Our Puppy Pound :)

We are watching Tiff and Marco's dogs this week while they are out of town. They are such sweet, well-behaved pups, so we knew this was going to be fun! I do NOT know how people keep numerous pets, I will tell you that! Our two are a handful enough... having 4 dogs around the house these past 5 days makes me feel like I am running a boarding house, haha! They all are getting along so well, and I am grateful for that. It's funny, though, Dexter has to be sure and assert his dominance as the alpha male... he is trying to be such a bully! Luckily, he's a tiny little turd and while the other 2 won't cross him, they know they don't have much to be afraid of either!!
Molly and Miles look out for each other so well, and even share a kennel. It's so cute! Their kennel is quite a bit bigger than Dex's since they share, and Dex has had his eye on their "upgraded" model. ;) Tiff and Marco forgot to bring Molly and Miles' bed, so they have been sleeping in their kennel. It has been so cold at night, so after their first night with us, I put one of my blankets down in the their kennel to make it a little warmer and more cozy. That was all the invitation Dex needed to try and take over! I guess since he smelled "home" on that blanket, he was all of sudden ok with trying to steal their kennel! I couldn't keep him out of it! He would even crawl in with Molly and Miles would just sit outside and cry like, "what about me, guys???" The next night, we are about to get into bed so I tell Miles and Molly to go to their cage. Molly goes right in and guess where Miles goes... straight into Dexter's kennel. "Well, if that mean ole dog can take MY kennel, I am taking his!!" It was really precious! We let him sleep there all night... I bet Molly and Miles felt like they were in some fancy hotel... each with their own kennel! :)
Both of the dogs are so quiet and mild-mannered, we haven't really had to worry about either of them getting into trouble... until Thanksgiving day! We have been eating around them all week and neither Miles or Molly really tried to beg or take food off of our plates, so we were fine with letting them roam the house while everyone was here for the holiday. We were all sitting around watching the Cowboys game when we hear a crash in the kitchen. The platter of leftover ham and turkey that was sitting on the island is now on the kitchen floor next to a very guilty-looking Molly! Oh no!! ;) I guess I shouldn't have left the plate on the lower level of the island, but I am used to my stumpy-legged little ones that could never reach the counter! Needless to say, it was an eventful moment and we all had a good laugh, but no leftover turkey this year, haha!!!!
It will be nice to get back to normal once Tiff and Marco come by today, but we truly have enjoyed our little visitors! We love watching all 4 of them run and play in the backyard like they are all family visiting for the holidays and just having a blast together! Now if only I could talk my hubby into working on a backyard full of "actual" kiddos ;)...maybe soon!!

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

I really do love this time of year! We are doing Thanksgiving here at our home for the second year in a row, and I am really loving the new traditions that we are starting!!

We generally do a huge, extended family Thanksgiving... I think we had around 48 people over last year. It really is nice to see family that you don't get to see often and celebrate each other, but I have to admit, I am more excited about this year!! Our holiday will be much more intimate than usual, and I am so thankful! It will just be my parents, all their kiddos (and their families), my nana, David's parents and all their kiddos, and possibly my uncle. It means, to me, that the day will be low-pressure, relaxing, and that I will get to spend time with some of my favorite people!! The day before Thanksgiving I am headed home to make bread with mom and the girls in my family. This will be our first year trying this, and I hope it's a blast that we can make into another annual tradition!

I am beyond grateful for the family God has given me. Each of them has played an important part in helping me become the woman I am today, and I am so blessed to know each and every one of them. I can't wait to make some new memories next week!

Of course, all of my Christmas decor is going up this week. I want it to be cozy and inviting when we sit down to dinner next week and I am ITCHING to get all my fun Christmas stuff out! We brought it down from the attic last week and it's all burning a hole in my office floor! Must... decorate... ;) That will be a fun Saturday project, for sure! :) :)

Happy Thanksgiving to all who read this! I am thankful for every friend who cares enough to read my ramblings ;) , and may God bless your holiday!

Doing what you love, and loving what you do!

So, I have to admit, it is getting more and more frustrating to know that I still am not teaching in a classroom full-time. There's even a part of me that was beginning to question whether or not this is the right path for me to be on... shouldn't all of my hard work have yielded some results right now? Maybe I am aspiring to be a part of the wrong profession... maybe I am not meant to be a teacher.


Then, almost a year ago, I decided to quit my stable, full-time job and become a substitute. I knew that being in the classroom would help soothe my worries and remind me why I am doing all of this to begin with. I am SO glad I made that hard decision. Yes, I didn't get a paycheck all summer and subbing really doesn't pay too many of the bills, but I really, really needed this.


Everytime I walk into a classroom and read the lesson plans, I get excited. Teaching children and being involved in their everyday learning is something I absolutely crave, and for now, subbing will have to satisfy that. ;) For now, I am thankful that there are enough teachers in CFBisd that trust me with their classes that I stay busy and get to implement lessons instead of only busy work. Not only is this great practice for me, but it reassures me that this IS where I am supposed to be. The kids respond well to me and my enthusiasm, and I very often hear, "Mrs. Martinez, can you be our sub everytime our teacher is out?" and "Why don't you teach here everyday?" Of course, I never know how to answer that last one and I am always tempted to say, "Well, tell your principal to hire me!!! " ;)


I have full faith that there is an opportunity out there for me and I just have to be patient for it... but I am very ready to have my own classroom. Even to think about finding something for next fall seems like a lifetime away. Plus, after 3 summers of teacher Job Fairs and passing my portfolio all over town, I don't find much encouragement in knowing that I will be going through the whole process all over again in a few months.


All that being said, I am very grateful to be subbing right now. It is such a gratifying and exciting job that holds new surprises everyday! If there is a kid in a class that I cannot stand, I know I won't have to deal with him tomorrow! ;) I have the opportunity to teach middle school english one day, 5th grade another, and high school science the next... and I love it! It keeps me on my toes and give me great practice with all ages and all subjects... and I find myself surprised at the things I am learning about myself! While I still have a strong desire to teach secondary-level English, I am amazed at how much I am loving elementary school! The amount of love those kiddos have to give is unmatched, for sure. You can't help but be happy and feel loved around those little ones!


Also, enough cannot be said about the good it does for another teacher/administrator to offer me a compliment. I love that I am now building relationships with certain schools and they LOVE to have me there... sometimes 3-4 days a week. It really reinforces that I am on the right path and just need to wait for my open door. Not to mention the big smile it puts on my face for a principal to walk by my classroom and stick their head in just to say what a nice job I am doing... and for the word of mouth to spread around to other teachers that will eventually need a sub. This week, I am subbing 2 days for a very organized and OCD middle school science teacher. The administrator told me yesterday how nervous this teacher was to leave her classes for 2 days, but the administrator assured her that I would have everything under control and she could feel confident that her kiddos were learning while she was gone! Wow! I was so grateful to know that these things are noticed by people that matter. ;) (Now where the heck is my full-time job?)


I guess, bottom line here, my point is that while I wish had my own classroom to manage, right now I do love what I am doing. I am also making the best of it, and choosing to see all of this as a learning experience and some pretty darn good practice for my future.