my name now has a few extra letters [M. Ed.]

Today something huge happened, monumental really.  I finished my masters.  Let me tell you, this past week and a half has been dedicated to nothing but writing our thesis, and after 109 pages, we can finally say we are done.  I can honestly say that I have never completed something so challenging, and as my amazing co-author Carolyn and I pushed the final submit button on our thesis, I gave my Everly a kiss, and got a little teary.  I am so thankful to be done.  I am so thankful to have one less thing on my very full plate.  I am so thankful that I can tell Everly one day that her mama got her masters, and she was bouncing on my lap for most of it. 

Now, for the other moms in our masters study group, we can all say we have been awarding ourselves many sarcastic "parent of the year" awards.  As we finished the final stretch of our masters, there may have been a few too many Disney movies, or days away from our littles, or that moment when you realize your baby is eating a flip flop [sorry E, I promise I won't let it happen again].  But, here's the thing, our babes won't remember these fleeting moments of desperation on our parts as we tried oh so hard to get our thesis written.  They will only know us as the bad ass workin' mamas we are!

 ^^^Carolyn and I took this picture with Everly just minutes after submitting our thesis^^^

So congratulations to my awesome study group of ladies, who worked extremely hard to get where we are today, done!  I know that I would not have been able to finish this accomplishment without the help of the five women I have become so close to over the past two years.  So there you go, happy does not even begin to describe how I feel right about now.  And no, I'm not going to proofread this post too closely today, because I already spent hours today proofreading another, much longer document!  So, I apologize if there are typos, I really do.

And no, PhD is not on the horizon.

currently spending all my time writing a thesis [insert cute baby photo here]

this week I've spent too many hours in front of the computer

turns out writing a thesis sucks, not that I really needed to do it

to figure that one out

we are currently rocking page 47, and no, we are not close to being finished

[but getting there]

and even though I have SO many cute pictures 

I cannot wait to share from my grandma's birthday

this past weekend

I'm going to have to wait

because I have typed close to 10,000 words this week

literally

and my fingers just can't do any more

wish me luck, I'm going to need it for this final stretch

and then guess what - I will have my masters!

and that feels pretty surreal

ten on ten [june 2013]

I am on the home stretch of finishing my masters

and this week we are writing our thesis

so I really wasn't feeling too creative today

but I'm glad I made sure to still capture today

even though it was only with my iPhone

ten pictures over ten hours on the tenth of each month

^^^everly's new happy things^^^

^^^these flowers are amazing, but must live on the front porch, or my luna will eat them^^^

^^^thesis writing time, and a room remodel made for the perfect picture^^^

^^^this really could have been at least five pictures of my day today^^^

^^^someone rode in the shopping cart for the first time today^^^

^^^love this little corner of our house^^^

^^^these naps are the best^^^

^^^someone woke up a tad grumpy, so we tried to swing it out^^^

^^^making progress on bridal shower goodness^^^

^^^thanks target, you brighten up my shower once again^^^

^^^we found an apple everly sized, and no, we didn't eat it^^^

 happy ten on ten!

we share the same expression these days

going back to work seemed manageable for the first week or two, but lately, I'm feeling like nothing is getting done, or to be more specific, nothing is getting done well.  and that folks, well, it is putting me over the edge.  yes, I am forgetting my yard duty these days.  In six years of teaching I don't think I ever missed a duty, and since I have been back to work after Everly, I haven't been to a single one.  and today, that was pointed out by a teacher who didn't even know my name.  ouch. I almost cried. 

I'm trying my best, but I am spread SO thin, and everything seems to be suffering.  I know that things will get better, and I will be done with my masters in June, but that date could not come soon enough.  so I will be trying to keep things short and sweet around here, so I can get the most time possible with my little lady, because right now I am not getting enough time with her.

and why is Everly rocking this face?  well, we have been introducing solids, and she still is not having it.  rice cereal, blah. homemade sweet potatoes, bleh.  I think we will be trying a banana puree next, fingers crossed.  she is making all the "I'm ready for food" motions, but still seems pretty confused about the whole thing.  so we will take it slow, and for now, we will just have grumpy faces together.  or, I'll just give Everly a little food break, and I'll pretend like I have no work calling my name, and we will blow strawberries on Everly's little bare belly and call it a night.  ok, we're going with plan b.

