Tagged!

Ali was so kind to tag us for this quick meme.

It goes like this
Rules:1. Grab the nearest book of 123 pages or more.
2. Open it to page 123.
3. Find the first 5 sentences and write them down.
4. Then invite 5 friends to do the same.

It was a tie for the nearest book. The Bible or Integrating Differentiated Instruction and Understanding by Design by Carol Ann Tomlinson and Jay McTighe. I think I'll quote the curriculum book.

"By carefully orchestrating the makeup of the cooperative learning groups (including one high-achieving learner and one struggling learner), peer teaching became a natural part of the detective work. Other examples of effective hooks include provocative essential questions, counterintuitive phenomena, controversial issues, authentic problems and challenges, emotional encounters, and humor. One must be mindful, of course, of not coming up with interesting introductory activities that have no carry-over value. The intent is to match the hook with the content and the experiences of the learners-by design-as means of drawing them into a productive learning experience. E= How will I equip students to master identified standards and succeed with the targeted performances?"

I tag... well it seems that bloglines is having issues..so I can't get easily get the links to the blogs I read. I tag whoever wants to do this!

We're now into the 30's

CD31/no CM/no positive OPK

I had a huge temp spike this morning (up to 97.9..when my cover line is usually 97.7). I am not thinking too much about it though, because I went to bed in a sweatshirt and I am normally in a t-shirt or tank top. I was almost sweating when I woke up. Another thing is I kept waking up, so I am not sure if I had a full 3 hours or even if I was as still as I could have been. I woke up at 3:45, so I decided to just temp then. (My BBT alarm is set for 4:10, so it wasn't that big of a difference.)

So, still waiting. When I started with CD1, some of you were in the TWW and now are entering it again. I truly do hate these super long cycles. I'm hoping that Vitex will help soon. Perhaps next month will be close to normal...I know it takes a while for the chaste berry to build up in your system.

Please know, that even if I don't comment, I am reading and thinking of you guys often.

Just waiting around

CD29
Still no positive OPK.
I know my little egg will drop when she is ready.
God has perfect timing, right?

Anyway, in the meantime, I decided it was time for a little meme. I rarely do these, but my brain cannot analyze any more of my teaching for my National Board portfolio, my back cannot last another minute standing to do dishes, and I have no desire to watch TV, so meme it is!

8 Things I’m Passionate About
B
Human Rights
Equality
Social Justice
Books
Joey and Maggie (our two cats)
Jake and Grace (our two dogs)
Children

8 Things I Want to Do Before I Die
Legally get married
Pay off my credit card debt
Become a mother
Become a grandmother
Teach teachers
Go on a relaxing vacation
Live in a less populated area
Go to the west coast

8 Things I Say Often
"You love it"
"Get out your assignment books"
"I love you honey bunches of oats"
"Who do you love?"
"Holla"
"Time for bed"
"I'm tired"
"No"

8 Books I’ve Read Recently
Born on a Blue Day
To Kill a Mockingbird (still reading)
My Side of the Mountain (still reading)
Ramona and Her Father (still reading)
Loser
The Promotion of Social Awareness
Motivating Students to Learn
Ida B

8 Songs I Could Listen to Over and Over
All I want for Christmas is you, Mariah Carey
This will be an everlasting love, Natalie Cole
Uptown Girl, Billy Joel
I Love Rock and Roll, Joan Jett
World on Fire, Sarah MacLachlan
Everything I Need, Melissa Ferrick
Red, Red,Wine, UB40
I Love You Always, Forever, Donna Lewis

8 Things That Attract Me to My Best Friends
Humor x 4
Intelligence
Kindness
Love
Honesty

Round 3 postponed

Until further notice.
No positive OPKs yesterday and no EWCM. I guess the temp shift was a fluke. I couldn't get an accurate temp this morning because I kept waking up and moving around. KD sent me a message yesterday that included "I'm ready whenever the OPKs say it's time." Isn't he just wonderful. With all the things he has going on in his life, and he puts me at ease. Thanks KD!

In other news, we have lots of snow and are expecting more today. So far only 1 school is closed, but it is before 5am, and many districts do not call it until after 5. Many of our districts in Michigan have already used their 5 snow days allotted by the state. Our district, however, has not. I'm hoping for one today!

Temp down

I had a another temp dip this morning. To 97.1. Even on my wacky chart, that is low. I will try to do some OPKs at work today. I am thinking that tonight might be a good night for our first insem this cycle. I am trying to listen to my intuition, but she has failed me many times before, so I am leery of trusting her.

CD28/stopped using the CBEFM/no positive OPK yet, but yesterday and day before they were darker than usual

Up and Down, Up and Down, Up and Down

That explains both my chart above and my emotions.

Its getting darker

The OPK line that is.
Perhaps we have an impending ovulation soon...

