getting it together

Warning
I'm writing this post during the middle of a huge pity party.
Please excuse the complaining and proceed at your own risk.

I've always been organized, prepared, and ready for whatever life throws at me. At work I've always been cool, collected, READY! In school I've always been thoughtful, thorough, and PREPARED.

This year, I can't seem to get my act together.

This has, by far, been my worst year of college. I'm being pulled in so many directions. Work for me this year has been so busy and mentally draining that I literally crash on the couch for the weekend. Needless to say, the last thing I feel like doing at the end of the day, or on the weekend, is school work. So, I'm waiting until the last minute to do things and not really caring all that much about my assignments.

I'm done. What once brought me so much joy- joys of succeeding and learning new things- now gives me that sick feeling in my belly. I've ran at high speeds on the treadmill of college for so long without a break that I'm reaching my point of exhaustion. I still want my Ph.D, but I'm ready for this much needed upcoming break. To show just how much I'm over it, I made a C and took it with a smile! :) ~In my defense, it was in statistics (which I believe is what killed my love for school).

Last semester I was in school so much- 3 days a week I had class until just after nine (remember, I live an hour away so I still have the peachy drive home to look forward to). This semester my time on campus is less thanks to hybrid courses. Having said that, this is the semester that I have to conduct my research study- and to be honest, I'm jut not feeling it.

Adding to it all is the fact that I've been sick for over three weeks. Yes, I finally conceded defeat and went to the doctor (only to take my shot like anything but a big girl ;) ).

I have absolutely zero energy or get-up-and-go about me. I want to sleep away this entire month.

So, I'm trying to tell myself to buckle down for just four more months. I tell myself that, my brain comprehends it, but my tired soul is not having it.

Here's to hoping that I can finally get my act back together.

on a happier note

I finally have good things to blog about! =)

Yesterday was MY day. So many good things happened. First, my principal finally came and did my mid-year evaluation. It could not have gone any better! I am so glad that is over with! We are scored on a scale of 1-4, with 1 being bad. I made all 4's. The only bad thing was that another K teacher asked if she could observe me teach reading, math, and maybe science. Awkward. I do not like having people watch me teach- especially my fellow teachers.

Let's see... what else. Oh, I'm getting 2 college students in my classroom. They have to do many hours of observations before they can enter the Eduaction program at MSU. They'll be in once a week from 8-12. At first I was NOT happy about this, but I've began to see the positive side. When I did student teaching my first placement was horrible. At one point I almost dropped out- the teacher was that bad. Now granted, these students are not doing student teaching, but I can still use this as an opportunity to show them the good side of education, give them good resources they can use one day, and hopefully spark a love of teaching and children in them.

On the moving front, my kindred spirit, T, has been helping us look for a place. She called last night with some good news. If everything goes according to plan we will be moving by the first of February.

I called and made an appointment with my hair stylist. I'm going to go from this blonde, blonde, blonde hair to..........brunette! I finally settled on a color and I'm ready for the change! I will definitely post before/after pictures. This is just my season of change- new hair color, new house, new car....

Yesterday was our first day back at MSU. I was happy to have a class from 4-6, and not 6-10. Even better was learning that this class is hybrid, so we only meet a few times. This is the way my other class is also. It's going to be so nice to be able to come straight home after work, spend some time outdoors, cook dinner, and actually sit and relax for a few hours instead of making it home after ten every night.

But, the best thing that happened yesterday was.......... having the principal announce that school was canceled today for a SNOW DAY! And, there's a good chance we will not be in school tomorrow either. So, I just got out of bed and I'm still in my PJ's. Here's to a snow day spent on the couch eating comfort food in my pajamas, sipping hot chocolate, watching Food Network, and doing some reading!

*update* School was also closed for Friday! Yay!

Now, all I need to make this day complete would be the SNOW. I don't think it's going to happen, but here's to hoping!

And The Golden Dustpan Goes To.......

.....Mrs. James' class for the cleanest classroom!

We proudly hung our dustpan up on the front board to display for the week.
I can already see that it's going to be hard to give it up to next week's winner.

That's right- my class won the prestigious Golden Dustpan Award for having the tidiest classroom! This was the second week they gave out the award and I won! I hate that I wasn't the very first teacher to receive it (you know how competitive I am), but I'm happy none the less. My kids all started applauding when they announced the winner! They were so proud of themselves.... as well they should be! Every afternoon my designated 'helpers' clean and tidy up the classroom. I bet you've already guessed by this point that I'm just as 'anal' about my classroom as I am about my house.


