Five Faves

The blog has been a little quiet lately. I've been too tired and actually just too busy to actually have the time to sit down and write a post. I've thought about it several times but our days have literally been nonstop activity. And nap time has been spent with me reorganizing the house and prepping the boys room for the big transformation to bunk beds that is set to occur this Saturday. Anyways, before I get my ab exercises done, I thought I'd pop on and write about my five faves this week.

1. Gratitude from my students

The second grader I tutor had a writing assignment to write a thank you note to someone and she chose me! I was honored and really flattered. It was so sweet of her and the note is now hanging on our fridge in the midst of the kids' artwork. What a great motivator when I find myself losing steam as the holidays approach quickly.

2. Gymsport Open Gym Play Time

About once or twice a month, I take the kids to Gymsport, a local gymnastics gym. They offer preschool open gym Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9-12. It is $5/child/hour. We usually go from about 10:30-11:30 and then stay around afterwards to eat our lunch at the tables provided there. The boys LOVE it. They can run, jump, bounce, climb, and do so many fun things without getting in trouble for it. As the winter approaches, it is great to have something so close to our house and so cheap to go and do get their energy out.

3. Philip Rivers

So, he's not a Steelers quarterback, but he is an AMAZING, devout Catholic who is an awesome witness to the faith. He and his wife has six children and they speak out about why couples should use NFP. I saw a video online recently of an interview he did speaking about NFP and why he and his wife use it. It is honest and sincere. My favorite quote from the whole thing is this:

 “For us it was a Church teaching, so you have to do it. As you obey...then you start to understand and see the fruits of it (NFP) in your marriage.”

Take five minutes and check out the video here. 

4. Sales

Last Thursday night, Brian just happened to be on Craigslist when an ad for a wooden train table with accessories popped up for only $40. And it was literally 15 minutes from our house. We jumped and were able to purchase this gem the next day! Now, we have an awesome, usually very pricey, Christmas gift for a fraction of the price! Also, this past Friday, the boys and I had a little extra time after we were done at the gym and between when we needed to be at our next activity, so we wandered around the shops at the shopping center where the gym is located. I found Brian a pair of really nice dress shoes that originally cost $100 on sale for only $40! They were the only pair in his size, and he loves them. He can't get over how comfortable they are. I was also able to pick up a Jingles the Dog DVD and book for Matthew at Hallmark. (Both are Christmas gifts.) The book was $10 and the DVD was $10. After coupons, I paid only $11 for both. Awesome! And I was able to buy them without Matthew knowing I did so. He loves Jingles and will be excited for his new book and DVD.

5. This picture from after the circus on Sunday night.

I mean, how can you  not smile?

Have a great night!

7 Quick Takes

1. Our stove was red tagged last night. I thought all day that I had been smelling gas. And I felt like I could smell it everywhere. Before I left for tutoring, Brian came home from work and while he faintly smelled something in the kitchen, he did not smell it near as strongly as I did. My dad told us that we could call the gas company and they'd send someone to check for any leaks. (Seems like an obvious solution.) So Brian did that. And guess what? The stove was leaking gas. So, it's red tagged and we're waiting on parts to come in before we can fix it and use it again. Looks like the microwave and toaster oven will be the way to cook this weekend. In all seriousness, there was a huge house explosion caused by natural gas just across the border in West Virginia this morning (very close to where I attended school.) The house is leveled and one teenager died. We are very blessed and beyond thankful that the leak was detected before something awful occurred.

2. We headed to Soergel's Farm this morning to hang out with some moms from Mommy's Group. We didn't get to stay nearly as long as I had wanted (had to meet the stove repairman), but my boys had a blast. Noah ended up falling in a large mud puddle, and Matthew purposefully rolled in the same puddle. He then removed his pants and underwear while I was tending to Noah and was standing in the middle of the play area stark naked from the waste down. Parenting fail. But the good news is that they both had a wonderful time and loved the little break from the city.

