Very uneven start to our summer.
Picked up the kids from their last day of school (early dismissal), then headed straight to an orthodontist appointment. I thought it was one last consultation, so I thought it would be quick and we would be on with our day, which included a sleepover with Big Girl's best friend.
But I was wrong.
The brackets were glued onto Big Girl's teeth, to her horror.
She was completely taken by surprise, and her reaction? DEPRESSION. Many tears. She still wanted the sleepover, since she was feeling so sad and wanted her friend to comfort her. I felt bad for her friend, who really rose to the occasion but didn't have much fun. I hope we can make it up to her.
In Big Girl's mind, she was now hideous and a freak. She was terrified by the though of anyone seeing her. She went to dance class the next morning and refused to open her mouth. At her rehearsal that afternoon, I bribed her to smile. I told her we could make a $5 bet about whether the teacher would say anything about the braces. Big Girl chose the side that the teacher wouldn't even notice. So the bet was: if she smiled during the whole rehearsal, and the teacher didn't say anything, I had to pay her $5. If the teacher did say something, no one would pay anyone.
Good deal for the kiddo, huh? In the end, I had to pay her the $5!
Then we went to a Summer Kickoff party and all of her school friends saw her new metallic smile. She was worried they wouldn't like her anymore. Of course it was fine and none of her friends teased her at all.
Definite highs and lows. They continued.
After the fun party, we went to Disneyland to stay overnight there. It was Big Girl's birthday wish, and it was fun for everyone! I REALLY enjoyed getting to stay there.
During the rest of the first week off from school, there were some errands and playdates, and Big Girl had to have four teeth extracted.
That was a doozy.
The ortho and dentist planned for the dentist to do it. When I made the appointment, they asked if she would need nitrous. "At the very least," I said. "Yes," she said, "I see a note here that she has a lot of apprehension over procedures. Okay, see you Wednesday."
The Hubby and I wondered how the dentist was possibly going to remove four teeth from her head while she was conscious.
We took her in. She refused to sit in the chair. She cried, gnashed her teeth, and wailed.
The dentist didn't even come in. He sent for us to come back out to the front. He told us to go to an oral surgeon, because this kid would need a general anesthetic.
I was able to get an appt with the surgeon for that same afternoon.
No food for the girl.
Success at the surgeon. (Gasp) at the price tag.
Interestingly, she recovered quickly. She was back to normal the next day. Time for our summer to get better! Off to the library we went.
COMING SOON:
Well, barbra, that was a strange way to celebrate the start of summer. How are you marking the second week?
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Unlikely Admiration
An interesting question at The Women's Colony today... Who Would I Be Most Surprised to Know You Admire?
I am a snob about music. Not in the way most people think of musical snobbery, because I like a wide range of musical styles: rock, alternative (esp. punk) and musical theater are my favorite genres (see what I mean?). Obviously I'm not a snob in the high-brow sense!
What I am a snob about is singing ability. Even as far back as 4th or 5th grade, I would not stand for a successful musical artist with a so-so singing voice. Even if their act was primarily style or shock, I was obnoxiously loud in the "SHE SUCKS!!" department. I just felt (and still do) that there are so many talented singers out there who ALSO have the big personality. Why are there so many who don't ever get their "big break" while these other hacks are packaged into superstars?
Everyone who has known me for any length of time has heard far too many of my tirades about the music industry's machine. "Pop music is a joke!" "It's all a farce!" "They are treating American consumers like fools!" The first artist that inspired my tirades was Madonna. "Does no one else hear that SHE CANNOT SING?" And it continued... through Britney... even now with that Kesha person...
Since I regard Madonna's famous antics with eye rolls (at best), most people would be pretty shocked to hear that...
...I think Lady Gaga is pretty great.
Sure, she strikes me as "hey, look at me! look at me!" just like Madonna always did, but THAT GIRL CAN SING.
So I find myself cheering her on as she has become a worldwide superstar so quickly.
Sing It, Weird Girl!
People who knew-me-when would also be surprised that I, of the I'll-never-watch-American-Idol-it's-the-pop-music-machine-on-display-and-it-makes-me-sick, am completely impressed with the kids on American Idol.
That show is rough. You have to be really good to make it through that process. The Internet is brutal, and the judges' comments on the show itself are pretty harsh. I wish the judges would make those kinds of comments about the guest artists who perform on the show! That would really demonstrate how hard they are on the contestants!
Some of them are SO talented, and I am rooting for them now that they're off the show and out there giving it a shot!
Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, Carrie Underwood, David Cook, Adam Lambert... they all have AMAZING voices! LOVE!
P.S. GO CRYSTAL!
I am a snob about music. Not in the way most people think of musical snobbery, because I like a wide range of musical styles: rock, alternative (esp. punk) and musical theater are my favorite genres (see what I mean?). Obviously I'm not a snob in the high-brow sense!
What I am a snob about is singing ability. Even as far back as 4th or 5th grade, I would not stand for a successful musical artist with a so-so singing voice. Even if their act was primarily style or shock, I was obnoxiously loud in the "SHE SUCKS!!" department. I just felt (and still do) that there are so many talented singers out there who ALSO have the big personality. Why are there so many who don't ever get their "big break" while these other hacks are packaged into superstars?