Some say that cleanliness is next to godliness. I'm not too sure about that- but I know cleanliness is a high priority for me.

So- congrats to all of my sweet peas for doing such a great job of keeping our pea pod spic-n-span!

Aaaahhhhhh - Chooooo

Once again I'm sick. Thursday I awoke with a scratchy throat and a slight case of the sniffles. Friday morning I awoke with the same symptoms. By Friday afternoon I was dizzy, having chills and body aches, had a SEVERE headache, sinus congestion, and cough. I've never gotten so sick so fast. I came home and was in the bed asleep by 5:30. I didn't get up until after 10 Saturday morning. I spent the entire day on the couch with the heated blanket. The worst part about this cold is the headache I've had. It's killing me!

Today I'm even more congested and instead of a dry aggravating cough- my chest now burns and all sorts of yuckies are coming up.

Just great.

If I'm not any better by tomorrow I'm heading to the doctor after work. I hope I can get over this before next weekend. The hubby and I are having a romantic weekend away in Vicksburg at a Bed and Breakfast. Not to mention that Wednesday is our first field trip of the year- to the pumpkin patch- so I will need all my strength to survive the day.

The only thing I hate about working with children is that I'm always sick. Veteran teachers tell me that it gets better with time - as my immune system builds up it defenses. I hope they're right! I worked in a hospital for almost 2 years and only caught 2 colds. I guess people are right when they say kid's germs are different.

Precautions I've Been Taking To Avoid Sickness:

1.Germ X. I've Germ X'ed my hands, and my students hands, so much that they're peeling! I've found I prefer the apple scent.2. Clorox Wipes. Every afternoon I give every student a clorox wipe and we clean the room trying to kill the 'yuckies'.
3. Airborne. This stuff was created by a teacher. You take it to help boost your immune system to avoid catching colds. I take it daily but to no avail. I prefer the Lemon-Lime Flavor

4.Good Ole' Vitamin C. I take one large vitamin C tablet every morning- religously!

5.Hand Washing. Again, same thing with the Germ X. We're washing our hands so much they stay 'pruned'!

If anyone has any other suggestions that I could add to my daily defense plan please let me know. I need all the help I can get!

Mr. Gucci

Yesterday one of my sweet peas said the funniest thing. That's one of my favorite things about teaching kindergarten- the silly things kids say!

I had to speak to one little girl in paticular, whom I'll call Toots (as in short for Tootsie) about talking during naptime. She immediately responded by saying "Please don't move my stick Mrs. James because I really don't want to have to see Mr. Gucci." I said "Who's Mr. Gucci?" She quickly informed me that "Mr. Gucci is my daddy's belt."

I laughed until I hurt! I'll admit, being blonde, it did take me a minute to figure out that Mr. Gucci was a Gucci belt. But once it clicked in my head it was toooo funny! I told her mom what she said and she just laughed and laughed!

So, when I have children and they act up, if 'time out' doesn't work then I'm going to purchase my own Mr. Gucci!

Hilarious!

The Obsession Continues

So, not only do I love the Twilight saga, but I also love the Twilight soundtrack. I downloaded onto my iPod a few months ago and LOVE it! The song I blogged about previously, Supermassive Black Hole by Muse, is one of the songs from the soundtrack. A few of my other favorites are 'Eyes on Fire', 'I Caught Myself', 'Never Thinks', and 'Full Moon'. I added these songs, as well as a few others such as Older, Magic, and some Anna Nalick songs to my player below.

Speaking of Older by Colbie Caillat - It's the best song describing my emotions these days.... Along with her song Circle.

I keep saying that "This Too Shall Pass" but I'm beginning to wonder just when it will pass. I'm beginning to become quite fond of my friend sadness, which I've found is often accompanied by quiteness and seclusion. Then again, I think that's just my depression speaking.

Third Day Curse

I'm cursed when it comes to the third day of school.

Last year one the third day of school I had a student throw up on me.

Today- the third day- I had a student pee on me..... Yep, you read correctly. A student urinated on me.

I knew I had to change clothes but was faced with three dilemmas.

