Dentist

I decided back in March when Michael's dentist appointment was approaching, to cancel it and reschedule it for the summertime.  Michael missed a lot of school in January and February due to our preventative measures to keep him from getting the flu (because Type One Diabetes and the flu are a dangerous combination).  I didn't want him missing out of any more class time.  I also feel like one dentist trip a year is sufficient, so now I should be able to schedule dentist appointments for both boys  (and eventually Avery) during the summertime.

The boys had their appointments back to back on Monday.  I go back with them, and I knew I couldn't leave one kid unattended in the waiting room, so I had one boy sit in the side chair and one boy in the dentist chair.  I pre-arranged for their appointments to be with the same hygienist, and the dentist office staff thought this was a great plan.  They said I could keep doing it like this until both boys were old enough to have side by side appointments.

Since the appointments were back to back, we spent a large amount of time in the dentist office.  Usually, I'm in and out within 30 minutes, but this time we were in there close to two hours!  Part of this was because Noah wouldn't open his mouth, which is a key location for dental appointments. :)

Noah went first, and it is really a toss up as to who should have gone first.  Both of the boys wanted to go first, but technically, it was Noah's appointment first and I tacked Michael onto it in March.  So, the staff called Noah first.  I think whichever boy went second probably would have the advantage since he'd be able to see his brother undergo the steps and would know what to expect.

Noah usually does great at the dentist, but he was hesitant to open his mouth and I had to bribe him to do so.  He protested every new thing they had to do:  dental pictures, picking, flossing, polishing, brushing flouride, etc.  Eventually, his appointment ended and Michael's could begin.  Michael knew everything to do since he had just seen Noah go through it.  Michael did super great!  This is an oddity because he's normally the shy one/uncooperative one at appointments since he's had to endure so many doctor/endocrinology appointments in his little life so far.  But he did phenomenally well!

Both boys were given an inflated balloon and a non-inflated balloon for them to blow-up later (ie, death sentence, which is why I confiscated the non-blown-up balloons and swiftly tossed them in the garbage can at home).   They were also both given two stickers of Mr. Peabody and Sherman, which led to their interest in watching that TV show on Netflix in the coming days.

By the time we left the dentist office, it was nearly lunchtime and Michael's blood sugar had begun to drop right before the dentist checked his teeth.  I didn't want to feed him skittles while waiting on the dentist to come survey what the hygienist had just done, so we waited and Michael was okay.  I gave him some fruit snacks in the van when we were done with the appointment.

I promised the boys a treat when they were finished, and Lord knows they don't need any more toys, so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to go inside our town's brand new Krispy Kreme location!  I was super surprised at how nice it was inside!  They had the perfect selection size, and an offer to get any three donuts for just over three dollars.  I tried limiting the boys to a few select donuts, but Noah was insistent on a cake-batter filled one because it had yellow frosting, so I thought "oh, why not?" and I told both boys to pick out whatever donut they wanted.  Michael changed his mind from a strawberry frosted one to an Oreo filled one, and Noah was ecstatic to get the yellow frosted one!  I got my tried-and-true favorite of chocolate iced custard filled and we all sat down to a very nice little outing!  The donut crew wasn't making a fresh batch, but I hope to take the boys again sometime soon so they can watch the donuts roll through the glaze machine. :)

We had a really sweet morning together and then I dropped them off with my mother in law so I could go home to work on my 13 page research paper for one of my classes!  I turned it in this morning-- yay!  Now I need to start working on a 2-3 page paper for another class before I work on a 5-page paper for a third class.

Until Next Time,
Much love, Reba

The getaway!

Aaron & I just got home on Sunday evening from a little 4-day parents only getaway to Washington state (where Aaron is from)!  I am still trying to believe that we actually were able to do this!!!  (Many many thanks to our parents for watching our kids (& dog!))

Aaron's cousin got married near the end of May, and although we were prepared for Aaron to go solo to the wedding, we received news that Michael's kindergarten graduation would be the day before the wedding.  Aaron chose not to go, and we saved the money that we would have spent on the airline ticket (which was astronomical). 

Then, Aaron's grandpa had surgery in the beginning of July and we knew we needed for Aaron to be able to get a visit in soon.  I looked up plane tickets on the sly and told him to book it and go.  He one-upped me by finding waaaaay cheaper tickets (like half-off what we saw in May), and I made the passing comment "wow! For that price, I could go with you!"   He said "Oh, please do!" and the rest is history. 

I scrambled to get my school work done for the time period that I'd be out of internet access, and I did it!

Our parents didn't bat an eye when we asked if all three of our kids could stay with them-- one who had a chronic medical condition, one with a severe cashew allergy, and one who wasn't sleeping through the night yet.   Our parents are rockstars and made it work! 

My mother-in-law kept the kids from Wednesday night through Friday afternoon, when my mom went over and picked them up and kept them til we returned on Sunday evening.  My parents kept my dog the whole time (he prefers going there and would probably live there if we'd let him!). 

