it gets worse."

Well at this point I thought, "There goes Thanksgiving." But after her stomach settled down, she felt much better and by morning she was able to eat something and keep it down, her face was starting to fade to a maroon and she wanted to "help" me cook Thanksgiving dinner.

So it is now 9 pm, dinner is over and everything turned out great. My stuffing was delicious, my turkey so moist. And best of all my in laws were able to make it over for dinner and bring Grandma's homemade pumpkin and cherry pies. We ate, played Apples to Apples and had dessert. Now the kids are watching the Incredibles as I type and Hannah's face is now a more rose color.

Now I'm just praying we all don't get the flu!!

My own Thanksgiving

This year, I am breaking with tradition and preparing my own Thanksgiving. At first I was a little sad that I wouldn't be seeing any of my relatives for the holiday but after thinking about it, it will actually be so much easier for my family. First off I don't have to worry about what my kids wear or how they look. I don't have to worry if I am not helping out enough or if I am just in the way. I don't have to worry about the kids spilling anything. I don't have to make 3 plates up before I eat my own meal.

I am cooking a turkey, which I have done before and making homemade stuffing for the first time. I will have green bean casserole complete with the fried onions on top, carrots (just for color because I am the only on who will eat them), corn, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce (a Nixon kid favorite), and a small dish a sweet potatoes that I bought at Dierbergs (again because I am the only one who will eat them). Plus rolls and a little relish tray because Justin considers pickles a vegetable. For dessert, we will probably go to my in-laws and take them some food and have dessert there because my mother-in-law has been too sick to leave the house. I will buy a pumpkin pie or 2 from Tippins (Bob's favorite). I am not a baker so it is store bought pies for us. But I will also probably make some Brownies just cause I don't like pumpkin pie.

We have decided (I mean I have decided) to try to eat around 3 or so to give us time to visit Grandma and Grandpa Nixon. In the morning I will get the turkey going, then watch the Macy's parade, then do some cleaning so the house looks nice for the long weekend I am off. Maybe take a snooze on the couch while Justin watches football, then finish up the meal, eat, visit, and back home for game night with the kids. Then a weekend where we are all off together. Thinking about going up to Our Lady of the Snows Christmas light festival on Friday evening and I am actually thinking about doing some shopping on Friday even though I always think people who do that are crazy. But Bob said he would go and drop me off at the door of different places and either wait or join me inside.

Who knows if this goes well we may stay home for Christmas too!

Anyone know any good stuffing recipes?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Justin's Birthday and other October Happenings

I realized I haven't posted anything about Justin's 13 birthday or my 35 or the rest of the month of Ocotber.

So here goes, Justin had great birthday going paintballing with friends and getting to eat dinner at Red Robin. He got a tent and a nintendo DS system and money and some clothes (which he needed but didn't really want).

For my birthday we didn't do much, I went out to dinner with friends from work and as a family we went to Red Lobster which is always good. No winery trip like I wanted because no one could seem to get together. Maybe in the next few weeks I can get out to one.

We also attending the Wedding of our old friend Walter. Bob was one of the groomsmen.

Otherwise the month was busy with football, hockey, and cub scouts. We are always busy running here and there from one activity to the next.

Halloween 2007

Halloween was a big success this year again. Mom made her fantastic stuffed green pepper soup and white chicken chili, yummy! And despite having previously said they would not dress up for Halloween, both Justin and Hannah wore costumes, Justin a cop, Hannah a clown. Adam ofcourse had great time as the evil black spiderman. It was a really nice night, not too cold or rainy as in years past. I was also able to go to Adam's Halloween party and parade at school, which I hadn't done since Hannah was in first grade. It was fun and Adam was really glad I was there.

Everyone, including me, and all the kids at my school were very cranky the next day though. November 1st, teacher's worst nightmare!!

A Fishing We Will Go

I should probably put this on my classroom blog but I am not updating that so I thought I would post it here.

I applied for and recieved a grant to go fishing through the Missouri Department of Conservation. So today I took 40 3rd graders and their teachers fishing in Forest Park. It was an awesome day, even though it was a bit cold and windy. Most of the kids had never been fishing. But as you can see from the pics I am posting it was a lot of fun.

My New School

So for those of you who haven't heard (the 2 of you who actually check my blog,) I am now going to 2 schools. I have to split my time between Monroe and another school called Mallinckodt.

The school itself isn't bad and I only service 8 kids here, its just that I don't want to be here. They have NO technology and the school is very old. Although it is magnet school and the kids seem so much better behaved. Plus it is only k-5 unlike Monroe which is now prek-8 and very crazy.