Everyone who has known me for any length of time has heard far too many of my tirades about the music industry's machine. "Pop music is a joke!" "It's all a farce!" "They are treating American consumers like fools!" The first artist that inspired my tirades was Madonna. "Does no one else hear that SHE CANNOT SING?" And it continued... through Britney... even now with that Kesha person...
Since I regard Madonna's famous antics with eye rolls (at best), most people would be pretty shocked to hear that...
...I think Lady Gaga is pretty great.
Sure, she strikes me as "hey, look at me! look at me!" just like Madonna always did, but THAT GIRL CAN SING.
So I find myself cheering her on as she has become a worldwide superstar so quickly.
Sing It, Weird Girl!
People who knew-me-when would also be surprised that I, of the I'll-never-watch-American-Idol-it's-the-pop-music-machine-on-display-and-it-makes-me-sick, am completely impressed with the kids on American Idol.
That show is rough. You have to be really good to make it through that process. The Internet is brutal, and the judges' comments on the show itself are pretty harsh. I wish the judges would make those kinds of comments about the guest artists who perform on the show! That would really demonstrate how hard they are on the contestants!
Some of them are SO talented, and I am rooting for them now that they're off the show and out there giving it a shot!
Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, Carrie Underwood, David Cook, Adam Lambert... they all have AMAZING voices! LOVE!
P.S. GO CRYSTAL!
Monday, May 17, 2010
BOSSY's back home
She swoops in, like some sort of fairy godmother, waves her magic pixie dust over the people she has gathered, and friendships are created.
She's BOSSY, ladies and gentlemen.
She's back home now, her 42-day (No)Book Tour has come to an end, and I can imagine how happy her beautiful family and enormous dog are to see her again. I just feel lucky I got to spend a few hours with her during this, another one of her big adventures!
The first time she ventured out on an Excellent Road Trip, I had no idea what to expect. I had a few butterflies walking into that restaurant. But do you know what happened? I met some terrific people, and after keeping up with them through their blogs for two years, I was really looking forward to seeing them again! This time it was more like a reunion, and we were so busy catching up, and feeling so comfortable, that we all neglected to take pictures!
That BOSSY, not only do we never see each other without her coming into town, but she manages to get the only photos!
There's Heidi and Suebob and Smacksy and Tootsie and (me) and Kelly and Jason and BOSSY and JCK and Aunt Snow and Shayera! Hi guys!
Here's BOSSY's post about our meet-up.
It was a really nice evening. I just wish I could spend even more time with all of these bloggy friends, including BOSSY herself! But she had to move on to the Bay Area. I guess I can share her.
Too bad she couldn't stick around the following day, because Heidi and I decided to spend it together. I think BOSSY kinda wished she had time to join in! (Next time, BOSSY!) I love spending time with Heidi, she is just the loveliest person! We walked around my little town a bit, and stepped into a craft shop full of the strangest trinkets. They are for artist who incorporate a collage style, I'm guessing. Buttons and TV tubes and bottle caps and matchbooks, you name it! After our short stroll, I tried to take her to the yummiest lunch spot in town, but it was really busy. We did alright with another little cafe, though. Then I picked up my son from preschool and we went over to the fancy shmancy museum. My son was very interested in finding Picassos. He was a well-behaved 5-year-old boy in the museum (what a relief), and he talked about Heidi all the rest of the day!
All in all, I sure am lucky to have met some special people through this blogging thing. And I'm only a sometime-blogger!
She's BOSSY, ladies and gentlemen.
She's back home now, her 42-day (No)Book Tour has come to an end, and I can imagine how happy her beautiful family and enormous dog are to see her again. I just feel lucky I got to spend a few hours with her during this, another one of her big adventures!
The first time she ventured out on an Excellent Road Trip, I had no idea what to expect. I had a few butterflies walking into that restaurant. But do you know what happened? I met some terrific people, and after keeping up with them through their blogs for two years, I was really looking forward to seeing them again! This time it was more like a reunion, and we were so busy catching up, and feeling so comfortable, that we all neglected to take pictures!
That BOSSY, not only do we never see each other without her coming into town, but she manages to get the only photos!
There's Heidi and Suebob and Smacksy and Tootsie and (me) and Kelly and Jason and BOSSY and JCK and Aunt Snow and Shayera! Hi guys!
Here's BOSSY's post about our meet-up.
It was a really nice evening. I just wish I could spend even more time with all of these bloggy friends, including BOSSY herself! But she had to move on to the Bay Area. I guess I can share her.
Too bad she couldn't stick around the following day, because Heidi and I decided to spend it together. I think BOSSY kinda wished she had time to join in! (Next time, BOSSY!) I love spending time with Heidi, she is just the loveliest person! We walked around my little town a bit, and stepped into a craft shop full of the strangest trinkets. They are for artist who incorporate a collage style, I'm guessing. Buttons and TV tubes and bottle caps and matchbooks, you name it! After our short stroll, I tried to take her to the yummiest lunch spot in town, but it was really busy. We did alright with another little cafe, though. Then I picked up my son from preschool and we went over to the fancy shmancy museum. My son was very interested in finding Picassos. He was a well-behaved 5-year-old boy in the museum (what a relief), and he talked about Heidi all the rest of the day!
