Work Avoidance

I have been meaning to post since Sunday, but each time I sit down, I get distracted. Today's the day, however. Our SOL testing has been good. I have a lot of papers to do for grad school, and I should be working on them now. However, I'm doing this instead. Its much more fun.

This morning a student found an owl stuck in the soccer goal here at school. I don't know what type it was, but it had beautiful yellow eyes. Poor thing- it must've gotten stuck in the neck last night when chasing after some mouse or other animal. Someone from a wildlife organization came and took it to a local vet. We're still waiting to hear more about it, but it didn't seem injured.

School and school are both going well. I can't believe that I've only got two and a half weeks until elementary school is done. I'm pretty ready for it. The kids are starting to really get on my nerves. That's a bad sign.

I'm staying home this weekend, come hell or high water. Enough traipsing all over the place. I want to get ten hours of good sleep in my own bed. Right now would be nice. Zzzzz...

Fun Saturday

We drove down to Cary last night, just in time to go to Ted's Montana Grill for dinner. They have the yummiest strawberry shortcake! I actually ate pretty decently (low fat, I mean), and we had a good time. I didn't sleep real well last night, as Henry barked a two-thirty a.m., five a.m., six-thirty a.m., and from seven-thirty a.m. until I got up and took him out. Did I mention that I was the one that took him out at two-thirty?!?

Becky and I did some fun shopping. I bought a pair of white dress shoes- they are the highest heels I've ever owned in my life. I love them! We had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. Mmmmm... cheesecake. I really like shopping. I know that it makes me seem shallow and materialistic, but its so much fun!

Tonight we saw the last Star Wars movie. I cried through at least half the movie. Troy and Becky couldn't really understand why I was crying, but several parts seemed pretty sad. Anyways, I though it was really good. It wraps up several loose ends, and the acting is really good. Overall, a good way to spend a weekend.

Happy weekend to all

Woo hoo- Its Friday! Today was pretty boring- I had a lot of time without students, so I wisely worked on some grad school stuff. Lesson plans, transitioning ideas, etc. There's so much to do, and only four more weeks to get it done.

I also hung out with some people doing pet therapy here. I love to watch the kids interact with the dogs. Most of these kids have such big problems, and they are adored by their canine friends. Beasley comes to visit a girl with multiple disabilities that has very loud tantrums when frustrated. The only time I hear her giggle and laugh is when she's with Beasley. One week she wasn't here and Beasley cried outside the door of her classroom. The bonds are just great.

I'm looking forward to the weekend. I'm still on my mission for white dress shoes, something in a strappy sandal. I need to get a bit of a tan on my feet, though. I don't want to end up with skin cancer, but I don't enjoy being pasty. My feet are pasty.

Was there an airport in the bible?

Caylon thinks so. We started talking about Caesar today, then that led to kings in the bible, and that led Caylon to talk the bible. I usually quickly change the subject, but he was asking about some Mr. Jones buying plane tickets at the airport. He was certain it was in the bible. We all got a big kick out of it. I don't know where half these things come from. Like the autistic student that was doing lots of worksheets today. He put another student's name on one of his paper- "Latoya." A little strange.

My time bomb is out of school until next Thursday. The principal didn't pay attention to his heinous behavior until she was subjected to it first hand in the office in front of several parents. It made today a little quieter. We made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches from one of the kids' receipes. We had a good time.

I'm tired, and its not even nine o'clock. We just finished watching "Team America World Police" on DVD. Its so bad that its pretty good. Maybe not pretty good. Pretty terrible. Some of it is funny. Kind of.

I love Henry. I come home and he's so sweet. Most of the day, I sit around and think about how I wish I was home with him. Well, not most of the day. I did get one of my projects finished for grad school and a good start on another. I do actually do stuff at work. Besides play with the kids all the time.

Happy Camper

That's Henry! We got him new food that will hopefully stop the puking. We also bought him a "virtually indestructible" ball to play with since tennis balls are off limits. The best? A huge bag of vanilla flavored rawhide chews. He's positively blissful now.

My day was good. My time bomb exploded, but he didn't do it in my room. The principal drove him home for the rest of the day. I guess he'll be back tomorrow. Other than that, my kids have been good. I use a lot of behavior contracts and checklists. It occured to me yesterday that those are my preference because those are what Mom and Dad used with me. Go figure.

I need to get started on the projects for my grad school class. Ugh. I don't really like work. I love my job, but grad school is too much work.

I'm sooooo stupid.

