Monday, September 1, 2008

my plan.

My plan went something like this...

Leave my parents house a day before Corey and the kids. (Sorry, Jeanette, to miss out on another day with you! It sounds like the kids had lots of fun!)

Spend a quiet evening home alone with these goodies...


Slept late this morning...
and then spent 4 hours at school, trying to get rid of this...


and this...

and these. (I really only have 1 a day. I just don't recycle that often.)



When I left, my list looked like this...
not everything is crossed off, but I'm definitely feeling better.
Things are organized and lessons are planned. (for tomorrow, anyway. The rest of the week is in my head, just not on paper.)


And I still get to look at these pretty things on my desk all day. (Thanks Talby and Megan!)

My 1st day of school activity for the past 9 years...
completed on Day 8 this year.

Sunday, August 31, 2008

you know you're stressed when...

friends are suggesting that you drink.
Or take some pills.
Or both.

I even had a friend offer to bring me some mango margarita mix.
(I think that's what it is.)

I have a different plan.
One that I think will work well...

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

why can't i be the kind of person...

who loses weight when they are stressed?


I would be getting so much thinner right now.

Monday, August 25, 2008

my weekend.

Some fun highlights from my weekend:


* Corey got up with the kids and let me sleep late on Saturday. Love him.
* He left to go help his brother on the farm.
* He's just called to tell me he's there and Sophie comes to talk to me. Her eye looks like this...


Pink, swollen... I'm thinking it looks a lot like pinkeye.
Until...


I pull her eyelid down and it's all goopy, jelly like, almost looks like her eyeball is swollen. Gross.
fyi: I took these pictures to email to my mom (aka: Dr. Mom)

* It's 12:30 pm on Saturday. The Immediate Care Clinic is only open until 12:00.
* I call my next door neighbor, Dana, who is a nurse. No answer.
* I call my other neighbor, Carol, who is a mom of 5, and ask her to come look at it and give me her Dr. Mom opinion. She doesn't think it looks good.
* I call our doctor friend, Mr. Lee. No answer. (Turns out he was the one working the Immediate Care Clinic)
* I email pictures to my mom and while talking to her think of one more person to call. Jill, our soon-to-be pediatric nurse practitioner (she's transferring to the clinic here), her sister is one of my best friends, and I've had 2 of her daughters in my class (fyi: Emily is one of the 7)
* We go to Jill's house, she diagnoses it and calls us in a prescription. And then wouldn't accept anything other than a thank you. Thank you, Jill. You're the best!

*************************************************************

* Sunday morning: Corey has to work. I planned on just staying home, since there is no Kid's Worship or Sunday School during the month of August and Sophie looks like she has pinkeye. But remembered I had 2 months worth of tithing that I kept forgetting to put in the offering. (June and July. Since I should now be tithing for August, I figure I ought to get them there.)

* Decide at the last minute to get everyone around. We're dressed, ready to go, and actually going to be somewhat on time (not as late as we usually are)

* Hurrying to get to church, crossing Main Street, I come to an almost complete stop, zip across, and realize that the car coming towards me is... a cop car. Crap.

* He turns, follows me, rides on my bumper for a few blocks, then finally turns on his lights. As he's slowly creeping up to my window, cautiously looking in the back seat (at my 2 children, buckled in their car seats) it occurs to me... I don't have my driver's license. Crap. Again. (I did have our church bag, filled with books, crayons, stickers and gum to keep these little people occupied during a service with no Kid's Worship. But no purse or driver's license.)

* He was very nice and ended up letting me off with a warning. Whether it was because he felt sorry for me, or because he felt bad giving me a ticket while I am obviously on my way to church, or because I name dropped our next door neighbor/police detective, I'll never know. (In my defense, I only name dropped while saying, "No, I'm sorry, I don't have my license. But I live next door to _______. He could vouch for me."

* Finally made it to church, not even close to on time now. By the time the service was done, it is pouring rain. Since I have no nice hubby with me who will go get the car and pull it up to the door for us, I run through the rain with 2 children, who manage to find and splash in every huge puddle.

*******************************************************

* Sunday afternoon: Sweet hubby sends me off with some girlfriends to go see this:

After 2 attempts to see it, both sold out, I finally got to watch it.

Loved it.
Want the DVD.
Want the soundtrack.
So much fun.
A perfect girl's night.

dog pictures.

I cannot, for the life of me, get a good picture of this dog.
She does have eyes. But you can never see them.
Indoors, my camera has trouble focusing on her... she's too black, maybe?
I need to take more outdoor shots, I guess.




I'll just have to rely on Megan for the quality photos...


Now technically, this isn't Marley.
It's her sister, Bella.
But they look very similar. We can pretend this is Marley.
(Marley's face is bigger, and her eyes are a little lower. Maybe that's why I can never see them.)




Look, Miss Amy... Marley likes her new dog bed!



Lawson likes it, too. :)

little chef.




still grouchy.

I am still the meanest 1st grade teacher in our school.

My kids are just not getting it.
We have practiced. And practiced. And practiced.
Lining up... walking in the hall... working without talking... working with whisper voices... lining up from recess... lining up from lunch... coming to the rug... going back to our desks... more lining up... more walking in the hall.

I am exhausted.

I've asked friends (I prefer that title over "Instructional Coach") to come and observe, to come give me ideas, to come assure me that I am not crazy, I haven't forgotten how to teach 6 year olds. They are agreeing... this is a unique bunch. I have about 7 kids that are consistently listening and following directions. 7 out of 21.

My favorite "stern lecture" from today:

"It is not okay to threaten your little Chinese friend and make her give you her paper so that you can erase her name, write your name at the top and then hand it in as your own."
(Yep. They are 6.)
Then the little friend and I practice saying in a BIG voice "No! This is my paper. I won't give it to you!"

Ugh.
It's gonna be a long year.