All in all, I sure am lucky to have met some special people through this blogging thing. And I'm only a sometime-blogger!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Hopefully there will be ice
Tomorrow is the bridal shower for the first grade teacher! As Room Parent, I have been very busy coordinating all of the parents who will be making the party happen. It's been email city around here! In fact, I just now responded to a text on my cell phone - and have no idea who it was from. But I asked them to bring ice...
At the same time, this week has involved several phone conversations about the possible teaching job for next year. I think that we pretty much have everything hammered out now; just one or two more phone calls should do it. I am still feeling conflicted about it, but moving forward I will focus on the positive. That's pretty much my way in the world: acknowledge the feelings but focus on the positive.
Hopefully tomorrow I will feel like I have a moment to breathe. After I allow myself that breath, I'd love to tell you about last weekend! I had a great weekend and got to spend some time with really special people. It's quite likely that one of them was YOU!
At the same time, this week has involved several phone conversations about the possible teaching job for next year. I think that we pretty much have everything hammered out now; just one or two more phone calls should do it. I am still feeling conflicted about it, but moving forward I will focus on the positive. That's pretty much my way in the world: acknowledge the feelings but focus on the positive.
Hopefully tomorrow I will feel like I have a moment to breathe. After I allow myself that breath, I'd love to tell you about last weekend! I had a great weekend and got to spend some time with really special people. It's quite likely that one of them was YOU!
Monday, April 19, 2010
Decisions decisions
I recently finished a three-month teaching assignment.
It had been over nine years since I last taught 7th grade science, and I wasn't sure if I still had the skills. The fact that it was my old teaching assignment, in my old classroom and office, led me to predict that it would feel pretty weird being back after all this time. After all, I'm so different now! I left when my first baby was born (literally- I worked the very day I ended up going into labor; she was born at 4 am the day of graduation). So, I was once the young, childless teacher often mistaken for one of the students, devoting every minute of every day to my teaching. Now I'm a mom of three who has spent quite a bit of time working with really young children and thinking about parenting. Aside from my short stint as an aquarium educator, I hadn't done much science in the intervening years. And let's face facts, I would not be able to devote even a fraction of the time I used to give to my teaching, with all of my kids' activities and mommy-time. I wondered if I'd be any good at it anymore!
When my old school called, in need of a long-term sub for the current 7th-grade science teacher who was going on maternity leave, it seemed like the perfect opportunity for me to find out. It was only for three months, and the teacher would leave me the plans (more on that later). I was familiar with the type of students at the school, and the teachers who knew me were very excited to hear I would be back. Those things really helped. On the other hand, some procedures and many technologies were different, and the daily schedule was COMPLETELY different, so it would be a curious mix of familiar and new.
No small issue was preparing my family for this big change. Three months feels long at the start. The girls were both in school from 8-3, so it didn't impact them much. They needed to be ready earlier in the morning and we had to develop a back-up plan in case I didn't make it by the end of pick-up time. Of course, they needed to help out more around the house. But my boy had the most to deal with. He had to go from being at preschool MWF 9-11:30 to being there MTWThF 9-3:30 or 7:45-11:45 (alternating days). My school was on a rotating schedule, so it was not the same every week, which was confusing for both my boy and the preschool.
It turned out that this was the hardest aspect of the whole experience. My precious boy did NOT like being dropped off in a different room, with different teachers, and he did NOT like being at school on Tuesday and Thursday without his friends, and he did NOT like having to stay four hours later than his old pick-up time. There were many tears shed, and his teachers told me he wasn't playing, but standing off to the side missing his mommy. I always put on a brave face for him, trying to exude a feeling of confidence that it would be a good day at school. But as soon as I was back in the car, driving to work, I often burst into tears myself.
But how was it once I was at work?
In short, it was good. It didn't take me long to find out that I "still got it." The students were funny and smart (by and large), and we connected quickly. It was great getting to know my new colleagues, and I found that not only did I remember the subject matter, it was a good excuse to learn more about the topics.
Earning a paycheck felt pretty darn good, too!
But teaching is VERY hard work, VERY time consuming. Doing this job and also taking care of a family is EXTREMELY difficult. I found that I simply could not work on planning and grading until the children were in bed, which is also when I would sit down and realize just how exhausted I was feeling. It felt like I would never catch a minute to breathe. I hadn't expected to need to do so much planning, but the teacher left me with very little. I designed a lot of work sheets, lab instructions, and assessments. I had 56 middle school students from whom I was collecting homework and class work. I was underwater, struggling to surface.
