Week 1 of my new job

I went back to work this week full-time after taking a three-year break to stay at home with my children. Aside from missing my girls, I am enjoying the job so far. My position is a Literacy Intervention Specialist for grades six through eight in a very diverse school district. We have over 54 spoken languages here. I love the diversity! It is so nice to see beautiful, colorful faces in the hallway. More later...

Three Word Sunday

Chocolate Covered Almonds


Dove makes the best! They are rich and delicious, and melt in your mouth.

The Butterfly Princess and Little Miss Ladybug

Once upon a time, there lived two beautiful little princesses. The eldest had silky black hair and almond eyes with perfect shaped eyebrows, and a smile that could light up an entire room. Her enthusiasm and zest for life were her greatest gifts. Other children were naturally drawn to her vivacious personality. The youngest princess was a bit more shy, taking a little longer to warm-up to new situations. She needs to feel secure in her environment and with new people, but once you climb into her inner circle, you will find that one of her greatest gifts is her sense of humor. Her hair is thick and beautiful. She has inquisitive eyes and pouty,full lips. Little sister will definitely grow to become one of the great pranksters of our time, yet, her highest quality is laughter. For a child who was once deeply saddened, her laughter is like a symphony of mellifluous tunes, playing sweetly on a summer night. Deep and hearty, her laughter comes, filling the room with a most beautiful sound. Her happiness, finally found.

Girls on a train

My sister and I took our girls on a train ride to Chicago a few weeks ago. As you can see, they truly enjoyed it. Maybe, it was the good company!

Three Word Sunday

2008 Summer Olympics

Work countdown

I officially return to work full-time in less than two weeks. I can't believe that it's August already. Where did the summer go? It seems like just yesterday we went to the pool for the first time this year, and now, the summer is winding down. It's been a busy one, filled with preparing for my new job as a reading specialist. This will be my first year working in this capacity. Prior to this, I taught middle school language arts. I feel good though. I am very prepared, organized, and ready to go. My main stress this summer has been developing a good childcare plan for my daughters. Since I begin my job so early in the morning (7:30 a.m.), I need someone to care for my big girl before and after kindergarten. I thought everything was set weeks ago. I had her scheduled for before care at her elementary school, and she was going to do an enrichment program in a local Montessori after-school. My little one was going to come with me to our on-site daycare facility within my school district. It was all arranged, or at least, that's what I thought until I called the on site facility to confirm everything, and was told that they lost my paperwork causing us to lose Little Sister's (LS) spot. With these change of events, my stress level went way up. My next plan was to put LS in another daycare. I visited a few, but found dirty facilities, outrageous prices, and inadequate start-times. I finally decided to look for a full-time nanny to come early in the morning, get my big girl off to kindergarten, and spend time with LS. Last weekend, I interviewed ten candidates, and wasn't too impressed with the majority of them. Finally, I met someone that I feel very comfortable with. She was the first candidate who immediately wanted to meet my children. She greeted them, hugged them, and talked with them. Rachel starts next week so that I can observe her with my kids, and help us all adjust. I'm praying that she works out because I really need someone to help me out with the kids, especially since their dad lives several states away.

More party photos

Here are more pictures from my niece's first birthday party last week.