3. This weekend is the Diocese of Pittsburgh's 2nd Annual NFP Awareness Sunday. Being trained NFP Promoters, Brian and I are responsible for doing something at our parish to promote NFP. We put up a large trifold board with all kinds of fun facts in the back of the church along with some pamphlets. We are also mentioned in the bulletin. And I have a strong suspicion that Father Jim will somehow weave NFP into his homily on Sunday and his homilies about NFP are pretty much the bomb. We are excited and ask for your prayers that many hearts will be converted this weekend and that many couples can recognize the goods the come from practicing NFP instead of artificial contraception.

4. After the repairman left this morning, the boys and I got crafty with our baby pumpkins that we picked up at the farm. (We will go to a different farm at the end of the month with my parents to get big pumpkins, so we opted to get the tiny ones this time around.) We decided to make bat pumpkins. We painted the pumpkins, glued on eyes and wings and now we have bat pumpkins. Matthew made the wings for his pumpkin. I had to help Noah. It was again, an easy and fun craft. I highly recommend trying it out.

5. Noah went to this ENT this week for his usual 6 month follow up. I already knew he had an ear infection before we got there, and we had started drops a few days before. Well, it turns out one of his tubes is completely blocked. And on top of the infection in his ears, he also has a pretty bad yeast infection going on in his ears, too. He is now on two sets of drops. We are praying that this clears the blocked tube and he can start into the colder weather with healthy ears. We really do not want to have to replace the tubes, and we are discouraged that they haven't worked as well for him as they did for Matthew. Please pray his ears get better quickly.

6. This weekend we are heading out to the Dormont Street Fair. I love the street fair. It is such a fun, free community event. (Well, it's not free for us because we definitely indulge in all the local food offered, but it doesn't cost anything to attend. :)) The boys love seeing all the fire trucks and playing in the kids area. Last year I met a politician who was a huge fan of Propel Schools, and he picked my brain for a while about why the Propel Way works. It was awesome. This year a local band, The Justin Fabus Band, will be performing. We first saw them open for the Hillbilly Way in January and April. The best part is....I went to high school with Justin and was in chorus class with him. Great guy. He has no clue who I am, but he was pretty popular back at KO. Everyone knew him. I am happy to see a local guy have a lot of success.

7.This past week, one of my students was having a hard time because his grandmother is dying. (They were actually taking her off of life support today, so offer a prayer for them.) His mom and I had a heart to heart with him, and during the conversation, I mentioned I had lost a daughter a few years ago. At this point, his mom starts crying. She, too, had lost a baby girl many years ago. And just like that: BOOM! Instant connection. We hugged and then made plans to meet for coffee next week. This family is truly wonderful and I work there three hours each week. I knew I always felt especially connected to them, and now I know why. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for prompting me to share so personally. I have gained another friend. :)

And on that note, have a happy, enjoyable weekend! :)

Five Faves: Why I Love Tutoring

For a while now, I haven't been a big fan of running my own business. It takes an incredible amount of time and energy, and I end up missing out on social activities (either with other moms or just within my own family) most nights because my work times are at the same time as other events. But at the end of the day, I really do love what I do. Sure, I miss the classroom a lot, but I know one day I'll be back in it for a while before becoming a principal, and eventually a professor and superintendent. Until then, it's nice to have a job I love doing. So, here are my five favorite things about tutoring.

1. It allows me to work while staying home with my boys at the same time.

In the words of Hannah Montana (Yes, I own the movie and might have taken Brian with me to see it in theaters when it came out), "You get the best of both worlds." I get to take care of my boys all day long and don't miss a minute of their milestones. Staying home also means I get the honor and pleasure of taking the boys to daily Mass almost every morning. Then in the evenings I can still use my degree and skills to work in the field I love.

2. I get a break from being a mom every evening.

Sure, I'm working. But I'm not filling sippy cups, breaking up arguments, or running around like a chicken with my head chopped off to try and keep two energetic boys happy and entertained. I get to have normal conversations in a very relaxed and quiet atmosphere (I sometimes love when kids are late. The library is so lovely to just sit in and enjoy). I don't have to worry about baths and bedtime routines. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids and miss them when I work, but I enjoy the break back to the real world each evening, too.

