Did She REALLY say THAT?!?! *Gasp*

My first day of substitute teaching (this year. I did a bit last year) is behind me. It was what I imagine getting hit by a semi might feel like. It left me exhausted and feeling smashed and smeared on the highway. Oh, don't get me wrong. I love kids. These were 6th graders, and that is one of my favorite age groups. However, I am just not used to the chaos. I guess that will come with time.

So, the first two periods went wonderfully. These kids were angels! It was great. Then I took them to choir and went and helped out in a math class. Those kids were also great. So, I was feeling a little comfy cozy by the time 4th period rolled around. Suddenly, it was as though I had stepped out of the Disney film I was enjoying and inadvertently walked into a horror movie.

It started (before they even took their seats) when one kid shouted out "SPIDER!!!!" A little boy in the front row started screaming and running. The child sounded like a little girl. I honestly was looking around the boy with the flailing arms and searching the rowdy crowd for a little girl who must be having some sort of breakdown!!!

The "SPIDER!!!!" turned out to be the plastic kind with bright yellow bellies. That was just a taste of what that class did during that period. At one point (completely flustered and trying my best to answer a question from one of the students) there were several kids yelling out across the room and asking questions out loud, and I looked up and said, "Shut Up!"

Well, the entire room gasped in unison and got eerily silent. You would have thought I had dropped the F-Bomb in the middle school. I looked around and finally said, "What?"

They promptly told me that I had said a naughty word. What!?!? Since when is telling a kid to shut up synonymous with saying a curse word? Really?!?! That's so ridiculous. Now, you can argue with intelligence that I was rude or impolite, but to compare that with cussing just blows my mind!! Seriously, I think the world has gone completely nutso.

Now, before you start thinking (too late, isn't it?) that I just suck as a Sub...that I better find another line of work (I wish)...or that I have no idea how to handle kids...please keep in mind, that it was my first day back to work, and the rest of the day went relatively smoothly...Relatively.

The fact is that it is a hard job, and I don't think most people really appreciate that. However, it is very rewarding to feel that even on a small level you might pour into those young lives. I hope they liked me, but I am pretty darn sure some of them hated my guts. I think the more they see me and get to know me that they will come to like me. They will also come to know that where my limits are and just how far is too far to push.

Tomorrow I have to go to a high school and sub for science. Now that's scary. I guarantee you every teen in that room is going to know more about science and math than I do. NOT my strong suit. I think I will get off here and start praying NOW!

Pray For Me

Well, today is my first day back to substitute teaching. Yikes. I sure need some prayer warriors to pray for me. Yes, I'm nervous. Beyond that, however, is the fact that I am fighting either some monster allergies or a pretty bad head cold. Either way, snot is not a fun way to start your day. Today I get to deal with 6th graders. yippee.

Actually, I think I prefer 11 yr-old's to seniors any day. They are still young enough not to be too stupidly ugly to authority, but old enough not to have to hold their hands and wipe their noses.

I pray God will be with me. Help me. I want to do a good job...excellent job...and I want to enjoy it enough that I don't feel depressed and lament my life every day I have to go there.

Half Asleep and Sick as a Dog

Well, the crud has hit my family but good. As of 4 a.m. this morning my husband and I were up as two of our children were throwing their guts up and my middle daughter was coughing her little lung up. Yes, I know that sentence is full of cliches, however, the cliches sure fit the moment.

I was supposed to start my first day back to substitute teaching today. I just got activated for my district yesterday. But after dealing with sick kids since Saturday, and being up into the wee hours this morning cleaning up vomit, I put in for a "Non-Work Day" today. Today would have been my first day back working, and instead I am sitting around in a t-shirt and old cardigan with a box of tissue nearby, sniffling and feeling weak all over...oh, yeah, did I mention that I think I might have picked up the junk too? Is it awful that I am hoping if I did get it, that I would rather have bathroom issues than have to puke even a teaspoon. I HATE to throw up.

I just hate that I got NO WHERE with NaNoWriMo this year, and I sure wanted to give it a shot. Life got in the way but good. We moved for one thing, and we've been having some pretty heavy life struggles. Not an excuse. Just how it is.

Okay, well, I am going to go take some sinus medicine and maybe get some caffeine. Happy last day of November everybody.