On the plus side I had an interview with Special School District of St. Louis County last Friday and I have a second interview nest Friday. SO I may be able to get a position out in the county making more money and hopefully dealing with a better school district.

Update

The school update is actually promising this time. The human resources department has now realized that 37 kids in one classroom is crazy so we now have 2 long term subs who have taken over a 6th and 7th grade classroom. We still have the 5/6 split and the 3/4 split but some of the pressure has been alleviated. As for me, I am doing my resource job and I am really enjoying it. I service the k-4 grade kids who need extra help in math, reading or writing. It's really nice because it is so hands on. I don't have to worry about grading anything, I just monitor there progress and help them as needed. Most of the kids I see have such terrible home lives that to get a little one on one time daily with me is exactly what they need to survive.

At home things are okay, we have a contract on our house so we hope to move soon. Of course the contract is contingent on the other people selling their house but hopefully it will all work out. the kids are so busy with their fall sports and activities that we hardly get a night without something going on.

We are going to a Wedding this weekend which will be fun because Bob is in it and a lot of our old friends will be there. We're looking forward to the annual Halloween festivities at my parents' house. Hopefully I'll have pictures to post. I am sad though because both of my older kids have said that they don't want to dress up or trick or treat this year/ Although I suspect Hannah will "help" Adam do his trick or treating.

Justin turns 13 on Friday and I am really scared about these crazy teenage years ahead. Hannah already acts like one so it's going to be rough for a few years. Next week I turn 35 and I feel really old for some reason this year. I am hoping to celebrate by going to the Wineries with friends.

That's about the end of the update.

BUSY

I have been really busy the last few weeks at school. I finally just this week was able to go back to my Resource job and I am truly enjoying it. I have the K-4 grades and it is a welcome change from 7th grade last year. The school is still in such a state of upheaval though. There are subs in 2 classroom, 37 kids in another classroom and the morale of all the teachers is incredibly low. Our principal has even thretened to quit all due to the new Assitant Superintendent that is giving us so many problems. We have to improve our MAP scores this year or our school will be reconfigurated and some people may be let go, but it is very hard to do when there are split level classrooms at 3/4, 5/6 and 7/8.

On the home front, Justin is playing football and hockey, Adam has scouts and hockey and Hannah has her busy social life and hockey, so needless to say it has been hectic.

More to come soon though!

What's wrong with SLPS?

So many people in the St. Louis area are asking what is wrong with SLPS that they lost their district accreditation, that the test scores are so low, that the kids are so misbehaved etc. Well here is one reason...

Last week, there was a sub for the 6th grade class. So after recess when students are picked up on the playground the sub was late or maybe didn't know he was to pick up the kids, I'm not sure. But our PE and art teacher were on recess duty. As I came to pick up my class, the PE techer says to the art teacher (who is new) "come on we can go in now", even thought he 6th graders were all standing there without their teacher. So I waited a few minutes thinking the guy would come but he didn't I then walked my students to the cafeteria door and told them to wait while I went in. Right inside the cafeteria that leads to the playground are the PE and art teacher and I say to them, "no one has come down for 6th grade, they have a sub who might not realize he is to pick them up." So the art teacher goes okay and starts walking out and the PE teacher goes wait a minute and then she looks at me and goes and "that's my problem why?" So I said "well there are 30 kids outside unsupervised'" and she says "and I care about that because??"

AND people ask what's wrong with SLPS!!!!

Oh I have many more where that came from and it is only the third week of school!

It will never end

Okay, this job thing is really starting to get to me now. I was moved into the resource position a week before school started. The first week of school we were waiting on a list of students to be serviced to be generated. The second week of school I was in meetings for the first 2 days then on Wednesday I was told that class sizes in the upper grades were getting too large and a 5/6 split class room woudl need to be opened and I would temporarily have to be the teacher. Well it's almost a week later and there is still no teacher and no one knows when one will be assigned so in the mean while I am not servicing the K-4 resource kids. Rather, all K-8 resource kids are being serviced by one resource teacher. So on Friday I put my application in at the Special School District of St. Louis County. I really hope something comes through with that. Because I am soooooo done with SLPS.

