Just January

Wow! Another January has come and gone.  Things are in full swing at WES, and Mrs. Curington has been named teacher of the year! Pretty exciting.  I was selected when we came back to school January 5th, and since then I have written a 14 page paper/application to be submitted to the state department.  They will then decide on the state teacher of the year.  Oh! And from there you go to the national competition, and if you win that one you have to take off a year of school to travel and speak about your platform.  Like Miss America.  Bahahaha! I have a fantastic group of kiddos this year (several teacher's kids) and I can't believe that my time with them is more than half way over. :(  

Mrs. Browning is AMAZING.  She takes care of everything in a way that makes life so much easier.  I will look up, and she will be working on something that I haven't even mentioned yet but something that needs to be done.  It's a lot different for me!

Things with my new crew are fabulous!

  The only stumbling block we are encountering is Mrs. Nix.  I have prayed long and hard about how to handle her, and I just don't know anymore.  Yesterday, it got so bad that I just looked at her and said "Ok, you can leave now."  When she didn't leave, I slammed my hand on the desk and said, "Get OUT of my classroom."  She is just so impossible, and she goes on and on and on about the same old nonsense.  She is driving everyone crazy, but we don't have a clue what to do.

Next week, we are learning about weather!  First thing Monday morning we will be completing a cute craftivity in order to predict the results of the ground hog!  I just love when it falls during the week!

Dr. Ray and I are still doing great! Combined, we have lost a total of about 90 pounds.  He is almost down to a 36" pant and I am wearing a size 8 (big 6).  We feel amazing! (I think we look pretty amazing too.)

Just Before and After

Yesterday I put on a size 8 dress for the first time since high school.  Here is the proof!

                      BEFORE                                     AFTER!

                       Size 16                                       Size 8

From March 16th to July 29th I have lost 4 dress sizes.  Pretty amazing if you ask me!

Just Get RESULTS!

33 pounds GONE!  I cannot believe how different my body is looking.  Thanks to Atkins/Paleo I topped out at 33 pounds lost just this morning.  It has become a new lifestyle rather than a diet for Michael and I.  We still miss the sweets at times as well as the crunchy snacks but I am finally in agreement with Kate Moss "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels."  But I would replace skinny with the word healthy!  It feels amazing to put on pants and not fear the button.  It feels just as amazing to run my hands along my back and not feel any yucky "rolls".  I can't believe I ever let myself gain over 30 pounds, and I am just as surprised that I didn't realize it until it was way too late.

As of right now, I am down to 39/31/40 measurements and wearing a size 10 dress.  I can't wait to get down even smaller, and my ultimate goal is a 6/8.  Those were my high school sizes.  I also can't believe how both my feet and my fingers have gotten smaller.  I really didn't realize that they had gotten larger until they began to shrink.  I had to take off my ring for fear of losing it! Also, most of my sandals are too big now since I was buying a size 8 without thinking. I now wear a 6.5-7.

On another note, a new school year begins in just 3 days!  Where did my summer go?  Oh yes, that's right, I spent it at SCHOOL!  haha After teaching summer school, attending PBIS meetings, and helping with registration, it seems as if I haven't even had a vacation.  This year is going to be one for the books with all of the changes that have taken place.

Last Monday, Mrs. Lollar lost her job.  I could not believe it.  The board did not renew her becuase she missed 40 days last year.  That's 8 weeks!  I did not realize how much she was gone.  Since then, I have learned that Mrs. Browning is going to be my assistant.  This is going to be WONDERFUL.  Since I am getting my National Boards this year, I am going to need all the help I can get.  Also, we have a brand new line up of teachers.  Erika Bennett, Carol NIx, Heather Mims, Rachael Watkins, and Myself are going to fearlessly lead these babies through their first year of school.  Erika will be with Stacey Black, Carol will be with Linda Campbell again, Heather with Sheila Seals (Little worried about this match up), and Rachael will be getting the new person that they hire (Hopefully this week).  

Mrs. McCrory and Dr. Lawrence have already told me that I will be the lead teacher again (What other choice did they have? NOT Carol Nix). So I have been working like crazy on Unit plans, lesson plans, first of school activities as well as aligning our material with the Bailey-Kirkland Pacing guide we were given in the middle of the school year last year.  Hopefully it will stay the same for this year.  (I'm not holding my breath.)  

