School, McDonald's, and a Three Day Weekend

I am supremely pissed at occasionally frustrated with my students because of their lack of motivation. I worked with one student yesterday (a 17 year old 9th grader) on math. For twenty minutes we covered polynomials, going over the assignment, working through examples, her saying “yes, I understand” and answering my questions, only to have her sit in her chair like a bump on a log when asked to think for herself work out a few problems on her own. I often feel like I’m working harder than they are. It’s supposed to be the other way around.

I keep telling them they will need a high school diploma just to work at McDonald’s. Apparently they don’t believe me.

Should I just carry around a large spoon so I can open their heads and scoop in knowledge without them having to lift a finger? Some of my students seem to think that they don’t have to work very hard at anything...especially not learning and completing high school.

I talk with my students about how life will be if they don’t get their acts together. They just don’t seem to understand. I wonder if it is condition of their background, one in which they see everyone else doing “okay” regardless of whether or not the people around them graduated from high school.

I have a student who doesn’t even know whether or not his mother graduated from high school. Wait.... What? How the heck do you not know whether or not your mom or dad graduated from high school and you see them every day?!?

And don’t get me started on the 17 year old who doesn’t know her address. She has lived there for years....

It’s almost time for me to leave for the day. I’m looking forward to the three day weekend.

My First Compliment From A Stranger

I have to admit that I've been reading all about Sisterlocks, any chance I get.  I always seem to be reading about people who say they are always getting compliments and questions about their hair.  That has had me wondering about what my hair looks like to others.  I love my hair, so I don't really care what others think.  But, still I wonder...

The other day I was shopping in Target and this guy says "Are those Sisterlocks?"  When I replied he held up two thumbs and said "They're looking good."  That put a smile on my face after a long tiring day.


Okay....back to work.  Just had to share.

Little Brown Child

I love children.  I really do.  If I could (and if I had the money) I would have a few of them. I have a little girl and she is the apple of my eye.

I saw a little chocolate child today. A little girl around three or four years of age. She was just too cute.  She had on yellow pajamas (with the feet)-a bit odd as it was raining outside and she was in an office building....She sat with her dad outside of my office and was repeating everything he said.   I think she was drawing or writing on paper.  Her smile is infectious and her hair was in a small afro. Toooo cute. Her mom and dad are  teenagers, probably around 17 years old. I couldn't have imagined having a child so young, but teenagers are doing it everyday. Many of my students have children, and at least one young lady has two.

Life is interesting.

My Hot Water Smells Like Bacon...and other things.

I'm trying to blog regularly, but life, a new job, and my busy baby keep me away from my computer most days when I get home...

The other day my niece warmed up some hot water in my mom's microwave.  She then said..."My hot water smells like bacon."  It was hilarious.  Her water actually didn't smell like bacon. The microwave does, however, smell like bacon because my mom cooks bacon in it every day for breakfast.  Funny.

I had my second retightening this past Saturday.  My locks are a little over two months old.  In fact, they are two months and one day.  My hair is growing (and itching) like crazy.  I'm definitely noticing some changes.  At my first retightening my consultant did the retight and then banded and washed my hair.  Note to everyone...Carols Daughter shampoo is NOT the business if you have locks...it left some residue on my hair and scalp that had to be washed out (scrubbed is a better word for it).  It was crazy.  Anyways.  My consultant said that my locks were looking great, no slippage or anything.

I mentioned to her that I have had crazy itching.  She suggested tea tree oil.

For my second retight, I washed my hair the night before and she said I did an excellent job at braiding and banding.  Braiding and banding took like two forevers.  But I'm glad I did a good job.  I did have some slippage this time, around the edges and in the back where my texture is looser.  She said that I now have a thin patch that wasn't there at my first retight.  I'm a little concerned about that and I've been trying to think about what I did differently during the second month.  Hmmm...I was patting my head (okay, banging on my head with my hands) a whole heck of a lot because I was trying to avoid scratching.  Maybe that was it.  Maybe it was the oil she used, plus the witch hazel, plus the banging.  Or it could have been the bcp's I started a week or so ago (but have since stopped-a whole 'nother story).  Who knows.  I'm just hoping it doesn't continue to be a problem.

I absolutely love my hair.  It was going every which way after the retight, but it has settled down.  I even have balls on the ends of a few locks.  Hurray.

Hubby is giving baby a bath and she is babbling non-stop.  It is so cute.  Today when we got home I said "C'mon baby, let's take off your shoes."  She looked up at me, and then reached down and started pulling her shoe ties (velcro).  The she sat down and continued, as if she was going to take her shoes off herself.  She constantly amazes me and I love her to pieces.

My head is itching like crazy, still, and the baby is walking, for real.

It's funny how things happen sometimes.  When I last wrote, my darling thirteen month old child had taken a few steps here and there.  In fact, she had walked across the living room (maybe 8 steps or so).  My husband and I were thrilled.  Let me tell you what happened next...

The next day, her daycare went to a fun kids pizza spot.  Apparently, my little walker decided to go all out.  According to the daycare ladies, they got to the pizza spot, my child got down, and was WALKING ALL OVER THE PLACE!  She even climbed the slide and slid down over and over again.  She even knew how to get up on the slide and put her legs over to slide down.  At this point I have to tell you that it was her first time on a slide.  Ever.   They said she walked around all day, even went walking towards the door when it was time to leave.  Of course I stood staring at my child in amazement.  I wish I had been there.....  And then she had the nerve to want me to carry her.  I guess she was tired from all that walking...

She is fourteen months old today.  She has been walking around when she wants to, but it seems she prefers leading me around by my finger.  It is amazing to see her learn new things. She catches on quickly.  In fact, today she figured out how to unlock my phone.  I guess I'd better not leave it lying around, she might start deleting stuff.

