Frugal Travel. We're Going to Branson!

This weekend will be the start of our family's very first family vacation. I feel a little embarrassed to say that because Briana is 7 and we still haven't really been anywhere. Honestly, we can't truly afford to go on this vacation either but it's been planned already, and I can't let the kids down. So for five days we're going to pretend we don't have any money problems and just have fun.

If you've been around me the last few months you know I've turned into a crazy coupon lady. I've started a stockpile and I am trying to be more frugal. I've tried to think of ways to save money on this vacation. I tried to find coupons for Branson attractions and I scored a few second-hand coupon books but after a lot of searching I realized that was not the area in which we would save money. Food is what we can control. I decided it would be great if we could replace one meal a day instead of having to buy all three, and if we could bring our own snacks. Breakfast will be an easy meal because we can eat it before we head out for the day. It was difficult to think of how to accomplish this because we won't have a way to cook food, or a fridge. We will need to bring a cooler with ice and settle for room-temp food or small items we can fit in the cooler. So I went to Sam's Club and bought powedered donuts, honey buns, fruit cups, and colby jack cheese sticks. I know...I know. Powdered donuts and honey buns...not the healthiest breakfast. But that's why I complimented it with the fruit cups and cheese. It's the best I could come up with in the circumstances.

For snacks we've got some fruit snacks, gold fish, cereal, and nuts. Also, I bought these craft boxes at Walmart and filled them with small amounts of different snacks for the kids on the way there and back. They are crazy snackers! We will probably try to buy cheaper lunches and then have a nicer dinner each night. And of course, I'll be bringing all my restaurant coupons to help out. Oh and don't forget the water. We all know buying a bottle of water anywhere besides the store costs $2 each or up. I just bought 40 bottles at Sams for $3.98.

So that's my frugal traveling advice: bring a meal, bring your snacks, bring your coupons, and bring your water!

Watch out for my Back-from-Branson post :)

 

This is my water/snacks/breakfast pile. 

This is a picture of the stockpile I mentioned. It was bigger but I'm putting my couponing to good use and making beauty baskets for Christmas. Shhhh!

And this is the cute craft box made into snack holder I was telling you about. I got this idea on pinterest. 

ABCTE -American Board Certification for Teaching Excellence

Do you want to teach? Do you have a Bachelors degree? Do you want to do it in your own time at your own pace and not pay $10,000 to do it? Do I sound like a sales person? lol

Well if you said yes to all of these then do what I did. I'm living proof that a normal, non-genius person with a family and a job can finish an educational program and be on their way to teaching. ABCTE is not perfect but it's fastest, least expensive way to get this accomplished. Passing their tests means you are highly qualified in your content area and meet the standards of No Child Left Behind.

So anyway- check out their website and see what programs are available for you. I've been through it so I'm happy to give support and answer all questions and tell you my experience. It's not the easiest thing to do- but it's not crazy hard either. I think there's a discounted price right now!

In all seriousness, the one thing I have really learned through all of this is- don't wait. Stop putting off something that you secretly know deep down you want to do. Make it a priority. There will never be a better time than now and when you finally come to your senses your only regret will be that you didn't do it sooner. It's like having a baby. No one is ever really ready. You just do it and you're so happy you did. True stuff.

I'm so happy it's done. I can't wait to have a classroom of my own!

Ps. If you decide to do this, please let them know I recommended you. 

http://abcte.org/

I Passed

Well I didn't get the job but I passed my test! It took two tries and a lot of tears but I passed my freaking test!

I was pretty upset about the last rejection. I have been rejected A LOT in the last year. I can't tell you how many times I have applied for jobs and how many times I have been told no. I've been rejected by people, by jobs, and by the last test I took. To my surprise it hasn't all been so devastating. I thought the last job rejection would kill me because I want so badly to put our financial issues to rest, but I guess now I'm mature enough to realize that if it's not meant to be then something better is coming. And something better is coming. I passed. I really passed. I can apply for certification to be a real Language Arts teacher in the state of Missouri.