1. I carpool with someone and today she drove- so I did not have my car.
2. I live an hour away so going home/getting someone to bring me clothes was out of the questions.
3. This month our check was not direct deposited... so I had not gotten paid and had $8.47 in my checking account. Hardly enough to buy new clothes. (People who get paid only once a month can relate!)
   

Thank goodness for my dear carpool friend! (I'll have to come up with a pseudonym for her later). She let me drive her car to the mall. I was petrified! She just bought a brand new car... and the way my luck was going today I just knew this would be the time I would have an accident. Thankfully I made it back with her car in one piece! She also let me use her debit card to get some clothes- and I would pay her back once I cashed my paycheck.

Well, I get to the mall at 9:30 and discover that the stores do not open until 10. Big problem considering the entire front of my pants/shirt is covered in urine... and I smelled really bad! I stood outside the gate of NY&Co watching the sales associates prepare for the day.

I was able to convince a very pregnant lady to hear me out for just a minute.... after hearing my story she slipped me into the store. I ran straight to the dressing room and stripped down. She then passed me some wet wipes.... and when I say I bathed in wet wipes, I mean I literally bathed in them! The lady asked me what I wanted to wear and I said "I'm wearing brown shoes so anything that matches them will be fine". She tossed me some pants and a shirt and I was off to check out.... still wearing the tags on my clothes!

I got the name of the sales associate and I plan on sending her a nice thank-you gift! She was really very sweet! I also owe my carpool friend more than just money! She was a life saver!

Lesson I learned in school today: Next year, call in on the third day of school!

As if the peepee story is bad enough, when I left my classroom this afternoon the toilet in my classroom bathroom was over flowing.... YUCK! I left it for the janitors to deal with! I'd had enough 'stuff' for the day! =)

Inspirations

I was browsing the web this evening for inspiring teacher quotes! I had a great first day of school! I have a very bright and sweet group of kindergarten kiddos! I'm excited to see how far they go- the sky's the limit!

Quote of the Week:
"We all have 24 hours in a day."
Ms. Hoppa- you'll get that one! ;)

Here's what I found...

I'm thinking of printing this out and framing it to go in my classroom.... I LOVE this one!

Unity
By Cleo V. Swarat (thanks to Dan for correcting our info!)

I dreamed I stood in a studio
And watched two sculptors there,
The clay they used was a young child’s mind
And they fashioned it with care.

One was a teacher:
the tools she used were books and music and art;
One was a parent
With a guiding hand and gentle loving heart.

And when at last their work was done,
They were proud of what they had wrought.
For the things they had worked into the child
Could never be sold or bought!

And each agreed she would have failed
if she had worked alone.
For behind the parent stood the school,
and behind the teacher stood the home!

Teacher's Prayer
Author Unknown

Lord, Please help me,
To strengthen their voices,
bodies and minds,
To express their feelings and
control them sometimes,
To explore what's near
and venture afar,
But most important to love
who they are.

This one was just plain cute!

Two More Days Till School
By: Leslie Kimmelman

I'm finally going to school this year,
and now the big day's almost here.
I'll learn to write and count and read--
Only two more days till school.

I got new pants and shirts and socks,
a brand-new red and blue lunch box;
I'll paint and sing and dance and play--
Only one more day fill school.

My hair is washed, my sneakers squeak,
I'm so excited, I can hardly speak!
New things to do, new friends to meet--
Hooray! It's the first day of school!

All Good Things

..... must eventually come to an end!

I found this flair button on facebook and thought it was cute!

I've been on summer vacation for three months- but tomorrow I must return to the real world. My days filled with sleeping late, wasting the day away in my PJ's, afternoon naps, and my favorite cooking shows have come to an end. Teachers return tomorrow and a new batch of sweet peas will arrive bright and early Thursday morning!

So, how did I spend my last day of freedom? I wore my PJ's all day, washed clothes, cleaned the house, packed my gym bag for next week, finished up my homework, and did a little yard work! I went to the grocery store the other day and had to think about what I would take for lunch next week..... I haven't had to think about things like that in a while! =)

I will say that the weather was GORGEOUS for my last day of summer. However, it felt nothing like summer. Instead it felt like a warm Autumn day. It was sunny buy very cool and breezy- wonderful! =)

I've said it before and I'll say it again- I'm ready for pumpkins, chilly nights, cool days, hay rides, trick or treaters, jack-0-lanterns, the beautiful colors of Fall, Halloween, and the electricity in the that that signals it's October! October is my favorite month! It will make it's grand entrance in just over a month! =)

Ahh... if only it were tomorrow!

