Meet the Teacher!

It's Meet the Teacher time over at The First Grade Parade!  Without further ado...

I'm Kate!  I'm the wife of 3 1/2 years to Kurt and the mama to the Macey pup.  I'm in the process of preparing myself to be to the mama of our first baby boy, who will be here in May!  I don't think I'll ever truly be fully prepared, but I'm working on it!


This is my ninth (holy moly!) year of teaching:  2 years in 5th grade, 6 years in 3rd grade, and now in my first year of kindergarten.  I really enjoy teaching kindergarten, but there are definitely some aspects of the upper grades that I miss.  I have my Master's degree in Educational Studies, with certificates in Gifted Education and Teacher Leadership, and just recently achieved National Board certification.


Now on to the questions:
Q: What would you be doing if you weren’t a teacher? 
A: Hmm.  I really have no idea.  There is part of me that thinks I would like to be a stay-at-home mom, but the realist in me knows that I would miss the interaction with others, especially other adults.

Q: What are your hobbies? 
A: Being crafty, photography, shopping, web surfing

Q: When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? 
A: I went through stages.  When I was really young, I wanted to be a "payer" (a cashier).  I went through a dental hygienist stage and a florist stage. I'd say by middle school, I knew for sure that I wanted to be a teacher.  

Q: What are your guilty pleasures? 
A: Facebook, reality t.v., Reese's peanut butter cups 

Q: What is your biggest fear?! 
A: Snakes and death of my loved ones  

Q: When you’re on vacation, where do you like to go? 
A: I love going to the Outer Banks.  My family goes there every other year for a big family vacation.  

Q: What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? 
A: As a natural worrier, "Don't sweat the small stuff."

Q: If you could choose one of your personality traits to pass down to your kids, what would it be? 
A: Caring for others.  Maybe sometimes I care a little too much about others and how they are doing/feeling, though.  Guess that's the worrier in me!

Q: If you could have lunch with anyone in the world….living or dead…who would it be? 
A: I think I've answered this question in one of these types of "getting to know you posts" before.  I'd definitely say my mom's mother.  She died when my mom was very young, so I'd love to talk to her.  I hear my mom is a lot like her mother.

Now tell us one random thing about yourself:
I have webbed toes, a trait I got from my dad's dad and my mom's mom.  I've thought on numerous occasions about whether or not our baby will get this trait.  I hope not!



I can't wait to "meet" so many of you teacher friends out there!

Getting to Know You!!

I've taken a brief hiatus from Getting to Know You! Sunday.  Well, that's gonna change...right now!

1. Do you think mustaches are sexy?

No, no, no!  Not at all!

2. What's the last concert you've been to?

Hmm...I think it was U2 when they came to DC last year.  My sister had free tickets and didn't want to go, so we jumped on the opportunity!

3. What was your favorite 80's sitcom?

Full House, Growing Pains, Family Ties, Punky Brewster...I could go on!

 

4. Were you named after anyone?

Yes!  My mom's Aunt Kate and my great-grandmother and aunt for my middle name, Elizabeth.  I actually think I might want to use both names as middle names for my future children. Is that weird?

5. When you buy new clothes, do you wash before wearing?

Depends what it is, but not usually.  I typically want to wear them right away.

6. If you didn't blog, what would you do with your spare time?

I'd like to say laundry, cleaning house, etc., but who knows!  Probably watch more t.v. or read more trashy magazines.

7. What is your favorite department store?

I guess Macy's and Kohls.

8. If you were to get Laser Hair Removal..where would you get it?

Legs, definitely!  I hate shaving!

Getting to Know You Sunday!

After an unintentional blogging break, I'm back!  The past two weeks have been filled with a trip to visit our cute nephews, a terrible stomach virus going through our house, a huge National Board test, a wedding shower, and end-of-the-school-year stuff.  More on all of that later!  For now, a little Getting to Know You action...

If you could have one of Superman's, powers which one would you want?

Maybe flight or super speed!  After the business of the past two weeks, I'd love the superhuman ability to do twenty things at once!

The best thing I ever won is...

Gotta think about this one!  I've got it!  I have a lucky streak with winning things on the radio.  I've won Christina Aguilera tickets, Britney Spears tickets, and a Wii...all from the same radio station!

 

Have you ever skyped with a bloggy friend?

