VIPKIDaversary

I have been with VIPKID for a whole year!

Crazy!

When I think of VIPKID the first word that always comes to my mind is "blessing".

It is seriously such an amazing blessing.

It's a blessing financially, which is obvious, but it is also a blessing in many other parts of my life.

Emotionally

Mentally

Academically

Socially

Professionally

It's just really great. :)

I love that I can be a teacher AND a stay at home mom.

I have a handful of kids that I teach who I absolutely adore. I don't mind waking up at 4:00 AM everyday to see them. They brighten my day.

At the end of September I decided to send each of them a Christmas present. I knew it would take awhile to get there. Some fellow teachers I had talked to said their packages took 1 month to get to their kids, while others said it took several months, so I knew if I wanted them to get anything by Christmas I needed to send it early.

I sent presents to 5 of my students. 1 boy and 4 girls.

Tangent...............

Something that has been hilarious to me while working for VIPKID has been seeing what type of kid I am best suited to teach in this type of classroom.

I got my degree in Early Childhood and in "real" life I do well with children between the ages of 2 and 5. Usually the 2 and 3 year old's are my sweet spot. When I taught preschool that's the age that loved me the most. It seems like my nieces and nephews love me the most at that age too, ha ha ha! For some reason, just the toddler emerging into preschool age is who I connect with.

......in "real" life.

So to work for VIPKID and to find out who I connect with in that world has been funny to me.

I primarily teach 9-12 year old girls who are more on the shy/reserved/academic type of personality.

Seriously, that's all I teach. Well, besides Eric.

(Oh Eric....ha ha)

Being a part of VIPKID, the parents can "tag" us with certain characteristics to show other parents what type of kid we are good at teaching. Since I've been tagged by so many of these shy girls' parents it just generates more classes with other older, shy girls.

Now that I have taught every age and type of kid in this platform I can definitely say that I'll take the shy, older kids every time over the hyper little ones, ha ha ha ha ha ha.

For some reason I just have no teacher presence with the little ones. They just go crazy and I don't know how to deal with it in the virtual world!

Thank goodness for my sweet older kids. I love them.

I love asking them about their lives.

I love seeing them get excited when they understand something new in English.

End tangent............

Back to the Christmas present story.....

So I sent the presents at the end of September. It was kind of just a leap of faith sending it, cause I had no idea if it would make it.

A month in I was nervous, but still hopeful.

By the time it had been two months and I hadn't heard anything I was starting to doubt.

It made me sad, because three of my students I had done a reward system over the course of several classes and let them fill out a sticker book.

Well, I guess the sticker book idea happened with two girls and the third book was with Eric who told me during the class that I introduced the book that he does not like stickers (yay 10 year old boys, ha ha ha).

So Eric's ended up being a tic tac toe book, while the other two got sticker books.

I was so sad, because those three were supposed to get their books in this present and if it was lost there was no getting them back.

2 1/2 months in to waiting I had given up hope. I figured they were totally lost and I just had to forget about it.

Then a week ago, 3 months since I had sent the package, I received a beautiful message from Eric's mom..........

!!!!!!

They got the package!!!!

The next day I asked him if I could see the book. He went and got it and flashed it in front of the screen for maybe half a second, ha ha ha ha! He is SOOOOO shy. Anything and everything makes him flustered.

He can be seen on the screen like this for the majority of our classes. Ha ha. He is a sweet kid though. Now that I've taught him close to 150 times I can see his personality peaking through and he opens up more all the time. It made my heart so happy to read his mom's feedback and to know how happy the package made him. 

I mean really.....getting anything from America is probably cool for these kids, right? 

This is a funny 8 year old girl that I teach. This picture was after she showed me the package she got from me. She frequently tells me she loves me. She is like an 8 year old, Chinese Grace. She's sassy and smart and kind of a know it all. I love her right back. 

This girl I have taught since March and I adore her. She is my favorite student (shhhhh...don't tell the other ones). She is smart and even tempered and just LOVES to talk talk talk about her life. I love to listen! I think it's awesome she can practice speaking with me. 

I wish I could show her face more, because she was SO happy!! 

Seriously, such a sweetheart. 

It has been a wonderful year working with these kids. I never thought that I would be a working mom or an at-home working mom, but it suits our life perfectly. 

It fills the voided teacher role in my life. 

It gives me a purpose outside of my family. 

I can definitely say that part of my heart is in China. 

CPA

I am swelling with pride today!

You guys.....

TODAY IS THE DAY!

Jeff is officially 100% done with his CPA exams!

He has passed! He is finished! He's totally done!

I am so happy I could and probably have been crying about it.

This is a big deal.

Our whole marriage Jeff has either been in school or has been working to get certified to be a CPA.

