The World According to Leslie

I can't believe that it's March 1st already!  I say this all the time, but HOW does time go by so quickly? Way back in January, I wrote out my goals for the year.  You can read them here . At the end of January, I wrote how I was progressing on those goals.  You can read that here . Now that February has ended already, (again, HOW?!), I can update how my goals are going now. 1. Go ice skating       I am hoping to do this in Ober Gatlinburg in March.  :) If not, I'll have to find somewhere to do it.  There is an open-air one at Concord Mills Mall at Christmas time. 2. Enter a bowling tournament       The tournament that Tony and I were supposed to enter...well... we didn't get entered.  That's a good thing. We would have been out the money.  I was very sick that weekend and couldn't have bowled anyways.  There WILL be another tournament, and I will find a way to enter. 3. Go Horse...

Yesterday was Father's Day. I spent 90% of the day with my Daddy!  I spent 100% of the day with Tony! I even got to spend about 10% of the day with my brother!  (Even though she's not a dad, I got to spend a lot of time with my sister yesterday too!) It was a good Father's Day! Tony, the Princess, and I  took him and Mom to my Papaw's church yesterday morning.  It was awesome! I sang, which I don't get to do often any more. Best of all, my Daddy sang. I haven't heard him do that in a long time. It's one of my favorite things to do.... listen to him sing.  After church, we "kidnapped" (not really) Papaw and took him to lunch. We went to this awesome Mom and Pop home-cooking place in Maiden. There wasn't even a sign out front to tell you the name. So... I don't even know the name of the place we ate, but I hope we go back again! After lunch, we came home (about an hour's drive) and we did some laundry and rested before going b...

Since the year The Princess was in third or fourth grade, every year, about this time, I start looking at options for school for her. I have friends and family who homeschool. I always peruse that as an option. I have gone online and figured out what subjects we would need, where we would get them from, and (unfortunately!) the costs. There are some places I can get things online (like secondhand) but I won't start looking in earnest until we make a decision. Homeschooling (probably) gives us the most flexibility with subjects and schedules. When she is listed as a Junior, she can start taking Dual Enrollment classes at the local Community College for high school and college credit (for FREE!!)!!!!  Her fifth grade year, she was at a local Charter school. It didn't work out so well. (We went through 3 teachers and 2 principals in one year.)  I guess we could always look at going back there (now that they have been open and running for a few years) as an option. It's n...

I had planned to say something about the ban on travel that President Trump put into place over the weekend. I had planned to say something about the anniversary of Trayvon Martin's death and what his parents are now doing to help us remember him. I had planned to talk about a lot of things that happened nationally over the weekend. However.... I have decided that it's not time for me to talk about that yet. It's time for me to talk about what happened to my family over the weekend. First.... On Friday, the Princess had an ear infection. We know this because the stuff was draining from her ear. She has a hole in her right ear drum from when she had tubes from age 2-6. (It wouldn't come out and they had to go back in to get it. It left a hole.) Anyways, I dropped her off at school and called the doctor. They told me they didn't have anything available for us to come in on Friday. I wasn't very happy (or polite) when I asked them why they even tell peop...

Yesterday, I totally forgot to write. Well, I did write, but not here. I left for church at 9am and with everything I had to do yesterday, I did not come back home to stay until almost midnight. Hey! Some days are like that! So Writing Challenge Day #5 is today! Go back and check out Day #1 , Day #2 , Day #3 , and Day #4 . Then write your own and leave the links in the comments sections on the pages. Today's Challenge: "What does your last text message from someone else say?" The last text message I received says, "I'll call at nap." Yep! That's from my mom. She's a day care director. Last night, my brother was telling us about the awesome turkey that was catered in for the Thanksgiving meal at his job. He had just sent us the information for their contact at the restaurant. If my mom had not responded to him, the message would have been much longer and would have been a free plug for a local restaurant!!  I guess Mom is going to call...

As of today, there are only 24 days of school left for the kids. That means that I have 26 days of work left.   Updates:   1. In February, my Principal told me that my job may be on the line. The class I currently teach is funded by a Federal grant that runs out in June. (There are 5 of me—one at each High school in the district. Each of us was in the same boat.) There was only one difference.  Each of the other teachers (at the other schools) had been hired as an English teacher. So, they had higher rank in their departments because I was hired FOR the grant position.  A couple of days before Spring Break, my Principal came to me to let me know that they added some sections for next year, and I get to keep my job.  It was awesome!   2. In March, Tony and I got a letter that we were going to owe $1600 to the IRS for something that was on our taxes in 2012. (YES! TWO years ago!) So, our tax lady (my awesome sister in law) did some research for us...