Happy Friday

CD25/Day 14 of High on the CBEFM/No positive OPK/No EWCM

So, I just continue to test everyday. I have realized that the CBEFM is doing me no good. Clearly, I am one of those women that it just doesn't work for. I will finish this box of sticks (2 left) and then put the monitor away for possible future use with B. I think I will only have one box of unopened sticks to find a home for.

We watched the movie Making Grace last night. I wish there were more documentaries like it. It was nice to see another couple going through this baby making and child rearing process. I especially liked how it was condensed to a 2 hour or less format...if only the actual TTC wait was that short.

Alas, it is time for me to get ready for school. Please let the children be back to normal now that the full moon has passed. I especially saw a difference with my kids with autism.

Just what I needed to see today:

From truemomconfessions.com

Guilty

I feel guilty because I was laying in bed this morning with the thermometer in my mouth thinking..."It would be alright if we miss my ovulation and have to wait another month and a half."
WHAT WAS I THINKING?!?
Of course I do not want to miss any opportunities, or do I?
I am still feeling very laid back about everything this cycle. I see so many of you are in the TWW, and I am pulling for each and every one of you.
Some of you are receiving the dreaded AF, and I ache with you.
Others are getting ultrasounds, nurseries ready, showing belly shots, and buying cute baby things.
Still more are enjoying your little ones.
I read and read, yet I am feeling so disconnected.
Now I am rambling and I don't even make sense in my head.
For me: CD23/11th day of high on the CBEFM (month 3 of using)/no positive OPK
My temps have been wacky and particularly low this month.

June 16th

I just set my yearly exam with our Ob/Gyn office for June 16th.
Here's hoping that I can go there pregnant.

CD21/High on CBEFM/no OPK yet today

Accomplished

I am feeling very accomplished right now.
I started working on my National Board Stuff at 9am. It is now 11:41 and I finished the rough draft of one entry and sent it off to be reviewed and I finished revising another entry that was sent back to me last week.
Of course, I still have to start Entry 1 and polish up Entry 4, but I am feeling much better about where I am in this process.
However, I do have to figure out how to burn my lesson on to a DVD. I used Sonic at school and burned it successfully, but the DVD will only play in computers, and not in a DVD player. My videos are hosted online and I would be willing to pay someone to burn them to 2 DVDs for me. Any tips or takers?

Date +3

That is how I am keeping track of what CD I am on. Today's the 16, so I am CD19. I am not obsessing or worrying like the past 2 cycles. I think this is a good thing. TTC has taken a back burner this cycle. Of course it is always on my mind, but there are plenty of other things going around to keep me occupied.
I wish every 3ww (my looooooooong wait to ovulation) and every 2ww went this quickly.

Still high on the CBEFM. OPK had faint line yesterday. Perhaps I will get a darker one today. We will see...if I remember to test! (Who am I kidding, really..I'll remember!)

High Stress

The next month and a half are going to be very stressful. Add on top of that 2 cars that broke down (one is STILL not fixed) and you have a very stressed household.
We're trying, but sometimes its like the universe just turns on you.
Below is something B posted in her other blog, so if you could..offer some support and some virtual hugs. You guys are amazing and I am sure some of you have felt this way before...

I am completely overwhelmed right now. J's car is STILL in the shop. We were supposed to have it back on Monday or Tuesday, and when the mechanic went to pick it up today it wouldn't start. Now he's saying the fuel pump might need to be replaced. When we dropped it off on Sunday afternoon it was supposed to be a quick fix and we would have it back in a day or two. It's been almost a week and God knows how much money we'll have to spend to get it back.

Our house is falling apart. The basement is dirty, moldy and the crack in the foundation continues to grow as the days go by. Of course we have no money to repair it. The rest of the house is liveable but little things need to be done like doorknobs replaced, paint touch-ups and new blinds. I feel like we live in a college house the way everything is falling apart.

J still isn't pregnant, and that alone is a stress. I'm worried about our KD and that our asking him to help us has added additional stress to his life. I am so grateful to him for doing this I tear up just thinking about it, and I worry that he'll decide it's too much to handle and back out. (I realize that this fear is irrational and unfounded, but it's still a fear I have.)

I don't know how we are going to afford everything we want and/or need in this next year. J's student loan checks are going to stop coming and we are probably going to have to buy a new car. We'll both get a raise (J's will be significant once she completes her Masters program and gets Nationally Board Certified), but the house and the cars will soak up any extra revenue we had planned to use to save up for our future child.

I feel so lost and out of control with everything going on in our lives and I loathe it. I am beyond the point of meditating my anxieties away - I need aspiritual intervention. In the car tonight J said that she is trying to stay positive, not only to help her fertility but to help her through day to day life. She said my recent ranting and raving about our dire situation is making it difficult for her. But sometimes I need a chance to just let
it all out, get it off my chest and breathe. I go through life so quickly, letting the days pass without letting myself get stuck down in negativity as much as possibly can. After a while things start to catch up with me and the next thing I know I can hardly breathe. I need a chance to let myself fall apart and have her there to hold me, comfort me and lift me back up again, no questions asked.