Nope, but I have skyped with our nephews!

What is your favorite Summer month?

July, because we have the entire month off, but August is a close runner up.  

Pool, Lake, or Ocean?

I like them all for different reasons!  Love just lounging by the pool...and knowing there are no critters swimming around me!  I like boating (and all that comes with it) on lakes.  And I like the beach that comes along with the ocean, but I'm terrified of sharks.

 

One of my favorite Summer memories is.....

Family vacations to the beach!  In fact, that's where we will be in three weeks from now!

 

What's your favorite secret bargain?

I love Old Navy tanks tops, especially when they are on sale.  This season, I've bought a lot of shoes from Target ($12!) and have gotten a lot of compliments on them.

Do you plan on or have you been watching the World Cup?

I watched the Opening Ceremony thing (musical performances, etc) on Friday night.  Kurt's in Vegas for a bachelor party, so I'm sure once he gets home, it will be playing on our t.v. all the time.

Getting to Know You...Saturday!

It's Getting to Know You Sunday (Saturday edition) over at MannLand5.  I'm up and at 'em early this morning because I've got a busy weekend ahead. Without further ado...let's get started:

What has been your most memorable Mother's Day? (with your mom, as a mom, or with your wife)

When I was younger, we used to go to my Grandma Dot's for Mother's Day.  There are eight children in my dad's family, so it was always fun to get together to celebrate all the moms in the family.  Of course I always had a great time hanging out with my cousins!

Have you ever been pulled over for speeding and were you able to talk your way out of it?

Let's just say that it helps having your dad be a police officer in the town where you live.  I've pulled the, "Do you know my dad?" card once or twice.

What's the oldest thing you have hanging in your closet?

At my house, I don't have very old things hanging in my closet.  At my parents' house, I'd probably say some of the dresses I wore to different dances in high school.  They're probably 13-15 years old.

Do you whiten your teeth?

I use whitening toothpaste and Arm and Hammer Whitening Booster.

I think it works quite well, when I use it consistently.  I've also used Crest White Strips. 

Underwear or Panties..What do you call your "unmentionables"?

Underwear.  I have a huge dislike for the word "panties."

If you could go on vacation right now..today..where would you go?

I'd love to go back to Nevis, where we went for the first half of our honeymoon.  I was just talking with some people at work about the Four Seasons Nevis, and it really made me want to go back.
Do you get offended when people cuss on their blogs?

If it's done tastefully, no. I try not to.

If you had to give up one luxury item, it would be....?

Gym membership.  Is that a luxury item? Considering I've only been a couple times in the past month, it would probably be better for my wallet to not pay the fee every month.

Now I'm off to finish some things before I head to do 3-mile run, go to Jenni's wedding shower, bachelorette party, brunch with with the in-laws, and dinner with my family...all in the next two days!  Phew!  I'm tired already!  Have a great weekend!

Getting to Know You Sunday!

It's Getting to Know You Sunday over at Mannland5.  Here we go...

Are you superstitious?

Not really.  I do believe that children are crazier when there is a full moon.  Only talking from experience here, people.  (Is that even superstition, though?)

 

If you were an animal..what kind would you be?

I've thought before about what it might be like to be Macey.  When she does something ridiculous, I think, "What the heck is going on in her head?" It might be cool to be her for a day to see what she's thinking when she runs around the backyard in circles like a maniac.  I mean, who can resist this face?

You would never catch me wearing.........?

At this point in my life, a bikini or leggings.  I am just not confident enough in my body (ahem, and a bit out of shape) to be rockin' the bikini.  I'll stick with the tankini.  I've always been pretty modest, though.  And leggings?  I wore then back in 1987 and plan to keep it that way, thank you very much.

 

If someone posts a VLOG..do you watch it?

I've watched a couple of them.  I think I prefer plain old blogs, though.

 

Have you ever waxed your girlie/manly parts..or any other part of your body?

Yeah, a couple times.  I was really nervous the first time, but it ended up being no big deal. I also get my eyebrows waxed.  I've definitely learned that I need to do that at night, or when I'm not going out in public afterwards because I get really, really red.  Embarassing!

Are you a spender or a saver?