Well, I'm off to try and get to bed early. Maybe I'll get lucky and have sweet dreams of Autumn days!

Wish me luck!

Bad News on a Saturday Morning

This morning one of my fellow teachers, Honey Cup, called to ask if I had heard the terrible news. I hadn't so she begins to tell me this horrible story of how our school had been burned.

Gasp.....

What? What? Say WHAT?

I looked online and saw the video... sure enough, someone intentionally busted out several widows and caught our principals office on fire! Just the day before someone broke into the building, stole a few items, and wrote graphite on the walls.

Please be in prayer for my principal and my school. My principal's office was completely destroyed- she lost everything. Other offices were damaged along with our copier, fax, laminator, and all of the other office equipment.

I've heard rumor that we may not have the summer enrichment program. I hope so badly that we do- this was the first time our school was having this type of program.

My question is this: Who could possibly do such a thing?

Follow this link to a watch video of the fire, courtesy of WTOK news.

Follow this link to view an updated video.

All Packed Up

One of the biggest headaches for a teacher is the end of the year packing! Last week I had to label everything and pack it up/get it off of the floor so they janitors can repaint and buff the floors.

I succeeded!

Here is a picture of me on my very last day of work......next to my room number! I have many memories from inside that classroom! I'm officially no longer a 'first-year teacher'!



I've been telling everyone that I need to print out and bind my journal notes from my first year, take a trip to New York, and have them published! I promise that after reading the very first page I would be offered a book deal!

It's bittersweet! I can't believe I've complete my first year of teaching. Although I know there are many more to come, my first year will always be the most special and memorable!

Schools Out For Summer

Today was the last day of school for students- I had zero students....zero! Several teachers only had 1 or 2 students show up!

On the way home from work I rolled the widows down and blasted out to this song! It makes me want to stay up late and watch 'Dazed and Confused'! =)

Technically I have one more day- tomorrow- but the students won't be there. Our faculty party is tomorrow so I'll post pictures!

Moving On Up.....To A Deluxe Desk In First Grade!

It's official- I survived my first year as a teacher.

Friday, May 22 was our Kindergarten graduation. It's the first one Parkview has ever had! The students were even able to wear the cutest cap and gowns- complete with a 2009 tassel!

I cried the entire morning- I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to make it through the ceremony! Surprisingly I made it through just fine......with the exception of my now infamous zebra panties!

I wore a dress to work that day- one in which I never wear a slip with because it's a bit thick and I always wear matching undies. Well, this particular morning after finding that all my matching unmentionables were dirty, I decided on my zebra print! I went through the entire ceremony never knowing that everyone could faintly see my zebra undies! If it hadn't been for my dear friend, Mizz Hoppa, I would have gone the entire day without knowing! Thankfully it wasn't as noticeable in darker rooms! However, in the Snoopy Center (our auditorium) and outside in the sunlight, you could see them plain as day! I even went to Wal-Mart not knowing about my 'situation'! After I found out, I quickly changed into my gyms clothes that I had in the car. The ensemble wasn't the cute pink dress I had picked out.....but at least I was decent! =)

Needless to say, sadness was quickly replaced by embarrassment and laughter! Even my principal noticed and commented on them! She now teases me relentlessly about them!

On the bright side, at least there were cute and not granny panties- or thongs as someone else noted!

Any who! Here are some pics of me on graduation day! You can't see my zebra prints in these pictures thanks to the dark breezeway! However, I did have several parents take pictures of me outside with their kids....... I cringe when I think of what those pictures might show! I hope I never know! Also, one of my parents is posting a video of the ceremony on youtube, once she emails me the link I'll post it..... I really want to see it because I'm sure you can see my unmentionables!

Check out those toned legs! ;)

Head Shot!

Oh, the places you'll go...... My Last Lecture

Two weeks ago I began thinking about what I would tell my kindergarteners...... sort of my 'last lecture'. To find inspiration, I read the book The Last Lecture by Randy Paush- I recommend it to anyone who needs a different outlook on life. You can check out YouTube and actually watch Randy's last lecture which inspired the book. It gave me chill bumps!

I'm such an ordinary person- so there's really nothing meaningful I can say to these young minds that they will actually remember.

