Today in the class that I was subbing for, we read a poem called "Dreams" by Langston Hughes.

Dreams

Langston Hughes, 1902 - 1967

Hold fast to dreams 
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.

This poem is so great because it is so true. Just think about it. Everyone, I don't matter who you are, has some kind of dream, something you want to achieve in life. It might be a certain job that you want to attain, finding your soulmate, traveling the world. We all have a goal, or multiple goals, that drive us and motivate us. If we didn't have those dreams, then what would be the point of living? Wouldn't life be so boring if we just got up, went to work, came home, slept, and did it all over again? Having dreams keeps us going in life and gives us something to work towards.

For me, my current dream is to have my own classroom and be a full-time teacher. This is a dream I've been trying to reach for at least 10 years now. I can't remember the year I decided I wanted to be a teacher, but I knew in my senior year of high school which was exactly 10 years ago, that I wanted to go to school to get a teaching degree. And now it's crazy that 10 years later I still have the same dream of being a teacher. And I'm working towards that dream by substitute teaching. I'm hoping that this fall will be my year to start my teaching career.

Another dream I have is to make tons of memories with my husband and 2 kids. I hope that we can visit new places together and just enjoy the time we have as a family. There have definitely been a lot of reminders within the past year alone that have proven the point that life is too short and you never know how much time you have left.

So what are some dreams you have? I would love to hear them!! Have a great rest of your Monday!!

TGIF!!!

This is the first time in a while that I've been so excited for Friday to finally be here!! My hubby has been gone for work since Sunday so for the most part it has been just me and the kiddos. I say for the most part because my mom came over Monday night and stayed the night Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. My mom had to work each day so I was still on my own a lot of the week. And then today I had to work which was kind of weird after being off all week and then working one day because now it's the weekend!

We have had quite an interesting week. Let me tell you about it! On Monday morning I was sitting out in the living room getting some class work done and the kids were playing in the playroom. Well, after a little while, it was too quiet so I decided to go check on them. The coat closet wasn't locked so either Big E or Little E (I think it was the big one), got into sunscreen and had it on the floor and windowsill in the playroom. It was then that I decided to get rid of the foam floor mats that we've had in the playroom for almost 4 years. It was just way too hard to get the sunscreen out of them. Plus I wasn't able to vacuum them because the suction of the vacuum on the foam mats was way too strong and didn't allow the vacuum to move.

On Tuesday, Big E made a huge mess with nail polish and the cats' food and water in the hallway while she was supposed to be up in her room napping. I thought she was doing pretty good with staying in her room ever since we got her the alarm clock that turns green when it is ok for her to come out of her room. But that only does that in the morning, so I guess she thinks the lack of color on the alarm clock means she can leave her room. Also on Tuesday (I think) is when Big E got an egg from the fridge and cracked it on the playroom floor. But not just onto the floor, it went onto a foam mat! So guess what, the rest of the foam mats in the playroom are gone. In fact, the whole playroom got a makeover!!

As you can tell the playroom is a complete mess at the moment. But that will change before bedtime tonight! It actually isn't as bad as it normally gets so it shouldn't take the kiddos too long to clean up. The living room actually looks pretty good as well. I just decided it was time for a change in the playroom so that's just what it got!!

On Wednesday our mess of the day was the downstairs toilet getting clogged and overflowing. This happened right after the kiddos went down for their nap and my mom hadn't left for work yet. With almost all of the towels in the house, we cleaned it up and then ended up having to wash those towels 3 times before they smelled good again. Wednesday afternoon the kiddos and I went to the pool and had a great time!! We would have gone on Tuesday but didn't because of Big E's huge mess she made.

Thursday was one of the best days we had this week. I had no messes to clean up so that's definitely a win! We went to story time and then Chic-Fil A for a lunch playdate and both kiddos did a great job!!

And then we come to today, Friday!!! I was in for a 5th grade teacher that I will also be in for on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of next week. I love assignments like this because being in the same class for 2 days or longer makes me feel a little bit like a full-time teacher. Today was interesting because I had to cover for a 4th grade teacher for a period in the morning and then one in the afternoon. Plus I did some copying so I did a lot of walking around that school today!!

And now it is dinner time, which means bedtime is not too far away!! A few hours after the kiddos go to bed,  my hubby will be home! That's going to be one of my favorite parts of this day and this week!! Have a great weekend everyone!

Zumba!!!!

I've mentioned Zumba a few times in previous posts but I just felt like I needed to do another one! It has now been almost a year and a half since I took my first Zumba class at our local YMCA. I used to go on just Monday's but then one time when my hubby was on a work trip, I decided to go an extra day and go on a Monday. Then we put Big E in gymnastics and it just happened to be the same night as that Monday Zumba class so I decided to go to that class every Monday. Then even after Big E was done with gymnastics on Monday's, I still kept going because I just loved the instructor! I love the instructor that teaches on Thursday night's, too!!!

I also wrote in the past about how I went to a Zumbathon and at that event I decided I wanted to become a Zumba instructor. Well, that hasn't happened quite yet but I have been thinking about that again. I just looked up info on the training for it and it's only $225. I know that seems like a lot, but if I could get a part-time job somewhere teaching Zumba, it would definitely be worth it. As you also may know, I have a teaching degree and am substituting right now but am hoping to have a full-time position this fall. So teaching Zumba would be perfect for me.