Overall, I am super pumped to begin this new year.  I think it is going to be unlike any before it, and I can't wait to see how much better it will be working with these amazing young women!

Just Go To Summer School

20$ an hour! That is what I am making this month during Summer School! It will be the easiest 1000$ I have ever made.  We only work from 8:00-12:00 every day, and I only have to get one child at a time for one on one practice.  So far (for the past three weeks) it hasn't been bad at all.  I think next week is supposed to be a fun week, so it will probably pass by faster than all the others.

Tomorrow is Michael's 38th birthday.  We are going to eat with Mom and Daddy to celebrate.  He never wants to make a big deal about his birthday, but I think birthdays should be just as important as Christmas!  I didn't go all out with my gifts this year.  I just got him a new bible with his name inscribed and a new razor kit with all the different blades.  I am going to get him Season 3 of the Walking Dead when we go to Starkville Saturday.  He said he would rather have that than a big fancy dinner.  I was going to take him to Memphis to eat at Texas De Brazil.  (It's like 50$ per person)  I have heard that it is AMAZING, but we will have to do that another time.  We are both too tired to drive two hours to eat.  haha

Oh my goodness I went for my yearly check up on Tuesday to a man doctor for the first time.  Talk about awkward! His name was Dr. Salam.  I was expecting some old indian man.  Ummmm no! He was only 32 and handsome.  I was so embarassed!  I will never go to a man again.  At least it's over, and I don't have to worry about it again for a whole year.

I have also decided that this will be the year that I get my National Board Certification.  I'm super nervous.  Everyone keeps telling me that I will be ok.  Basically, you can break it down like this: 4 Big papers describing different aspects of your teaching styles, 2 videos of yourself teaching with a written commentary describing each video, Student samples showing their growth over time, and 1 big test after you have finished.  The district is paying for everything except the 75$ application fee, so I would be stupid not to try!  It will increase my paycheck by 500$ each month for the next 10 years.  That is a car payment! Wish me luck!!!

Just End The Year

I cannot believe that my fourth year as a classroom teacher is over. This year has flown by. It seems only yesterday that my sweet babies were walking into my classroom (terrified) ready to begin the year. We have learned so much this year, and it has been amazing to watch them grow and learn. 

This class of kinders was my best one yet, and I hope that they remember at least one of the many fun things that we did this year! If I can make a difference in the life of at least one of them then I have met my goal. 

On another note, my classroom overhaul is in full swing! Mom and I painted last weekend. 

I think it turned out beautifully! It is such a cozy and sophisticated color. I think it will help my students be creative little ones. 

Just 21 pounds

21 pounds and 13 inches gone and I feel great! My clothes are fitting again, I do not get winded walking up a hill or stairs, and I feel gorgeous! I still would like to lose at least 30 more because I am so short but it isn't going to be hard at all. I can't believe I spent so much time wishing I could lose weight instead of just DOING IT! I am still eating foods that I love such as ice cream, chocolate, and other sweets. I have just had to make some adjustments to recipes and ingredients. For example, we have been buying blue bunny sweet freedom ice cream. It's made with Splenda instead of sugar but you would never taste the difference! I don't feel deprived, and I am never hungry. The pounds, however, just keep falling off. Every week I have lost at least one to two pounds. At first I was like "oh wow this is going to take forever at this rate" and I wanted to give up. Now, I realize that this is the only way to healthily lose pounds and inches and keep it off. There is, and never will be, a "quick fix" or miracle to help me lose weight. Now, I consider each pound a mini victory on my road to my big victory! I am no longer on a diet. I have a new life style and way of thinking about food. If I am hungry, I eat. If I am bored, I do something besides stuff my face with my number one enemy...SUGAR!

Just Keep Going

Four weeks in and 14 pounds down! I'm also down two whole dress sizes. It has been discouraging today, however, because I haven't lost anything this week. The scale hasn't moved. Many Atkins blogs have reassured me that this is completely normal and that I should focus more on inches rather than pounds. It is still so hard to get that number put of your mind. Tonight for dinner I'm cooking oven baked tilapia, cauliflower mashed "potatoes", and green beans. Yum! I'm looking forward to a four day work week as well as our Easter egg hunt/party on Thursday. Should be interesting trying to get any teaching done in the next three days. Haha!