For the Best

The title to this entry states it pretty clearly, the latest turn of events with my job situation is that I am now going to be teaching k-3 resource. I got my special ed. certification over the summer but didn't know if there would be any openings for that in my building. Well it turns out there was one and yesterday I got the position. I am hoping it is for the best as I was quite worried about teaching 7th grade again with the extremely rowdy class that was coming in. Now, though, I am pretty excited about getting to work with the little ones. I moved classrooms from my large, bright room to the small sort of dingy office next door but I cleaned it out and moved in my own stuff and it is starting to shape up. I am hoping that this move will allow me to stay all year at Monroe and not be displaced in October which may have happened if our enrollment went down too low and we did not need 2 7th grade teachers anymore. So although I was looking forward to finally having a Smart Board in my room and 12 student computers to use, this will be a welcome change.


On a more personal note, my mother in law is in intensive care in critical condition. I am waiting right now to here word from Bob on how she is doing so if you read this say a little prayer for Barbara Nixon, she has been in very poor health for a long time.

Disney Vacation Pictures

My School Year

Well, hopefully most of you will be glad to know that for the time being I am returning to Monroe. As of this writing, I don't know what grade I will be teaching but I am assuming it is either 6th or 7th grade. I did manage to get my Special Education certification over the summer and I am hoping that it will be my ticket to another district for the next school year. But as for now, I have to stick in out in St. Louis Public Schools.

Where has the time gone???

No I haven't fallen off the face of the blogger world, I have just been extremely busy all summer and I can't believe I start back to work on Monday. UGHHHHHHH!

So here is the recap, month by month of our summer with pictures to be posted later on

June- School got out and we took the kids on a family vacation to Disney World. We had a blast seeing Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Typhoon Lagoon. Although it was hot, it really wasn't bad and we had a pool to cool off in in the evenings. Our favorite attraction was the Lion King Show at Animal Kingdom, it was fantastic and Adam even got to be in the show.

Then after vacation, I was thrown head first into teaching summer school which was not all the bad but seemed about a week too long.

July- Fully immersed in summer school, I spent my afternoons at the local pool with the kids and my evenings watching Hannah's softball team. Justin spent a week at Football camp in the heat and all three kids went to the Ozarks with the Grandparents.

August- Summer school ended on July 20th and I only had three little weeks before school would start up again. Hannah finshed softball and went to Girl Scout camp for 2 weeks, it was weird not having any contact with her for that long but she had a wonderful time at her Bits and Bridles Camp where they spent a majority of the time horseback riding. She is a real cowgirl now! We spent another long weekend at the lake and celevrated Bob's 36 birthday last Wednesday. Now I am gearing up to go back to school, I will fill you in on all the details about that in my next entry.

Last Day

Well June 1st was the last day of school. It was a very emotional day for my students because we have been together for the last 2 years. At the end, I went around and told them all what I liked about them and how much potential they each had and how they had really made a difference in my life. My biggest accomplishment is the fact that Kachelle's report card was such an improvement. She managed to get mostly C's and a few B's on her grades and it has been the most fantastic transformation from last year when she was kicked out of school for three months to this year becoming my most improved student of the year. Her mom came up on Friday and told me how much of an influence I had been in Kachelle's life and how I had turned her around. It was a great moment for me. If a teacher can say she truly made a difference in at least one kid's life, it is an amazing feeling. I feel that these kids have touched me and taught me in so many ways.
It was very upsetting to also find out on the same day that it doesn't look good for my return to Monroe. Due to low senority, I will probably be moving to a different school. It really angers me that this is happening because there are several teachers in the building who, in my opinion, should not still be teaching. Yet I am the one being told to move on. I have never been formally observed by my supervisor, and have had no feedback on ways to improve my teaching ability. Yet my evaluation this year was marked as being proficient, the second highest reating that could be given?? There was no explanation as to why I was given that rating, but it was said I would probably get the highest rating next year???? And people ask what's the problem with St. Louis Public School? Where do I start..............

Change is Hard

I still don't know where I will be teaching next year. As of Friday, my principal said he thinks our projected enrollment is wrong and that we may be able to keep my job and the two other jobs that were displaced. On a bright note, Monroe will need a special ed. teacher and I have already taken one test to be certified for special ed, so I signed up to take the other one in June and hopefully I will pass it and be able to at the very least take the special ed position to stay at Monroe, but I have definitely decided that I will need to get out of SLPS next year. Although I do feel that the I am making a small difference in the lives of a few kids, there is just too much political nonsense to make it worthwhile. I want to teach, and this isn't teaching, this is providing a safe place for these kids to spend 8 hours a day before they have to go home to their awful lives. I feel sad that this is how it is but sometimes one person can only do so much!

