New Beginnings...sort of

So the school year has begun!!! We have been MIA from blogging for the past weeks due to professional development and training sessions. Our trip from Wisconsin to Texas took 3 very long days. Our first stop was West Memphis, AR. Not a whole lot of exciting things going on in West Memphis, but the hotel was nice. The following day we trekked through Arkansas and Texas to stay in Houston. We got a chance to see my dad which was nice, but called it a night pretty early since the following day we would be making the slow journey down to the Rio Grande Valley. We made it "home" around 2 p.m. only to find that my house had been re-arranged by my landlord's wife, our cable was out, and that my car wouldn't start. Luckily the car just needed a jump.

The following days were filled with professional development, getting used to the heat, and joining gyms. We are happy to report that not only have we joined gyms, but have been attending them somewhat regularly. The first day of school was fast approaching and before we knew it, Thursday had come!!! We were both excited to a certain degree, with the hope that this year would be better than the last. Things went pretty smoothly. Chelsea had 18 students in each class and reports to have had a good first day. Transitions were a little off, but overall much better than last year. The first day of 5th grade turned out ok. Compared to last year, no one cried, no one had a bathroom accident, and best of all everyone called me Mr. Ochoa or Sir. My homeroom class is filled with good kids with one or two chatters and one student who I know will be my challenge. My afternoon class got a little testy, but armed with the power to give detention this year, they shouldn't be a problem.

As far as cooking goes, we have made great meals, but unfortunately because of our crazy schedules we haven't photographed any of it, or many any of it together. :( Chelsea made a great black bean soup (recipe from Cooking Light) and I made turkey tacos. My favorite was Chelsea's soup. It had flavor and lots of good fiber.

Tomorrow begins the first full week of instruction. We are being optimistic about the first week and hope to celebrate next weekend with a trip to the beach to our favorite beach side restaurant. On the agenda this week: getting students reacquainted with Spanish and getting them invested in learning Spanish, learning place value, decimals, lab safety, and magnetism... We are both sure to learn a whole lot after this week.