Spender.  Good thing Kurt is really good with money!  I have recently paid off my car (a year early) and paid off my student loans.  I think that's pretty successful.  Kurt and I decided that we're going to continue to put the money I used to make my car payment in a separate account each month, so when I'm ready for a new car, we can use that to make a nice down payment.  We're talking at least 2-3 years down the road here.

 

If you were starring in a movie..who would you want to play your leading man/woman?

I'd want Reese Witherspoon to play me. Great actress, classy, pretty.  What more could you want? As for my man...hmmm.  Maybe Ben Affleck.  I feel like he's really changed himself for the better since marrying Jennifer Garner. I wasn't so sure about him during his JLo phase, but now I really like him!

Smoker..never smoked..social smoker..or smoked back in the day?

Nah, never have.  Saw what heavy smoking did to my grandfather and never want to go through what he went through.

 

It's supposed to get downright HOT here on the east coast today!  Stay cool, everyone!

Getting to Know You Sunday!

Sunday evening...one of my least favorite times of the week.  The weekend is coming to an end and the beginning of the work week is just hours aways. Instead of doing those last minute things that I've put off all weekend, here I am blogging! 

It's Getting to Know You Sunday over at Keely's blog...

Mens chests..hairy or hairless?

Well, you could knit a small blanket with Kurt's chest hair, and I'm not volunteering to shave it or wax it for him, so I've gotta deal!  Notice that I'm not saying I'm a fan of it, though! 

How often do you run red lights?

Well, our area has started doing stupid red light cameras, and I've gotten two tickets so far.  But, I swear, they both turned red as I was going through them, so I think really I ran yellow lights.  Grrr.  So, maybe once a year?!

If you could raid any celebrity's closet..whose would you raid?

I really like Reese Witherspoon's and Carrie Underwood's sense of styles, so probably one of them.  I'd take Reese's everyday clothes and Carrie's dress-up clothes.

Would you rather have more followers/friends on Facebook, Twitter, or your Blog?

At this point, I have more Facebook friends, but I'd love to get more blog followers.  Most of my Facebook people don't know I have a blog!

What makes you feel sexy?

When I'm having a feeling thin, clothes fit well, good hair and make-up day...and when Kurt tells me I look good!

I get excited when...........?

I have something to look forward to (trip, night out, getting together with friends).  I'm also excited that summer vacation is less than two months away! Woo..let the countdown begin!

Are you the "outdoorsy" type or more "indoorsy"?

I like being outside if it involves a beach and nice weather, but I think I'm mostly an indoorsy type.  I hate getting bitten by mosquitoes and sweating profusely. Put me in front of a t.v. or computer, or at a mall, and I'm good to go!

Would you rather have your dream home or a million dollars?

A million dollars, and I'd put some of it towards my dream home!

Have a great week, y'all!

Getting to Know You...

It's 'Getting to Know You Sunday' over at Keely's blog, so I thought I'd join in the fun before hitting my bed in preparation for this busy week!

What color do you wear the most?

Probably black...it's slimming and doesn't make me look as pale as I really am. I need a tan!

Would you rather have $10,000 dollars or a dream vacation?

I'd take the money...and one of the things I'd use it for would be a dream vacation!  I'd totally go back to the Four Seasons in Nevis.  We spent the first part of our honeymoon there and it was fabulous!!

Do you have a weird, quirky or unusual habit?

Kurt and my brother and sister would say my habit of breaking apart my food and looking at it before I eat it is quirky. One raw chicken sandwich at Wendy's back in the early 90s has scarred me for life!

I really need to start..........?

Going to the gym and watching what I eat!

What was the first blog you ever read?

I think it was Kelly's Korner or MckMama. Maybe it was Kellybeans.

Do you collect anything?

Snowmen, but they are only displayed from December to February.

How old were you when you had your first kiss?

Hmmm.  Don't remember.  It was probably during Truth or Dare. Ha!  I have no idea!

Do you text/twitter while driving?

Umm, yeah.  I'm guilty.  But our state just passed a law against it so I'm trying to be better. I mostly only do it at red lights.

 

So, that's it!  Hope you all had a great weekend!  I sure did!  Pics from this weekend coming up soon!

Getting to Know You Sunday!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter and were able to spend time with family and friends.

Over at MannLand5, it's Getting to Know You Sunday! The questions are:

Showers or baths?

Showers.  I've just never really been a bath kind of girl. If I take a bath, I feel like I need to shower afterwards, anyway, so it kinda defeats the purpose, right?!