Not really- but I feel like it sometimes. I was in the OT/PT room and noticed this thing called a "Dizzy Disc" for sitting and standing. I stood on it and spun around some. Now I'm not feeling well at all. Not my brightest moment.

Yesterday's bagel pizzas were a hit. They came out really well, and the kids were pretty well behaved. I'm trying to keep their behavior okay as long as possible. They'll get "summer brain" soon and be good for nothing. Never mind the fact that I have the aforementioned affliction.

I've decided to do book bags this summer to use next year. I'll put a book, a toy, a journal, and an instruction sheet in each bag and send them home every couple of weeks. I've heard most kids and parents really like them. I'll probably make my own bags. It'll be labor intensive, but I think it'll be worth it. The toys will probably come from the dollar store- my favorite place. Maybe Kelly will help me if she comes for a week during the summer.

I'm on my own for dinner tonight. I'm thinking WW pizza. Mmmm... I also need some more WW ice cream cones. I love the last bite, where there's frozen chocolate in the very tip of the cone. I'm hungry already. Not a great sign.

The Weekend

Friday: Henry came to school with me and wore himself out. He was so well behaved and let the kids love all over him. He was even the topic of our story for the day. I'm amazed at how Henry adjusts to wherever we put him (as long as I'm there- he's a mama's boy). At one point, there were about twenty five-year-olds petting him and talking about him. He just stood there, patient as could be. It must've be tiring, because he slept nearly the whole way to Tennessee. We got in about 10:30 pm, chatted some, and then went to bed.

Saturday: Troy and Dad headed off to Pigeon Forge pretty early. Mom and I hung out, and then we went shopping. We got mostly picture frames, along with frivolous other items. I got to see the apartment where they'll be staying while the house is built. Its pretty nice! We went out to dinner with Sarah and David Hetrick, and Scott and Debby Something-Or-Other. It was a blast. We just all kept talking and having a good time.

Sunday: I packed about thirty boxes for the 'rents, so they have a good start on the moving process. I can't imagine how much more I'll be doing in the next couple of trips we make. It was hard to leave. I kind of wanted to move to Knoxville, but that's fairly impossible right now. The drive home was long, but we got home. We got groceries and vegged out. I had a hard time sleeping, much more than usual. But I'm wide awake today and everything's skipping right along.

To make fun of Mom and Dad (I know you read this- you'll just have to deal with it), Troy and I laughed over their communication skills. I don't know if its a hearing issue or obstinancy. I was amazed at how often one would ask a question or yell something out, only to have the other close a door on them without answering. They'd yell across the house and not hear each other, I guess. They're like two really old people, except they aren't. It was just cute.

Today I learned that I can function okay on six hours of sleep. Sometimes.

Creative Title: Thursday

Today was a good day. No classes after school, no major blow ups, bathtime with Henry... I really like my life on days like these. Of course, tomorrow will be far more hectic. For one, Henry's is coming to school with me. Second, we're driving down to Tennessee. I have to decide how to handle the motion sickness in a way that will allow me to actually drive.

The big excitement of my life? There's a documentary on tonight about feral children. Woo hoo!

Is Wednesday really almost over?

So this week is really flying by! Yesterday was over before I'd really realized it had started. I started another class on Monday, which isn't really all that exciting. Lots of projects, but no exams. I know most of the people in the class, which means that group projects will be more interesting. Unfortunately, the class meets for two-and-a-half hours each time, twice a week. It really taxes my attention span.

I took Henry to the vet yesterday about the puking. Four thoughts: 1) food allergy, 2) something funky stuck in his stomach and rolling around, 3) thickening of the muscle at the spot where his stomach meets his small intestine, or 4) some spirea-something-ish-thing that is like a bacteria only not. We're going to change his food and see if that calms down the puke. Maybe it really is a food allergy. It that doesn't help, he'll have to have endoscopic surgery to look into things. Its nothing life threatening, but we're tired of cleaning up puppy puke. He's still cute, though, even when he's pukey.

The weather is beautiful. We ate dinner outside on the deck last night and walked for ice cream at Mountain Frost. I've learned how to order just one scoop of ice cream. I think that is a miracle in itself. Man. I love ice cream.

Hooray for me!

I have good news! Drum roll, please... Ta da! I made three As this semester in grade school! (That's an A in every class I took, mind you.) I wasn't expecting to get my grades back for awhile, but I checked in today, and I was pleasantly surprised. It makes all the work worth it to see those grades. Now if only I was as good at dieting as I am at grad school...