It's not the best time of year to finally get certified and be able to find a teaching job but there is always hope that I can get hired somewhere in the middle of the year. Until then I'll just keep on subbing. I really want to be at Platte City Middle School or Barry in KC.

Sometimes you think it's never going to happen. You can dream and work hard but it all seems so far away. Then as quick as you're ready to give up something happens to perk you right back up. I can't wait to start my teaching journey.

If you want information on how I became a teacher (after college) then see my next post and feel free to ask me any questions.

I passed!

Still Waiting

I'm still in limbo. Limbo sucks. Did I get the job? Who knows. Did I pass my test? Who knows. Maybe I'll never ever know. Maybe I'll live in limbo forever. That's what it feels like. So I've just been enjoying the moments.

Once again I've given another shot to being healthier. I have thyroid issues so it makes it very hard and very slow to lose weight. I'm a compulsive scale checker, too. If I spent an entire week working my butt off to lose and I don't lose then I eat my feelings. It's a terrible circle. But the smart voice inside me knows the number isn't so important. Whatever I do I have to ask myself, can I do this for the rest of my life? Can I make this change? If the answer is no then why waste my time? So little by little I've been eating cleaner, less carbs, less sugar. I've been doing just a little exercise at the Y. These are things I can do and teach my children to do. And I will still have my bread, pasta, and chocolate. I will just have it less often. I feel good.  I feel like I'm trying. That's good enough.

So that's a little update. I'm in limbo, I'm trying to be healthier and I'm trying to enjoy the moments. Here are some moments from this year:

Bad End of the School Year Mom

I've read other posts on moms who have given up by May. I am just like those moms. It's true. I'm terrible. Sometimes I don't check Briana's backpack for days. I have stopped reading her Accelerated Reading Books with her at night. Luckily, she reads them on her own and it has made no difference. She still gets %100 on the tests. I have even stooped to only practicing spelling words with her once a week-the night before the test. We used to practice a little every night. Again, I'm so glad she doesn't need much of my help or she'd be in trouble. I'll start the week thinking...I'm going to do better this week. But then I don't and rethink...Eh, the year is almost over. I'm so tired. Why does the school year make ME so tired?

So here's to three more weeks of school! May the force be with Briana because mom has checked out.

Still Learning

Did you know the grammar rule for I and E is : I before E except after C, EXCEPT when it sounds like A!

I never caught on to that second rule the first time around. For example: Beige.

Is it weird that I'm excited about that? Don't answer.

Waiting for Good News

How did my test go? I'll be honest-it was hard. I could have been more prepared but I didn't want to over achieve for all this information that I'm going to forget anyway. Like I've said before- teaching will teach me. The students will teach me and my experience teaching will teach me. Call me a slacker.

Here's the kicker. I needed a 270 to proficiently pass. My score? 271! Can you believe that? I'm a little embarrassed. But really it's no big deal. No matter the score, if you pass these tests you are considered highly qualified in your content area. They are supposed to be even more difficult than the Praxis. So now is the painful part. I have to wait atleast another 2 weeks to know if I passed the writing portion. I had 60 minutes to write a literary analysis on that poem about the caged bird. I followed the format to a tee but analyzing anything in an hour is crazy. I had to think, pre-write, write and then proof. I hope it was good enough because if it's not I have to take both parts over and wait again. Ahhh!

Also, I had another interview with SJSD. This time it was specifically for Lafayette High School-9th grade English. I felt much better about this one than my last 2 very awkward interviews. But I'm not technically certified yet and it's through a route many people don't know about yet. So I think I'm at a disadvantage. I still have a good feeling and keeping my fingers crossed.

If I pass the writing portion I'm going to party.

If I get a teaching position offer I'm going to party harder.

If both things go my way I'm going to go crazy-in a good way!

Wish me luck!