Life so far as a working mother and wife of a deployed soldier...

Where do I begin?

Every week I begin with a positive attitude and all the will I can not to feel sorry for myself. I try to keep the kids and myself busy. I try to add humor and remember I am raising kids and I cannot sit around a cry all the time! So here is a sample day:

Monday:

• Get up around 5:15 am
• Shower, eat cocoa roos
  
• Let dogs out (Who let the dogs out? I did, I did)
  
• Feed Cats or they will pee on something
  
• Get kids up around 6 am already dressed the night before, hell yeah I am good!
  
• Drop kids off at Day Care 6:30 am usually while they are still 1/2 asleep
  
• Get to work hopefully on time around 7:10 am (have been times running up the stairs with kids yelling, "Hi Ms. Agosto!" right in front of the admin.)
• Start teaching a full 6 class day to 7th and 8th grade students in a rough area, that I still love!
  
• Somewhere in there eat lunch while walking a referral to the office, yes that is talent!
  
• Somewhere in the there collaborate with other teachers and maybe swear out some things that happened at school or we go get culvers and cry over a kid that called us "bitch"
  
• After school, stay after with students, go to a meeting that usually has the outcome of when we should have another meeting or get the hell out of there!
• Go pick up kids and sometimes stop at Target for the hell of it before I get the kids and purchase items I don't need from the $1.00 section...hey I used that magnetic pad until it fell apart an hour later
  
• Pick up kids and convince them they will have a blast at the YMCA kid stuff while mommy sweats it out to her body pump class from 5:15-6:15. I make sure I show off my tattoo and cool ninja moves while at class
  
• Usually the warm up is me running up the stairs and squeezing into class-you know what I am talking about Kat!
• After body pump, go home and check to see if the food burnt in the crock pot, if not, we eat roast, if burnt we go to Jimmy Johns.
• Bath time around 7pm in which no one has pooped in the tub so far...
  
• Story and bedtime around 7:30 with hugs and kisses, kisses for daddy's photo too
  
• After the kids go to bed-Dishes, laundry, dogs, cats, bills, etc. (sometimes cleaning up cat puke that Daylen discovered or calling a maintenance person on something that broke again!)
• Somewhere in there maybe, just maybe I will get to speak to my husband if the internet is working. Usually it goes like this, "I can hear you, can you hear me?" "No", "can you see me?" "I can see you," "No." "What?" "You bought what?" -Dan is now offline. The end.
  
• Read my Newsweek for my ultra liberal news (Loved the one on Oprah-funny stuff-I thought she was going shit crazy) or my US weekly to catch up on the Jon and Kate (Do you think he cheated?) scandal and fall asleep with the T.V. on
  

• Rinse and repeat! With a few minor changes like studio cycle or swimming lessons instead of body pump or anything random these days!

Well, I only have 11 more months of this if everything goes to plan, but we all know things don't always work that way.

I am hoping to see many of you during the summer to take a break before this cycle starts all over again in the fall. I would not mind a break in the routine! I am all about doing fun things that can make us all laugh!

I will taking the kids to Florida with Rachel and her kids and Anazi from South Africa June 11th-22nd. And my family wanted the kids and me to come to New York August 2nd-9th. So lets plan something! I am game!

Man, when I type this out, it looks a bit hectic, no wonder I have walked around with long hair on my ankles or poorly shaven armpits.

Ciao for now!

E-Tab 151 Farewell Ceremony

Rowan and Daylen's Birthday Party!

Rowan is now 5 and will be starting kindergarten this fall! He is my little perfectionist! Daylen will be 2 April 19th and is my little dare devil!

Hairball!

Thank you for such a fun night out Beth Ann! I see why you love Hairball!

Single Mama

Those of you I have been able to speak to already know this...Dan will be deploying soon. I cannot give out specific dates via internet. If interested in more information feel free to e-mail me or "facebook" me.

I am trying really hard not to put on high expectations and just do what I can. I am also trying really hard not to feel sorry for myself, I know life could be worse. I know others in the world suffer more than I.

In good news...we finally locked down a date, time and place for our 30th birthday. Check out our link on Facebook or on the e-mail I sent to you, depending on our other means of contact.

I hope you are all doing well...shall see and speak to you soon.

Getting Real

This post will be a reflection for me and an update for all of my readers. As many of you know I like trying to see the good in people, make bad experiences into learning experiences and just keep trying to remind myself of my haves rather than my have nots. As we all know life is not easy and obstacles are thrown our way.

First, the good news. This year has been the best school year I have had in my entire teaching career. Don't get me wrong, there are still battles of kids failing, fights and still tension in the air about where our American education is heading. BUT, my department this year is phenomenal. We had two teachers leave that I believe really do not have a passion for their craft. I am glad they moved on. We now have two new teachers whom share the same philosophies as the rest of us. There has been tremendous collaboration and encouragement. It has been a "Drama" free school year. Yes, even today I still had a student screaming, yelling and swearing while slamming the door on her way out. Don't know where she went, basically skipped class. I had a student confess to me that she has joined a gang, been doing drugs, drinking all to deal with the pain of her father's death. Now her best friend was shot and killed from gang violence. But because of our new found support with a caring department I can take the time to help the students that I care deeply about. This is why I became an educator, to encourage and help those that can't always get it from home.

The funny news is that I am officially getting diagnosed with ADHD. Yes, I did. I finally stopped joking about it and got help. If you check out the following website you will laugh out loud on how much that is like me. (Adult ADHD) A fellow teacher just like me was tested and now on a medication that helps her focus. I find with more responsibilities the more difficult it has been for me to manage day to day activities. I do love my ADHD personality, I have learned to embrace it as a part of me, but man, I really am sick of losing my damn keys.

Now, the sad news. I was not sure how to present this, if I should say anything, how would I say it, when and on and on. Well, Dan's unit has been called to go back to Iraq. The story is that Dan really wants to be a Warrant Officer. Yes, he took a break for a while, but it is hard to explain what ties Dan to the military. I guess you would just have to witness the comradary among his soldiers to get it. I try to remember that we all make sacrifices in some way. If Dan gets into Warrant school before January 8th, he does not have to go to Iraq. He will just need to attend Warrant school here and there stateside. January 8th is Stop Loss. If does not get in before stop loss he leaves with his unit in April 2009 and will not be back until April 2010. Again, I am not sure how most people will react. A part of me did not want to say anything to anyone because I worry people will feel obligated to help. I figured in the end I owe everyone to at least let them know what is going on, because I would want to know if it were the other way around. I have many "Newbie" military husbands and wives with young kids that will be looking up to Dan and I. They have already been asking for advice on how to handle everything. I am willing to take this on.

No matter what, Daylen is still Daylen, Rowan is still Rowan, Dan is still Dan, I am still me and even our crazy sometimes smelly animals are still the same. We are just a family that can be crazy busy at times. We still care and appreciate all of you that take the time to include us in your lives. Everything any of you have ever done or said has impacted our lives and have felt loved by you all. We never forget about any of you. I do however, continuously misplace my keys. When the heck am I going to get those meds anyway? Peace out and sending love to all my peeps.

Halloween 2008: Brother's and Sister's Style

Trick or Treating in Uncle Drew and Auntie Kelly's Hood. Yes, they are holding hands here!

The King and Queen, who do you think is in charge?

Dan, I am not made of chocolate. I wore this to work. Comments from students, "Are you a skittle?" "Do you have any M&Ms?""Can I eat you?""Are you a Pumpkin""You are making me want lunch." And my personal favorite,"You are the white chocolate version of the M&M."

Yes, the Agosto's are that hot...smokin' hot.

An attempt to get a costume photo. We tried.