For 5 years he was working on his Bachelors and Masters degrees. That was a huge sacrifice, because he worked full time and took 15 credit hours a semester. He stretched himself so thin, but still got A's and did great at everything else in life. He did that nonstop for 5 years.

He graduated with his Masters 2 years ago and has been working on taking the CPA exams since then.

There are four CPA exams in the state of Utah and they are HARD. So difficult. Like nothing I would ever in a million years be able to do....even if I was accounting minded like Jeff.

So much pressure!

He's obviously had periods of time where he wasn't focusing on taking a test, like when Hunter was born etc. but really for the most part he has been studying night and day trying to get these tests done.

It's basically like he's been in school still. In some ways it's been even worse than school!

Especially the last maybe 8 or 9 months it has felt like he has been gone till 10:00 PM every night studying.

He worked eight or more hours a day and then would study for 3-4 hours on top of that. EVERY day, you guys! Every day!!!

He's the definition of sacrifice.

And it's all in the name of wanting our lives to be good.

He just wants us to be happy and have a solid future. A solid foundation! A solid life! Fragment sentence!

Even through studying so much he's always been the sweetest dad. Honestly, if I was working and studying that much I don't think I would be any synonym to "sweet". Quite the opposite I am sure.

On the weekends when the kids saw him more or in the mornings before work Jeff has always been nothing but loving and wonderful with our kids.

They truly know how much he loves them. It shows in how hard he's worked to get these tests done just how much that love is, because having a CPA sets you up for a successful career. It's nothing but excellent in the business world.

I am so proud of him that he passed and is totally done.

A huge weight has been lifted off of his shoulders, which makes me so happy.

Something else that has been so nice as we've gone through this is how often Jeff thanks me for what I do.

Some days I feel like my job is the hard one, when everyone is crying and nothing is clean. When an entire tube of toothpaste is now in my sink or another roll of toilet paper is strewn down the hallway. When I sit and wish I could talk to anyone, literally anyone, over the age of five..... ha ha ha ha.

Jeff sees those things and has always recognized that while it's a vastly different kind of "hard", my job deserves some applause.

Through working all day and studying all night he hasn't ever put himself first. That's an honest fact.

I love him. I love how hard he works for our family. I am overjoyed that his load can be lighter now.

I want to celebrate him everyday, but TODAY.....TODAY IS THE DAY!!

I have a pretty cool husband.

A Whole Lot of Lately

So many blog posts started and never completed.

I only have two people to blame!



They are cute people, though.

Being a mom is life changing.

I'm 3 1/2 years into it and I have not been able to come to grips with the fact that my home will not be as clean as I hope for the next..........................

.......................I hesitate to put a time limit.......

..................30 years.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha.

I consider myself a clean person.

I can't even let my family (parents, siblings, etc.) come to my house without it looking picked up and put away.

I have a hard time.

The guilt of my house being uncontrollably unkempt is hard for me!

But seriously.........a one year old and a three year old rule this house.

They play where they want, how they want, when they want, with who they want.

And that makes me happy.

I love that they can be free to learn and grow.

Hunter goes in total meltdown mode if he's not allowed in a single room of the house, ha ha ha ha ha ha. Minus the basement, he's usually okay with that being shut off.

He knows if I'm trying to keep him out of somewhere. That kid has opinions!

So because of that the house is always free reign to all. :)

You'd never know that he's capable of a meltdown mode if you didn't live with him, cause he's a bashful dude out in the world.

At home he is not one bit bashful. He has a voice and it's loud and proud. It's spunky and energetic.

This morning I got done teaching and went up to get Hunter out of his crib. He wasn't crying yet, just kind of talking. I took him in and we laid in my bed while Daddy slowly woke up.

Hunter did NOT want to lay with me. He rolled as fast as he could and dug in to Jeff. Jeff kept trying to move him, cause he was pushing him off the bed, but Hunter was determined, he was going to stay glued to Dad. Ha ha ha ha. It was really funny on my end. I had been awake for three hours so I was wide awake. Jeff was brutally being woken up.

Hahaha, kids are funny.

I figured I'd do an update in picture form, because that seems the easiest way to demonstrate what we've been up to lately.

First, Thanksgiving!

We went to our family cabin and had Thanksgiving with Jeff's parents, siblings, and all of our nieces and nephews. Over thirty people were there! So crazy there are that many of us now.

Grace was overjoyed to have a week of sleep overs with cousins and constant fun.

                         

Razor ride and Thanksgiving dinner! She pretty much only ate that roll and then ran around with all the kids. Ha ha ha. 