Turn of Events

Well my leave has had a major upheaval of late, I am being displaced from my job. I'm not fired or let go but they are transferring me to a different school. It is really upsetting because I have made a lot of friends here and I don't want to leave them plus I want to continue my emints training and I may be going to a school that doesn't offer emints. It is also very troubling because I had an opportunity to transfer to a different school next year in April but I turned it down thinking I wanted to stay where somewhere that I knew the principal and the teachers. Now it looks like I will be in a very undesireable location. Plus our district is in such major turmoil that this all may change again before it's all said and done. I started thinking that I must have done something bad to have deserved such a fate but I know that it isn't only me, it is also two other teachers in my building plus a couple hundred across the district. I guess that I have to put my faith in the fact that God has a plan for me and he will lead me to where I will need to go, it just feels so stressful to have no control over this situation. I will keep you posted.

The End Is Near

Well it has been a while since I last blogged but as the school year winds down, the paperwork increases. So that is what I have been doing for the last few weeks. I have also been busy with a project for my aunt. We were celebrating her 60th birthday and I needed to make a project for my emints class using the microsoft moviemaker program. So I combined the two and made a movie for my favorite aunt Sandy. It took about 40 hours to complete but it was well worth it. I combined old pictures and new pictures with words and music into a 20 minute this is your life kind of movie. It turned out great and brought a tear to everyone's eyes at the party. And my teacher was very impressed as well.

I am going to take a class this summer in educational technology through the University of MO-Columbia. It's an online class and the first I will be taking towards my master's degree. I am excited to be getting my masters through Mizzou as that is where I originally started my undergrad but ended up finishing at UMSL. Plus my emints training will count for 9 hours towards my degree and that is very sweet since the traiing has so far consisted of over 100 hours of class time.

On the home front, not much to report. The kids are relaly getting excited about the end of school and our upcoming trip to Disney World June 12-18th. I got our plane tickets last night and booked a reservation for a character breakfast at the Polynesian Resort. It is the Ohana Breakfast, which for Lilo and Stitch fans means Family in Hawaiin. So it will inlcude Mickey and friends and Lilo and Stitch. Should be fun and I can't wait to post the pictures.

Glad to be back in the blogging world, I will have to see about posting my movie to this blog.

School News

News from school, a former student of mine won first place in a National Art Contest for the International Child Art Foundation. This link will take you to see the drawing it is the 6th from the top. http://www.childartgallery.org/usagalleryfinals/index.htm My student's name is Derreon Woods. Anyway, he and I and our art teacher were all invited to Washington DC in June for this annual art festival. They also asked me to write an article for their magazine called CHILD ART. I submitted my article so hopefully it will be published.

Also, our class and Ms. Kozlen's class, the other 7th grade class, made a video for this morning radio personality named Cornbread. You can see the video on www.wil92.com and click on cornbread's world and then cornflicks. You will need to upload the SLAM video. It is really funny. We made it in response to Cornbread's challenge to the St. Louis SLAM women's football team of which Ms. Kozlen is a member. He challenged the team to a man vs woman rumble on Wednesday 4/25 at CBC high school. For two weeks he has been talking about how he would run over those SLAM women and we made a video to show him what he is up against. Really funny stuff!

On another note, MAP testing is over, YAHOOOOOO! Now only 6 weeks till summer. The countdown has begun.

Recent Events

Posing in front of Lincoln in Springfield, IL

Justin and Sparky on Sparky's 3rd birthday.

Adam at the Blue and Gold Cub Scout Banquet


I have been promising to post some recent pics of events from the past few months and finally here they are. The Springfield trip was fun and quite educational. We have been taking the kids on little SPring Break Trips that have an educational aspect to them for a few years now. We have been to Chicago, Louisville, KY, and Hannibal, MO in the last few years. I am already starting to think about where to go next year. Maybe Memphis or Kansas City??

Adam was very proud of his Cub Scout banquet, he earned his Tiger and Bobcat ranks and is eager to participate next year.

Of course I had to include a picture of my Sparky boy. He is truly mom's best friend. Recently he and the kids and Bob went to the Ozarks for a few days with grandma and grandpa while I stayed home and worked. When they returned Sparky was so happy to see me, he jumped in the air, wagged his tail and licked my face for quite some time. Everyone else was pretty happy to see me but I sure could tell that my Sparky baby missed me.