I am good at this job. I have a talent for breaking down concepts and tasks into smaller, more understandable chunks, then guiding the students in putting them together to understand the bigger ideas. I am good at, and enjoy, making handouts that explain, reinforce, and practice the material. But I am NOT good at setting boundaries for myself. I am NOT good at protecting myself from burnout. I could always see the light at the end of the tunnel, because this long-term sub assignment was for only three months. Now that it's over, I am positively reveling in being back to my normal schedule. Aaaaaaaahhh. My boy is much happier having days off from preschool and a shorter school day. We have been gallivanting off to fun adventures and let me tell you, THIS FEELS RIGHT.
It was good, but I'm glad it's over. Yes.
Now, the school wants me to come be the 7th grade science teacher for the next school year. My boy will be in Kindergarten, so he'll be at school every day anyway, but only for half the day. The school wants to work my schedule so I only have to be there for half the day, trying to align it with my son's schedule. Quite a decision... On the one hand, it's nice to have a life where colleagues value your contributions and you are getting paid for your work. On the other, it would be a whole year of working myself too hard and not having any time for myself and HUGE HASSLES when one of the kids gets sick and can't go to school (THE HUGENESS OF THIS ISSUE CANNOT BE OVERSTATED).
Oh yeah, and there's this little aspect: financially, our family has gotten to the point where we need me to bring in an income. When you look at it in this light, this job seems like the right situation; my top priorities for a job are having summers off and not working past 3:00 pm.
I've got some thinking to do, although it does seem like a very good arrangement for me. The feeling in the pit of my stomach is sadness that I wouldn't have as much freedom to help out at the kids' school as I have been wanting. With the girls, I had younger children to take care of, making it hard to be at the school. I always thought, "when The Boy is in school, then I won't have anything keeping me from being there!" Letting go of that makes me grieve a little, to be honest.
Overthink things? Why yes, I resemble that remark!
It had been over nine years since I last taught 7th grade science, and I wasn't sure if I still had the skills. The fact that it was my old teaching assignment, in my old classroom and office, led me to predict that it would feel pretty weird being back after all this time. After all, I'm so different now! I left when my first baby was born (literally- I worked the very day I ended up going into labor; she was born at 4 am the day of graduation). So, I was once the young, childless teacher often mistaken for one of the students, devoting every minute of every day to my teaching. Now I'm a mom of three who has spent quite a bit of time working with really young children and thinking about parenting. Aside from my short stint as an aquarium educator, I hadn't done much science in the intervening years. And let's face facts, I would not be able to devote even a fraction of the time I used to give to my teaching, with all of my kids' activities and mommy-time. I wondered if I'd be any good at it anymore!
When my old school called, in need of a long-term sub for the current 7th-grade science teacher who was going on maternity leave, it seemed like the perfect opportunity for me to find out. It was only for three months, and the teacher would leave me the plans (more on that later). I was familiar with the type of students at the school, and the teachers who knew me were very excited to hear I would be back. Those things really helped. On the other hand, some procedures and many technologies were different, and the daily schedule was COMPLETELY different, so it would be a curious mix of familiar and new.
No small issue was preparing my family for this big change. Three months feels long at the start. The girls were both in school from 8-3, so it didn't impact them much. They needed to be ready earlier in the morning and we had to develop a back-up plan in case I didn't make it by the end of pick-up time. Of course, they needed to help out more around the house. But my boy had the most to deal with. He had to go from being at preschool MWF 9-11:30 to being there MTWThF 9-3:30 or 7:45-11:45 (alternating days). My school was on a rotating schedule, so it was not the same every week, which was confusing for both my boy and the preschool.
It turned out that this was the hardest aspect of the whole experience. My precious boy did NOT like being dropped off in a different room, with different teachers, and he did NOT like being at school on Tuesday and Thursday without his friends, and he did NOT like having to stay four hours later than his old pick-up time. There were many tears shed, and his teachers told me he wasn't playing, but standing off to the side missing his mommy. I always put on a brave face for him, trying to exude a feeling of confidence that it would be a good day at school. But as soon as I was back in the car, driving to work, I often burst into tears myself.
But how was it once I was at work?
In short, it was good. It didn't take me long to find out that I "still got it." The students were funny and smart (by and large), and we connected quickly. It was great getting to know my new colleagues, and I found that not only did I remember the subject matter, it was a good excuse to learn more about the topics.
Earning a paycheck felt pretty darn good, too!
But teaching is VERY hard work, VERY time consuming. Doing this job and also taking care of a family is EXTREMELY difficult. I found that I simply could not work on planning and grading until the children were in bed, which is also when I would sit down and realize just how exhausted I was feeling. It felt like I would never catch a minute to breathe. I hadn't expected to need to do so much planning, but the teacher left me with very little. I designed a lot of work sheets, lab instructions, and assessments. I had 56 middle school students from whom I was collecting homework and class work. I was underwater, struggling to surface.
I am good at this job. I have a talent for breaking down concepts and tasks into smaller, more understandable chunks, then guiding the students in putting them together to understand the bigger ideas. I am good at, and enjoy, making handouts that explain, reinforce, and practice the material. But I am NOT good at setting boundaries for myself. I am NOT good at protecting myself from burnout. I could always see the light at the end of the tunnel, because this long-term sub assignment was for only three months. Now that it's over, I am positively reveling in being back to my normal schedule. Aaaaaaaahhh. My boy is much happier having days off from preschool and a shorter school day. We have been gallivanting off to fun adventures and let me tell you, THIS FEELS RIGHT.