lately.

life right now is full swing, beyond full swing. working mom. grad student. trying to be a wife, and occasionally helping out around the house. I'm doing my best, but man, am I'm exhausted, and very thankful I only have one and a half classes left before I can check grad student off my to do list!

life lately [according to my phone]

yeah, still trying to take everything in

here is a glimpse of my days lately

so besides this face, that I cannot get enough of

I'm mentally juggling writing a rationale for a masters class

and knowing I have only two more classes until I'm done 

isn't really helping it get done any faster, but that's ok

if you look closely, you may see moving boxes

yes, we are moving, which will get it's own post here soon

so excited for space, but leaving our beloved midtown life is bittersweet

and the biggest thing weighing on my mind...work

oh yeah, that whole career of mine will be coming my way soon

too soon

and no, I'm not ready

but I'm sure I'll have lots to say about it here soon

I think I might be doing some "writing therapy" 

because, go figure, stay at home mom actually suites me pretty well

but that is not in the cards, so blah

so, I now wish to revert your attention back to the cute baby faces above

because this post got a little too real, a little too fast

well, at least we know she got something from her mama

since everly was born there has been one thing that everyone sees

she looks a lot like her daddy

the mr. and I cannot see it all the time, because to us, she just looks like our E

but yesterday while I was in class

I was reminded the one thing my daughter got from me

funny faces

not silly faces, and if you ask me to make five funny faces on cue

I probably wouldn't be able to do it

no, these faces are completely subconscious, and some can get me in a pickle

I was sitting in class listening very intently to the professor

and the next thing I know she is making eye contact with me

and making sure I was ok because I had a very "perplexed" look on my face

I was feeling like I got what we were supposed to be doing next

but I guess my face didn't match what I was thinking

and this isn't the first time I have heard this

and in E's ten whole weeks of life I have heard constantly

that she makes great faces

here are just a few of my favorites:

so I wonder what E was thinking while making these faces

and yeah, she may look like her daddy right now

but she has my "looks"

birth keepsakes for practically free

lately I have been seeing some great birth keepsakes online

however, I cannot bear to spend $100 on a throw pillow

but seeing these outrageous products did get me thinking

I really want to show off all of E's birth details in her nursery

and that's when it hit me

in one of our early masters classes we were introduced to wordles

wordle is a free website that allows you to make some fun "word clouds" 

now yes, you could make something like this in photoshop

but I love how this website organizes, and re-organizes 

your words for you in seconds

you just click the button and the words go flying into a new position

you can change fonts, colors, and word alignment

however, as you play around with wordle you will quickly find one thing out

if you find an arrangement you like - save it as a PDF

because you will never get the same exact word cloud again!

I've made two wordles below

[and saved about 20 to my desktop because let's face it, 

this website is a tad addicting once you get started]

I couldn't decide which one I liked the best to share here

so here's two

plus, this way you can see how different you can make the word cloud

depending on what type of design you are going for

now these wordles can be used in the classroom too

[hence the reason we were shown them in our masters program]

and hey, I haven't talked about the classroom for a while

and since this blog used to be all about teaching, many of my readers are teachers

so here you go...

whatever word is typed into the website the most 

becomes more prevalent on the wordle

a few classroom suggestions include:

-spelling practice

-vocabulary

-teaching genres

-character education

-writing units

-typing practice

-getting to know you activity for the beginning of the year or for Open House

just to name a few

and the best news is, the website is free

so if you have access to technology in your schools

I would suggest giving this a whirl

if the adult students loved playing around with it, I'm pretty sure kids would too

but since I'm currently playing stay at home mama

I'm going to figure out which one [of my 20!] I like best

and hang it in Everly's nursery

I'm thinking I can get everything printed and framed for less than $20

so that sounds pretty good to me

everly's newborn photos

there is nothing better than getting a very exciting email

on a sunday afternoon when you have been in class all weekend

missing your baby

and watching the clock a little too much

so when I saw we had E's newborn pictures 

from the amazing Sarah Maren of Sarah Maren Photographers

ready to go

it pretty much made my day

here are just a few of my favorites

and yes, normally newborn pictures are filled with very sleepy babies

but not our Everly

considering she is a baby that is a great sleeper

she only has her eyes closed in one of these photos!

