All About Kimberly

Sailing Along the Life of Single Parenthood

Monthly Archives: January 2010

What This Year Has Brought

I’ve done a few quick posts, but I wanted to take an opportunity before calling it a night to just talk about life over the last few months (remember years for me go from September to August, not January to December).  I did in fact change teaching fields from English to technology.  I LOVE the change, but I also feel like I’m a first year teacher again, trying to come up with teaching strategies that work and constant lesson planning.  I almost just want this year to be over so that I can actually start creating next year’s curriculum. I think I’ve about decided how to do do things.

Becka’s a senior.  We’ve picked the college – we’re working on financial aid – but it looks like she’s heading for Texas A&M Corpus Christi.  This year we are getting in a few more college classes (at the school’s expense), finishing up her last year in debate, speech, and drama.  It’s hard to imagine life without her in just a few short months. I don’t know how I’ll make it through the month of May and the summer.

Cameron’s in 4th grade. We’re in the end of basketball season and getting ready to start softball season.  We’re not doign dance and twirling class this year (boo! Ms. Emily).

Oh, and I’m dating.  Yes, this single mom is not so single.  It’s still new – not very far along yet, but I’m enjoying being back in more than the “random date here or there” scene.  We have been dating since the end of October..there’s been some dates, but even better (or at least to me) is that he’s just as busy as I am so he understand and we’ve also done some hanging out at the house time.

This will be a crazy hectic week – district debate meet – but I will try my best to post at least two more times this week in between booking a Disney World vacation, paying off a cruise, finishing redoing my bathroom, straightening out my HSA, and getting a few insurance quotes.

It feels good to be coming back!  :-)

My Pontiac – Dying?

I’m sad.  Why? Because my car, the first car I ever bought because I really, really wanted it, seems to be approaching its death and because GM isn’t making the Pontiac line, I don’t want it to die even more. If I could go buy a new Grand Prix, then I don’t think I’d be as upset, but because there’s nothing on the market I really want (except the 2010 Camaro).  I’ve gotten those extended service plan / warranty things a million times and now I’m wondering should I have purchased one.  I think I’d be out of it by now, but could I have kept in a little better condition before then?  Ugh!  Sometimes being a grown up sucks!  :-)

New Phones: How Often?

Today between the house renovations, I started searching online for a new unlocked phone. I haven’t had mine for very long, a year or so, but I’ve had the bug for a new phone for a couple months now.  Over this weekend, my phone charger isn’t charging my phone. I’m not sure if it is the charger or the phone, but it’s just enough that I decided to start googling earlier today.  But I’ve realized after looking through a ton of phones that if I get another, I might just have to get another line like mine – where’s the fun in that?  But I have three major features I don’t want to do without and when I started looking, there aren’t that many choices out there. I want 1. a touch screen, 2. a slide out keyboard, and 3. the ability to wifi.  It also has to be an unlocked phone as I’m on a network that is pretty local and has few choices on its network.  Anyone have a phone out there with these criteria they think I’d like? My google search earlier didn’t turn up much.

Coming Back

I have SOO missed my blogging world – my sites, my blogging forums, reading my favorite people’s sites … so much. I’ve got to come back though. I’ve let my change in employment rule my world the last few months and not given blogging the attention I want to. I have missed it so much that I’m going to try to start coming back – slowly but surely.  I’ll start with putting my focus here – where I’m just me and then slowly move back in to the review sites.  My goal will be to write 3 or so personal posts a week along with mixing in the small reviews, random thoughts posts.  And you guys have to help me not lose track of time and not post.  If you start to see me slipping then I need comments and/or emails pushing me to get back on track!

A New Degree

I’ve put off going back to school for several years now.  Finally last year I told myself that after Becka graduated (this year), I would start seriously looking into going back to school and getting my master’s degree – there’s really no excuse now that you can get a masters degree online and not have to find the time to visit a campus every week.

So I’ve decided that I’ll start looking into the GRE when our academic season is over for the year and then start looking seriously at the different options I have. What master’s degree would I want? And what college should I choose?

We have a couple colleges local if I didn’t decide to pursue an online degree.  There’s even some colleges within 2 or 3 hours that have completely online program. Another program I recently found was Western Governors University. I had never heard of it until someone else pointed it out, but after reviewing it, I think it has some very interesting features:

  • You pay for a 6 month period of classes instead of by the credit hour.
  • WGU is a non-profit institution so prices are very reasonable.
  • The focus is on the degree – there’s no physical campus, no student organizations – just a college focused on assisting you get your online degree.
  • Programs are offered in nursing, business, technology, and education.
  • Payment plans are allowed to help the financial obligations.
  • You can start on your time. Most classes start each month instead of by individual semesters.

I haven’t decided if it would be better for me to seek an online program or a physical brick and mortar program yet, but if I do go the online route, I will be looking more into Western Governors University.  I love the idea of the flexibility of an online program, but also know that I may work better and be more efficient if I have to report in every week and not allowed to work at my own pace.  Life gets crazy and I might need the discipline.  I’m actually getting more excited though thinking about seeking a master’s degree one way or the other.