It was good, but I'm glad it's over. Yes.
Now, the school wants me to come be the 7th grade science teacher for the next school year. My boy will be in Kindergarten, so he'll be at school every day anyway, but only for half the day. The school wants to work my schedule so I only have to be there for half the day, trying to align it with my son's schedule. Quite a decision... On the one hand, it's nice to have a life where colleagues value your contributions and you are getting paid for your work. On the other, it would be a whole year of working myself too hard and not having any time for myself and HUGE HASSLES when one of the kids gets sick and can't go to school (THE HUGENESS OF THIS ISSUE CANNOT BE OVERSTATED).
Oh yeah, and there's this little aspect: financially, our family has gotten to the point where we need me to bring in an income. When you look at it in this light, this job seems like the right situation; my top priorities for a job are having summers off and not working past 3:00 pm.
I've got some thinking to do, although it does seem like a very good arrangement for me. The feeling in the pit of my stomach is sadness that I wouldn't have as much freedom to help out at the kids' school as I have been wanting. With the girls, I had younger children to take care of, making it hard to be at the school. I always thought, "when The Boy is in school, then I won't have anything keeping me from being there!" Letting go of that makes me grieve a little, to be honest.
Overthink things? Why yes, I resemble that remark!
Friday, April 2, 2010
a meme to get me warmed up again
Wow. It's been so long since I've been to blogger that it no longer automatically pops up in my explorer window when I start typing it. sheesh.
When I started my back-to-work-temporarily experience, I thought it would get me blogging again. I thought it would be so interesting to chronicle my experience being back in the classroom "full-time" after over nine years of being a SAHM.
And it would have been.
But I found myself absolutely SWAMPED and sleep-deprived by the experience, and blogging just didn't happen.
I had my last day of work on Thursday, March 25. I was immediately swept into a big brouhaha among the other first-grade parents over a bridal shower we are planning for the first-grade teacher. I am the Room Parent, so am responsible for all of the communication and most of the planning. Thought you would have a minute to blog after all this time? THINK AGAIN, SISTER.
I feel like I have so much to say, and it's daunting. Sometimes getting started is the hardest part.
Then I saw this meme at blackbird's, small town mom's, and Hotfessional's (a few of my favorite people!), and thought this just might do the trick. A meme just might be the perfect trigger to getting on blogger again!
So here's to the future!
1. Do you like bleu cheese? Yes. Especially because it makes me think of The Hubby and his cooking. He loves to add bleu cheese to things.
2. Have you ever smoked? No. Not even one little puff. Is it called a puff?
3. Do you own a gun? Absolutely not.
4. Favorite type of food? Dessert. or Thai food.
5. Favorite type of music? Favorite, punk-ish rock. No, musical theater. Girl-singer-songwriter. Lately I've been listening to country, but that's only because I fell in love with the sound of Josh Turner's voice when I heard it on NPR.
6. What do you think of hot dogs? I think they taste best when you're at a baseball game.
7. Favorite Christmas movie? I'm a sucker for It's a Wonderful Life.
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Mimosas! Whee! but I can't remember the last one I had.
9. Can you do push-ups? Only a few "girl" ones. :-(
10. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? My wedding ring. My current jewelry obsession, though? A bracelet with a forget-me-not in it and a pair of dangly claddagh earrings. Santa gave me both last Christmas.
11. Favorite hobby? MUSIC!
12. Do you have A. D. D.? No.
13. Do you wear glasses/contacts? Yes.
14. Middle name? It's unusual. My mom has the same middle name, and I passed it on to my Big Girl.
15. Name three thoughts at this exact moment: "What's that beeping?" "How many kids are playing in my house right now?" "How many hours of Wii has The Boy played today?"
16. Name three drinks you regularly drink: Water. Red Gatorade. Tequila.
17. Current worry? Will I finish writing this?
18. Current hate right now? The politics of hate.
19. Favorite place to be? On stage.
20. How did you bring in the new year? We went to bed early because we had to be up before the sun to get a spot to watch a certain famous parade.
21. Someplace you’d like to go? Costa Rica.
22. Name three people who will complete this. blackbird, small town mom, hotfessional.
23. Do you own slippers? yes. what a weird question.
24. What color shirt are you wearing? what color is this? dark blue-green? teal?
25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? too slippery. high-count cotton, thank you.