I'm three weeks (tomorrow) into my Sisterlock journey.  The itching is still driving me crazy, witch hazel doesn't seem to help and I hate the way Sea Breeze smells.  My consultant said to put NOTHING on my hair, so I'm all paranoid about getting it wet in any way.

I will admit to having lock envy.  I know that all locks are different.  I like my hair, but I'm wondering if it is going to be full like I had envisioned it.  It is kind of flat.  I'm also trying to avoid manipulating it for the first 60 days or so (consultant's orders).  Perhaps I'm just used to looking at my afro.  I will also admit to wondering about the number of locks in my head.  I know how many I'm hoping to have, I guess I'm afraid to count and dislike the number that I come up with.

I know...I need to post some pictures.    That is in the plans over the next few days.

She is walking...well...almost.

My daughter is 13 months and 4 weeks, she will be fourteen months old a week from today.  Yes, I am a mommy that counts her child's age in months.  Last night she decided that she wanted to do some walking on her own.  For the past 4-6 months or so she has been walking around holding my hands and fingers. This past Saturday she took four or five steps out of the blue. She just turned around, and started walking over to my niece.  Of course we all got excited and that startled her.

Last night she took four steps on her own into her room, took a few more steps in the hallway, and then she walked across the living room from her dad to me.  It was great.  I am so amazed by her. 

She has been doing it little by little.  I'm hoping to see more walking on her own in the next few days.  It is so exciting.  I love being a mommy.

Have a blessed day.

Hands in my pockets...most irritating

I'm highly irritated.  Okay, so I'm pissed.  I may ramble...thanks for letting me vent.

Today was a good day.  I got some stuff done, though not as much as I should have.  I had a really good omelet at a cafe in town.  I watched one of my favorite shows on TV (I LOVE my DVR...don't know what I did before I had one).  All was well until I went shopping with one of my sisters.  We were shopping for baby shower gifts for my niece's baby shower, which is tomorrow.  Everything about the shopping trip was cool...until my sister started making comments like "What are you getting?"  "Why are you putting that back, isn't it only like $3.99?"  "Aren't you gonna get all that stuff?"  Mind you, I had a bunch of stuff in the basket already.  I love my niece dearly, but cannot afford to spend a small fortune on her.  She and her boyfriend are down to one income because she has been on bed-rest for most of her pregnancy.  I'm sorry for that, but it's not up to me to purchase everything that they need.  I'm giving them a bassinet (like new), a new boppy pillow, gave them a bunch of baby stuff already, and will continue to pass stuff along.

At the cashier, I paid for my stuff (also got a few cute dresses for my thirteen month old daughter).  I put one baby item to the side because I was spending more than I had intended.  My sister started saying things like "Well I'm gonna get all this stuff for her because I know they need it."  and "They only have one income."  and "It's gonna be hard for them with only one income." and "I bought all this stuff for them because they need everything they can get, they only have one income."  After all of that I was thinking..."man, I'm gonna leave her a** here..."

If I had a dollar for each of the times she said "only one income," I wouldn't need my next paycheck.  One thing that made me even more irritated is that she made some snide comment to her 12 year old daughter (my niece), who then looked at me with a frown.  I wanted to say "Will you pull your hands from my pockets?" 

You see....for some reason my sister is fixated on the fact that I have two incomes and she only has one.  Well, I'm married.  She isn't.  She married a man she knew for 3 months (yes, she met him-didn't like him at first, started dating him, and married him in secret literally 2 months later) and no one was surprised at the divorce which happened a few years later.  She single, and complains about having one income.  Go figure.

My husband and I are able to make ends meet, sometimes barely.  My sister doesn't know our income situation, nor does she know what bills and expenses we have to pay.  Yet she thinks that she knows what I should spend on baby clothes or anything else?  Seriously?  She has often commented before that she "wishes she had two incomes."  If I mention something about not having enough money for something, she'll say "Well, you have two incomes."  Like that makes everything I say null and void. Give me a stinkin' break.  She complains about having only one income, but is always buying shoes and clothes and jewelry.  Give me two stinkin' breaks.

How can two people grow up in the same household, and them one of them turn into some selfish, self righteous, opinionated-think she knows everything type of individual?  It's like whatever she has done is the gospel and if others aren't doing it that way, they are stupid or whatever.  She talks badly about other people and the choices they have made, like she never made any of the same or similar poor choices.  And she is teaching her daughter the same bad habits.  It's one thing to want nice things and appreciate nice things, and to purchase nice things for your daughter.  It is another thing altogether to raise your daughter to be an uppity little snot with a smart mouth who thinks she is better than everyone else.  This twelve year old girl looks down on her cousin (another sister's child) because she doesn't have all the same things (material wealth) or the same knowledge (life skills).  In fact, she makes rude comments and treats her cousin poorly.  How much do you want to bet it is because her mother talked a lot of mess about her cousins mother (another sister of mine-I have 5)? It is a shame, a dog-gone shame.  And the child thinks she's grown.  She isn't.

I look at that and I pray that the Lord guides me in teaching my daughter not to judge people too harshly because you never know about their exact situation.  I pray that I instill in her positive values that will help her to be a well rounded, loveable, caring young lady who has lots of friends and a positive outlook on life while being determined and goal oriented.

I'm a person who avoids conflict.  I don't like conflict.  I seldom get angry.  I don't curse.  But today, I wanted to do all those things. 

She is my sister, and I love her, but dammit, she needs to pull her hands out of my pockets.  We might have to come to verbal fisticuffs (argument) if she doesn't stop her self-righteous b.s. 

My husband doesn't know why I hold my tongue. 

Sometimes I don't know either.