Keep On Keepin' On

Well, life has taken some pretty sharp twists and turns this past month. I have to confess with more than a little shame and disappointment that I was not able to participate in NaNoWriMo the way I had intended. I just plain had too much going on. My family moved. I am in the process of finding a job. It looks like I might go back to substitute teaching. I am in the process of getting that all set up. I've done it before. It's not fun. However, a body has got to do something to bring is some C.A.S.H. :-)

Well, I will write more later.  My thoughts are going in too many directions right now to really get out what I want to communicate. I will try again later on. :-)

Ready, Set, GO!!

Today is the DAY! NaNoWriMo starts today. I haven't written a word yet, but I will. I hope I can pull this off. We have a lot going on in our family right now. It's not fun, and it will be difficult to find the time or the brainpower to get those words down. It's important to me to try. I hope that all who are setting out on this journey with me will have fun and meet their goals.

So....Let's GO!!!

I Miss The 80's!

Wow. That crazy looking kid in the pic above was me a very long time ago. For the record, I did not have (nor have I EVER had)a mullet. My hair is just pulled back in barrettes. I think this pic was taken in 1988 around Thanksgiving. Long, long time ago!

*sigh* I miss the 1980's. I guess like my parents before me, who would be nostalgic for the era of their youth, I have nothing but love for the 80's. Except maybe the ratted out, big hair. Despite the above pic, I wasn't big into the boofy looking ratted hair. Or legwarmers. I didn't care for legwarmers.

Otherwise, I really miss that time period. I was watching Family Ties last night and admiring one of Alex P. Keaton's sweaters. Ah...Michael J. Fox. Talk about an icon of the 80's. I read somewhere that this week marks the 25th anniversary of Back To The Future. One of my all-time favorite movies...trilogies... I can't believe it has been 25 whole years since that movie came out. I can still remember the first time I saw it.

I find myself really liking the way Mallory (Justine Bateman) dressed on Family Ties. She was so pretty. I can remember thinking she was cool back when I was about ten. I happen to be the same age as Tina Yothers, who played the role of Jennifer on that show. And I wanted a guy just like Alex.Yeah, not too many people agree with me on that one, but I LOVED a man in a tie. Still do.

My favorite show of that era was The Facts of Life. I thought Lisa Whelchel was beautiful. And I thought those four girls were super cool. How Awesome it would be to go to Eastland and live with Mrs. Garrett! I still (to this day) love feathered hair. I think hair is prettier when it is blown dry. I still love pastels and soft sweaters.

I loved the way homes looked back then also. So warm and comfortable. I miss the warm woods that so many houses had back then. Think of the show Newhart. I loved the way that Inn looked. Now, I watch a lot of HGTV House Hunter shows...from House Hunters to Property Virgins...Those shows are great, but it always kind of amuses me when people talk about the "dated" kitchens or the "80's wallpapers."

I love granite counter tops as much as the next person, but there is something comforting in the familiar old styles that I grew up with. I don't mind wallpaper. I would probably update, but if I couldn't I wouldn't hate living with the dated look. Now, you can keep your paneling (I hated that stuff even back then), but I don't mind apples or ivy wallpaper. I can still rock a sweater vest if I take a mind to. I still remember the words to Footloose. I still have a pair of Levi's 501 button fly jeans. Of course, I can't wear them. Haven't been that small in several years.

But underneath the wrinkles and smattering of gray hair (just a strand or two), I am still the same girl. I still want some Ray Bans and a V-neck cable knit sweater! I would still tight-roll my jeans if I could get away with it!!! Just sayin'!

It still makes me laugh a little bit that the teenagers I know all look like they came forward in time from 1986, but they believe the style is all their own. Like they invented skinny jeans. Too funny.

Well, those days (and my youth) are gone forever. Now, I'm the 40-ish mom with the mini-van who can watch my old TV shows (Our House is on INSP now. :-D) and remember when I was the fresh-faced kid in baggy sweaters, high-top Nike's, and skinny jeans.

If the Lord tarries, there will be some other chick in 20 years lamenting her youth from the early 2000's. After all, none of us is immune to time.

Fall Fever

Fall has the same effect on me that Spring has on most other people. It makes me restless. I want to get out and go more. I guess it has to do with the season before it. During the winter we are all shut up at home and rarely go outside because of the cold. So when spring hits, we want to throw off our coats and run to the nearest park.

