Friday's Favorite and Least Favorite

Least Favorite:

1. Rain and cold.  But it is January.  What can I expect?

2.  I didn't get to bed until 10pm last night.  Not my fault.  Grrr.

And it really wasn't too bad of a week, 'cause that's all I got for least.

Favorite:

1. This comic:

I just thought it went very well with the title of my blog.  :)

2.  My student teacher has started teaching!  With her teaching two classes every other day, I have a little more time to see this girl:

3.  I'm finally feeling my groove with being a working mom.  That doesn't mean I like it.  But I have loved coming home the last couple of days, going into Olivia's room and closing the door.  She can play and explore while I watch her and "work" on the computer.

4.  Book reviews!  I write book reviews for the Deseret News on occasion, and I'm working on one right now.  Its a good book, not Earth shattering, but it has heart and it was a fun easy read (and after a hard day of work and caring for a baby, isn't that the sort of thing you want to be reading??)

  

5. End of January.  This is the last full week of January.  Next week it will turn to February.  And that means there are only four more months until summer break and four more months until I can (hopefully) be a stay at home mom for life!!

Fake

Sometimes I feel like a fake.  Like someone is going to suddenly realize and tell everyone and I'll just be standing there, exposed.  I worry someone is going to figure out that I'm a fake singer, a fake interior designer, a fake blogger, a fake adult.

All my life I have preferred the name Kimberly to Kim.  When I was in Kindergarten I remember not knowing how to spell Kimberly so I would write Kimmie on my papers.  Do not ever call me that.  The point is, when people ask me which I prefer I say, "either."  Why don't I tell the truth???  Please don't call me Kim.  I think they are going to tell me Kimberly is too many syllables and that Kimberly isn't my real name (its totally my real name) and that I'm not pretty enough to be a Kimberly.  Weird, right?

I also remember watching commercials for career colleges as a kid and when they would list the various degrees offered, I would always dream of what it would be like to be an interior designer.  Then at BYU I chose my major so that I could take the most interior design classes (they stopped offering it as a major shortly after I started school there).  Since graduating I've taught interior design for five years.  My students have won two district wide competitions and taken first and second in the state for other competitions, but I still don't feel like an interior designer.

SO: I'm going to tell everyone that I'm a singer (because I totally sang the National Anthem at an assembly in September) and I'm going to tell everyone that I'm an interior designer, and I'm going to tell everyone that my name is Kimberly.  And I'm going to believe myself, when I say I'm all of these things.  

Because I really am.

I only have eyes for you

The life of a baby is busy.  There is so much new stimuli everywhere.  Who has time for moms anymore?  But even with all she has to do, Olivia can't always hide the fact that she's crazy about me.  And I love those times.  When it's just the two of us.  When everything is simple.

When we scrunch our noses and close our eyes and pretend to cry and then laugh because we know its just a joke.

When I blow air into her face and she opens her mouth and shuts her eyes.

When wraps her legs around my waist and she rests her head on my shoulder and enjoys it for just a few seconds before she remembers that is so uncool and pulls away.

When we blow raspberries.

When we touch our noses and just smile.

When we move our tongues back and forth and say "ahhhh" at the same time because she loves that sound.

When she tries to eat my earring but it sounds like she's telling me a secret.

When she sits still on my lap and babbles, telling me all about her day.

Yeah, I love those times.

Friday Favorite and Least Favorite

Via

Last week I had my students write a journal entry telling me their favorite and least favorite thing about our class.  I ask all my classes, but before I left work that day I read the responses from my adult roles class (they learn about communication, dating, marriage, parenting. . . you get the idea)

Here are some of my favs:

Favorite thing: All the fun activities
Least favorite thing: Its cold in here

Favorite thing: Knowledge
Least favorite thing: Work

Favorite thing: Ms Thomas's jokes
Least favorite thing: book work, even though its rare

Favorite thing: The dating stuff
Least favorite thing: Taking home the baby (I have an assignment where they take home a simulated baby that cries and records their care.  I used to feel bad it was keeping them up nights.  And then Olivia was born. . . )

So that inspired me to do Friday's Posts as my favorite and least favorite things of the week.  I'll start with least favorite, so we can end on a high note, yeah?

Least Favorite:

1.  Olivia getting roseola.  I didn't even know what that was when the daycare worker told me she would have to leave.  I was FREAKING out.  And then we went to the dr.  Who has the same last name as us.  Who is pregnant.  Who wants to name her baby Olivia if its a girl.  Needless to say, I loved her and she reassured me it was no big deal.

2.  End of the semester.  Students that have been failing ALL SEMESTER LONG are suddenly asking how they can raise their grade to an A.

3.  Gloomy skies.

4.  I'm not going to lie, it is really cold in my classroom.  I'm not surprised that a few listed the cold classroom as their least favorite thing.  I got home from work an hour ago and my feet are still numb.

5.  That one girl, that came to class with tea, even though no drinks is NOT a new rule and then proceeded to mutter swear words under her breath when I made her get rid of it.  I didn't even feel like fighting her on the swearing, it was the last day I had to deal with her so just get this chick out of my class.


Favorite:

1.  One of my students pulled the prettiest little gift out of her purse after class and gave it to me.  It had a thank you card and chocolate and lotion!  Made my day.  After reading the card, I didn't even need the lotion or chocolate (though I still love them).  The card was enough.

2.  Having Olivia get better and back to her old self.  She is just the most fun baby I've ever known.

3.  Losing a pound!  I haven't lost any weight since before Thanksgiving, so its nice to start getting on track with my healthy eating plan (not to be confused with dieting, thank you very much)

4. My answer to the question "How can I raise my grade from ____ to a ____ (usually an A)??"  First, buy a time machine. . .

5.  End of the semester.  On Monday, I get all new students.  I'll miss a lot of the ones going out, but I had a lot of headache students this semester.

What's in a name?

Have you ever noticed how passionate people get about names when it comes to babies?

Some pick out a name when they find out the gender and they refer to the baby by that name only.

Some pick out a few names they like and decide the day of the birth.

Some pick out a name but keep it secret from everyone.

And all of these people feel very strongly about their method of naming their child.  Its a hot topic and everyone takes a side. 

And then of course the actual name.
Are you going to spell it traditional or (dare I say) made up?
Are you going to use a name that exists or make up your own?
Is this name an actual name or is it the word for something else? (like a fruit or a color)

My husband is in the camp of keeping it a secret.  He hated when I told everyone I was pretty much settled on Olivia for our girl.  He's also a little more creative than I am with names.  Heck, I would name my boys Andrew and Robert if I could, but they are my brother's names.  I just love the traditional.

Olivia is named after Raven Symone's character on the Cosby Show.  Where did you get inspiration for your kids names?

"People always say they want to see their baby before they decide on a name, just to make sure it fits.  If that were true there would be a lot more babies named Alien."  --I think this was said by my brother's brother in law.  And I'm sure I got the quote wrong!