3. I make money....and a good amount of money at that!

Obviously, no one works out of the goodness of their heart. While I do love tutoring, I definitely do it because we need the money at this point in our lives. And let's face it. Tutors are paid well. Very well. So, if I play  my cards right and schedule enough kids each week, I am able to help make ends meet, save for a house, and still have some money left over to have fun with. Recently, we've been putting some of our extra money toward our five year anniversary getaway in October. It's nice to know that we won't be taking on debt to enjoy ourselves that weekend. 

4. I get to work with kids of all ages.

When you're a teacher, you pretty much see the same age of kids all day long. I had seventh graders my first year and fifth graders for the two years after that. That's great, but I have a lot of fun when I go out in the evenings and get to interact with a variety of age ranges. For instance, tomorrow night, I will begin by tutoring a second grader, then see an eighth grader, and finish the night by visiting two juniors in high school. It's a nice variety, and I really enjoy that. Seeing four different students in one night requires a lot of prep in advance, but it also makes the nights go very quickly because of all the different material I'm covering.

5. There is no better feeling than to hear a student say, "I get it," in regards to a mathematical concept.

Math is hard for some people. And although I found different levels of math challenging, I loved every second of math class. I love the concepts, and I absolutely love a good word problem. Most students that I tutor have some issue in math. Many come to me in the beginning of the year with a severe lack of confidence in math. There must be a lot of mean math teachers out there because some of these kids truly believe that they will never get math or understand it. By the end of the year, those same students are correcting me when I accidentally make a mistake in a problem. They are easily solving problems and acing tests. Just last night, when a student did a math problem right, I cheered. I love when it finally clicks in a student's head that they can do math and that they are actually pretty good at it. I get so proud of my students when that happens. That's my whole goal when I tutor. And seeing kids at that point is the greatest reward of all.

Friday Quick Takes

Just because I couldn't let a Friday go by without chiming in with my 7 Quick Takes!

1. A woman after Mass yesterday morning asked me if I am pregnant because I look like it. First, the answer is no, and second, how rude! I have been working my butt off at the gym every day of the week and to be told I look pregnant is just not cool. The woman isn't ancient either, so it's not like I can write it off as just a little old lady being confused. And honestly, did this women never learn that the last thing you ever ask a woman is if she's expecting? I was hurt, but then Brian pointed out that with the ages of our kids, people are starting to think we'll be expecting soon. Which I guess makes sense. Even my trainer is baffled. Come on, people! I just bought size six jeans last Friday night. There's no way my pregnant self could ever fit in those. Ugh.

2. Last night I had a night off from tutoring and both my dad and Brian were working late, so my mom and I took both boys to the mall. I know the mall sounds boring, but my kids LOVE it. They love playing in the toy store and fountain. Eating in the food court is seriously the best thing ever in their minds. And it get us out of the house and burns off some energy. My mom and I had a blast! We hadn't taken the kids anywhere just us for a while, and it was nice to spend the evening with my best friend. We laughed a lot. Good times for all.

3.

This picture speaks for itself....Matthew is officially ready for preschool this coming Tuesday! It will be a big deal for sure in our house. I am so proud of my little guy, and he is so ready for school. I can't imagine keeping him home any longer. He is ready to learn, and yes, I'm a teacher. But I could NEVER teach my own kids. I prefer to let someone else tackled that hurdle. :)

4. Do parents ever get to sleep through the night? I mean, my kids are pretty well sleep trained, but if I have to wipe another nose, untangle another blanket, or find another binky tonight, I will lose it. The wake ups only last for two minutes at most, but it takes me FOREVER to go back to sleep. This Mommy is so very tired. I know it could be worse, but I am so looking forward to coming home from Rascal Flatts next Friday night and sleeping into noon the next day since the kids will be at my parents house. A full night's sleep will be AMAZING.

5.

 

Business is good....very good! It just suddenly started expanding last week as many of the public districts started back to school. I actually have more students than time slots at this point. I'm not sure what the solution is to that, but I'm sure I will come up with something. I am feeling a bit overwhelmed with all the hours I'll be gone each evening, but I also feel incredibly blessed. I can stay home with my kids and still help make ends meet. God is good.

