The update on the update

Who are you, my dear reader? I have been wondering this as of late. I know that I have some friends and family who read this site,  but who else do I not know about? Keith and I were talking about blogging last night and how some people actually make money off of their blogs. They make their blogs public (although I am not sure exactly what that means) and they make blogging a priority, so they don't slack on posts, and they sell ad space to like minded people. Also, these bloggers get schwag - free shit. The reason we started talking about this is because I am looking into yet another carrier (I know, I know, I have issues), and the only real reviews online were mommy bloggers who got the carrier for free. (It's the newly released Boba 3G). So of course their reviews were positive (to the point of drooling over them) - and not a single negative note makes me highly suspicious. Luckily, Waddle and Swaddle liked the carriers too, so they'll be carrying them as soon as the shipment comes in and Cole and I will get to try one out (she doesn't do returns but lets you walk around town with the carrier on for 45 minutes to test it out).

I still have Heather's Ergo, but I'm returning it next Sunday, and I've decided I'm not buying myself one until I'm convinced there is nothing better out there. I think the Boba might possibly be what I am looking for. The child rides 2-3 inches higher than the Ergo and it's designed to keep them upright and not let them pull back, which causes the wearer to overcompensate and hunch over. They look more like the Beco, but they don't seem to sag. If it sucks, I'm going to just buy myself an Ergo. If it doesn't, well then I'll have a newborn to toddler carrier that I can use next time around if there is a Baby Ferris #2.

Back to the blogging. I love to blog. But as I stated in my last post, I just can't find the time to do it regularly - as in once or twice a week. I'm too exhausted on week nights, and I'd rather go to sleep than blog. I hope I don't lose readers, but I figure if people really give a shit, they'll check back from time to time. At some point, I would love to focus more on blogging, but with teaching it is near impossible to do that. Thankfully, the summer brings time off and less worries, so I can definitely shift my focus again in 9 months. Until then, please bear with me and check back as often as you can. When I get a free moment, I will post. ( You can always subscribe to my blog via email, so that you don't have to always check to see if I've posted something).

Update on breastfeeding:
Surprise of all surprise - I'm still pumping at work. It's not for very long (7 minutes), but I'm afraid if I do stop pumping I could really lose my supply. And as many of you know - I'm currently only a one-boob operation. (I have two boobs; he just nurses on one). And Cole is all about the "Doo Doo," so I wouldn't want to take that away from him until he's ready. I was going to stop pumping come October, but the nice secretary in the main office made me my very own pink "Do not Disturb" sign my last day of pumping (she didn't know it was my last day). So I decided to continue for a week or so more. (I know, I'm crazy - who continues to pump just because someone made them a sign? Me. That's who.) I'm thinking that from this week on, I might just pump twice a week - the day I return after a weekend and the day I stay late at work to get grading done.

Update on Cole's sleep:
Thanks to the pain of teething Cole has been waking up once or twice a night. Although there was a time only 4 months ago that I would've given anything to have him wake up once or twice, now that I've gotten a taste of an entire night of sleep, I'm tired and cranky as a result. His night waking times range from 10 to midnight and/or 2:30 - 3:30. What's difficult is that if Keith goes in there, Cole doesn't always resettle and is up for a longer period of time. In fact, when Keith goes in there he usually screams in protest because Keith is obviously not who he was hoping for. No Doo Doo there.

Update on my job:
I'm having a good year so far, my kids seem to be respectful and somewhat enthusiastic (I'll take any level of enthusiasm at this point), and I love my 8th grade honors class. Although the kids are chatterboxes with no off switch, they seem to like and care about each other, and they're nice to each other. This happens rarely with a class. I feel a little magic in the air. Let's hope it continues to be a great year with them.

But with the recent changes in how teachers are evaluated (APPR), there is more pressure on ELA and Math teachers to teach to the test, especially those who teach from grades 3-8. The state wants us to personally be held accountable for student test scores. So 20 percent of our year-end evaluation will be how well or how poorly our students did on the state test. If they failed, our evaluation "grade"  - if you will - will obviously suffer. So that means more pressure to teach to the test, which means that I have to reinvent the wheel a bit and focus on skills, strategies, etc, instead of the curriculum we've been using the past 4 years. Last year was a shift away from the curriculum as APPR threatened to belittle everything we do in the classroom. But now that APPR actually exists, there is more focus than ever before on getting those skills taught before the April test (yes you read that right - we only have 7.5 months to prepare them for the test and motivate them to care about the test.). The only positive of this is that it is currently an unfunded state mandate so most district are not making it a priority. Also, NYSUT is claiming that they are not done fighting it. Basically, becoming a teacher when I did - not the best idea.
Another "highlight" of my career, was that I recently received my professional certification (pardon me if I've already mentioned this). That might sound like an accomplishment, but it doesn't feel like it to me. It means that starting in July 2012, I have to partake in 175 hours of inservice every 5 years for the rest of my career.  Unfortunately, I got my initial certification just when they ended the "make a video after your first 5 years and you can teach unbothered for the rest of your life" professional certification requirement.

Update on Cole's day care:
We were this close (fingers pinched) to switching him to home care. And then, the day care director fired the day care teacher who we disliked. And all the parents of the toddlers in that room collectively jumped for joy. I am not kidding you. (And I am not one to celebrate someone else's misfortune - but she was not cut out for this). Keith and I had both grown to dread sending him there, and I would rush from work to pick him up every day, causing me great stress. As I stated before in my posts, he did not seem happy at all when I picked him up. He was rarely laughing or smiling and usually seemed lost. Whenever I picked him up, I didn't like what I saw, and I didn't like how she treated Cole. Sometimes she undermined my authority and sometimes she questioned my parenting. This is NOT what a day care provider should do. They should provide support to the parents and love to the child. This all made my heart sink. I mean, this is who was taking care of him for 50 hours out of the week. So Keith and I were exploring other options. MANY other options. One of those was home care. We found a few places around here that suited, but nothing panned out because openings were closed in a matter of days. Just when we were at our wits end we got the news. The director had "let her go." Apparently she had just recently told a parent how to raise her child. That was the last straw. The director knew she was a liability and that she was going to lose kids because of it. She also said the teacher wasn't doing her job and that things were not getting done the way they were supposed to. So she (the director) is in there until she finds a replacement. Now that this has happened, I feel more comfortable with:
 a) talking to her about any concerns I might have and
b) the fact that she will be careful in how she chooses a replacement.
                                                                      ***

Coming soon  - a 16 to 17 months post --(because I can never manage to get my shit together enough to do these on time and give you one month at a time!).

And for those of you who are still left wondering about what's going on in our lives....
What else do you want to know about? If there's something I missed in this update, please feel free to let me know in the comment box.

And if you want to be even more daring, leave a comment, and tell me who you are and why you read this blog. I'd love you for it. Maybe I'll dedicate my next post to you!