My Rant

Okay, I quickly have to go off on a slight rant. Here it is, I am sitting at school and it is conference day. We have no kids here. We also had conferences last evening after school until 6:30 and today the conferences end at 11:30 so I have a little over 1 hour left and I have had 3 yes 3 parents here, that's it. The only way to fix these schools is to fix the parents and I don't have a clue as how to do that. But it is infuriating to me that these people care so little about their children's education that they can't show up to talk to the teacher. I have tried calling, but half the numbers are disconnected, most of the kids have switched address and can't remember the latest one, sending letters home with student just ends up having thrown away before the kid leaves the building, so short of driving to these people's houses, there is no way that I can let them know that little Javon won't keep his hands to himself and hasn't turned in an assignment in two weeks. UGH!!!

Okay, I am done with my rant. I just needed to get that off my mind.

Time Flys

They say time flys when you are having fun. Well I wouldn't go right to fun but it has been interesting. I can't believe it has been a month since I blogged. Oh blogger fans please forgive me!

Lets start with a quick recap of the last month. We traveled to Springfield, IL to see the Lincoln Museum etc. which was really very interesting and educational. That was the beginning of March. Then at school I have been busily preparing for the MAP which if you don't know is the Missouri standardized tests. Then our district lost it's accreditation, which put everyone into an uproar about jobs, test scores, school closings, you name it. Then came my spring break which was WONDERFUL. I spent the week enjoying being at home, making calls and getting things done that I have put off. I went to the Ozarks with a big group of friends last weekend and now I am back to school preparing to give the MAP next week.

But my kids our on Spring Break with Bob and his parents at the Lake. They have also been busy with one sports season ending and another beginning. It has just been so hectic. I hope to post some pics of our trip and other activities of late soon.

After MAP though it will be smooth sailing till summer break. YAHOO!

Blue and Gold Banquet/Flu and Other Happenings

Well it's been a hectic couple of weeks. We have all been sick witht he Flu or a stomach virus or something. It started on Feb. 13 with Adam. Affton and SLPS were the only schools around who were actually dumb enough to send kids to school that day but we all go sent home early. So at about 12:30 when we got home for a snow day, Adam started throwing up and didn't stop until 2 days later. He was the worst with it. Then that night I started in with the other end of the body and mine lasted until well into the next evening which was Valentine's Day. (how romantic!) Hannah picked it up on Saturday morning and had coming out of both ends, which lasted until Sunday evening. Monday was President's Day so the kids and I were all home together but Bob was at work. He came home about 7pm and he started throwing up and it lasted about 24 hours for him also. Justin has been lucky it hasn't affected him YET! But he does have a pretty rough cold.

So we have all been playing catch up with school work and house work etc all week long.

Tonight, Adam and I attended his Blue and Gold Cub Scout Banquet. It was cute and fun and he enjoyed seeing some of his new friends outside of school. Tomorrow we have our last two hockey games except for the ALL STAR game on March 17. Hannah also has a basketball game so as usual our weekend will be busy but I thought I would catch up on some blogging. I will download pictures of the banquet and the hockey teams soon.

Other than that, it has been the same old same old around here. NOT, there is never a dull day in this household.

Here's hoping I get a nice dull day at home soon :)

Till then, have a great week.!

A Miracle Occurred

Well, it's been one heck of a week. Kids have been suspended, 2 kids from my room moved, I got one new student and we have been trying to implement lunch detention in my room in effort to deter bad behavior. So you can imagine how hectic it has been. Then to top it all off, one of my 6th grade reading students cursed me out and threatened to, "beat my fat a*#". So as you can imagine I was this close to calling it quits, throwing in the towel and heading for unemployment. But then the miracle occurred.

We were having class meeting when one of my students, Terrance Tucker, who has been the bane of my existence for two years stands up and says, "You know guys we really need to stop jonesing on each other because we are a family and we have to go to school for the rest of the ear so we might as well get along!" Well,I about fell off my chair, tears welled up in my eyes and I said Terrance when did you grow up. It was the moment every teacher dreams of, when finally you have broken though. That moment of clarity!! We all clapped and cheered for him and I hope it is going to be the beginning of great things for him because then another student stood and said, I really want to thank Mrs. Nixon for looking out for us like she does. Again, the water works came to my eyes. But it truly was a great moment!


I hope you have some great moments this week as well.

Big News and Fun Times

Well the big news is that Adam won 2nd place in the Pinewood Derby. He was so excited. His car was really cute, it was a Luau theme this year. He and Daddy worked really hard on it.

The other news is the fun time I had at the lake. We scrapbooked, ate, shopped, ate, slept, ate, talked, and ate. Can you tell the theme of our weekend? We had a really good time just gossiping about work and men and sharing each other's family pictures and scrapbook albums. Although the weather was extremly cold, we stayed in and kept warm all bundled up in our sweats and PJ's.