Fall is the same in a lot of ways. Summers in Arkansas are hideous. Last summer my daughter, Shelby, asked if we could go swimming if it got hot enough. I told her it was too hot to go swimming. She said that was messed up. Well, I am sure a lot of people will venture out into the heat, and usually I am one of them. But over recent years the summers have been too much for me. I would rather just stay home and inside than be out in the sun.

So when fall comes around...wow!!! All I want is to be out and about. I want to go, go, go and take lots of photos! My family loves to take short road trips. We enjoy going to Branson for the weekend and roaming around Silver Dollar City all day long. We love the town. We love the lakes and shopping and mountain views. We also love to take picnic lunches up to one of the mountains close to our home. We look at all the overlooks. We enjoy our food in the crisp air. We takes lots and lots of photos. We also really love to visit the State Park Visitor Centers and area museums.

Today I am stuck at home. We've been stuck at home a lot lately, and today I feel the Fall Fever very viciously. Might have to break out of these walls soon and just go for a nice walk...with my camera in hand of course. I do that sort of thing.

Another thing about fall is that I get this overwhelming urge to try to become crafty. I haven't had any success at it yet, but somehow every fall I want to learn. Maybe it is just that the holidays are a stone's throw away. I am constantly thinking about cute Thanksgiving and Christmas what nots...or somehow learning small woodworking. Painting crafts. That sort of thing. I really want to learn. Maybe I should look for classes.

And of course there is football. I don't really give a flying belly bump about what teams win or lose. I do enjoy watching the competition. It's fun. I love sitting on bleachers and eating candy and hot dogs. I love community festivals and fairs. I love bonfires and wienie roasts. Hanging out with friends when the day goes from slightly too warm to suddenly crisp and chilly because the sun sets fast. I love the smell of smoke in the air. Fall is awesome. It just is!!

I even love Fall foods. You know. It's that time of year when we get to break our our crock pots and make chili's and soups. I make a mean veggie beef soup. My Mom taught me the recipe. It's SO good! Tonight I am making chili...my own recipe, which is just a spicier take on the dish my Mommy taught me. I like to make roasts and lots of baked meats. Of course those same foods will be on the menu all winter long. They are the kinds of dishes that keep you warm and full. Cozy and comforted. :-)

Yep. Fall is quickly becoming my favorite time of year. Even if it does mean winter is around the corner. I hate winter SO much!!! So I endeavor to enjoy this day. This month. This great fall season. It's a gorgeous and fun time of year, and I hope your fall is a fun and safe one. Enjoy.

Current Ramblings

Wow! I'm trying to think of things to write, but I'm having a hard time thinking of what to write about. It's not that there is nothing going on in my life. It's that there is too much happening in my life right now. A lot of it is deeply personal and not something I would want to share with the world. Hardships that remind me and my husband to keep our trust and faith in Jesus to take care of us. I guess that's about all I will say about that. It is amazing to me how little we really know of the world when we are teenagers or even in our 20's. I feel like I have only recently come to realize how incredibly hard life can be. My childhood was no great walk in the park, but I think what keeps a young person going is that hope that life can be whatever you make it. I still believe that, and I also know that my God sustains me. It is that hope that really keeps us throughout our lives.

 I realize most people have their hard luck stories, but I am convinced there are a lot of other people who have no idea what it is like to really struggle. That's just my opinion. I'm not trying to be negative or a downer. I just think that, for whatever reason, some people fight and claw their way through life, while others live their cushy, middle-class existence and never really understand the world through other people's eyes. Once again, just my opinion.

On to other things. I am directing a community theatre production of Little Women by Peter Clapham (adapted from the Louisa M. Alcott novel). I swing back and forth between being super excited about it and utterly terrified about it. It's the first theatre production I've ever directed. My cast is made up almost totally of young teenagers. And it's a period show full of Victorian furniture, props, and costumes. I just kind of wish my first show could have been something modern.

I think the cast is very good. We are blessed in my town to have a rich talent pool. We just stared rehearsals last week. We have a lot of work to do. I am praying every day for God's help. Like I said, I swing back and forth between excited and terrified.

