mission impossible?

starting another new year with my house in chaos was not going to happen...again! so i took on the challenge to get rid of the clutter and organize part of my life.

here's what i was up against--

 everything was on the floor because i couldn't find the leggings i wanted...because i have a bad habit of shoving things in the closet instead of setting them in neatly, cuz that might take an extra minute of time, which i don't want to take.

and then there's this overflowing craziness i try and call a closet. yes, i DO need that many shoes. my poor hubby isn't allowed to keep more than 3 pairs of his shoes in there. my name is marissa and i am a shoe-aholic!

so i spent a few hours on the smaller closet...sorting through, getting rid of things i didn't wear, and reorganizing the clothing on each shelf. 

i am pleased with how it turned it out! 

we'll see how long i can keep it like this.

and, hello! look.at.this! so much room now!!! my friend said, "now you have room for more shoes!" shhh! don't tell my husband that i might be thinking about that. :) 

this makes me feel so good! the crazy clutter was killing me before but i kept putting off cleaning it because it would take a lot of time. i donated 4 huge bags of stuff to Goodwill. the big empty shelf held 12 photo box sized containers filled with music cds. i was on such an organizing spree that i went through all of the cds, loading any songs i wanted onto iTunes, and planning to get rid of the rest. that had been a project i had been wanting to do forever!! so glad and relieved that it's finally done.

so now it's on to my school stuff that's been at home for too long. time to make the hubby happy and get rid of it, i mean "organize" it! wish me luck!

2014...another new year!

it's been way too long since i've posted anything here. i just got done taking a little stroll down "memory lane"--looking back at all my previous blog posts; seeing where it all started. i loved looking at the pictures of the kids and seeing how they've grown; reading about the many wonderful memories we made; and missing how i kept track of our family life through this blog. it's time to get back into it. the events i've kept track of on the blog are great times that i get to relive each time i come back here. it makes me happy that i did take time to write about our family and things that we got to experience together.

so, here's to another year of making great memories with my family!

call me a liar!

yep! after reading my last post of blogging "at least once a week"... you can see how well that worked out. :) I do have to say that this school year is probably one of my toughest ones yet. no one should have to have 33 six year olds in a room made for 20. that alone has been my biggest challenge this year. i'm constantly "on" from the time the first bell rings until the dismissal bell at the end of the day. this has really been draining for me.

i'm trying to continue to make time for me--relax, refresh, rejuvenate...any way i can. time that i used to spend watching tv is now spent relaxing with my nook, letting my brain shut off from the day's craziness. i LOVE any time i get to read. it makes me so happy. so i try to do it as often as i can. i'm also still running but not as much as i should. a 6 week cold virus kicked my butt at the end of january. i'm slowly getting back into my exercise routine. this is also another outlet for my daily work stress.

i'm looking forward to spring break. this year kaleigh has spring break before connor and me. she just started her 2 weeks off. when she goes back to school, we start our break. would love to be productive around the house (a little spring cleaning) but still enjoy the time off. spring break is definitely something to look forward to!

well, time to get some school work done before i search for some new books to read online!

total...slacker...again

i haven't forgot about this little blog here. it's just been greatly ignored! when life gets crazy, it SURE gets cray-zee! it's hard to believe summer FLEW by. it was another amazing time with family being busy, yet happy doing so. the new school year snuck up on us. kaleigh started middle school and started a whole 2 weeks before connor and me! this year she's going to school in oakley for the first time. val and i thought it would be best for her to transition now then later when she's going into high school. it was a rough first few weeks for her, not knowing any kids but she hung in there and is much happier now. i'm so glad that she's found her way and is enjoying it too.

connor has moved on to 2nd grade and i miss him not being in my class. even though he's right across the way,  in the next building, i hardly see him. sometimes i don't see him until after school when he comes to my classroom. he's growing up so fast! he's not the shy little guy that used to hide behind my legs any more. i'm going to enjoy these next few years with it being just the 2 of us at school.

val and i have been doing a lot of mud runs. at least 2 a month. it's been a great challenge and lots of fun! i love it when i can convince my friends to join us. once again i'm training to do the diva half marathon in may. i think i have my shin splints squared away now. i definitely know what's the cause of them and how to treat them. ice and stretching are 2 of my new friends. before the year is over, we have one more 5k run to do. the kids will be joining us again for this one. no mud or obstacles (the kids did have a blast when they did their first mud run though!) but fun just as well.