So I chose to use the words of someone Not-So-Ordinary- the great Dr. Seuss. I love his book Oh, The Places You'll Go and Oh, The Thinks You Can Think - these are two great books to read to anyone about to graduate; whether it be from kindergarten or college.

And thus follows my last lecture.....

Oh, the Places You'll Go!

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care.
About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any
you'll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you'll head straight out of town.

It's opener there
in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen,
don't worry. Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too.

OH!
THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!

You'll be on your way up!
You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.

You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.
You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you'll be the best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don' t
Because, sometimes, you won't.

I'm sorry to say so
but, sadly, it's true
and Hang-ups
can happen to you.

You can get all hung up
in a prickle-ly perch.
And your gang will fly on.
You'll be left in a Lurch.

You'll come down from the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that you'll be in a Slump.

And when you're in a Slump,
you're not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked.
A place you could sprain both you elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And IF you go in, should you turn left or right...
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place...

...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a sting of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.

NO!
That's not for you!

Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying.
You'll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.

With banner flip-flapping,
once more you'll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you're that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored. there are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame! You'll be famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don't.
Because, sometimes, they won't.

I'm afraid that some times
you'll play lonely games too.
Games you can't win
'cause you'll play against you.

All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you'll be quite a lot.

And when you're alone, there's a very good chance
you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.

But on you will go
though the weather be foul
On you will go
though your enemies prowl
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.

On and on you will hike
and I know you'll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.

You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3 / 4 percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So...
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
you're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!

---Dr. Seuss

Earth Day 2009

I know this is a few weeks late.....but you know what they say- better late than never!

For Earth Day our kindergarten classes planted flowers around the front of our building. I'm not sure who had more fun - the students or the teachers!

Here are a few pictures.....

The very lovely Mizz Hoppa
She has been such a wonderful friend! Love her =)
(Even though we love her so much, somehow she managed to get stuck with the dirty work!)
Her quote "I need a hoe"! =)

Here is the other kindergarten teacher, Senorita!
As you can probably tell from the picture- she is a blast to work with!
She was also my mentor since I was a first year teacher!




Didn't you hear- I'm the Bomb Digity!

This pic shows just how much weight I have lost! Those pants are being held up by safety pins! =)
My waistline hasn't been that slender in years!
In this picture I weigh right at 125- down from 152 last December!

The Three Amigos!
(Just had to point out that you can now actually see my collar bone! I love that! Ha!)

Earth Day was a blast for our students! They really enjoyed planting flowers- we just had to remind them not to pick them! They always pick the blooming flowers and put them on our desks- soooo sweet! However, we wanted these flowers to last at least a week! ;)

We were given 'Green Bags' to use when shopping and packets of peas to plant. We planted them, watered them daily, and graphed each day how much they had grown. I must say, although I've had trouble with tomato plants, I can definitely grow pea plants!


This picture was taken one afternoon when two of the pea pots were accidentally knocked over. I had four groups/tables in my classroom: Red, Yellow, Blue, and Red. Each table had a pea pot and we were having 'The Great Sweet Pea Race" (since I call my kiddos my sweet peas, and refer to my classroom as 'the pea pod' =) .......... needless to say the Blue and Green tables were devastated when their pots were broken.


Nonetheless, we replanted them and they did just fine! =)


On a side note- although I'm not quite a 'Green Freak' or 'Tree Hugger', I am using my Green Bag when I go shopping! You never know, this just might be the beginning of a change! =)

Here is my Green Bag donated to us from Wal-Mart.

Tickle Me ELMO

Back in February my school district offered this really neat deal. You could use your 1% money (money we get each year to spend in our classroom, this year it was about $180) to put towards getting an ELMO.

Well, I found out about this incentive after I had spent all but $12 dollars of my allotted money. Against a few coworkers negativity, I decided to give it a shot. Everyone said that I would never get an ELMO for $12.

Two weeks ago I received my ELMO.

Then, the second miracle happened. I did not have a projector in my classroom (to have one is the envy of most teachers). In order to use the ELMO, you have to have a projector. Well, after giving a spectacular speech to my principal and harassing the technology department, I was promised a projector.

When I left my room this afternoon they were installing my projector from the ceiling. They will hook it up to my ELMO and to my computer. So now I can use PowerPoints to aid in teaching, I can use fun quizzes as whole-group reviews, stream videos.....the possibilities are endless.