26. Can you whistle? yes, weakly.
27. Where are you now? in the den.
28. Would you be a pirate? That really doesn't sound like "me" at all.
29. What songs do you sing in the shower? I love to sing in the shower. I sing everything! Rock, pop, country, opera...
30. Favorite Girl’s Name? I don't have a favorite anymore.
31. Favorite boy’s name? Ditto.
32. What is in your pocket right now? Nothing, as usual.
33. Last thing that made you laugh? 2 seconds ago, Big Girl whined that "the other kids don't want to play with me! I think it's because sometimes I get bossy." Then I laughed. (it's funny because it's true)
34. What vehicle do you drive? Honda Odyssey. boring.
35. Worst injury you’ve ever had? Thankfully few injuries. My worst was from childbirth. enough said.
36. Do you love where you live? YES!!!!!!!!!
37. How many TVs do you have in your house? Three.
38. How many computers do you have in your house? One.
39. If you changed your job, what would it be? Famous Marine Biologist
40. If you were granted three wishes, what would they be? I would wish for grand things. World peace, freedom from worrying about paying for health care, and that everyone would care about protecting the environment. Stuff like that.
When I started my back-to-work-temporarily experience, I thought it would get me blogging again. I thought it would be so interesting to chronicle my experience being back in the classroom "full-time" after over nine years of being a SAHM.
And it would have been.
But I found myself absolutely SWAMPED and sleep-deprived by the experience, and blogging just didn't happen.
I had my last day of work on Thursday, March 25. I was immediately swept into a big brouhaha among the other first-grade parents over a bridal shower we are planning for the first-grade teacher. I am the Room Parent, so am responsible for all of the communication and most of the planning. Thought you would have a minute to blog after all this time? THINK AGAIN, SISTER.
I feel like I have so much to say, and it's daunting. Sometimes getting started is the hardest part.
Then I saw this meme at blackbird's, small town mom's, and Hotfessional's (a few of my favorite people!), and thought this just might do the trick. A meme just might be the perfect trigger to getting on blogger again!
So here's to the future!
1. Do you like bleu cheese? Yes. Especially because it makes me think of The Hubby and his cooking. He loves to add bleu cheese to things.
2. Have you ever smoked? No. Not even one little puff. Is it called a puff?
3. Do you own a gun? Absolutely not.
4. Favorite type of food? Dessert. or Thai food.
5. Favorite type of music? Favorite, punk-ish rock. No, musical theater. Girl-singer-songwriter. Lately I've been listening to country, but that's only because I fell in love with the sound of Josh Turner's voice when I heard it on NPR.
6. What do you think of hot dogs? I think they taste best when you're at a baseball game.
7. Favorite Christmas movie? I'm a sucker for It's a Wonderful Life.
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Mimosas! Whee! but I can't remember the last one I had.
9. Can you do push-ups? Only a few "girl" ones. :-(
10. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? My wedding ring. My current jewelry obsession, though? A bracelet with a forget-me-not in it and a pair of dangly claddagh earrings. Santa gave me both last Christmas.
11. Favorite hobby? MUSIC!
12. Do you have A. D. D.? No.
13. Do you wear glasses/contacts? Yes.
14. Middle name? It's unusual. My mom has the same middle name, and I passed it on to my Big Girl.
15. Name three thoughts at this exact moment: "What's that beeping?" "How many kids are playing in my house right now?" "How many hours of Wii has The Boy played today?"
16. Name three drinks you regularly drink: Water. Red Gatorade. Tequila.
17. Current worry? Will I finish writing this?
18. Current hate right now? The politics of hate.
19. Favorite place to be? On stage.
20. How did you bring in the new year? We went to bed early because we had to be up before the sun to get a spot to watch a certain famous parade.
21. Someplace you’d like to go? Costa Rica.
22. Name three people who will complete this. blackbird, small town mom, hotfessional.
23. Do you own slippers? yes. what a weird question.
24. What color shirt are you wearing? what color is this? dark blue-green? teal?
25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? too slippery. high-count cotton, thank you.
26. Can you whistle? yes, weakly.
27. Where are you now? in the den.
28. Would you be a pirate? That really doesn't sound like "me" at all.
29. What songs do you sing in the shower? I love to sing in the shower. I sing everything! Rock, pop, country, opera...
30. Favorite Girl’s Name? I don't have a favorite anymore.
31. Favorite boy’s name? Ditto.
32. What is in your pocket right now? Nothing, as usual.
33. Last thing that made you laugh? 2 seconds ago, Big Girl whined that "the other kids don't want to play with me! I think it's because sometimes I get bossy." Then I laughed. (it's funny because it's true)
34. What vehicle do you drive? Honda Odyssey. boring.
35. Worst injury you’ve ever had? Thankfully few injuries. My worst was from childbirth. enough said.
36. Do you love where you live? YES!!!!!!!!!
37. How many TVs do you have in your house? Three.
38. How many computers do you have in your house? One.
39. If you changed your job, what would it be? Famous Marine Biologist
40. If you were granted three wishes, what would they be? I would wish for grand things. World peace, freedom from worrying about paying for health care, and that everyone would care about protecting the environment. Stuff like that.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Kid-Powered Decor
I'm glad to be participating in Jen's Holiday Homes Tour again this year!
My home looks pretty much exactly the same as last year, with a few small adjustments. To really get a feel for my home's holiday decor, click on the link and take a look!
So this year, instead of showing my whole house again, I am going to take you on a "Kid-Powered Decor" tour.
Each year, my kids (ages 9, almost 7, and just-turned-5) do more and more of the decorating themselves.