We enjoyed a delicious Sunday brunch at Black Bear Lunch and had fun eating at Pickled Petes, one of my favorite lake places. We found extra supplies at Wal-Mart and hit the outlet mall despite the cold. I am feeling very refreshed and relaxed now and eager to get back into the swing of school and home. My diet however was blown as you can tell by all the eating we did so I have to get back on track and back to the community center to exercise this week.

Can't Wait

I am finally going away this weekend with my work friends to the lake. We are going to scrapbook and gossip and just catch up and RELAX!

I have been stressed at school, stressed at home, just stressed!!

I got all my scrapbook stuff out and ready to go and packed up, I got pictures printed and ready so now all I have to do is wait for the weekend.

So here goes a recap of the resolutions. Flossing and Moisturizing- Check
Exercising- Check minus (hoping to go tonight) Eating out- unsatisfactory (way too much) Scrapbooking -Check (should be taken care of soon) Not too good I know but it's only been a few weeks and I really do have the whole year. RIGHT?!?

Boredom and other such musings

Well winter is in full gear and to say my kids are bored with it is an understatement. They are having a little touch of cabin fever, constantly fighting, or arguing about what to watch on TV, video game to play, or chores they don't want to do.

As for me, I am very busy at school trying to prepare my students for the state MAP tests that occur in April. It is very stressful because our school really needs to show some improvement in order to make state sanctioned Annual Yearly Progress. For the last 2 years our school's scores have gone down, so we really need to improve them but it is such an uphill battle.

Anyway, as far as the resolutions go I am doing okay. Still flossing and moisturizing and I joined the Affton Community and have started exercising which I like but wish I had more time for. I am still cutting back on what I eat especially at school. But the eating out part is a hard habit to break. I think I have definitly failed in that area of my resolutions. I need to retrain my kids into seeing that we have food at home that can be eaten. It is a hard concept to teach though as I am usually the first one to say let's go out.

But I will keep trying. I am looking forward to my scrapbook weekend with the girls in 2 weeks.

Update

Well, a week into my resolutions and it's not going so well. The weather has been very nasty and that has hampered my exercising. I am trying to cut back on portion size and eating out though. My kids seem to think that we need to eat out every meal ( I wonder where they got that idea) so it's hard to breakt hem of that habit. But I have stopped eating fast food for breakfast and stopping to get a coffee which always turns into a cappucino (way too many calories to think of). And I am trying to bring lunch to school instead of ordering it.

I have been very good about flossing though so I guess that is one resolution I am keeping.

Family time is hard because the kids are so busy with sports but we do manage to watch a movie together or play a board game now and then.

As for me and Bob, we are planning to go out next weekend or possibly have friends over so I guess that counts as doing something together.

I have a scrapbook weekend set up for Feb. with some friends and that should help get caught up in that department.

I am also moisturizing every night and I have seen a real difference in my hands, they don't look like a 60 year old woman's anymore.

On the whole I would give myself a 60% for keeping up my resolutions which for my class would actually be a good grade but for me it's unacceptable. I promise to do better!!

Resolutions

Well this year I plan to publicly post my New Year's Resolutions in hopes of actually keeping them. I am trying to be very specific about this so I can really stick to it. Encouragement is always welcome!

1. Lose 30 pounds by spring break (March 20)
2. Exercise at least 2 times a week
3. Floss my teeth every day
4. Moisturize face and hands everyday (yes I have found crows feet)
5. Spend one evening a week in family time
6. Eat out no more than once per week
7. Go out with my husband at least twice a month
8. Get caught up with my scrapbooks by summer

It seems like a lot but I am at an age where I really need to start taking care of ME! My hands and skin need some work and my dentist has warned me that my nice, clean, teeth won't stay that way if I don't floss.

I am determined to make some lifestyles changes that will affect my whole family. Wish me luck!

The Christmas Loot

I love all these photos, they turned out especially good this year. Well, Hannah got the cell phone she wanted plus makeup, clothes, jewelry, shoes, slippers, and so much more. Grandma made her a pretty new blanket for her bed and she got a slurpy machine and is dying to try it.

Adam got a new bike and a Nintendo DS game system which he has been playing non-stop. He also got clothes which he didn't like and movies and games and other toys. He loves his new UNO Splash game and his Tractor Tipping game. We have to play both games consecutively when his DS is being charged.