When I received my ELMO, one of my students asked what it was. I told them it was a gift from Santa. The student replied.... well, if it's from Santa why did the mailman bring it. I replied, "Because it was really expensive and it took Santa a while to raise enough money from his Christmas tree farm to buy it for me. So, even though it is a bit late, I'm really glad Santa didn't forget!"

For those of you who are out of the loop, I'm not talking about ELMO from Sesame Street!

This is the ELMO I get to play with tomorrow!

I cannot wait to play with it tomorrow!

Our theme has been 'Under the Ocean' so I can't wait to stream some ocean videos from NationalGeographic.com.

Hooray! =)

Movies, Merlot, and Much Needed ME Time

Today, all of the forces were against me. It was inevitable that today would be chaos.

Let me explain.

People who work with kids for any length of time begin to notice how certain forces affect children in a negative way- thus causing the adults who work with them to venture onto the brink of insanity.

Today there were many forces working against me.

• Today is Friday. Nuf said!
• Not only is it Friday, it's Friday the 13th.
• Today was a blue jean Friday. This was like adding gasoline to a raging fire!
  
• It's raining. There is sufficient research to suggest that weather does affect the behavior of children. I figured this much out within my first 2 weeks of teaching!
• It's the last day of school before we're out for Spring Break.

I bet by this point you know what I'm going to say.....

My kiddos were absolute horrid! I love my sweet peas dearly....
But, I'm ready for time away from the 'pea pod'!

So, next week I'm out on Spring Break. I didn't think I'd survive this week...but miraculously I made it through. Not quite as sane as I once was, but hey, I'm not complaining!

After the day I had, I'm in dire need of The 3 Magic M's.

Movies.
Merlot.
Much Needed Me Time!

After having an early supper with my good friend, Chickadee, we headed to blockbuster. I decided on three movies I've been wanting to see, but until now haven't had time. I really wanted to see them in theaters, but that's a blog for another day.

1. I Am Legend. Not really a chick-flick, I know. But I watched the beginning and was sucked into it. Couldn't finish it so it's been on my mind for weeks now. I've got to know how it ends!
2. Becoming Jane. I love Jane Austin, so I'm excited to watch this one. This is definitely a chick flick!
3. The Other Boleyn Girl. Another chick flick I can't wait to watch.

I plan of spreading them out. I'll watch I Am Legend a few times tonight. Becoming Jane will rule my Saturday. Sunday seems like a perfect day to watch The Other Boleyn Girl at least a dozen times. =)

I also picked up a nice bottle of Merlot (my favorite), and some calorie-rich snack foods. Hey, if I'm going to go out, might as well go all out!

Now I'm off to enjoy The 3 Magic M's. Once I'm through with them, the world will be right again!



On a side note- I finally, finally settled on new coffee tables. Honeydo set them up last night. I'm in love! I ordered our couch last week, it's supposed to be delivered around Wednesday of next week. I can't wait! Tomorrow I have to go pick up the new chair and ottoman. I can't wait to start putting it all together!
Stay tuned for a blog on the new living room re-do coming soon.... until then, here's a preview to tide you over! ;)

Just Plain Creepy

My classroom has a back door that opens up to a small patio, which I share with the other kindergarten teacher. I let my kids go out on it and do sidewalk chalk, dress up, games, etc. I've been doing this a lot lately since it's been so pretty. I've also just been propping the door open to let in the warmth, fresh air, and sunshine each afternoon.

On Thursday afternoon I was opening the door and guess what I found.......

A Black Widow Spider.



You read correctly- a black widow! I FREAKED out- to say the least! I took several pictures of it on my phone, but have yet to figure out how to get if from my phone onto my computer. So, I surfed the web and found the above picture plus some creepy information about the Black Widow Spider.

The 'what if 's' keep running through my mind.

Ugh, that's just plain creepy!

Valentine's Day

For me, Valentine's Day came twice.
Let me explain....

Friday was my kindergarten class Valentine's Day Party. I must admit that I had been dreading it for weeks. I seriously considered calling in, except I highly doubted my assistant would survive the horrendous day alone - goodness knows I would not have. I had flashbacks of how crazy my kiddos were during the Christmas party- and I knew they would be just as active Friday afternoon.

Now....where should I begin?