So, I'm in the stage of doing some pre-writing for NaNoWriMo next month. I want to have a decent outline and very very good idea of where I am going before I write "Chapter One." I'm looking forward to seeing how I do at the free-writing frenzy to churn out page after page (at least 1500 to 1700 words per day), at least 50,000 words by the end of November.

I am also working on a collection of Short Stories that I hope to put on Amazon before the end of the year.

That makes Lisa a pretty busy girl not even counting the fact that I home school my children and am currently looking for a job. I'm so ready for life to be a bit different. I'm working hard to make a change.

So, that is my week so far. Not great, but I'm getting there. I'm learning and trying. What else can we really strive for in life?

God bless.

Ahhh...Me Time

So, my husband is the sweetest guy on the planet. He really is. He decided today that he would give me some "writing time" by taking the kids to my mother's for the afternoon. The house was quiet. Finally. I could write to my little heart's content.

...

Hmm...

Yeah, I didn't get any writing done. For awhile anyway. I answered mail on Facebook. I did some laundry. At one point I actually started daydreaming. That is a wonderful thing. That's when I start writing in my head. I had the story playing out in my mind. I got a good view of who the characters are. I closed my eyes and started watching the story like a movie in my mind. For a bit.

Now, let me also state that Holmes On Homes was on HGTV while I was doing my daydreaming. I love that show. I was interested in the episode. Otherwise I would have gotten more of the story worked out. I began to get drowsy. Not because my story is boring. I actually think it may end up being one of my better shorts. It was just that it was so quiet in the house. I got still on the couch. You know how it goes. The kids are at Grandma's, HGTV is the most relaxing channel on the airwaves, I had my eyes closed, and it is after 3pm. Who can stay awake in the late afternoon?

The TV was loud. I grabbed for the remote to mute the commercials. I always mute the commercials. But the sound would not go down! I tried to turn the TV off, but it would not go dark. I was getting irked. Then I opened my eyes and noticed that the remote was still on the other side of the sofa, and I had been dreaming.

Well, no story written as yet. It was a good episode of Holmes On Homes, however. And it was nice to be alone for just a little while. Overall, a pretty good afternoon.

I will write when the kids are asleep. I'm looking forward to getting this story down.

Come On! You Know You Want To.

   So, I've been hearing a lot about this NaNoWriMo thingamajig. I've seen several mentions of it on other author blogs. I got curious. I looked it up. It actually looks like a lot of fun. I don't expect to write a fully polished and publishable novel in just 30 days, but I guess you never know. If I hold to the schedule, I will at least have a start. I will have a full rough draft that I can then begin to revise and edit. And it will be good to keep my progress posted on this blog also. I am pretty flaky, so I need to hold myself accountable somehow.
   A friend who doesn't do a lot of writing (so far) has agreed to take this journey with me. She is going to accept the challenge. On the condition that I enter a photography competition. That's her area of expertise. If she takes a writing challenge then I must take a photography challenge. Sounds fair.
   The good news is that she already has a love for writing. She has told me in the past that she has thought about writing and wanted to try. And I'm not hater of cameras either, let me tell you. I joked last night to someone what my family thinks I'm the paparazzi. I didn't come up with that bit on my own. It's actually a piece of flair on my facebook.
   I've actually always been interested in photography, but I don't think I have a real talent for it. Neither do I have the right equipment for it, but I'm sure willing to give it a shot. I love to snap photos. So I guess that's a deal. Carrie, listen up. I'm up for the challenge if you are!! Let's go, Girl!
   I would like to issue this challenge to all who may happen upon this blog. If you've ever wanted to try your hand at writing, now is your chance. Give it a shot. And for all of my fellow home school moms, maybe you could issue a challenge to your children. You would not expect a child to write more than 1500 words a day, however, you could scale it down to make it appropriate for their age. What a great November writing challenge. To write something everyday that all ties together at the end of the month. What do you think? If you have teens in the house, you might be surprised at what they can accomplish. S.E. Hinton was 15 when she wrote The Outsiders. I've heard of several teens who have books under their belts. Don't underestimate your teen. If you have a teen who loves books and has a talent for writing, definitely encourage he/she to take this November writing challenge.
   The link for this challenge is www.nanowrimo.org
   Happy Writing, Y'all!