Oobi is not my friend.

Have you seen Oobi? If you haven't please take 22 minutes (with the understanding that you will NEVER get these minutes back and may possibly be scarred for life) and watch it. If you don't want to sacrifice your time or your sanity, I will give you a run down. Oobi is a hand. A hand with googly eyes. A hand that speaks incorrectly, and has hand friends and family members that are equally obnoxious.

Between 6:30 and 7 every morning, I let the Diva watch Noggin. This half hour of tv time in the morning helps us both out. At this point, my early riser has had breakfast, and it is crunch time for Mama to get ready for the day. It's hard to get ready for the day when you have someone following you around asking you how blood runs through your body, if God knows how to dance, or if you would like to play "princess shopping" for the millionth time. It's also nice to get dressed without your 3 year old telling you your belly resembles Frosty The Snowman, all the while following you around singing the darn song.

So, now that happy 30 minutes is filled by freakin' Oobi. The Diva loves Oobi. Oobi makes me sick. Literally. I had a migraine the other day and the sound of Oobi's voice literally made me throw up.

This morning, Oobi had a new friend. Frieda. She's a foot! I am totally confused as to how whoever is playing Frieda moves their leg around in that awkward position. Are they walking on their hands? What's up with that? I made some smart remark about Frieda, and The Diva got mad. Really mad. She went on a tirade about Frieda.

"What do you mean, you don't like Frieda? Are you kidding me, Mom? She's a talking foot!!! And she has toes! She's upside down! She has toes! I like her! She's a talking foot! She doesn't have fingers! She's a talking foot!"

So throughout the day, I've just randomly said, "I don't like Frieda." To which the Diva replies, "She's a talking foot!" The Diva's arguement is part of the reason Frieda bothers me so much, she's a talking foot! Come on! The hands were bad enough. Now they've thrown feet into the mix.

For some reason The Diva has become the great Oobi defender. I almost feel bad dissing it to her, since she likes it so much. Almost, but not really. Oobi has got to go. I almost think watching some VH1 reality show would be of more educational value. Almost, but not really. I'll let her keep Oobi, for now.

The Diva ponders taking a husband

The Diva is sick today. I got a call to come get her at daycare. She was running a low grade fever and fell asleep during free play time. This alarmed her teacher, since The Diva is rarely quiet or still, let alone narcoleptic. I hurried to scoop up my poor sick baby. Mama hates having a poor sick baby, it hurts the heart. She seems a bit better now, I have given her some Motrin and am being extra indulgent. She is now watching Noggin while lying on the couch completely naked. She insists that being naked makes her feel better. She is covered up with a blanket, that had to be tan so that it would match the belly of her beloved stuffed Rottie, Zeus.

So, recently Diva and I were hanging out, talking about life and she said, (out of nowhere) "I want to be a mommy someday. So I am going to need a husband. I want Daddy to be my husband."I know this is common for little girls, but hello awkwardness! I escaped this conversation by saying Daddy could only be my husband, and that I was sure she would find her own wonderful husband someday.

A few days later she was on to talking about other people's husbands. Namely, my sister in law's. It went down like this:

Diva- Is Uncle Auntie's husband?
Me- Yes.
Diva- Who is Grandma's husband?
Me- Well, Grandma doesn't have a husband.
Diva- Oh, so does Auntie share her husband with Grandma?

Way to go Diva! Just keep setting me up for weird conversations. I am sure as she gets older she will have a better understanding of such matters, but for now she thinks she can marry her daddy and that sharing husbands is an okay thing to do.

The Power of Positive Thinking

What a difference a change in attitude and having some faith can make. First off, I'd like to say thank you for the encouraging and supportive comments! I truly appreciate it.

Today, out of curiousity (and possibly desperation) I scoured the job postings for the two school districts I have worked for this past year. I saw that the Reading Tutor position at the middle school where I have been working was posted. It pays more than subbing, and involves teaching small group reading instruction. A step closer to where I would like to be. I love the school where I have been subbing, the administration is amazing, the staff is fabulous, and the students are great too! Working there has made not being a classroom teacher a bit easier to bare. So, long story short, I got the position! I feel really good about it. Long term, it's not where I see myself, but I think it is a good move. I get to stay at a school I enjoy working at, The Diva can stay at the home daycare that she loves, and I will be making a little bit more money. This Mama is feeling so blessed and happy tonight!

Here I am

Most likely no one is really wondering where I have gone. I have put up some wordless blogs recently, but my heart hasn't been in blogging. Until I realized that this is my blog, and I love to write, and maybe, just maybe writing would help. I've been in a pretty negative place for a while now. It is most definitely job related. I still have yet to find a full time classroom position, so back to subbing I go. I left a teaching job that I was perfectly happy with to make a different life for our family. The good news is, Daddy-o's work life is much more stable here. The bad news is, my career is non-exisitent at the moment, which puts a strain on me emotionally, a strain on us financially, and Daddy-o is ALWAYS working. I am at a point where I just don't know what to do. Do I keep my building sub job? Do I go back into the general sub pool so I can get my name out there for more possible job opportunities? Do I try to find a totally different job? Should I try to find a way to make money from home, keep The Diva home, and cut the daycare expense which takes close to half my weekly salary? Will I ever teach again? I sure wish I had some answers.

This week I really hit rock bottom. I got news that I didn't get a teaching position I had interviewed for. I had thought that things had gone really well, but apparently not well enough. It is beyond frustrating. I have experience, excellent references, and confidence that I am a pretty darn good teacher. Putting myself out there and being rejected really bites. I am just not sure what my next move should be.

On a positive note, I have had some really good talks with God recently, and I have been able to turn my frustration off and focus on all the beautiful things that are present in my life. It is so easy to get caught up in the negatives, but in reality I am so blessed to have a loving husband, an amazing daughter, supportive family and friends, a place to live, a car to drive, food in my fridge and pantry, etc. I am just going to keep on keeping on.

Wordless Wednesday-Savoring Summer

Foto Faces Friday

Wordless Wednesday

Berry Picking

Diva's berries

Inspecting the goods

My favorite picture of the day- taking a break

Only the best for The Diva

Looking cool!

We went berry picking a few weeks ago and had the best time. The Diva really enjoyed looking for the perfect berries. She also managed to look pretty darn cute while picking. It was definitely one of my favorite family times this summer.

Foto Faces Friday-More Diva

She's the silliest!