Goodwill is my lifeline...

So after a trip to goodwill with baby in tow, which was much harder than I ever imagined.....here are the things I came away with to try and sell on eBay...who knows it I will have any success but I did not spend much money at all so it is a decent first try I guess.

 This is a Fisher Price Sweet Streets doll house building: Dance Studio and Candy Shop. I have read on the Yard Sale Mommy that these sell pretty well so since I only paid 1.99 for each piece I figured it was a decent first try.

 This is the Fisher Price Sweet Streets Ocean Club House. 1.99 also.

 Sweet Streets Beauty Salon and Pet Shop: .99 for whatever reason. 

 Ok, Goodwill wasn't selling this CUTIE, but I have no shame and this is my little man. I would have paid (and am still paying that hospital, just for reference, much more than anything at goodwill is worth to have him!)

 Polly Pocket House. No Polly dolls but it did have some clothes in it. .99

These TY beanie babies are from the McDonald's series. There were four in the set when McD's released them, but I got two of them. I really don't know it they are worth anything but they are in the box and in great condition. They were .99 each. So those are my goodwill spoils...any thoughts?

Its been a while....

So I have not written in a while. I got busy teaching, being pregnant and well being pregnant. Then I had Steven and life got really busy but I am happy to report my two weeks early, emergency C-section 8lb 6 oz baby boy was healthy and is going wonderful. I am so blessed. So he is now 7 weeks old and amazes me daily.

School starts back in a week or so and I am teaching 7th grade math this year. I am excited about it and ready to get at it. Since I have never really talked about my family situation I guess I will update that. I am married to Kenny and he has a son named David. David is 10 and I love him. He can be a handful but is a joy. Getting him straight in school has not been easy but he is going in the right direction. Being a step mother is harder than I thought it would be. I do not like having to deal with "her." Its not that I hate her, i mean shes alright I guess, but its annoying and sometimes I vehemently disagree with things she does and it frustrates me that Kenny sometimes does not share this with her. He wants to avoid conflict and I get that, but some of the stuff she does is just borderline crazy. More on that later I am sure.

So now to my new obsession, making more money. As a school teacher I love, LOVE, love my job but its not known for its pay and having two kids and a husband that doesn't make any more than I do, and hospital bill, etc etc etc, is getting to me. I have been following the Yard Sale Mommy and she has gotten my inspired to buy and sell stuff on eBay and I figure it is worth a try but I am quite nervous about it so encouragement is welcome.   You should visit her website as I firmly believe she is the bomb!

My life is more complicated than I ever really thought it would be, blessed, no doubt, but complicated. I am the child of two teachers who were both in the first generation to graduate from college. I have two college degrees and I always imgined my life would be pretty simple. I did the right things, took the right steps and I figured I would be on my way to 2.5 kids and a house in the suburbs. Then enter my complicated husband, his complicating ex-wife, his wonderful son, our wonderful son, and so on and so forth. Add to that, the fact that he does not always make the most reasonable (in my eyes) financial decisions. (A time share purchased before we were together with his ex-wife who was his ex-wife at the time of the purchase....WTF! I know!)

My head is spinning, as I am sure yours is, but the point being, I would like to add some income to this household without having to work another job outside the home. So please make suggestions!

Baby Names

I do not think a woman understands how difficult it is to choose a child's name until she is pregnant with said child, has to make the daddy happy too and understands that this is the name that this baby will carry forever.

I have a full understanding of that now.


We are naming our son Steven Ray after both of our fathers. I like it, he likes it, so it works. We are going to call him Stevie.

As a teacher it is twice as hard to name a baby because every time you say a name it makes you think of little _____ that you had last year who drove you BANANAS!

A world view....

Just a review. My name is....well we will just go with SJ. I am from North Carolina and I live in the Greensboro area. I am a second year middle school teacher, a soon-to-be mother and a wife, of sorts, to a wonderful, though annoying, man. Nothing super out of the ordinary, just a pretty typical life. I'm 25, have a two bachelors degrees from a UNC system school and I am a pretty smart cookie.

So lets see...what should I start. I guess middle school.

I love my students. I do not always like them, but I always love them. They are special to say the least but they have a way of catching your heart. In recent weeks I have had some pretty serious issues with them. Nothing with any particular student, as generally they all have their days but the better days out way the not better days, but with them as a whole. With the recent disaster in Japan, I am concerned that they have NO global, cultural, social, or any other awareness. It is not as thugh they would say "I don't care about that" or "who cares" but they have no concept of other parts of the world and seem to have a limited ability to sympathize with others. If this is the generation we are raising them I am afraid for them. Who will have any use for a generation of people who have no concept of a wider world? I am trying to use current events, news vidios, articles and other things to broaden their view of the world as I am a social studies teacher but it seems to be having a limited impact. I am at a loss for what to do. If anyone reading this has any suggestions I would love to hear them!


Well that is it for now. But maybe more in a few.

This is just the beginning.