Justin got clothes, and shoes, games, a Nintendo DS, and two framed Cardinals posters that he had been wanting. He is really into Monopoly and got two versions of it both of which we have already played. He also got both Pirates of the Caribbean Movies and has been watching them day and night. I got a microwave for my classroom, some new silverware, bath stuff, a movie, dish towels, and we got a new gas barbecue grill. Bob got a paint ball gun and so did Justin and they can't wait to try them out. Bob also got some cologne and shaving kit and we also got a new coffee maker. After almost 12 years of marriage, stuff starts to wear out that's why we got all the new kitchen stuff. Sounds boring but it's what we wanted.

We had a really good Christmas, I was glad to see my 78 year old grandmother and all my aunts and uncles that I only get to see about once or twice a year. This weekend we will see Bob's aunts and uncles that we also only get to see once or twice a year. There are some new babies added to the family to show off.

No plans for New Years as Bob is working nights (someone has to)! I may let my kids have friends over and just hang out with them. I plan on watching The Devil Wears Prada and the Davinci Code, my two new favorite movies, and eating the last of the holiday junk food.

Hope you have a wonderful New Year!

Happy Holidays

It's Christmas evening and all is well. We have survived another holiday of monumental proportions. In the course of two days we have seen about 50 relatives and the kids have opened about 30 presents each. Our house is over flowing with wrapping paper and discarded tape, half eaten cookies and chewed up candy canes. We are truly blessed to have our family around us happy and healthy to share in this joyous season.

I will post more post-Christmas news soon including pictures but for now I am basking in the sound of happy voices from the other room and a full belly as I type.


Season's Greetings to you all!

Christmas Blues

I really don't feel like it's Christmas. I have been so busy with the kids' activities and Adam's birthday (which is today) and my school work that I am very stressed about Christmas. The kids seem to want everything and nothing all at the same time. I am still not finished and have a class tomorrow night, and a work Christmas party on Wednesday night. I am off on thursday but my kids aren't so that will be my day to finish shopping, wrap everything, finish those last few Christmas cards and decide what everyone will wear on Christmas and CHristmas eve.

We just finished decorating our tree on Saturday that's how far behind I am.

I kow in my last post, I was bragging about how caught up I am at school but in a week where all the kids have been sick with strep and Bob has worked day and night, I am exhausted and now behind with school stuff also. But still I have time to blog.... don't know how that works except I have a rare few minutes to myself at school because there is a dance this afternoon that I don't have to go to so I am blogging after I graded a stack of papers.

I think I really need to get back to church. I have been reluctant to go to another church because of the hypocrisy I felt at Hope over the last year or so I was there. I need to focus on the main reason for the season and stop letting all the commercialization get me down.

I hope your pre- Christmas hype is less stressful than mine!

Skipping School

Well, my kids are sick today. Justin has a sore throat and Hannah's asthma is acting up so we are staying home from school. I am really upset about it :) I let Adam stay home also, probably shouldn't but he hasn't missed any school yet and he thinks it's fun to skip school with mom. Better not get him into that habit........

Anyway, it's great, I slept late and so did everyone else. We go to the doctor at 11 but until them I am going to finish decorating the tree( no I 'm not done yet) and catch up on some wash.. It is so hectic around here but I still have time to blog.

I am caught up at school, all papers graded and recorded. The end of the quarter is the 30th which doesn't make sense since we are off school then but whatever. I will still make my kids work the rest of this week and next but.... you know how it is my grades are pretty much done since I do my gradebook with excel and it calculates it for me. Anyway not much else to say, finished my Christmas cards and am getting those in the mail they turned out really really good and I did all myself using Word, and Publisher. I may try to link it to my blog if possible.

Oh one more thing, Justin and Hannah's hockey team won their first game. YEAH! Justin scored and he played great and Hannah is finally getting the hang of it.

Adam's 7th Birthday

Adam had his birthday party at Happy Joes again this year. He enjoyed seeing his friends Josh and Kyle and playing games, eating pizza, and ice cream. He also had fun with his cousin Megan, grandparents, parents and brother and sister. Adam was excited to get some new video games, clothes, shoes, a sleeping bag and other toys.

Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful...........

Adam had a great time sledding and playing in the snow.

The kids went sledding in Francis Park with Max and Alex Rode.

A wintry pose for our Christmas card.

