The Personalities of the Schoolhouse

Well, it's D-Day.  Tomorrow is officially the first day of school for teachers in my district, so it's off to work I go.  For those of you that have never taught school, you should know that the schoolhouse is where the magic happens, but is also full of....women.  Lots and lots of women.  All shapes, all sizes, and ALL personalities.

I've never worked anywhere but the schoolhouse, but I imagine it has to be the usual office drama, gossip, cattiness, and fashion police times 157.2%.  At least that's how it feels...
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This Will Only Hurt a Bit...

Those were the words spoken so sweetly to Mr. Cheeks, just before his one year shots yesterday.  And the reaction:
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First Steps - World Here I Come!

I just love starting Monday morning with thoughts about recent moments that I cherished!  What a great dose of positivity to get the week started off right.  Although this week brought many fun moments, it was easy to pick what to feature today.  Take a look, and I think you'll agree:

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The Sunday Scoop

Is it bad that it is 6:47 am and I'm thinking about Ice Cream?  Could be the sweltering heat we are experiencing here in the South.  It is already almost 80 degrees this morning!!

All kidding aside, I thought I would start a new weekly post called the Sunday Scoop to share all of the great blogs and posts I found online throughout the week.  There is SO much creativity, intelligence, humor, and sharing happening out there, and great ideas should definitely be passed on.
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Another Baby - Without being Pregnant!

Intrigued?  That title was the first thing that came to mind as I sat down to share the events of yesterday with you.  


Our natural alarm clock, Mr. Cheeks, went off at about 6:30 am.  I leapt out of bed, eagerly preparing a bottle for my son (more like stumbled down the stairs, trying desperately to mix the formula correctly).
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New Friend Fridays

 
I am still SO eager to find new blogs and make more friends!  Hopefully you'll join me in participating in this great blog hop hosted by The Girl Creative and The Trendy Treehouse.  Happy Friday!

Forget Mommy Guilt! Small Moments that Matter

30 minutes.  Doesn't seem long, right?  I finally had to sit down and stop.  Just. Stop.  I have recently entered the blogging world, which can be all consuming (in a very theraputic good way).  BUT, with my new friends, Twitter, Blogfrog, SITS, TMC (so many acronyms, so little time!), I find that I am less devoted to what is going on right in front of me.  You know - real life!

So today I committed a solid 30 minutes to purposefully play with my son.  Sounds weird, but not when you think of the amount of interuptions that can occur during the usual playtime.  I put away my phone, computer, dog and just played with my son.

It was one of the best moments of my week.

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Wordless Wednesday

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10 Ways to Help Your Child Succeed in Middle School

10 Ways to Help Your Child Succeed In Middle School

Middle School, you're thinking....I thought your son was ONE!  I like to plan ahead.  

Actually, I have been a middle school teacher for 8 years, and it is a time when I see parents become very confused about how to help their child meet with success.  So, I thought I would take a break from new mom posts, and share some insight on middle school children....

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An Interesting "Cherished" Moment

So, this morning was NOT what most would consider a cherished moment.  This morning, Mr. Cheeks, age 1, had his first day at our new Daycare.  Whew, breathe, wipe that tear....

Although it was incredibly difficult to drop him off this morning, I was reminded of two things as I drove away.

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SITS Build A Better Blog Challenge

The wonderful ladies at SITS are hosting a "31 Day Build A Better Blog Challenge".  I decided to take part in this challenge because I am so new to blogging, and there is SO much to learn.  Now I will be surrounded by the over 400 bloggers that have committed to this challenge.  
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The Addington Bookshelf

Ahh...the calm peaceful feeling that comes with reading a good book.  Books bring me comfort in knowing I'm not the only one who has been covered in the effects of an infant's "acid reflux", while being stared at longingly by the dog who used to be the center of my world, meanwhile missing terribly the husband who is on a business trip.
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Victory @ Naptime is SWEET!

So, an hour and a half ago, when I originally sat down to write this post, it was going to be about something COMPLETELY different.  Then it began...

Mr. Cheeks (my one year old son), will be starting at a new daycare on Monday as I return to work.  Me, the all-knowing new mom, decides it would be a brilliant idea for him to nap this weekend in his pack-n-play in the guest room to get used to sleeping in a new environment.  I even turned on some classical music, to make it just so.  Let me tell you how that went over:
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I'm a week in! Weekly Wrap-up of a new blogger!

I thought I would take a second and reflect on my first week as an official blogger and ask of a few questions of anyone stopping by.  Starting my own blog has been something I wanted to do for a very long time, but just never dove in.  I'm sure glad that the courage, motivation, and time all came together this past week, because being a blogger has already been such a rewarding experience.

Whenever you start something new, I think it is so important to reflect during your journey; celebrating small successes, seeing room for improvement, and just looking back for a moment.

So here's what I've learned in my introduction to the blogging world...
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Summer Scenes

Sand in the Sandwiches, 
Sand in the Tea,
Flat, wet sand
Running Down to the sea.

Pools full of seaweed,
Shells and stones,
Damp bathing suits
And Ice Cream Cones.



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Kid's Food from Scratch - The Easy Way

 I decided a way to give a little bit of love from mom during the day while I was working was to make my own baby food (which has carried into toddler recipes).  My son loved the healthy food, and it cost a fraction of the cost of jarred food from the store.  I learned a lot about preparation, storage, texture, and purchasing produce in the process, and so there will be many posts sharing information about the topic, including great recipes and techniques.
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A Celebration - One Year of Fun

This weekend we celebrated our son's first birthday and it was so much fun!  In some ways, I couldn't believe a year had past since meeting our new little boy, but in other ways so much has happened and I sometimes don't remember how life was before being a mom.
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A Quick Craft - "Giftable Notecards"

As a mom, there are so many people who support you throughout the  year, and acknowledging that support is so important.  All of us have people that lending a helping hand, and deserve a little "something".  


Most of us also take such beautiful pictures of scenery - from a pretty flower in backyard, to a beach that gave us a wonderful week of relaxation.  These pictures usually lack people, and thus don't find themselves in a frame, but left behind in our myriads of digital files.


This project puts those photos to good use, and puts a smile on the face of those who give to us.
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Capturing The Moment - Taking Portraits

One of the most incredible things about watching a child grow is how quickly they change from day to day and week to week.  One moment you are celebrating that little head lifting off the ground, and in the blink of an eye you are watching that same little one take a few steps!


As moms, we attempt to capture every facial expression, event, and change for fear that what seems like such a clear memory now might drift away as new ones happen all the time.  A recent project for me was taking a one year portrait, and I learned a lot in the process.  Although I am barely an amateur photographer (my philosophy is "shoot, shoot, shoot" and maybe, just maybe you'll get a great picture!!), this post will outline the process that lead to a cute photo.
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Creativity and SLEEP!

One of the most important goals in restoring sanity to a household after having a baby is the return of sleep.  Although a new little one most certainly turns the world upside down (and creatively trying to get a newborn to sleep takes on all kinds of crazy forms!), there are two tools that helped bring peace relatively quickly
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The Many Hats We Wear

How we define ourselves and how others define us is the source of much thought and conversation, whether it be face to face or virtual.  Blogging allows us all to be an expert on...us!  What strengths, passions, talents, ideas, or expertise do you have to share with the world?  Blogging allows us all a little piece of the world's attention, connection with other random folks out there who "march to the same drummer" we do.
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