I know episodes like this are cyclical and eventually the universe will realign itself. I understand that I can take more control of my life by changing my perspective. I am just feeling very defeated, which makes it hard to believe what I know to be true. Perhaps a good cry and a cup of hot tea will help lift me a little. Until then, I mope.

In other news, CD18. OPKs still negative. CBEFM high. I couldn't take my temp this morning because I had a horrible night's sleep and was up every hour.

Temp up again

So today my temp jumped .6 degrees since yesterday morning.
I started panicing..thinking we missed my surge, but B reminded me that it is still very early for me and neither the CBEFM nor my OPKs have indicated otherwise.
So deep breath.
the FM said high again today, (which, again, has meant absolutely nothing to me the past 2 months) and the OPK had a very, very faint line yesterday afternoon.
Time will tell.
God has perfect timing, right?

PS. In my dream last night, we were at some sort of LGBT function/seminar and somehow I knew it was time to inseminate and all of a sudden there was a giant bowl of sperm for us to take upstairs and use. HA! What made it funnier once I woke up, I realized that the bowl the sperm was in was one of our cereal bowls. Lovely.

Impending Ovulation?

I am wondering if that huge temp dip is because of the frigid temperatures (although we did have an extra blanket on our bed and I woke up sweating after being asleep for about an hour), or an impending ovulation.

Perhaps my OPK this afternoon will offer some insight.

It would be early, but perhaps I am one of those lucky ladies that see the effects of Vitex during the first month?

Car woes

Last week we had to drop an unexpected $1000 on B's car.
Today, my car had to go to the shop. Estimated repair between $650-700.

The message in church today was "God has perfect timing."

I can't wait to see how this turns out...

Great Website

As I was procrastinating from working on my National Board work, I happened upon a fun, hip, local website. Check out these cute clothes!

Today is a wonderfully special day.

We are so blessed as friends and future moms that this particular day happened 29 years ago (well and the 40 weeks proceeded this day)...today is KD's birthday.
This amazing young gent came into my life during my 4th year of college. I was one of his RAs in our apartment building. Although, because he was friends with all of the housing staff, I do think he went on more rounds than I did.
He was my "wingman" when I invited B over for the first time and was scared out of my mind. He sat quietly at my computer, playing with my Napster (selecting songs we still joke about today) as B and I talked on the couch.
Our friendship has only grown over the past 7+ years.
He is a great friend and we are so lucky to have him as a part of our lives.
Happy Birthday KD!

(and in other news...today is CD12 and I got my first high reading...which means nothing, except I officially start OPKing today)

Snow Day!

I love snow days!
Yesterday I had a horrible headache. I don't usually get headaches. I could probably count on my hands the number of times I have had a headache that has lasted over 5 minutes, but yesterday, it was something fierce. It started with my eyes. It's not like I had blurry vision or anything, just a weird feeling with my eyes. I figured it was too much computer time or my contacts. So I took the contacts out and went to lay down in the living room. Then the light and the sound (nothing more than usual) were really bothering me. I couldn't keep my eyes open. Then nasuea. Not fun. Of course I didnt' take anything, which aggravates B, but I truly hate taking medicine.
I decided I just needed to fall asleep. So I did. At 10pm B came upstairs and informed me that school was cancelled for tomorrow. =)
It was a wonderful gift to be able to sleep in. I still awoke at 4:10 to temp and POAS, but then went back to sleep until B had to get up at 6:30.
I spent the morning working on my National Board work, doing laundry, cleaning dog beds, and straightening the linen closet.
I feel very accomplished today, but am starting to get a little sleepy. Perhaps a nap is in order.
Oh, and in my dream last night, we had an 8 year old son named James who put our home phone number on a website about the Detroit Red Wings. I informed the caller that they are not to call to speak to James and if they have any further questions, they need to speak to myself or his other mom. We have never even talked about the name James..it's weird how things happen in dreams.

Eh.

At CD9, I am usually very excited about the upcoming testing and insemination.
Somehow, I am not.
I figure perhaps it will come later. Maybe my brain and my body are on speaking terms and my brain will start to get excited as the time nears.
I just hope I haven't become disillusioned to the whole TTC process this early on.
Maybe it's because there are so many other things going on right now that I do not have the time to obsess....hmm.

It snuck up on me

CD7 that is.
Usually my CBEFM starts asking for sticks on CD6, not this month. Perhaps it has started to learn that my body tends to ovulate around CD22 or later. I don't know when it will start wanting morning sticks, but I will start the daily OPKing around CD14.
Here we are in the middle of round 3. Let's hope that the third time is the charm.