Well the winter weather has finally come and it is a welcome sight to students and teachers alike!! We all had a snow day on Friday and enjoyed sledding in the park, drink hot chocolate and watching movies all evening. The snow and ice left many without power including both sets of grandparents but by the next morning all was right with the world. Bob has been working all weekend and I have just been hanging out with the kids. I even managed to forget my bag of papers and lesson plans at school so it will just have to wait till Monday. Sunday is Adam's birthday party, he is going bowling and to Happy Joes with his two friends and the family. His real birthday is the 18th and we are going to try to go to Our Lady of the Snow's light display and have dinner over there as well. I have been working on the Christmas shopping but still have much more to buy. I hope all of you have enjoyed the weather as much as we have!

Thanksgiving 2

On Sunday, we went to my parent's house with my brother and his family and my two aunts, Sandy and Debbie. Mom made a fantastic meal of turkey and her orignal dressing plus a cornbread sausage dressing, green bean casserole, cauliflower with cheese sauce, sweet potatoes, etc. It was sooooooo good, I stuffed myself. Then she had a pumpkin cheesecake for dessert that was yummy.
It was a great evening all around. We don't see Aunt Sandy and Debbie that often and it was nice to see my mom's two sisters on Thanksgiving.

Monday I took a personal day off work because the rest of the family was off and we hung Christmas lights, did some shopping, ate at a new deli down the street and the kids went and saw Flushed Away with grandma and grandpa Nixon. It was nice to run errands and get some Christmas shopping done on a day when everyone was at work. I really miss my old Fatted Calf days when I got a day off during the week, having to do everything on the weekend is so much more crowded.

Anyway, the holiday has been perfect and I am looking forward to Chritsmas mostly because it means a new year is coming and I am always hopefull that it will be a better one than we just had.

Recent Family Pictures

Justin's football team in action.






Here is a picture of the first day of school.

Thanksgiving

Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone and I was feeling like I didn't have much to be thankful for since we aren't moving, can't sell our house, and have had a pretty tumultuous year. But then, I thought about it and I realize that I am very thankful for my health and the health of my family. I am thankful for my new friends at Monroe and for my supportive friends and family that have helped me through some pretty rough times.

So I invite you all to comment on my blog, you have to sign up but it's easy.

Anyway, last night we went to my Grandma's home for Thanksgiving. My aunt and uncle, three cousins, my parents, and my kids were all there. The food wasn't as good as I remember from years past but i enjoyed spending time with my 78 year old grandma and her boyfriend Gene as well as my much beloved Aunt Leslie and her family. I was reminded of the last Thanksgiving before my grandfather passed away. He was very ill with liver cancer at the time but Thanksgiving was always his favorite holiday. I remember him being so tired that he had to put his head on the table for a while but he perked up when the meal was served and even asked for a second helping of Grandma's good stuffing. It's hard to believe it has been 10 years since then, but I am greatful for the memories!

November 2006

Adam turkey bowling.

Two of my favorite student, Sam and Tiffany

Hey, I can't believe it's been since July since I last posted. Let me get you up to date quickly. Our new house deal fell through and we havn't been able to sell the old one. We have decided to narrow our search to Affton so that we can keep the kids in the schools. They are doing great and loving school.

Hannah is in a classroom that has computers on every desk, sh e has become quite good at typing and power point. She is playing hockey and basketball and keeping busy.

Justin is playing hockey and wrestling and he loves his new school. He has started to make friends and he enjoys switching classes. He had a lot of fun on the football team this year and looks forward to next year.

Adam is playing hockey and he is also in cub scouts. He has an active troop, they just had a turkey bowl which was quite fun.

Bob is wokring two extra jobs over the holidays and he is keeping busy with that and coaching 2 hockey teams.

As for me, school is crazy but I'm hanging in there. My 7th graders are challenging in everyway but I love them all.

Life in Summer School

Well it has been a while since I've written but things have gotten really busy. The end of the school came and went and I was glad to get a week off before starting summer school. But now summer schoolis in full swing and it is not easy to keep these kids busy for so many hours during the summer.

The kids are fine, enjoying their summer and Hannah has been playing lots of ball. we went to the Ozarks last week and had a good time on the boat and and swimming in the pool as usual.

The house is still for sale and we haven't heard anything on it yet. The new house is underway but we haven't been out to see it in a while. We did pick out all our colors which was a lot of fun, yet nerve racking.

Hannah leaves for Girl SCout Camp on Sunday and she is happy to been able to go to Fiddlecreek again with her best buddy Kasie. She turns 10 on July 1st and we are trying to plan a party for her. Justin and Adam have been hanging out, Adam has had a few friends over and Justin has seen his friend Alex a few times.

Nothing much else on the home front.

LATER!