Let's start here: these are the decorations that have been their domain for several years. I got the Little People Nativity and the little tree when I had toddlers in the house, so that they could play with Christmas decorations while staying away from my breakable ornaments and nativity scene. The kids still look forward to putting these out each year.
Next, the kids put up their school arts and crafts from years past. This display grows each year!
Then they found the window clings and arranged those in the front windows. Mommy was busy with who-knows-what and meanwhile, Christmas decorating was taking place!
Out of the box came a whole bunch of Christmas-themed stuffed animals. They were arranged in groups on the living room speakers.
New this year are these penguin towels for the kids' bathroom. There are some penguin fans in our family!
This one is not due to my kids... but it's still kid-powered! The kids next door collected mistletoe when they were up north at Thanksgiving, and packaged it up to sell! Isn't it adorable?!
Last but definitely not least, ta da! This year's Christmas tree! I'm really happy with it. It's much better than the dud we got last year! Nice shape, nice size, very fresh. It looks lovely!
The kids did most of the tree trimming themselves! They still tend to put ornaments in clumps, so I follow them around to rearrange things just a tad.
This is probably their favorite family tradition. It's so much fun to see them pulling ornaments out of the box and saying, "Oh! I love this one!"
I do that, too!
I have had this one for a long time. It's my beloved alma mater! The hubby got it for me not long after we graduated.
This one commemorates the opening of the big aquarium in our area. I bought the ornament for myself when I took my students there for a field trip. Just a few short years later, I was an employee at the aquarium! That made the ornament even more special!
This one was made by a friend of ours who is a professional artist. Isn't he talented?
Big girl and I picked this one out when she was four. What a fun age: possibly the first time they actually remember Christmas from the year before. Selecting this one was a special moment for both of us. She makes sure this is one of the first ones she puts on the tree each year.
My home looks pretty much exactly the same as last year, with a few small adjustments. To really get a feel for my home's holiday decor, click on the link and take a look!
So this year, instead of showing my whole house again, I am going to take you on a "Kid-Powered Decor" tour.
Each year, my kids (ages 9, almost 7, and just-turned-5) do more and more of the decorating themselves.
Let's start here: these are the decorations that have been their domain for several years. I got the Little People Nativity and the little tree when I had toddlers in the house, so that they could play with Christmas decorations while staying away from my breakable ornaments and nativity scene. The kids still look forward to putting these out each year.Next, the kids put up their school arts and crafts from years past. This display grows each year!
Then they found the window clings and arranged those in the front windows. Mommy was busy with who-knows-what and meanwhile, Christmas decorating was taking place!
Out of the box came a whole bunch of Christmas-themed stuffed animals. They were arranged in groups on the living room speakers.
New this year are these penguin towels for the kids' bathroom. There are some penguin fans in our family!
This one is not due to my kids... but it's still kid-powered! The kids next door collected mistletoe when they were up north at Thanksgiving, and packaged it up to sell! Isn't it adorable?!
Last but definitely not least, ta da! This year's Christmas tree! I'm really happy with it. It's much better than the dud we got last year! Nice shape, nice size, very fresh. It looks lovely!
The kids did most of the tree trimming themselves! They still tend to put ornaments in clumps, so I follow them around to rearrange things just a tad.
This is probably their favorite family tradition. It's so much fun to see them pulling ornaments out of the box and saying, "Oh! I love this one!"
I do that, too!
I have had this one for a long time. It's my beloved alma mater! The hubby got it for me not long after we graduated.This one commemorates the opening of the big aquarium in our area. I bought the ornament for myself when I took my students there for a field trip. Just a few short years later, I was an employee at the aquarium! That made the ornament even more special!This one was made by a friend of ours who is a professional artist. Isn't he talented?Big girl and I picked this one out when she was four. What a fun age: possibly the first time they actually remember Christmas from the year before. Selecting this one was a special moment for both of us. She makes sure this is one of the first ones she puts on the tree each year.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Right out front!
I love this car. I have seen it around our town for a couple of years now, and it gives me such a chuckle!
The minivan with the flames! This car's owner must have some sense of humor. I love the irony, but wouldn't have the guts to drive this car.
And now! Now! It's been parking on my street! In fact, I took this picture from my front yard - it was right in front of my house! The family's teenage son is now driving it to school.
Classic. The 16-year-old boy who would dare to drive the minivan with flames... That's gotta be one self-assured young man!
______________________
*lalalalala*
So, am I back? Was I gone? It definitely seems that I have been on a blogging hiatus. It wasn't deliberate; I just couldn't bring myself to write anything. I kept telling myself, "just write anything, get back in the habit," but then months somehow went by...
I have some big news to share. I am going to start working on January 4. I am doing a long-term sub position at my old job (7th grade science teacher). The current teacher is going on maternity leave from Jan. 4 - Mar. 25, and the school called me to see if I would come back and teach for her.
It's not ideal timing for my son, who will have to go to preschool 5-days-a-week instead of 3. He'll also need to stay there later in the day. He's not happy about it.
It's a good opportunity for me, though! I've been out of the classroom for 9 years, and this is a great way for me to dust off my skills for a few months, to test out the waters again, before I really "go back to work." And we can really use the money!