           

Hunter ate a roll and maaaaaaaaybe some potatoes? Way to go, buddy! Always barely eating more than his sister. Look at that cute dude, though. *heart eyes all day*

                            

I don't know why I like these pictures....I just do. Ha ha ha ha. I want to remember moments like this. 

              

Jeff and I went on a long razor ride while the kids were napping. I love spending time with just him. 

                                             

                                                    

                                            

Thanksgiving selfie :) 

Stepping straight in to everything Christmas-y....

Hunter loves looking at the trains out the window. He started noticing them as he ate in his highchair. One day he pointed to the window as he ate and I saw the train going by. I usually don't hear them, but he definitely noticed! Now, even if the blinds are shut he hears them and asks for me to open the windows and see. He's a big fan of anything in the transportation department. Trains, planes, cars....he loves them all. He's the cutest little babe. I love him. 

Grace had crazy hair day at school. She was SO happy about her hair. She's standing by our temporary tree in this picture. We are planning on getting a big, real tree soon, but our small, fake one is filling up our Christmas cheer up till then. 

It was also hat day at school, so of course she had to do both......

She's so cute. Even if the pipe cleaners are making her hat stick up weird, ha ha ha ha. 

Grace had her FIRST dance recital a couple weeks ago. 

She was SOOOOOOOOOOOO excited!

And then she'd randomly burst into tears and not want to do it, ha ha ha ha. My mommy heart was struggling with it. 

But then when it came time for her to go on stage (there were 800 people in the audience) she ROCKED it!!! 

She did SO well! For her little three year old ability, it was perfect. My pride exploded. I was so proud of her. There is nothing quite like watching your child struggle with something or be afraid of something and then overcome it and excel. I just love watching her learn how to navigate her little life. 

She earned every bite of that ice cream! Ha ha ha ha. Positive reinforcement never hurt anybody. After I went and picked her up backstage I took her to see the grandparents that came to watch her. She hugged them and said "I WANT YOU ALL TO GET A TREAT WITH ME!!!!" Ha ha ha ha ha

We decorated my mom's Christmas tree last night. The kids loved it! 

Grace loves to hoard her favorite ornaments

This is my baby ornament. It's funny watching Grace learn the concept that I was a baby at one point in time. She loves talking about things like that. 

Family Christmas party! December always has so many parties. :)

Hunter's second haircut! Look at how much hair he had! Wow! I honestly thought it was just going to be a trim. 

Grace's FIRST haircut! She was SO proud, it was hilarious. She told the girl to keep cutting even after she was done, ha ha. The girl that cut her hair actually took off a whole inch, which was probably good. I bet her hair will grow in a little more straight and healthier.

Sweet girl! I got my haircut too at this same appointment where both kids did. I only get my haircut every maybe.......year or so? Ha ha ha. Sometimes 18 months or two years go by before I cut it. I should probably cut it more often, but I just don't. It doesn't grow very fast. The lady that cut my hair took off an inch and just thinned it out. 

"Love meeeee!"

Having kids means the recliner handles of your furniture look like this. 

Grace the artist. She takes some pretty artistic shots! I call this one "One Sock Wonder Sliding Down the Stairs"

She's so funny. 

See? Art. Twilight Sparkle never shined brighter. 

These last two that Grace took are candid (ish) shots of me and Hunter. I love them. They show what our real life is like every day. These pictures are precious to me. They definitely are not high quality, but it just shows what every day life looks like for me.

Grace loves taking pictures with my phone and usually takes about 50+ every time she gets a hold of it. 

My life. Remember how I said my house wasn't going to be clean again till Grace is 34? Too blessed to be stressed, right?? :) 

Aquarium looooove. 

Smilin in Christmas jammies! 

Speaking of Hunter loving trains........

Us at the train station

We took the train down to Granny and Grandpa's the other day and Hunter was in total la la land. He was SOOO happy the whole time. He was glued to the window the majority of the time. Very much a fan of train rides. :) 

This was at Jeff's work Christmas party. It was at the aquarium where we were able to eat in a big room with the shark tank as our view! Our table was right next to the tank too, which was neat. It was fun eating there. The shark tank had small sharks, sea turtles, and fish. The sea turtles were super cool! I enjoyed watching them swim. 

Jeff has been gone a lot studying for a big test he has coming up. I frequently think about how hard he works for our family. 

Everything that Jeff has done school wise and career wise has come with lots of sacrifice on his part. I often think about how he has never taken the easy way out with anything he's done. He's always had goals and has looked forward to where he wants to be. He works hard every day to get there. A lot of the work he is doing now will pay off years down the road. I know that and it helps to think of that when he's gone till 10:00 every night working and studying. 

We were talking with an acquaintance we had just met the other day and he told us that he had thought of going in to what Jeff does, but then he saw how much work and years of school/tests etc. it required so he decided to go a completely different route that would help him graduate faster. 