The only thing is...I don't really have a background with dance. I didn't do any sports in school and I don't really have an athletic bone in my body. But you know what...I feel so alive when I'm in a Zumba class. I have always enjoyed music (hence my American Idol obsession I had when I was younger) and Zumba is all about music! I don't quite know how to explain it but it's like I feel so pumped during a Zumba class. I almost feel like a different person. I feel part of this great community and feel so good about myself for that one hour of exercise that doesn't feel like exercise at all. Now I'm not saying I don't feel good about myself any other time, because I definitely do. But it's just, I don't know, so hard to put in words.

So I'm going to continue going to Zumba twice a week and maybe even watch some videos on YouTube to figure out how I can improve on my dance moves. Because there are just certain things I can't do. Like move my hips or shake my shoulders. But then there are a ton of other moves that I feel like I have down pat! There's a lot of songs that I've danced to a bunch of times and I get so excited when they start playing! It makes me feel even more confident knowing that I know the dance moves really well!! Who knows, maybe within the next year I'll actually go to the basic training, we'll see!

Another trip

It's the start of another week and yet another work trip for my hubby. His plane left this evening and he'll be home on Friday. So it's another week of just me and the kiddos. And I only work on Friday so far so it will be me and the kiddos from morning to night. It's gonna be a rough week but I know that we can make it through.

Now that my husband has been away on so many trips, I've kind of gotten used to it. It has definitely gotten a lot easier than it used to be. It gives me some time to myself. When he's home, all I want to do is spend time with him whether it's just sitting down in the basement while we're both on our computers or up in bed watching TV. So when he's away for work, it gives me a chance to kind of just have some me-time once the kiddos go to bed. I'm definitely not saying that I want him to travel for work more though. But I think it is definitely needed from time to time.

Another thing him being away motivates me to do is clean the house like crazy! I know he likes the house to be super clean and I do my best to keep it that way. So the day before he comes back from a trip I clean the house from top to bottom. Well, maybe not completely but I do my very best to make it as clean as I can! So since I work on Friday this week, I'll be cleaning like crazy on Thursday. Unless I work that day, then I'll have to push it to Wednesday. My hubby does so much for our family so it's the least I can do for him!

I hope everyone had a great weekend and has a great week ahead of them!!

Update on Big E!

So I just searched by blog and the last time I did an update about how potty training was going with Big E was August of last year. I wish I could say that there has been a difference since then, but there has not. She is still doing excellent with peeing in the potty with only the occasional accident here and there. But even though she knows where she needs to go poo-poo, she still won't go in the potty. Most of the time when she goes, it's in her diaper so it is at least a little easier to clean up rather than it being in underwear. But I'm completely stuck with what we need to do in order for her to start pooping on the potty.

A year ago I was so sure that she was going to go still be in diapers in high school!! Like seriously, that's how rough potty training was going!! But sure enough, she's finally learned that she needs to pee on the potty and not in her pants. So I know that she will eventually start pooping on the potty. I haven't' been too stressed about it because I know it will eventually happen. She goes number 1 more than number 2, so I think it's more important that she does that in the potty. And we go through a ton less diapers with her than we used to!!!

What tricks do you have for getting your kiddos to poop in the potty? I'm thinking I may start finding some books about pooping and just talk a lot more about how we are supposed to go in the potty. Or maybe even potty videos might work since she loves watching TV. Or perhaps a potty training app? I"ll try just about anything right now!!

Go away sickness!!!!

So since I started using essential oils back in May of 2016, the amount of times that me or my kiddos have been sick hasn't been that much. As I may have mentioned in a previous post I did about oils, I'm not a doctor and I'm not allowed to say that Young Living essential oils prevent, cure, diagnose, or treat any illnesses or diseases. But using them to support our overall wellness has definitely been working for us!!! Just because my family or any other oily family out there uses essential oils, it doesn't mean we can never get sick again. It still happens but trust me, it is not as often as it used to be and it doesn't last for as long either.

Just last week, Big E and Little E both had some kind of stomach bug. They got them a day apart, one right after the other and only lasted for about 24 hours. Little E was the last of the 2 to get it and I hadn't gotten it so I thought maybe I was in the clear. Well, I woke up last Wednesday (luckily it was a day I had off), and I wasn't feeling too good. I wasn't surprised because just 48 hours prior to that, my mom got sick and she had been home with both kiddos during the weekend while me and the hubby went away.

So what are the steps that we take in our household to prevent any bugs from spreading to everyone else? Handwashing is definitely a must!!! And we do that with my homemade hand soap that I make using Thieves essential oil, castile soap, and water! I also make sure to clean the house like crazy with my Thieves all-purpose spray! Just a capful of the cleaner in a 16-ounce water bottle filled with water an I've got a cleaner that lasts me a few weeks or so, just depends on how often I use it.

I also diffuse Thieves essential oil any chance I get. I add a drop of Thieves vitality to my water for a little immune support. And I try to drink a little extra Ningxia Red, which is a wonderful supplement that a lot of people (myself included) drink an ounce of each day in place of a multi-vitamin.

With essential oils it's all about staying above the wellness line and there are so many great oils that help our family do just that!! I would love to chat more with you about getting started on your oily journey today so please don't hesitate to ask me any questions you may have!!