We did a lot of nothing today, aside from seeing "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." It was really good. I liked it. Now I'm going to start reading the books. Troy assures me that I'll enjoy them.

The weather today was beautiful. I just went out and sat with Henry in the grass for awhile. The sun was warming us, and there was a little breeze. It won't get that much hotter, really, but the humidity will be the downside to the summer. Okay, that and Seminar in Special Education. But I'll survive it.

Henry will be one year old in a week. He was eight weeks old (give or take several days) when we brought him home on July 15th. So I'm picking May 15th to be his birthday. Not that he gets any presents- he's eaten enough of our inedibles around the house. But an extra hug and kiss to let him know we love him, perhaps. We really do love him.

The Perfect Day

Today I slept in, which was positively blissful. Henry woke up early, but I moved his crate to the craft room and promptly went back to sleep. I finally got up around 9:30 (after eleven hours in bed) and showered. I found out a cute pair of capris fits me that I didn't think would, so I dressed very nicely.

We went to buy new bras this morning at 11:30 or so. Henry likes to chew mine up. Its my fault, of course, for leaving them within reach of our little pirahna, but that won't replace the bras. Never mind the fact that the bras I love to wear date back to high school.

We ate lunch at Thai '99, where I had some good pad thai and great conversation. We later went to the driving range and then headed home. I watched "The Million Dollar Recipe" about Pillsbury's annual "bake-off," and "Forty Deuce," about burlesque dancers. Troy and I are currently working on the tub in our bathroom. We're removing old moldy caulk and going to replace it with new clean caulk. I was about to keel over from the bleach fumes.

So a lot of people might think my day was thoroughly boring and useless. Why then, you might ask, would I say its perfect? Because I've spent the last twelve hours completely in the company of my husband, and we've gotten along amazingly well. We were talking today about how proud we are to have kept this marriage going. Its been really hard, I mean REALLY hard sometimes, for the both of us. But we haven't given up, and days like this are the reward. You spend all that time with the one person that knows you better than anyone else. They remember the clothes you owned five years ago that you'd even forgotten you had. You have such a history with that person that its like... I can't even think of a good analogy there. I just have to say, I love Troy.

I Survived!

I was thinking about it last night, and today was my fourth Field Day. We've really put down roots here in Lynchburg. As much as we talk about moving, I don't know that I'd adjust well to leaving this area. Its the first geographic place that's really our own. We have our own jobs, our own home, our own friends... Kind of neat, really.

Anyway, Field Day went off without a hitch. No real injuries or problems.

We went to Isabella's for dinner last night. Not exactly a great Weight Watcher's meal, but I have some leftovers to eat for dinner tonight. Yummy! Troy can have all the cereal he wants. I'm eating gourmet.

No big plans for the weekend, just sleep and relax. Classes start back up on Monday, which I'm not exactly looking forward to. So this weekend is all about being a bum and completely loving every minute of it.

Field Day

I hate Field Day. The entire school goes outside to play stupid games, get dirty, and act crabby. Field Day is tomorrow, and I'm not excited. I will be especially angry if it rains and they postpone Field Day. I want to get it over with.

Today the second grade held a Mother's Day luncheon. I was invited to be a guest mom for a child whose own mom couldn't come. I was lucky enough to find Zarian under a table crying because his own mother couldn't come. When I told him I needed a child, he was gracious enough to be my son for half an hour. I think I've made a new life-long friend. What a darling!

My little bomb didn't go off today. I'm very glad. I don't know how ammenable I would've been.

Money!

My whole day has been spent in raptured bliss, looking at catalogues and deciding how to spend my school allowance. I've picked everything out now, and I'm getting some good stuff. I'm glad I've been frugal with some of the supplies that I inherited in the present room I'm in. Less stuff to have to buy.

The principal and assistant principal are gone today. I actually like it better without them. They don't do anything anyways. Boy if I'm not sounding really disillusioned these days.

My health is slightly better. The cough is not as horrid and I slept really well last night. Fortunately I didn't sleep TOO well, which was the problem the previous night. Looking over the topics for today's post, I realize that my life is incredibly boring and mundane.

Henry is as cute as ever. He's so excited to get loved on when you let him out of his crate in the mornings. He can barely get down the steps because he's so wiggly.

Today I learned that I'm really improving as a teacher. The proof? My absolute hero/role model, Mrs. Burns, told me that she really wasn't sure what the school would do without me. I thought I was going to explode, I felt to proud. She thinks I'm great!