I have not been in hiding for almost two weeks. Although, there is a chance that I have avoided doing anything that could remotely be considered “routine” during this time.   December 19th was the last day that I worked for 2013.  (It was supposed to be Tony’s last day for the year too!)   December 20th, Tony and I spent the day at the Princess’s school assisting with the in-class parties. I am the chair of the Social Committee at the school for the PTC (Parent Teacher Committee).  My committee and I planned the in-class parties for 39 classrooms and 700 kids!  OMG!  (NOTE: This is not a top of the list thing to ever do again!)   Dec. 21-24, we worked on getting everything ready for Christmas. Our tree was up and decorated over Thanksgiving break, but that was all we had.  We had not purchased gifts or anything.  We had had NO TIME!  So…we crammed it into 4 days!  We got it done!   I did have to go to Walgreens on C...

I’m a little behind on here posting my “Thankfuls”.  I have them all on Facebook though.    Yesterday, we went to Mom and Dad’s house around noon. We were supposed to eat at 1pm, but someone ALWAYS has to be late! lol  This year it was my sister.   We had about 20 people at the house.  It was crazy.  After lunch, the guys all crowded into the living room to watch football!      My sister-in-law took a nap. My sister laid down with her two babies (foster daughters) to get them to sleep.  Mom and I worked on sewing things that the Girl Scouts are going to sell next weekend.    Then…once everyone finally woke up, we finished discussions for Mom and Dad’s anniversary party. The party is tomorrow. I’m just hoping I can get everything I need done by then so that I can get some sleep!  I need REST!  But….  I’m thinking I won’t get any of that until January!

Today, I’m thankful for my siblings. Donnie and Lisa are awesome people. They are always there when I need them. We have a lot of fun together, when we actually have time to be together.   Donnie is 3.5 calendar years (4 school years) older than me. In some ways, until I graduated,  I lived in his shadow. That made me a better student. I tried really hard to prove that I was just as good, if not better than, he was.   Lisa is 9.5 years younger than me. She’s very different than the rest of us. She “marches to the beat of her own drum”. But, most of the time, I actually like her.   Growing up, there were days they both got on my nerves. Now, I don’t know what I would do without them.

I have always hated making decisions.   Last night, I made a great one!   After being broken-hearted that I could not make it to scrapbooking, Tony actually got off work in time that I could go. However, after going by my Papaw’s how to get my mom… (She takes his car to him on Fridays.  That’s another story. )…I decided that I would not go scrapbooking. I could have made it for a couple of hours. I decided to spend time with my family.   We haven’t done that in a while. So, we went to the Chinese buffet. After dinner, we went to watch part of the race that is in town this weekend on my dad’s huge TV. My brother and two nephews were there. We stayed until about 9:30pm. Then we left and came home to get some rest.   I wrote my article about my Interpreting career. (When it is posted, I will link it here.)   Then we were all in bed by 11pm.   Now, Tony is already at work.   The Princess is eating breakfast and getting ready...

I can’t believe that I haven’t written in over a week. How could I let that happen?  I have had so much to talk about in the past week!   1. Yesterday was my brother’s birthday. He is now 39 years old.   2. School has been great. The students are good. They announced yesterday that they are officially finished with schedule changes, so I should not have to worry about any kids moving into or out of my classes now.   3. Over the weekend, Tony, my parents, the Princess, and I went to Boone. We stayed in an awesome condo. I now have more things to check when I ask about places to stay. Internet….check. Handicap accessible…sorta check. (It was all one level, but the doors were very narrow and there was no walk in shower.) Central heat/AC….NO! Well, I don’t know about heat because it was in the 80s while we were there, but there was only a WINDOW unit in the place!  Can’t believe I didn’t see that on the description!   I will check better next time. ...

This is my 600th post. I have been waiting for the right thing to write, and I think this is it!   Today, the Princess starts at a brand new school. She has her backpack and supplies all ready. Her uniforms are laid out and waiting. She is always excited about school, but this year it seems even more so.   She’s going into the 5th grade. Like I said, it’s a BRAND NEW school. They just finished building it in July. The teachers are still working to make the rooms perfect….even yesterday!    I am heading into a new school year. I am excited for the things that await me this year. In reality, I only have plans for today finished. I worked really hard on everything else this past week, and I attended a million and one meetings (or so it seems)! So, today during my planning period, I will be PLANNING!  I’m glad to be at a school that will allow me to do that. Other schools have things for the teachers to do every day during their planning periods. ...

So…I’m a day late on Father’s Day.  But….that’s because I was with my Father!     There is a running joke in our family.  I have an older brother and a younger sister.  We tell everyone that Donnie is the favorite.  DUH!  We all know that!  Then Lisa and I “fight” for favorite daughter.    Since I do a lot of stuff for my parents, more than my siblings, I tell them I know I’m the favorite.  I don’t do it because I want the attention.  I do it because I know they need the help.  I get a couple extra drinks at the store and take them over because I know my parents can’t carry them.  Mom’s knees are bad, and Dad is on a walker. (But…that’s a different story!)   So yesterday I posted on Facebook a Happy Father’s Day message to my dad and said it was from his “Favorite” daughter.  One of my friends accused me of trying to start a fight in the family.  I had to explain that it was all a big joke...