i'm setting a blog goal for myself to post at least once a week here. i do have my teaching blog as well that i'm trying to maintain but life tends to get in the way there too! haha!

the final countdown

so the school year is coming to an end...in 9 days to be exact. the end of the school year is always a welcome time since summer will begin. swim season is in full force now, so we'll be busy everyday just not with school stuff. june means our anniversary and birthdays...lots of birthdays! :)

this has been a wonderful school year! i have loved being back in first grade and it was made extra special by having connor in my class. what a special year it's been! kaleigh is ending her time at elementary school and will be heading to middle school in august. new adventures for her! it will be hard for me to adjust to not having her with me at my school but i know she'll do well on her own. i'll miss our little chats in the car on the way to school and seeing her on campus everyday. now it will just be connor and me. i look forward to watching him grow and experience school these next few years.

let's get through these 9 days and have a fun filled and memorable summer! can hardly wait!

diva-in-training

yep, it's true! i'm a diva-in-training. i'm training for the san francisco diva half-marathon in may. am i runner you ask? no! but i've set a goal for myself and i'm going to achieve it! i've already done a 5k (when i was in worse shape, hadn't been running at all) so i think i'm off to a good start. i've been following a training program online, doing cardio workouts with shorter runs during the week and a longer run on the weekend. my longest run completed so far was 6 miles. yay me! it hasn't been easy (major shin splints, sore muscles, sluggish days) but i'm looking ahead with excitement. i have a little over 2 months to go. if this body of mine holds up, i'll be one happy diva!

the PBR

if you know me, then you know that i'm not into country music, wranglers, big belt buckles and cowboy hats. but i've been slowly getting hooked onto watching bull riding on tv. when val first turned it on, i'd laugh and then leave the room. then the kids started watching it. and then i gave in and sat through one event. i couldn't believe how crazy these guys are to ride these huge bulls. well after a year of watching the pbr (professional bull riders) on tv, we finally got to see it in person! the pbr came to sacramento and we went, along with mimi & pop pop, and don, jana, and cole.

the introduction had a huge fireworks display and all the cowboys were introduced. the top 5 riders were put in the spotlight above the chutes.

funny thing about the bulls that night was that most of them didn't want to go back in the chutes when the ride was over. they ran around the rink until they got roped and were led back in.

we had great seats. we could see all the riders getting ready in the chutes as well as the bulls in the pens behind the chutes.

valdiron de oliveira (one of the many brazilians) won that night. my guy (mr. hollywood) didn't do too good, ended up taking a horn to the chin and getting stitches.

the kids LOVED watching the riders and the bulls, even watching the rodeo clown dancing for the crowds. they can't wait to see them in person again!

Happy New Year!

a new year is here! yay! i'm excited for it to begin. it was just the 4 of us for new year's eve, which ended up being perfect. we watched dick clark's rockin' new year's eve on tv. i can't believe it's been 40 years for him! we all had a fun time listening to the music and being silly & dancing. our favorite performers were LMFAO and Pitbull. even connor was singing along! we all made it to midnight to see the ball drop and 2012 to begin. after the kids went to bed, val and i sat outside by the firepit and watched the fireworks in the neighborhood until we were too tired to stay awake any longer.

it felt great to sleep in...all of us! i kicked off my new year's exercise routine with an amazing 8 mile walk. it was such a beautiful sunny day that i wanted to enjoy the outdoors. i kept walking and walking and walking. i felt wonderful! i'm still focusing on my health this year, trying to eat better, get plenty of exercise, and reduce the stress in my life. val & i have signed up for 4 more obstacle runs this year which is fun to look forward to. they're spread out throughout the year, so we have something to train for. it will be fun doing these together and getting in shape together as well. :)

hiking with the pesmarks

our family went hiking with the pesmarks this afternoon. since they live on mt. diablo we thought we'd start from their house. it was a beautiful afternoon and the kids were excited to be outdoors together. the men and the kids left denise and i in the dust. we didn't seem to care though. :) it was a great hike--some major uphill climbing with amazing views, and a killer leg workout.

the amazing view from the trail above denise's house.

pesmarks on top of the world! well, mt. diablo at least. haha!

here's us. yay tompkins family!