6. My Countdown App says that there are only 48 days, 23 hours, and 53 minutes until mine and Brian's anniversary trip to Wine Country in Erie. We leave on our anniversary (a Friday) at noon and return the following Sunday at noon. We will get to Erie in time to visit one or two wineries on Friday before a romantic dinner that Brian is arranging. And we will have ALL day Saturday to go wine tasting. We even plan on venturing into New York and visiting some of the wineries there. It will be a great getaway. I simply cannot wait. Plus, we have the nicest room in the B&B and it has a fireplace as well as its own, private entrance. We won't have to see another soul that weekend, and that's awesome. October 18 cannot come fast enough!

7. Sara Evans is my favorite singer ever. Love her and every single song she has ever written and performed. Her song, Perfect, is great. And you can jam to it...I do it every day on the treadmill. It breaks up the boy band play list nicely. :) Enjoy!

Happy Weekend!

Five Faves

1. *NSYNC Reuniting!

I can still do parts of this dance to Bye, Bye, Bye. Yet I can't remember anything about Physics. Interesting. :)

I loved every second of their performance, and I only wish it had lasted longer. They still got it going on almost 10 years later! Love them. Totally made my week, and yes, I have watched it over and over again. Lance is still my favorite. (Yeah, I know that's strange.)

2.Cartwheel App by Target

So many of you probably already know about this awesome app, but I just happened to come upon it this past weekend. Basically, you put the app on your phone and then add deals to your cart. When you go to the checkout, you have them scan the bar code on the app and the discounts are automatically applied. On top of that, you can use coupons and get the deals that are already on in the store ad. Pretty cool. It saved us a bunch of money shopping there last week. You even get discounts on milk!

3. Teen Mom 3

As if Teen Mom and Teen Mom 2 weren't enough of a train wreck, now comes another group of young women to show us just how hard parenting is as a teenager. So why is this a fave? Do I enjoy watching young girls make messes out of their lives? No, not at all. But I do happen to believe that this show does in fact do a wonderful job at explaining just how hard being a teen parent can be. I would hope other young girls watching the show learn a lesson through these young women who are brave enough to share their stories. I only wish they had featured another couple like Catelynn and Tyler from Teen Mom who chose adoption. In a round about way, the show is extremely prolife, and I think it does a much better job of showing teenagers what parenthood is all about than that goofy mechanical "Baby Think It Over" doll.

4. Long Weekends

I have five, glorious nights off from tutoring starting tomorrow night. I am pumped. I love my job, I do. But I just need a little break. The month of September is already booked solid (and actually overbooked some weeks in the case of cancellations) and I know leaving the house Monday through Thursday at 4:30pm and getting home at 9:00pm is going to be exhausting! But it brings in money, and I can't complain. For now, I can just focus on the much needed nights off. And Brian has a three day weekend (as do most Americans!), and it's always great to get some extra sleep and family time in.

5. My Hubby

Six years ago yesterday, we officially became a couple and have been one ever since. That conversation about whether or not we should date exclusively has to be one of my favorites. Why we even needed to have the discussion is beyond me. We were already holding hands and cuddling. Becoming a couple was the next natural thing! But we did have that awkward conversation, and I'm glad. We never took a break from being a couple either (No typical Franciscan mid courtship break up going on here. That wasn't for us, but I totally understand why it could be a helpful and good tool in a relationship at a certain point) and will live that way for the rest of our lives. He is my best friend, and I love him more than anything else in the entire world. Who would've guessed that six years after becoming exclusive we'd be married with three kids? Wow. A lot can happen in six years for sure! I am so very blessed.

Me and my Prince :)

Five Faves

1. Kindara NFP App

Seriously this NFP app has changed my life. I have been obsessed with NFP since high school and started learning NFP a few months before our wedding. Until a few months ago, I was using the old and hard to read paper charts. Then, I got an iPhone (I know I'm only five years late on that one!) and figured there had to be an NFP app. I did some searching and through some reviews thought that I'd like Kindara the best. I have not been disappointed. Now my chart is with me everywhere which means I can record my data when I have time and not when my chart is nearby. Plus, it makes my charting a whole lot more private. No longer will Matthew be pulling out papers from beside my bed and asking me, "Mommy, are these for coloring?" Yes, this app has changed my life.