Let me start with the food! I sent home letter to all my parents asking them to volunteer to either help out at the party, bring food, or both. I ended up with approximately 120 cupcakes, 5 2 liter drinks, 4 packages of Capri Sun drinks (10 per pack), 5 bags of chips, 2 bags of individually wrapped chips, 3 containers of frosted cookies, dip, and an immeasurable amount of candy.

I must admit, for the most part I have a wonderful group of parents! I couldn't thank them enough!

For morning work I had the students decorate paper bags as puppy dogs using hearts. The bags were to help them carry their 'loot' home. They were absolutely adorable!

Then, we get to the part about the Valentine's cards. I sent a note home that listed everyone's name so that parents and students could fill out their cards. Out of 20 students, only 4 filled theirs out. The rest of my students brought in their boxes of cards- and they hadn't even opened them! There was no name of who it was to or from. To add to this, cards have gotten rather sophisticated since I was in school. The majority of the cards my students brought had to be -assembled-. Yes. That's right. Assembled. I was frustrated to say the least. What I chose to do about the situation may be considered as 'rude' by some. Instead of letting the kids fill them out themselves (they're 5 for goodness sakes!), and instead of spending the entire day filling them out myself (which is why I sent home the list), I just opened the boxes and put one card in each bag. I did not label who it was to or who it was from.

Sorry.

I draw the line somewhere!

Plus, I highly doubt my 5 year old's are going to dig through their bag and read each card! They're more interested in the candy anyways.

It took just shy of 2 hours just to pass out the cards and candy in each bag. By the time the party actually started, I was sick of Valentine's Day!

Of course, the kids were super excited, and I'm glad they had a good time! I LOVE seeing them happy!

And, as predicted, I received numerous boxes of chocolate from my kiddos! Thanks sweet peas!

So, now you're up to speed on my class party. Now on to what my hubby did for me! =)

Friday morning while I was getting ready for work he asked me what I wanted. I couldn't think of anything. He suggested the typical flowers, jewelry and chocolate idea. After getting all that chocolate from my kiddos, I'm glad I turned down that idea.

Finally, I told him that instead of spending money on something, I wanted him to do something for me.

Oh, did he ever! When I got home from work Friday evening, the house was immaculate! (You should know by now that I LOVE a clean home more than anything!). He swept, vacuumed, polished the furniture, cleaned the bathroom, made the bed, washed dishes, and much more. Plus, to top it off, he had candles lit when I walked in the door! How sweet is that! I couldn't have asked for a better gift!

That's right! My man is "The Man"!

I thoroughly enjoyed my evening and weekend that was free from any house duties! I was able to relax, enjoy dinner, and recuperate after the day's adventure! Saturday I took him out to eat at Outback and we spend the day together shopping. Although, I'm ashamed to say that his gift to me far surpassed what I did for him. At least in my opinion. He disagrees!



On another note, we moved the last bit of furniture out of our guest room on Saturday morning. I'm so glad we were able to sell it. I'm now in the process of organizing/storing our wedding things. Then, it's on to decorating this blank canvas!

Bye-Bye Tator Logs

Yesterday I blogged about picking up a few items at Wal-Mart. Well, while there I decided to pick up some of their tator logs (those huge french fries) and 2 small chicken legs from the deli. I ate them on the way home feeling SOOOOO guilty. Thoughts like the following were racing through my head.....this is not healthy, it will probably slow your body down a bit with all that grease, calories-calories-calories, if I start splurging I won't be able to stop, wait till you get home and eat some turkey breast....etc..

I ate them and savored every last bite!

Get home. Fine.

Go to bed. A bit quesy.

Wake up at 12:30 a.m. About to die.

I'll spare you the peachy details and just say that I haven't been that sick....or had that much come back up in a long time.

Lesson learned - stay away from greasy food when my concious is telling me to run the other way!

Oh, and avoid the tator logs - which breaks my heart because I have a long and fabulous love affair with them. I always pick up a bag when I'm in Wal-Mart.

Guess I didn't have to worry about the calories after all. I lost my dinner plus a few pounds to go with it due to dehydration.

Then again, maybe it was the chicken legs and NOT the tator logs.... Well, I'm not brave enough to test that hypothesis.

On a side note- after that horrible experience last night, I fought the urge to call in, went to work on 4 hours of sleep, made loads of headway, finished report cards, had a GREAT day with my kiddos, ran 2 miles at the gym, and managed to make it home before 7 o'clock. I'm hungry but not for tator logs and chicken. Tonight, I'm having the turkey breast! ;)