Tuesday

Boy am I tired. I over-medicated myself last night for this wretched cough. I'm paying the price for using such strong cough syrup. I can barely keep my eyes open through school today. My cough is a little bit better, though.

Thanks, Teresa, for the tribute to my wardrobe assistance. You know, if you lived closer and worked at one of Virginia's numerous colleges and university as a professor, we could solve your clothing problems permanently. Just something to think about. I'm not moving to California, by the way. Its too expensive.

We've given up on discipline here at my school. I'm starting to have overtly malevolent feelings towards the principal. Our hands are tied and the kids are basically running the school. I didn't go to school for all those years (and keep going to school) to be walked on by students. Or at least, I didn't intend to get walked all over. It appears I had little choice in the matter.

Today I learned that Tussionex should be taken with caution, and you should wait at least an hour before deciding that the dose you took wasn't strong enough.

Sigh...

What a day. I thought it would go pretty smoothly, but I was wrong. I spent a good ten minutes frantically searching for a certain gentleman who decided to go out for recess even though he wasn't supposed to. I was scared he'd just run off. I should've known he'd go out to play.

On a better note, my IEP meeting went well. We all agreed on everything, and that's another worry off my shoulders. I gave the parent a ride home afterwards. She's had such a hard life and wants to apply for a Habitat house. I don't know if she owns where she lives now or not, but its a pretty run down place. However, it was clean and the yard was so nice. She's planted azaleas and tulips. I was proud for her, seeing the care that went into that yard.

I ate a bunch of M&Ms today. This has been a bad week for Weight Watchers. I'll get back on track, though, starting now. I'll finish this final this afternoon and my life will settle down. Maybe.

Today I learned that wild days go by much faster than calm ones. I think I still prefer the calm ones.

Migraine

I had a migraine today. I haven't had one since August, and it'd been a year before that one. I hate them so much. It is impossible to describe the dread I feel when the aura starts. I know what's coming, and the "blurries," as Cynthia Kaplan puts them, make you nuts. Troy's good about helping, though. This one wasn't so bad, although it hit at 7:30 pm. Usually they hit earlier in the day.

Today I learned that Henry will chew up every bra I own if I'm not careful.

Cranky...

That's me! I can't figure out why, exactly, but I'm a regular crankypants these days. The self-portraits went really well. The kids enjoyed the project and are already learning lots of things! Thank goodness the semester is nearly over. I think the stress is highly contributing to my overeating (ack!) and crankiness.

However, I'm on my way to bed to read more from Gervase Phinn and his experiences as a school inspector in England. Ahhh... relaxation.

Self Portraits

My students created some really great paintings today. For example, I have a student who is bald as an egg due to a skin condition. He painted himself with a huge orange afro. Another, who is usually quite uncreative, painted himself as a television with arms and legs and holding a basketball. I think he wants to be Salvador Dali when he grows up. The TV explains a lot, though. I can tell which students have fried their brains on too much of the boob tube.

Along with painting, I got quite a few grad school things accomplished today, which feels nice. I finished the first of my three take-home finals. I completed all the portions needed for the tobacco scholarship. I registered for classes and got information on student loans. Whew. It was a busy day.

On another note, I've extricated myself from the emotionally exhausting situation I described before my trip to Baltimore. I mean, the student is still on my case load and in my class. However, I am not taking anything personally and not doing anything that could be described as "above and beyond the call of duty." I don't mind the above and beyond unless it comes back to bite me in the rear end. I'm pretty happy now, thanks.

I ate well, exercised, and got a lot done. What more could I want?!?

In the last two weeks...

I had a really good trip to Baltimore, completely changed my language arts curriculum, and slept a lot. I didn't lose much weight, maybe a pound? However, I'm eating less and exercising fairly regularly.

Today the weather was absolutely gorgeous. Not only did I go running with Henry, we also walked to the Creamery to get ice cream. I got just one scoop- four points, thank you very much. That showed a lot of retraint. Troy got three scoops. Not so high on the restraint scale. I just have to keep reminding myself that he's an adult and I was pretty heavy just a few months ago myself. I didn't like Nana telling me I was fat, so I keep my opinions to myself.

Ah, school tomorrow. I think I'm going to have my students paint a mural, with each of them creating a self portrait on a section of the bulletin board paper. They stress out a lot about creating artwork, but overall they're good artists. They are terribly messy, but painting makes a good day, in my opinion. I'll let you know how it goes!