Back to Blogger

I have been so neglectful of my blog lately. So here I will take the time to quickly update. We've been keeping busy with sports on the weekend and in the evenings. At school I got a smart board installed in my classroom this week. It's the one that I wrote a grant for and received over $6000 for technology in my classroom. Not sure I mentioned here but I was pretty proud of myself. The weather has been really good lately and we've been able to get out more. This is a three day weekend for me and a four day for the kids but we've actually kept ourselves busy and have enjoyed the time off. I've been addicted to facebook's word challenge like crazy so that's why I haven't blogged. The kids have one more hockey game and I plan to take some much needed pictures to post. WHEW, that's the update. Now back to more word challenge :)

Lovin' January Now!

I admit that I may have been wrong about January, see this post and this one to understand. I mean what other month has such great snow days???? Yep, that's right snow day number 2!! Here we are hanging out after having slept til 8:30 instead of 5:30, eaten chocolate chip pancakes, and then leisurely checked out facebook, hotmail, and blogger for an hour or so!! What could be better?!?


I also want to thank those that commented on my blog after I whined that no one ever comments. Thanks Amy, Andrea, Aunt Anne, and Mom. It's nice to know that there are a few but faithful who read this wonderfully written publication :)

Now back to the regularly scheduled snow day routine of laying around, watching movies, playing board games with the kids and making cookies. Jealous anyone??

PS. Justin's feeling a lot better, Hannah still has a runny nose and Adam is fine.

Who likes January??

Does anyone like January?? Unless maybe you or your child's birthday is in January, I see no reason to like it. First you have the holiday letdown, then the New Years Resolution guilt trip, then the cold, cold, cold, days of no sunshine. Sorry to those that actually like this weather but I need some sunshine and temps above 50. I know in 6 months I'll be complaining about the St.Louis HEAT but since its been a pretty slow week in blogger land I thought this might be a good complaint for now.

WOO HOO for the 4 day week coming up though. Gotta love those National Holidays that keep the schools closed!

Going to Hannah's b-ball game soon so maybe I will have some pics or video to post, if I can get the camera to work right :)

(also, I'm still loving facebook so that may be the reason to blame for my lack of blogging)

Nothing new really

I'm back to work after my two week hiatus and back to running kids all over in the evening so I really haven't had time to post. Plus I am secretly hooked on Facebook, shh don't tell blogger!

School's been pretty good this week. Luckily I prepared in advance and things went smoothly. I was also fortunate enough to get to go to my writing class all day Wednesday so it was technically only a 4 day week for me. However, first semester grades are finished and the school year is half over. OH YEAH!!!

This 50 degree weather has got me thinking hard about spring though. For the first year ever, my school's spring break coincides with the kids' spring break. So I, for one, would like to do a little trip. I'm thinking Memphis for a few days maybe. I actually have never been there and since it's pretty close... I'd love to go to San Antonio to visit friends but that would likely be a lot more costly considering I don't think my friend Bridget and her family of four would want my family of five staying with them for any length of time. Maybe I should go by myself?????? (that would be the day)

I'm on Facebook

Yep, I did it. I'm on Facebook and I found like a zillion of my old Affton Classmates. Too funny to see how much they have all changed in the last 18 years. Did I just say 18...YIKES!

It's Over

Christmas is over WOOO HOOO!!! One week left to de-stress before I go back to school. I'm taking the tree down tomorrow and doing a thorough house cleaning and re-organization/throw out stuff that we don't need or use anymore.

Our holiday was nice, I will post pics and the re-cap later. I, for one am just really glad it's over!!

Where I'm From

Here's another poem that was created in my writing class. It's based on a poem of the same name. This is a teaching technique when you have kids copy the style of a poem but sub their own words.

Where I'm From

I am from acorns
and apple butter on a crisp fall day
I'm from the cub cadet tractor
parked under grandpa's carport
from Vine Avenue
and metal swimming pools
that glistened in the sun

I'm from 3 Eds and a Vicki
and grandma's dumplings
I'm from 5 hour car rides to Cloud Nine Ranch
with Pinkie the bear
and a station wagon with no air
I'm from Atari, VCR's and MTV
from the 82 World Series
and the Challenger Explosion
from the smell of money
on trips to AB
to see where dad worked hard

I'm from softball and hockey
and basketball and more
from sprained ankles, broken fingers
and trips to the sporting goods store
I'm from "You can do better."
to "Have another plate."
From "take care of your brother"
to "I Do" in the blink of eye
I'm from little girl to woman
how time flies.

Snow Day>> that's right people!!

You heard it, the first official SNOW day of the year. It's a teacher's second favorite day of the year with the last day of school being the best!

Not sure why school was called off but I am wondering if those meteorologists aren't getting a kick back from the teacher's unions. You know kind of like the Blagoveich scandal. Who will pay the most for a a really nasty forecast??

Thanks a lot to those meteorologists who did predict tons of ice when in actuality we got very little.

I did manage to just about finish my shopping, do about 10 loads of laundry and bake cookies! Yippee!

Holy crap it's mid December already.........