Although I am sure that is great for that man and his family, I am so grateful for Jeff and that he never gave up on what he has wanted to do. He's never given up on what he wants to be or where he wants to be in life. I love him and his dedication to our family. 

He truly is the best. 

Teaching

I have so many things I want to blog about.

I don't even have time for half of them.

With it being November we are all about gratitude this month, right?

I try to have a grateful attitude all the time.

One thing that I am SO thankful for this year is my job.

I have always been a teacher.

From the time I was very little I have acted or wanted to act as a teacher.

I have a very vivid and distinct memory from my childhood of me playing a teacher.

I had my sister and our neighbor friend sitting in our living room and I was giving them assignments. They were two and three years younger than me, so what I was trying to "teach" them was over their head, but my five year old mind thought it was a good idea!

I absolutely LOVEDDDD my first grade teacher. To this day she is one of my favorite teachers of all time. She is the one who inspired me not only to become a teacher....but to specifically go into Early Childhood Education.

She was my first grade teacher, my mentor as a did an internship in her class during high school, and later I taught her classes art when I was the art teacher at that school.

She has influenced me during many different stages of my life.

At the end of 1st grade I was sad, because I wanted her to still be my teacher. I remember one day during recess she asked me if I wanted to take home some old (blank) worksheets and teacher things that she didn't need anymore. She knew I was sad and I think she was trying to help ease the pain of the school year ending. I was so excited and took the things she gave me.

Oooo, worksheets.....so cool!

She told me to put them in my backpack, because she didn't want the other kids to be sad that they didn't get any, ha ha ha ha. Looking back at this as an adult/teacher myself is comical.

So what did my 6-year-old self do? I showed my friends what she had given me after they got in from recess.

The adult/teacher in me is dying thinking of this, ha ha ha ha.

I can remember the instant regret I felt and how awful it was when my teacher caught me showing my friends. She had been so nice to me and I was just flaunting it to the other students.

I learned something that day though. I learned how it feels to be a child who is the recipient of a forgiving and patient teacher.

My teacher forgave me. She knew I was 6 years old and just acting my age. She was patient with me.

I think what draws me to teaching is the hope that children will feel patience and acceptance from me.

I hope that they feel those things from their parents (sometimes that's not the case), but often times it stops there. Children usually don't have extra resources to feel that safe acceptance and love from other adults.

Becoming a mom has been the best thing in my life. My kids are hands down my entire life. I love them and I love watching them grow. They are hilarious and so sweet.

It's a sacrifice making that decision to stay home with kids though.

Honestly, there are days when Jeff leaves and I'm like........take me with yoooooooou! You get to talk to adults! You get to sit. Like literally, you get to sit and not be disturbed for more than five minutes. Scratch that....you get to sit and not be disturbed for more than ONE minute!

In so many ways finding VIPKID has saved my sanity.

Because while I want to be home and be that full-time at-home mom.......the repeat of every day can get to ya.

Being able to connect with kids who aren't MY kids has filled my teacher soul.

I love being a teacher.

And I love a whole bunch of kids in China!

There are some who need that extra patience and acceptance like I was talking about it.

I have an ever faithful student who takes a class from me every day of the week. I've blogged about him before, ha ha ha ha.

We celebrated (more like I celebrated.....he just sat there in his shy bubble and probably smiled off camera) 100 classes together! Holy crap! Ha ha ha ha ha ha. 100 classes with this 10 year old boy, who I am just now learning likes to draw. So shy.

He has come so far.

SOOOO far.

In the beginning his mom had zero patience with him. There was a lot of screaming and what not that went down. I don't know Chinese, so who knows what was happening.

But 10.....30.....50 classes into it things started changing.

His mom wrote to me on the parent feedback several times and told me that she was learning to be more patient with her son because of ME!

Uh what???

Me? Like me all the way in America me?

Every kid deserves patience and understanding.

Often we just don't know the cause of their behavior and that makes things hard on everyone.

This kid just wanted to be understood and he was feeling that from me. Half way around the world me. That's how he felt.

Something else that has warmed my heart has been the fact that I have become friends with many of these cute kids that I teach.

I have a handful for girls, around like 9 or 10 years old that love to just talk and talk and talk.

They tell me about their friends. They tell me about their hobbies. They tell me about the things that they enjoy. Favorite foods, favorite shows, favorite toys.

I am grateful that they feel like I can be their friend.

This is some feedback from three different students of mine. It seriously warms my heart. They are so sweet to me. And isn't Chinese beautiful??? 

Teaching will always be in my heart. It brings me so much happiness and fulfillment!

I am grateful every day for my job and my cute students.