I'll update soon with pictures of our trip and more travel details.  All in all, it was WONDERFUL and such a treat to be able to go on a getaway with my husband. 

Until Next Time,
Much love, Reba

Little Updates

This post is just to bring the blog world up to speed on some little milestones that have been happening over here!

Michael's two permanent bottom teeth are about half-way in!  I don't know about you, but whenever I  lost a tooth as a kid, it always seemed to take 3 years for the next tooth to grow in.  I know that's not the case, but it sure felt like it.  Kind of like when a building seemed so huge until I went back to it as an adult and was shocked by its smallness.  

Noah is developing the little repertoire of manners and it's so precious.  He's definitely someone who feels the need to close out all conversations with the last word.  So, if you say "Thanks so much for helping me!"  He'll absolutely have to respond "You are so welcome!"  Likewise, if he says thank you to someone, he will wait for the individual to say "you're welcome" and if that person doesn't say it in a timely manner, Noah will say "Now, say you're welcome." 

Avery finally got her first tooth!  She's definitely my kid who took the longest to get a tooth.  I read some older blog posts of mine the other day and on Noah's 8 or 9 month update, I mentioned that he already had two baby teeth on the bottom.  I know Michael had baby teeth before he stopped nursing, which was at 9 months.  So, Avery is my kiddo who took her time getting her teeth.  I'm not mad about it either.  Nursing a baby always gets a little more nerve-wracking once the baby gets teeth.  She has one tooth on her bottom jaw, but I see the bumps ready for her second bottom tooth to pop through and I also see two bumps on her upper jaw where the top teeth will come in within the next month or two. 

In other big news, Avery has taken her first steps!  I'm so glad she did this when I was around to witness it!  She practices more a little everyday and most of the time commits to 2-3 steps before plopping down on her bottom.  She's taken as many as 7 steps in a row.  She's definitely my earliest walker!  Noah walked around 12 months, but Michael was closer to 14 months before he walked.  Both boys were much bigger than she is at this age of 10.5 months, so maybe it was harder for them to lug around that extra weight!  She really wants to keep up with whatever her two brothers are doing, and she also spent some time around my 18-month old niece last week who was staying with my mother-in-law for a few days.  I think Avery really felt left out when she was the only one who couldn't keep up with everyone!  

I can't believe it's already July and that school will start next month for Michael.  It's harder for me to believe he'll be in first grade.  I don't remember a whole lot of when I was in kindergarten, but I remember a lot about first grade.  So it's weird to me to think that he'll soon be making memories that he'll remember as an adult!  Parenting is a fast ride!  

My coursework this time around in school is quite challenging.  I am taking a History of Alabama course, which will serve me well if I have to teach that subject in school.  I was able to rent the textbook from the library, so that was a blessing!  It's a very interesting read, but very long!  In addition, I had to select my own book regarding Alabama history and write a book review on it.  I found a book in the library and read it within 24 hours.  One of the best books I've read!  (It's The Last of the Scottsboro Boys by Clarence Norris and Sybil Washington, if you're interested).  The book review (3-4 pages) isn't due until Sunday, but I finished it already.  I have a research paper coming up (13-15 pages) on a topic of my selection.  I'm stuck between writing about the Montgomery Bus Boycott or the Tuskegee Airmen.  I've accumulated journal articles for both stories, but haven't made my final selection yet.  I have to decide and email my choice to the professor, along with 6-8 sources. 

I'm also taking a Theories of Personality class.  It's interesting to learn how different psychologists explain how our brains develop.  The class is not particularly trying, but the reading passages can become dull, especially when passage length is adding into the equation.  Each week, I have to write a 2-3 page paper on a different theorist.  This isn't extremely difficult since the professor has outlined four questions that we have to answer in each paper.  My difficulty this week is culling my paper to the 3 page maximum (right now, I'm at a solid 4 pages), while still including relevant information. If I shave too much content, I lose connecting points.  That's one of my dilemmas to work on today. 

My third class is a Special Topics course in Political Science Readings for Secondary Teachers.  This is by far the most difficult course for me.  I enjoyed all of my Sociology and Criminal Justice courses while at Auburn, and I had to take a Political Science course (or two or more?) while I was an undergrad, but I forgot how unlike Criminal Justice courses Political Science courses can be.  It's mainly philosophers (Plato, Aristotle) combined with political theorists (John Mill, Nietzsche), and it's very difficult for me to make the connections in their writings.  Also, the comma is so overused in their writings that it makes it quite hard to follow and dissect the sentences.  In this class, I have to write three 5-page papers on essay prompts provided by the professor.  The first one is due tomorrow and I haven't started yet.  I've completed most of the readings, but I am struggling to identify the concepts to write about.  So, I suppose I should get off the blog and go pour over this paper.  

Until Next Time, 

Much love, Reba 

I Walked Away

The VA was never supposed to be a career path.  Who goes to college with the major of "I'm going to work at the VA"?  No one.  I stumbled upon the job posting, by God's grace, and was flabbergasted at the amount of money I could make.