Connor's loose teeth

connor went to the dentist for a cleaning last week and we found out he had not one, but FOUR loose teeth! what a surprise! we could see his new tooth already coming in before the others were ready to come out. he was so curious as to what was going to happen and how. once kaleigh mentioned the tooth fairy, the questions just kept coming. haha! kaleigh reminded me that connor needed a tooth pillow of his own. so i dusted off my sewing machine and made one just for him. he was so proud!

his tooth was barely hanging in there two days later. he let val pull it out. what a brave kid!! i don't do loose teeth well...i was in the other room, covering my ears and shutting my eyes. :) once the tooth was out, he kept looking at himself in the mirror, while i kept asking to take his picture. he wanted nothing to do with that though. so the few pictures i got were of him squinting or not being able to see his new space. oh well. the tooth fairy left connor a note and $5, just like kaleigh's first tooth (she reminded us of this). our little buddy is growing up!

back to life. back to reality...

back to work!! yikes! the past 2 weeks have been amazing, wonderful, terrific, fabulous, and just what i needed. :) i have relaxed, refreshed, and recharged my body and mind...it feels so good! in a way, i am glad to be going back to work and the daily routine of life. i enjoy the people i work with, i have missed seeing some of the familiar faces that make me smile (both adult and child), and i definitely need to get back into my normal sleep routine. ha!

Happy New Year! 2011

we rang in the new year with lots of laughter, fun, friends, and family...the best way to do it! i'm looking forward to this new year to begin and the adventures that are ahead.

the neighbors love to ring in the new year with a bang! we saw many fireworks last night and even had some of our own. :)

thanksgiving vacation begins...yay!!!

this afternoon was the start of thanksgiving vacation. a whole week off!! i awaited this day for so long...and it's finally here! this will be a much needed week off from a hectic, stressful, and crazy few weeks. i can't wait to sleep in, read, watch movies with the family, maybe even get a little crafty. who knows, i might get a little crazy and actually spend some time in the kitchen cooking!?! ha! all i do know is that i am going to enjoy every minute of every day that i have off. :)

kaleigh & connor couldn't wait to watch the last airbender with val. connor didn't last long.
don't worry bud, there'll be other nights. vacation just started. :)

skate night

connor went to his first skate night as a diablo vista student. this was just his 2nd time rollerskating but he had a blast! he was so excited once we got there to get his skates on and get out on the rink. he didn't mind that he was on his own. mommy hasn't skated in years!!! so, he stayed close to the wall and got some pointers from the big kids that went by.

all smiles with splash the dolphin

jaxon was giving some tips to connor

connor peeking through the glass at the kids

hey big guy! glad to see you're having so much fun!!

soccer champs

kaleigh's soccer team, the superstars, were the u-10 girls division champions this year! it was exciting to see the team play so well the whole season and to go all the way to the playoffs. kaleigh has really come a long way since beginning to play 5 years ago. she has had wonderful coaches each year and has become a better player with time. congratulations kaleigh and the rest of the superstars!

waiting for the trophy ceremony

kaleigh and val (assistant coach/dad) ha!

we're so proud of you!!

way to go superstars!!

bakerella

i went to walnut creek today to see bakerella. she was having a book signing at williams & sonoma. i've never done anything like this before...go meet an author/blogger. this was a first for me.

they let the line in the store for a short question & answer period.

waiting for her to sign my new book

i got my picture taken and the book signed. she said she liked my name...thanks bakerella! now i need to make some more of her cute cakepops. :)

jack johnson concert

val and i went to see jack johnson at the greek theatre in berkeley tuesday night. i've liked him for a long time; i always play his music in the classroom since it's so mellow. he was awesome!! he played song after song for two hours. it was a great night, perfect weather and good company. :)

jo bros concert

val and i took kaleigh and her friend, kaitlin, to the jonas brothers concert last weekend. this was kaleigh's 2nd time seeing them. she was so excited that she got to take a friend with her.

our view of the stage

val with the girls in line for t-shirts

awww! the girls in their concert gear

woohoo! dancing girls

was lost but now i'm found :)

i can't believe how long it's been since my last post...the first day of summer vacation 3 months ago!! wow! i definitely enjoyed summer! it was one of the best ones in a long time. the end of summer meant a new school year began. this new school year brought with many challenges--10 extra students, the dilemma of fitting 10 extra desks in my small classroom, long work hours, and stress that wasn't there in summer. but i have a wonderful class and a great group of parents too. this has made all the challenges much easier to deal with. i'm looking forward to a terrific year!

first day of summer!!!

woohoo! the day i've been waiting for has finally come. :) i plan to enjoy each day, do what i want, go where i want...just be. this summer will be filled with swim practice and meets since both kids our now on the swim team. hanging out by the pool, staying cool, and relaxing is going to be wonderful after a long and challenging school year. summer, here i come!