Goodbye Mitten, Hello Boot

Goodbye, Michigan! You guys have NO IDEA how long I've been waiting to say that! We're moving to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at the end of June and couldn't be more nervous and excited at the same time. Jobs have been secured : (Damon will be teaching science at Central Middle School)

(I will be a Dean at Inspire Academy, the new school my company is opening in August)

The boys will be attending the primary school that funnels into Damon's school and we've sent down the application fee and deposit for our rental home.


This huge turn of events really makes a big dent in THE LIST.

35 before 35

1. own my own home (again)

2. spend my wedding anniversary on a beach

3. finish my masters degree

4. get THE SHELF

5. put THE SHELF in an office of my own

6. relocate to the South

7. decorate my living room

8. have a real dinner party

9. learn to French braid

10. make Thanksgiving dinner

11. finish that third novel

12. take my kids to Disney World

13. go out on New Years Eve

14. celebrate homecoming at TSU

15. “Would Ya Like it” in the rain

16. Have date night once a week

17. Visit Washington DC

18. have a picnic with wine and cheese

19. wear red lipstick

20. go Up North

21. grow a plant

22. make a cake for a loved one’s birthday

23. restore a piece of furniture

24. attend a Broadway play (does not have to be in NY, although that’s a bonus)

25. get rid of all unnecessary debt

26. eat healthier

27. answer the question, “What’s wrong?” honestly, the first time.

28. institute a new family tradition

29. take a cooking class

30. Find the perfect school for Cameron

31. Learn to let go

32. Invest in great pics of the kids

33.

34.

35.

Numbers 4 and 5 will also be crossed off, but I'm waiting until July (or whenever the school is finished) for those. Number 3 will be complete in December, and we hope to cross off Number 1 after a year of living in BR.

We've been so busy lately with cleaning up, throwing away, posting on Craigslist, and trying to finish out the school year strong. We still can't decide if we want to move ourselves of if we should stick with the company we've hired, and we're planning a get together for family and friends to say goodbye.

Updates

Not much...Really. Had a great spring break, but it definitely wasn't long enough, and toward the end the kids were driving us bonkers! Evan had her first Easter egg hunt, and there we found out how anti-social she really is. Sorry the video is so grainy, I took it with our camera and not our video camera

Cam's had a rough transition getting back into the swing of things at school after the break. He just doesn't follow directions! It's so frustrating. We're constantly back and forth to the psychologist and it seems as if things are taking forever. We do have a prescription for an anti-depressant (it's what they give 5 year olds with ADHD), but it's still sitting in my purse. Damon and I were just not comfortable giving him anything at such a young age, but we were on the fence...Until we listened to this podcast. We found out the ADHD can't even be diagnosed until the age of 7 and they're trying to dope up my 5 year old. Cam is a young five who, in hindsight, wasn't ready for kinder and should have stayed in pre-school another year. So, no meds for him...at least not right now.
Things with THE SHELF are fantabulous...Moving slowly, but fantabulous! Still mums the word, but we're getting closer and I'm excited and nervous at the same time. I WILL have some news by the end of the month, but until then here's some pics of the house we want.

Same Song

We're singing the same song this week. On Thursday I got a call from Cam's new school that he'd spit on someone so I FLEW up there and sat in on his class for a hour and a half. I LOVE the school, and still believe that Cam is in the perfect place, but he's still getting into the same type of trouble. Friday he threw a snowball at the teacher (among other things) and was suspended again. I tried to get an emergency appointment with the therapist, but it's a no go. Unless someone cancels we'll have to wait until Thursday.

We've been watching Cameron and taking mental notes about his behavior. It's obvious that he has NO impulse control. He knows all the rules but doesn't stop long enough to follow them. We're going to continue with the child study process at this new school so that he can get classified. Bottom line - he needs a parapro with him during work times so that he gets his assignments done and stop getting put out of school. We're going to try to have his psychologist fax over the paper work verifying that he has oppositional defiant disorder. That way it'll be in his file and then maybe at 504 plan can be put into place.

His new teacher says that he's in the middle to high range in his class of kinder and first graders, but she can't get him to focus long enough to really do anything. When I was there and made him sit with the small group and do the vowel assignment he finished in about 1.5 minutes with no help from anyone. That's pretty amazing considering how much school he's missed due to trips to the office and out of school suspensions.

We've been talking to him about making friends and bucket filling, and he's finally starting to open up about his feelings. He's been great this weekend about filling up our buckets by saying kind things and following directions, but who knows how this will translate when Monday rolls around.

As far as THE LIST is concerned I'm beginning to cross things off! I still think we've found the perfect school for Cam and in the event that we move after this school year he'll be in another public Montessori school wherever we end up. So, right now #29 is complete as is #31- Pics of the kids. Yesterday I reserved our session with a local custom family photographer. We'll be taking family pics next week and I can't wait! I've been wanting something done like this for a long time, but could never afford it. Now I can. These are not sit down, posey pictures...these are pics that will capture the kids' personalities in an environment they're comfortable in-HOME. Check out the photographer's work here.

The shelf is also coming into view. Things are really beginning to shape up nicely, and while I have a few different irons in the fire, my number one choice seems to be shaping up nicely. Here's another pic of our new possible city.

Lastly, just want to say a big THANK YOU to all of you who have been sending kind words, encouragement and prayers for Cameron. It's greatly appreciated and keep them coming! :)

THE SHELF

The Shelf is a little inside joke I have with my work crew. It's a symbol of success. Have you ever been into someones office and they have a shelf with all their accomplishments and accolades mounted to the wall? Well, that's what I want, my own shelf in my own office. In an effort to cross out numbers 4 and 5 from by 35 before 35 list. I'm reading this:

Mindset

The New Psychology of Success

This book was recommended to me by my principal because the president of our company loves it. It's all about understanding the mindsets of yourself and others so you can move up and accomplish your goals and fulfill your potential.



When I began my teaching career I never wanted THE SHELF. I never wanted to be anything more than a teacher, but when I was let go from my first full time teaching job something in me changed. In the first few month after that tragic event I thought that I was the WORLD's worst teacher and destined for failure. Then, as the new school year progressed, and I found my niche teaching reading, I realized that I wasn't the world's worst teacher, I had just been teaching at the world's worst school under the world's WORST principal! According to Carol Dweck, the author of Mindset, my mindset changed from fixed to growth.



As I began to have success in my position, I began to work harder, smarter, and better because THE SHELF came into view.



I'm nowhere close to being finished with the book (I think I have adult onset ADHD...either that or I'm completely addicted to TV), but I can see the benefit of understanding all the mindsets and how they affect your progress in life.



I'm also well on my way to crossing off list numbers 4 and 5. As I revealed a few blog posts back, I recently applied for a Dean Position at a school my company is opening in the south for the 2010-2011 school year. Deans are like mini assistant principals who observe teachers, evaluate them, and conduct weekly meetings. Being a Dean is what I REALLY want to do. Things are moving along slowly, but I did get a call about the job (this is progress because last year I applied for a Dean position at the new school we built just a couple of miles a way and NO ONE called)



By February I should know something, at least that's my hope, and maybe then I can make a trip to IKEA and cross #4 off THE LIST- get THE SHELF!

SIDEBAR- I've also updated the list with #30- Learn to let go