 

2. This Cooler, Fall like Weather

I despise the summer heat, so today when I could throw on jeans and a hoodie and pretty much be comfortable all day I was in Heaven. I love, love, love Fall weather and these little previews we've been having this summer here in the Burgh have been delightful. I cannot stand to sweat, and I hate humidity because my hair turns into an afro point two seconds after I leave air conditioning. Today, I had lovely silky hair and didn't sweat at all (except when I pounded out my 5K at the gym.) And with Fall comes football, and I just love football more than any other sport. Watching preseason games last weekend totally rocked. Come on, Fall, hurry up and get here for real!

 

3. Kids' Room at Fitness 19

Okay, so this kids' room is not your ordinary daycare. The women back in that room are AMAZING! Matthew asks to go every day and gets disappointed if we miss a day. They do arts and crafts and have strict rules for the kids to follow to keep them in line. They also aren't afraid to let kids be upset when Mommy leaves. Instead of calling me back after five minutes of Noah screaming, they worked with him for weeks to get him to keep calm, even if that meant he cried for a while for those two weeks. They knew it was best for him and me that way. One of the reasons we kept Matthew out of preschool at age two was because of his experiences at the gym. He was doing a lot of what kids would do in two year old preschool at the gym. When Noah was born, I even transferred my membership to Brian so that Matthew could still have access to the kids' room while I wasn't allowed to exercise. We have even visited one of the teacher's houses, and many of the women who work at the gym actually babysit for us. The kids love going and Mommy gets an hour and a half to herself to try and get her pre baby body back. It's a win-win!

 

4. Big Brother

Totally an addict of this show and so his my hubby. I have to admit that this season is not as good as last, although last season saw the return of Mike Boogie to the Big Brother House, and he is by far the greatest player (next to his buddy Dr. Will) to ever play the game. Just thinking of them together makes me smile. Brian never had the privilege of seeing them play (he was in seminary at the time). So I always have to try and describe how they played and why they were so funny. If you have no idea what I am talking about, you can watch this YouTube video of the two of them. It is hilarious!

Boogie and Dr. Will

But, yeah, this season just doesn't measure up. In the words of Rachel Riley, "Floaters, grab a life vest!" There are too many of them around this year! Ugh. Still, though, Brian and I are addicts. We don't miss an episode, and we talk about the players during daily conversations as if we know them. Wow. We are boring.

 

5. Tutoring

I love my job and my business. I really do. I tutor about 12-15 hours every week, and while it can get exhausting by 8:30 on Thursday night, I would never not do it. Yes, I will totally cut back on hours the minute our budget will allow it, but right now, I can work while my husband or parents are with the boys and it brings in money needed to pay some of the bills and to have fun with! My business, Tutoring with Danielle, allows Brian to now only work one job when he used to work two. (Which meant not Saturdays for us.) Plus, I love working one-on-one with students. It saves my sanity some days to know that in just a few hours, I'll be free for a little while to not have to refill sippy cups and clean up messes and make sure Noah isn't trying to plunge to his death from the couch. It's nice to be just me the teacher for a few hours. I love my kids, but I love my work, too. As a bonus, any money I make extra above what we need for the month can either be saved in our house fund or used to have weekend fun. We are not a family who just stays home on the weekends. We work hard for what we make and both Brian and I feel that we should live life by working hard and playing hard. This summer some extra money allowed us to buy Rascal Flatts concert tickets (yes, I won a contest to meet them!). So it's the best of both worlds for me. I can stay home with my little ones during the day and tutor in the evenings. And eventually my business will expand enough where I will only tutor a few hours each week and make money from all of the other people who work for me as tutors. That day will be amazing!

 

Have a lovely evening, everyone! And remember tomorrows the Feast of the Assumption (one of the best Feast Days ever!). It's a Holy Day of Obligation. :)