Sweeter Than Chocolate

Earlier this week, I came across some blogs that strictly blog about children's clothes. Boutique-ish children's clothes. My obsession. Now I'm not going to start a new blog about clothes (YET) but I will share my newest lurve.

Gymobree has a new line out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sweeter Than Chocolate
Clearly, I am a fan of the polka dots. They have several pieces with little bon bons on them. Some stripes and other cute stuff. I just didn't want to save all the pictures of every piece of the line. These are just my favs. The last two pictures are from the kid girl sizes. Bummer. I would buy them for Ansleigh.

You can find it at www.gymboree.com (click on baby girl or kid girl--depending on the sizes you are looking for).

Job Opportunities???

So I'm going back to work next year.

I am proud that I will have spent Ansleigh's first year on earth at home with her, even if I do have to hide from her sometimes. :o)

I have not missed one single milestone. Her first smile, her first laugh, first roll-over, first sit, first stand, first words "mama"....I've been there for all of it. This is important to me. It will be important to me when we we reproduce again.

God has another purpose for me, other than being mommy. God planned for and prepared me to work with preteens and teens. Also, my college education did that.

I want things. I want a bigger house (only before we have more kids, not now). I want to replace Anthony's car. I want to buy stuff and not feel guilty about it. I want to not be in debt (student loans & mortgage). All this requires money.

Therefore, I am going back to work.

Through the grapevine, I've been informed of some job opportunities for next year:

1. Melbourne High School
2. Bayside High School
3. The new high school

Let's look at these more closely:

MEL HIGH--They are (so I've been told) looking for a new cheer coach (probably JV). There is an English teacher retiring and also, they need another English teacher anyway. I would be working with kids and parents I know. Plus, I've talked to some people who teach at Mel High and they love it! The faculty and the administration are great and helpful (again, so I've been told). I'd be a bulldog. Green, black, and white. The downside, it is all the way across town and would take a good 30 minutes to get there and get home everyday.

BAYSIDE HIGH--They too are looking for a new cheer coach....a VARSITY cheer coach. my dream come true. They are also looking to greatly improve school spirit. Not to toot my own horn, but seriously, who would be better at that? Also, it is literally 5 minutes from my house. My friend Stacey teaches there. It is always great to teach where you know someone. Downside: not so sure if they are hiring English teachers. That could be a problem. Seriously.

THE NEW SCHOOL--They are building a new high school pretty close to my house. With a new school comes teaching positions and an available cheer position. Someone who could build a program. Start fresh. Some of my Central kids are zoned to go there. LOVE my Central kids. Seriously.

I haven't been offered any jobs. I have in an application. As soon as I take the sub class I can substitute teach at Mel High and Bayside. This will let me get a feel for both schools. Hopefully something will come of this. I know I've always been a middle school advocate but lately I've REALLY had the itch for 9th grade. I don't even know if there will be 9th grade positions open. I'm a little scared to teach juniors or seniors but I think I could do it.

Be praying for me. Pray that God will be preparing a place for me--a place where I can make a difference and do what I love. Pray that God will prepare me to go into a high school and pick up teaching again. Pray that God will be preparing the heart of the person who will be keeping Ansleigh. Pray that God will prepare our family for such a big change.

This is a big step and a big change for us. I'm excited, scared, and nervous.

Teacher Thought/Idea

I was looking through facebook and noticed one of my old Auburn classmates has a blog link on her profile. I clicked it and was amazed!

It is for her students!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Her blog posts are thought provoking ideas or questions and the kids have to respond by commenting. They get a weekly blog grade! Each blog post they have to write at least a paragraph answering the post. Sometimes, she even makes them use their vocabulalry words in their paragraphs!

What an amazing idea. Seriously.

Emily (said "old classmate") teaches at a Presbyterian school that I assume is a private school. Private school kids have home computers (mostly) b/c their parents have the money to pay for their improved education.

I wonder/would like to see if this would be feasible in a public school environment. Public school kids generally do not all have computer access unless it is provided at school. This would mean taking them to the computer lab once a week to do an assignment that I think would work much better on a homework type basis.

What an amazing way to incorporate technology into the classroom and what a freakin awesome way of putting a twist on the boring old everyday "journal." And...girl is a freakin genuis b/c she can check their homework and grade it from home, while watching tv. I used to love grading papers at home so I could share the hilarity of my kids' work with Anthony.

Teachers and Non-Teachers alike, I want to know what you think. Seriously. Yall know I'm planning on going back to teaching next year and I'd like to have a way to feasibly work this into my classroom. I need ideas of how to make this work or at least an alternative for the kids who do not have computer access.

Ideas please!?!?!

Upcoming Election...

My sister-in-law (one of my personal favorite people ever) re-posted this on facebook. Her friend posted it and Rachel felt compelled to pass it along. I do too.
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This is an excerpt from the email that is going around from Huntley Brown. I know this whole article talks about why he can't vote for Obama just because he's black. I am not concerned about his race. Racism aside, I have a strong feeling about Christians who are voting for Obama. I just can't understand why they feel they are making a God-led decision. I guess my brain is just too small to comprehend it, but I believe with all my heart that I'd be going against God's standards to vote for a man who the terrorist nations would be thrilled if he gets elected. I can't vote for a man who won't stand up as a Christian no matter where he is, but instead talks accordingly to whichever group he's in front of. I can't vote for a man who seems to have no moral standards or values when it comes to the sanctification of marriage, murdering unborn babies, nor can I vote for a man who was either not as involved in his church as he led us to believe, or commends the teachings that have come out of that church. Again, I just don't believe I would be following God's standards for what I as a Christian need to stand for. Hope this makes you think!


In the past when the Lord brought someone with the beliefs of Obama to lead a nation it meant one thing - judgment.

Read 1 Samuel 8 when Israel asked for a king.

First God says in 1 Samuel 1:9 "Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do." Then God says
1 Samuel 1:18 " When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day." 19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles." 21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the LORD. 22 The LORD answered, "Listen to them and give them a king."

Here is what we know for sure.

God is not schizophrenic.

He would not tell one person to vote for Obama and one to vote for McCain. As the scripture says, a city divided against itself cannot stand, so obviously many people are not hearing from God.

Maybe I am the one not hearing but I know God does not change and Obama contradicts many things I read in scripture so I doubt it.

For all my friends who are voting for Obama can you really look God in the face and say; Father based on your word, I am voting for Obama even though I know he will continue the genocidal practice of partial birth abortion. He might have to nominate three or four supreme court justices, and I am sure he will be nominating liberal judges who will be making laws that are against you. I also know he will continue to push for homosexual rights, even though you destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for this. I know I can look the other way because of the economy.

Polka Dot Skies

Let me tell you a story about how I ordered this ridiculously cute hairbow for Ansleigh on Etsy. It is brown & white gingham and has a little pumkin thing in the middle. SOOO CUTE. I had to ask the lady to make it with an alligator clip instead of a french clip. The bow was only $2!!!!!

When I got the bow in the mail, I had a surprise! She'd sent me an extra bow for being her first purchase on Etsy. Her shop is called Polka Dot Skies and you should totally go there and buy hairbows. Seriously.

Look how cute the bug is in this free bow!

The bow is nothing fancy, pink & white gingham with a lime green center but so precious!