Do you have any crazy urges?

Hmmm...not really.  Once in a while I have a crazy urge to have a kid and then I remember how much I love sleeping for at least eight hours a night and that urge subsides.

What is one thing we don't know about you?

Again, hmmm. Maybe that I don't handle stress well and tend to take it out on Kurt.

Exhibit A.: This morning, I woke up late and had to make two dishes to take to Kurt's grandparents' house for Easter.  The bacon for the green bean casserole started burning, thus setting off the smoke detector, and it was Kurt's fault.  I mean, he turned the oven (yeah, he made me cook bacon in the oven) to a higher temperature without telling me, which caused said bacon to begin burning.  So, I freaked out and told him it was his fault that the smoke detector was going off for the whole neighborhood to hear.  Yeah, I stress over stupid things!

 

Exercise..love it or hate it?

Love what it does for me.  Hate doing it.  Simple as that.

Do you think you have a good body image?

I guess so. I mean, I know I don't look how I did my senior year of high school, but I am realistic about it.  Maybe if exercise and I got along better and desserts and I didn't get along so well, things would be different.

 

Flour or corn tortillas?

Don't really care.  I guess flour, but corn is also fine.

How do you celebrate Easter?

This year was a little different. Typically, Kurt's grandparents have their "Bunny Bash" Easter party on the Saturday before Easter, so we go to that and then spend Easter Sunday going to church and having lunch (is it still Easter dinner if it's at like 1:00 in the afternoon?) with my family.  This year, because of his grandad's declining health, there was no Bunny Bash. My parents were in Michigan visiting my aunt and uncle, so we went to church at the National Cathedral and then went to Kurt's grandparents' house for a low-key meal. Who knows what will happen next year!

Hard boiled Easter eggs or plastic eggs?

I like to dye hard-boiled eggs, but I think plastic eggs are better for the egg hunts if case one isn't found!  Eww..that would be gross! We actually had an egg hunt today.  There were no kids there, but we still found a way to do that fun Easter tradition!

 

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope you have a great week!

"Getting to know you!" Sunday

It's "Getting to Know You Sunday" over at Keely's blog.  All the questions this week are from a guy guest blogger.  Interesting.  Here goes nothing...

Why did you start blogging?

I was spending too much time reading about other people's lives!

No really (well, kinda)...I initially started a classroom blog to keep my students' families updated on what was going on in our classroom.  Then I decided if I spend so much time reading about what other people are doing with their lives, why not begin to write about my own life.  I've never been a journaler or a diary-keeper, so this is something new for me.  My life isn't too exciting, but blogging helps me remember things (I have the WORST memory!) and helps me relax!

Who's the one blog friend that you would want to meet most in "real life"?

Hmmm...not sure.  Two of the first blogs I started reading were Mckmama and Kelly's Korner, so maybe one of them. I already know a couple of my blog friends in real life....does that count?


Why are you always concerned with losing that "extra 10 pounds" when chances are your husband/boyfriend/friends tell you that you look just fine the way you are?
I want to feel better about myself.  When my clothes fit and I feel energized, I feel confident about myself. Now...if I could only find a way to lose those extra 10 pounds by sitting on the couch, watching t.v., blogging, and eating Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Easter Eggs!


What's the one thing you wish guys could understand about you?
I wish Kurt would understand how much I hate when he doesn't clean up after himself.  It's not that I don't like it when he cooks chili.  It's the 5 million pots and spice remnants everywhere that I end up cleaning up that I don't like!


Tattoos. How many do you have and how many are visible when you wear your "everyday" clothes?
None.  Never have, never will.  All I need is a dolphin on my stomach that will turn into a whale once I have kids!


What was the best year of your life and why?

Hmmm...2001 was pretty good.  2002 was as well.  2007 was also.  So, really I don't know.  Maybe 2011 will be!


Name three things you would do if you were a man for one day.

Oh, I don't know.  Maybe pee standing up, sit on the couch and watch sports all day, tell my wife how beatiful she is.  I have no freaking idea.


What's your alcoholic drink of choice that usually raises a few eyebrows?

I'm a girly drink drinker.  I like Cherry Vodka and Sprite, Captain and Coke, Sweet Tea Vodka and Lemonade.  I don't think any of those really raise eyebrows, though.