So, I have plenty to say this morning.  However, I’m trying really hard to operate under my mom’s philosophy of “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all!”    Something happened at my church on Sunday.  When I am calmer, I will explain it.  I just found out yesterday who did it.  (I pretty much knew because this is the only person stupid enough to do it!)   Anyways, this person’s actions sent my Dad into a lot of stress.  So Sunday afternoon, he had a really bad episode with his heart.  He is still not up to 100% yet, and it’s Wednesday!    My parents have actually asked me to keep my mouth shut.  I’m trying.  But, something needs to be said/done.  I’m not a member of the church, so they can’t really run me off.  Tony and I have been thinking about leaving for a while now.   So, I’m going to be having my say.  Then…. I’m not going back.  I hate to leave my Dad hangi...

Daycare graduation went well today.   This Saturday I have to work graduation for work.  Since I teach at a high school, I have to be there for graduation.  Not so bad when it’s IN town and not 90 minutes away!!  Still keep part of my Saturday for ME!   The Princess will have her Championship softball game on Saturday.  Depending on the time, I will have to miss some or all of it. Hopefully…. only SOME!     Tonight, though, I’m heading to bed.  Only 5 days with the kids left!   6 days total for me….. I have ONE teacher workday the following week.

Today is my wedding anniversary.  Tony and I have been married for 12 years!  Poor guy has to put up with me all the time!     Yesterday, the girls won BOTH games of their double header.  Each of the other two teams has to play again.  We don’t have any more games until the tournament.  If each team wins one and each loses one game, then we will be in first place!   That means we don’t have to play until the final day for the championship!   That would be FABULOUS!!!!!!!!   It’s getting closer to the end of school.  We are beginning to plan vacations.  We are going to Hilton Head in June and Myrtle Beach in July.  We are also planning our trip to Gatlinburg in December!   We love the mountains.  Of course, the Princess earned tickets to Tweetsie again through Girl Scout cookie sales.  SO we will be going there again this year!   (Hopefully for the July 4th celebration they have! It was awesome t...

I have been awake since 5:30am!  On a Saturday!  ON PURPOSE!    Mom and I are going Yard selling this morning. Then we have a double-header for the Princess. Then my nephew has a game. Then my niece is singing the National Anthem at the local pro baseball team’s home game tonight.  She’s going to sing with her chorus group from school!  FABULOUS!  Can’t wait to see/hear that! Then we are going to stay for the game! Then we will come home and CRASH! Wow! That makes me tired already!  But….mom just called. She’s on the way!  Better get my hair dried!

I really only have ONE brother.  However, he and I share a best friend—Cody!  Cody lived with us for a while when he and I were in high school.  He looks like my real brother.  So, we “adopted” him.  He is my brother!!!  Anyways…. his wedding anniversary is coming up this weekend.  It’s May 18th.  He got married ONE day before MY 1st anniversary!  Isn’t that cool???   My real brother, Donnie, graduated yesterday!  He got to walk across the stage at his college and everything.  But, I’m the bad sister.    I had a meeting after work, so I didn’t get to go.    I have decided that I want to write more.  Obviously, you all know that!  So, last night, I found a site that I can use to find freelance writing jobs.  I have officially bid on my first job!  It’s pretty scary, but I think that if I get a job or two, I will become more confident and start bidding/taking more jobs.  Some o...

Today is one of those days where I have a lot on my mind, but nothing really to say.   1. Only 23 days of school left! 2. We find out tomorrow if the Princess is going to the new school we applied to or if she is being wait-listed.  3. I really need to lose weight! 4. I need to pay my car payment, but the online system is down.  Of course….  or…. it could be user error.  Who knows?  5. My brother graduates next week from college! 6. Mother’s Day is Sunday! 7. My daddy’s birthday is Sunday! 8. My niece is singing the National Anthem (with a school group) next Saturday for the local pro baseball team’s game!  (Gotta get tickets to that!) 9. My foot still hurts from the 5K! 10. I have so much on my mind, but nothing really to write today!

Yesterday, I had a million RANDOM things to do. Surprisingly enough, we got them all done.  We (the Princess) played softball.  They lost by 4, but it’s better than losing by 10 like the last time they played this team! GO TARHEELS! Donnie had to work (umpiring games) so he got there late, but Tony did a great job with the girls until he got there!   We got the van checked out.  Turns out that the Check Engine light was on because I put too much gas in the van.  Hmmmm…. on newer cars, there is a sensor in the gas tank.  If you get it wet (with gas) it will turn on the Check Engine light.  If you do it repeatedly, it will ruin the sensor.  How do you NOT get gas on it?  Well, when the gas pump clicks to say that the tank is full, just stop pumping!  (Who knew?!?!?)    After that, we went to watch my oldest nephew play baseball.  Then we went to supper at Mayflower (a seafood place) with my parents.  ...