There were several instances over my eight year career where I thought, "Yeah, I could do this until retirement."

However, all of those reasons revolved around money.

I wasn't happy for most of the time I worked at the VA.  It is the only federal agency where the laws and regulations change daily, which means how the job is supposed to be done also changes daily.  It is the only federal agency where employees are judged on quality and production.  If you don't meet the standards, you're supposed to be fired.

Unfortunately, that's not the case.  What actually happens is that there are sub-par workers who don't pull their weight.  They are not penalized.  But the work still has to get done.  So, those who have a strong work ethic end up having to load-up the slackers' work on their own backs in order for the station to succeed.  This is draining for the workers with good work ethic.

Coming into work everyday and not really knowing how the job duties will have changed overnight, or during that very work day, is draining.

Having managers (above the heads of the immediate supervisors) who berate the supervisors and scream at them for why the workers haven't done enough... and then having the immediate supervisors increase workload and expectations is draining.

But... the money is good.

I got to work at home for most of the work week.

I accrued a good amount of leave time.

And.... as stated several times above, the money was good.

And the money kept me there.  For way too  long.

A couple of years ago, I knew I would rather be a teacher. I LOVED tutoring athletes during my undergraduate career.  I had the chance to teach several training courses while at the VA and I loved doing that as well.  I researched paths to becoming a teacher since I did not obtain my undergraduate degree in Education.  I found a program-- all online-- for those who received an undergraduate degree in a field other than education.  I spoke with my parents and Aaron about it, but I thought it sounded too daunting to work and return to school for my Master's degree.  So I put the dream on hold.

Last February (2017), I went with my mom to Florida to visit her parents, and we took Michael and Noah with us.  I LOVED the moments I got to spend with my sons and I knew that I didn't want to miss out on more of their lives than I already had.  I was also pregnant with Avery at the time, and was burdened at the thought of missing her milestone baby moments like her first steps. 

I knew that I had enough money saved up to pay for my degree out of pocket so that I would not be causing undue financial harm to my family.  I knew I could work as a substitute teacher and accrue enough money to cover the deficit in our budget as we'd have to rely completely on Aaron's salary.  I spoke of this at length with Aaron and my parents.  I knew this is what I wanted to do.

After contacting the University and taking the required tests to be accepted, I began my schooling in June of 2017.  I kept working while doing school because I found out that my paychecks more than covered the cost of tuition.  I strung myself along for 10 months working in this manner-- staying employed while doing school.  Several times during those 10 months, I felt overwhelmed.  I debated quitting school.  My parents said that wasn't the answer.  I debated quitting the VA but felt like that wouldn't be fair to Aaron.  I lamented about pursuing a career in which my salary would be $20k less than I made at the VA and I wondered how we'd make it financially. 

Then it hit me one day that I was living off of a teacher's salary because I was paying for schooling out of pocket, which meant that I was essentially spending $20k per year on school and living on the rest of what I brought home.  And I had excess money.  So, I knew we'd be able to comfortably make it on a teacher's salary one day.

Eventually, I got the point where the changes at work in how I was supposed to do my job (ie, regulation & law changes that affected the procedure for working the claims) in conjunction with the demands of school and my desire to go ahead and press forward with the degree and finish it up, reached a maximum capacity in my brain and in my life.  With much prayers, too many tears, and a bucket load of stress, I handed in my notice at the VA to finish out my career at the beginning of May.

Since leaving, I have definitely decreased my stress level.  I struggle sometimes with thoughts that I hindered my family by walking away from the salary, but anyone I mention this to is quick to remind me that my family is my reason for the career change.  I want to be around my children more, and I want to influence the lives of others.  Walking away from a salary that chained me to stress was the right decision. 

I do not miss working at the VA.  I do not think about the job.  I do not feel a void missing in my life.  I feel so free.  I have been able to concentrate on my schooling this summer as I take 6 courses (three from May to June and three more from late June through beginning of August).   I am pleased with the decision I made.  Aaron has noticed a change in my demeanor, and that brings me great joy.  I have peace about what I've done, which is worth much more than a salary could ever provide.

So, once I finish these three courses in August, I will be observing in a classroom from August to December.  I have one more online course to take from October to December.  I will intern in the spring, and graduate in May 2019.  Hopefully, I'll be in my own classroom by August 2019. 

It is my goal to teach at the high school level for a few years before I begin to pursue my doctorate-- ideally at Auburn University.  Ultimately, I would like to be a professor of sociology at Auburn and teach college students.

I am enjoying the moments I get where I am able to leisurely get my kiddos ready for the day in the morning, without being stressed about trying to work while they wake up and need breakfast, etc.  The burden that I no longer have is incredible. 

Taking three courses at a time (especially in the summer when the terms are six weeks long as opposed to eight weeks), is quite a lot of work and an immense amount of reading.  That is why I am still not as regular on blogging as I'd like to be.  But I appear when I can, and I still read all of my favorite blogs during my moments of a break between coursework reading.

Thanks for reading this and catching up on what I've been up to!

Until Next Time,
Much love, Reba