she was just too excited to be hanging out with Sarah

and getting her picture taken

clearly she has a mama that won't ever put her own camera down

putting things into perspective

today I got restless

I wanted to go do something

but the rain and Everly made getting out and about a little tricky

and the fact that I had a to-do list that needed my attention

we did get a walk in before things got too stormy

but other than that we've been house-bound

at one point I was feeling a tad stressed with the masters homework I 

had to finish before this weekend

and still frustrated that I am still needing to supplement E with a good amount

of formula to not starve her

and even though I had dishes to unload and laundry to put away

and thank you cards to write, I was feeling bored

and that was when the mr. reminded me of what is most important

Everly was sleeping next to me while I was working

and he said

"just look at her, we cannot be stressed about anything when we have her.  just look at that little bundle of joy, it will all be fine."

and that is so true

because right now she is sleeping on me while I type with one hand

and that could never be a bad thing

so even though every day might not be jam packed with

outings and adventures

and some days we will just need to stay home and get things done

we are lucky to have our Everly

ten on ten [reminder]

well, I had a very different post planned for today

however, after being in class all weekend I'm not feeling motivated to do it

and the ironic thing is

the post was going to be how I'm battling with motivation this year in the classroom

so I guess it all makes sense

so instead I'll leave you with this

ten on ten is tomorrow

hope you join in too

see previous ten on ten posts here

cuteness in the making

tonight we had dinner and a frozen yogurt date with old friends

and their adorable daughter Aria

which gave the mr. and I some fun baby time

and let's just say if I think my husband is this cute with other people's kids

I can only imagine how it will be with Everly

while we were out we did stumble upon a good samaritan dilemma

right there on the sidewalk were a pair of car keys

to the car, parked right there on the street

the poor owner didn't get far before she lost her keys

and because it is second saturday, there are a ton of people downtown for the art walk

and we were in the middle of about ten different places she could be eating at

so, what to do?

we left a note with our number and took the keys

pretty sure that if not, this car could be stolen in no time

and thankfully we ran into a police officer

explained the situation, gave our information, and handed over the keys

so it will be interesting to see how this all pans out

I'm just glad I no longer have the keys in my possession

now it is time for a little down time since I have class again tomorrow
and I'm really wishing I could just do a little vegging tomorrow on the sofa
but since that won't be happening, I'm going to fit some in right now

just trying to keep cool

this weekend I have class and with temperatures over 100 degrees

and the classroom air only getting so cool

let's just say I was pretty miserable all day

it is pretty bad when you realize that not only are your neighbors

sweetly fanning you

but your professor is too

so tonight the family and I spent some time swimming

and baking cupcakes for tomorrow

because in just two weeks from today

one of our great friends, and classmates

is getting married in beautiful Santa Cruz, CA

so tomorrow

 in the afternoon stretch, when you think you just can't handle any more curriculum talk

we will be taking a little sugar celebration break!

a weekend with poetry

and getting one step closer to my masters all at the same time

this week I'll actually break down these lessons

but for now, here's what I was up to today

and yes, this did become a poem

and hopefully I will be adapting this lesson this week for my kids

oh, and I look forward to sharing a very new, very exciting blog

for you to check out

let's just say I love sister bloggers

and I now am one half of just that!

october - busy from the start

today was my first official day of my masters program

yes I've been reading and "critically responding" for a couple of weeks now

but today I actually was in class

 which was pretty great actually, besides the whole 6:30 wake up on Saturday

and that I do the whole thing over again tomorrow!

thankfully I have some great friends doing the program with me 

and that is making a huge difference

after class the husband and I went shopping

thankfully - our fridge was bare

working for two months without a paycheck has been rough

we were looking like broke college kids again!

we also took a stroll down the candy aisle while at Target

I think it took us five minutes to decide on just the right bag

what combination would bring us the greatest happiness?

we settled on hershey's mini bars, blow pops, and snickers grab bag

hopefully this week I'll have some more time and energy for posting

we'll see - I have an "Arts Rationale" paper looming

so, yeah, just maybe

but - happy october!