When did this happen? How did December sweep in and already get to the 11th? Wow, I need to get in gear. My OCD side is starting to really panic/FREAK out. I still haven't gotten our Christmas newsletter/card started let alone printed, addressed, and mailed. (New Years newsletters are okay right?) I have not wrapped ONE gift yet. (Gifts stuffed in Target bags are just fine under the tree, RIGHT?) I'm still not finished shopping. (Is there anyone that I won't see until after Christmas?) And to top it all off we still haven't put up a tree or decorated other than to put some crappy icicle lights on the house. Just talking about how behind I am is making my skin crawl.

OKAY< that's it tomorrow evening we WILL put up the tree and the other decorations. I have pretty good coupon for JC Penney that's only good on Saturday so hopefully that will help finish off the shopping. We are having Adam's birthday party Sunday afternoon so that is yet another thing to check off my ever growing to do list.

Did I mention that I also have to give a final exam at school and then grade it plus an essay that I assigned. too, much, can't breathe, need a chill pill..... (do they really make chill pills and where can I get one?)


There, I feel a little better now, time to watch ER. (yes it's really terrible this season but it's the last and i have been a loyal fan for 15 years so i must watch)

But seriously

These first two weeks of November have literally just flown by. I mean I can't quite believe that it is Nov. 14th already. I have been really busy at work trying to be super teacher. Staying late, thinking up super cool assignments that kids will actually WANT to do, volunteering for committees, going to workshops, its EXSHAUSTING!

Anyway, we've also been shuffling kids back and forth to sporting events, the end of one season the beginning of another. Basketball starts next week so that will be another night of practices and games. We've got something every night of the week.

And then I have to start Christmas shopping. Have I mentioned how much I HATE doing that?? UGH,UGH,UGH, buying a bunch of stuff that will be broke, lost, or stained by Easter is just not my idea of a good time. Plus I have been spoiled by all this great weather we are having so this gloomy, rainy, weekend does not sit well with me. And is it just me or does everyone else HATE Daylight savings time?? For mom's it's not an extra hour of sleep, it's just a day that starts extra early. Like instead of kids getting up at 8am on Sunday they got up at 7. And yes, techinically my kids can take care of themselves but will they>> NO!! I always hear the fights over the TV or the calls of there's nothing to eat. SO FUN! Then there's that lingering feeling that I should be in bed at 7pm because it looks like midnight. I am all thrown off.......

And on top of ALL that, I really, honestly think I need glasses. We just got a new 50 inch TV and yes it's awesome but it looks blurry to me. I used to think our old 27in looked blurry but thought it was just too far away to see. NOPE, it's me. I am getting old. I give myself a headache watching it too much. I can see fine up close, it's far away that gives me problems. Does that make me near sighted or far sighted?!? IDK!

So much for my rant. It's 6:30 and feels like 9:30, there is nothing on TV on Friday nights, it's rainy so I don't want to shop and I am bored. hmpf.....

They say it's MY birthday

Well I'm 36, I don't think there is really much more to say. BLAH!!

Bob took me to brunch at the Bevo Mill on Sunday (which was the day of my actual birthday.) It was pretty good, I love German food so I enjoyed the saurbraten, red cabbage, and potato pancakes. The breakfast stuff was so-so but it was just the two of us so that was enjoyable. He gave me a box of dark chocolate covered molasses puffs from the Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Company. They are my favorite candy!! I won't even share with anyone! He also washed, vacuumed and armor all ed my mini van for me which was exactly what I wanted. Then he had to go to work from 3-11 which is a crappy shift. But my mom barbecued steaks and baked potatoes, YUM-O! My parents gave me some cash to buy my own gift/pay bills. My sweet grandma sent me $20, kind made me feel ten years old but it was the thought! And that's about it folks.


sweet goodness

More Freakin Pink Eye

I can't even fathom how I have come to get pink eye again but yes as of 2:30pm today I was diagnosed with it. I have the pain, the swelling, the gunk flowing from my eye you know how it goes. Seems like only yesterday (or 4 months agobased on this post) that I got rid of my last case of it and now here it is again!! I mean I wash my hands and I keep germex in my purse, the car, the table next to the front door and in my classroom so WHAT'S UP???

Man does this hurt!

Update

First off, I want to thank Pam and Andrea for the comments under my Pink Eye post. And yes it has just about cleared up, still a little runny at times but no pain or redness etc. I took my praxis on Saturday and for the most part it went well. I used every bit of the 2 hour time limit though. There were 90 multi choice questions and 2 essay. I think I nailed the essay questions and did pretty well on the other ones but I felt that a lot of the time I had narrowed the choice down to two and then couldn't make a decision about which one was right. But we will see in a month if I passed or not. I will still have a job at Mehlville if I pass or not but I really don't want to pay to take the test again so hopefully I did well.

Summer has been slow, there isn't a lot to do right now. I haven't been a stay at home mom in a long time so I need to get back in the groove. We are planning a lake trip next week and then a trip to Branson in July. No big trips this summer unlike last year's Disney trip. We had originally planned to drive to Williamsburg for a week in July with the in-laws but due to the high gas prices we have decided to do Branson instead.

We've been to the pool a few times and seen Hannah play a few softball games but other than that not much else.

The carpet in the basement finally got installed today and it looks wonderful. Furniture comes on Friday and we should be able to move everything else in over the weekend. YEAH! I plan on taking pics of the finished product ASAP and posting them here.