The minivan with the flames! This car's owner must have some sense of humor. I love the irony, but wouldn't have the guts to drive this car.
And now! Now! It's been parking on my street! In fact, I took this picture from my front yard - it was right in front of my house! The family's teenage son is now driving it to school.
Classic. The 16-year-old boy who would dare to drive the minivan with flames... That's gotta be one self-assured young man!
______________________
*lalalalala*
So, am I back? Was I gone? It definitely seems that I have been on a blogging hiatus. It wasn't deliberate; I just couldn't bring myself to write anything. I kept telling myself, "just write anything, get back in the habit," but then months somehow went by...
I have some big news to share. I am going to start working on January 4. I am doing a long-term sub position at my old job (7th grade science teacher). The current teacher is going on maternity leave from Jan. 4 - Mar. 25, and the school called me to see if I would come back and teach for her.
It's not ideal timing for my son, who will have to go to preschool 5-days-a-week instead of 3. He'll also need to stay there later in the day. He's not happy about it.
It's a good opportunity for me, though! I've been out of the classroom for 9 years, and this is a great way for me to dust off my skills for a few months, to test out the waters again, before I really "go back to work." And we can really use the money!
Friday, September 18, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
and how are you?
Today marks the end of our second week back at school. Well, not for The Boy, since his preschool starts this coming Monday.
Anyway.
Well.
I've been trying to stay in my "summer" frame of mind, and have been reasonably successful. "Don't let it get to you this year," I have been telling myself. "You feel much happier in the summer. Stay happy and just let the school-year frustrations roll off your back."
So.
Eight days of school, and I've got to get this off my chest:
Fourth graders should not be bringing home every book and notebook in their desks every night. This teacher is insane. Hello? Got a clue? Requiring each child to purchase $150 in school supplies (including a 2-inch AND a 3-inch 3-ring binder) takes balls, I'll give you that. AND THEN, on top of that, sending the 3-inch binder home every night, saying "it's too big for your backpacks, so put your books in your backpack and carry your binder" takes - well, it takes a complete detachment from reality. Because, what has now happened, ON TOP OF ALL THE SCHOOL SUPPLIES, is that parents have been going out and spending MORE MONEY on rolling backpacks for these kids. And that just does not sit well with me.
As a teacher, I happen to think that teachers should plan out their class so that the kids use their textbooks at school and their workbooks (or worksheets) at home for further practice (also known as homework). Sure, maybe in grade 7 or so they'll start needing to bring textbooks back and forth. Yes, I expect teachers to think about what they are requiring of nine-year-old kids. It seems to me that if you stop and think about a classroom full of nine-year-olds carrying full backpacks AS WELL AS a THREE-INCH binder, anyone in their right mind would say, "that's just wrong."
An example of one night's homework this week:
- Using the Literature textbook, answer four questions in the workbook about the story we read during class today (took Big Girl 3 minutes)
- Do these 6 problems from the math textbook (5 minutes, if that)
- Do these 6 problems from the math workbook (5 minutes, if that)
- Start studying for the test on Chapter One in the Religion book (and be sure to bring this book back and forth between home and school every day this week)
FIVE BOOKS (plus that god damn binder filled with spiral notebooks - can't do 6 math problems on a loose piece of binder paper and then file it in the binder later, can we?) for 15 (maybe 20) minutes of homework???? Are you kidding me???
Summer frame of mind, where did you go?
Anyway.
Well.
I've been trying to stay in my "summer" frame of mind, and have been reasonably successful. "Don't let it get to you this year," I have been telling myself. "You feel much happier in the summer. Stay happy and just let the school-year frustrations roll off your back."
So.
Eight days of school, and I've got to get this off my chest:
Fourth graders should not be bringing home every book and notebook in their desks every night. This teacher is insane. Hello? Got a clue? Requiring each child to purchase $150 in school supplies (including a 2-inch AND a 3-inch 3-ring binder) takes balls, I'll give you that. AND THEN, on top of that, sending the 3-inch binder home every night, saying "it's too big for your backpacks, so put your books in your backpack and carry your binder" takes - well, it takes a complete detachment from reality. Because, what has now happened, ON TOP OF ALL THE SCHOOL SUPPLIES, is that parents have been going out and spending MORE MONEY on rolling backpacks for these kids. And that just does not sit well with me.
As a teacher, I happen to think that teachers should plan out their class so that the kids use their textbooks at school and their workbooks (or worksheets) at home for further practice (also known as homework). Sure, maybe in grade 7 or so they'll start needing to bring textbooks back and forth. Yes, I expect teachers to think about what they are requiring of nine-year-old kids. It seems to me that if you stop and think about a classroom full of nine-year-olds carrying full backpacks AS WELL AS a THREE-INCH binder, anyone in their right mind would say, "that's just wrong."
An example of one night's homework this week:
- Using the Literature textbook, answer four questions in the workbook about the story we read during class today (took Big Girl 3 minutes)
- Do these 6 problems from the math textbook (5 minutes, if that)
- Do these 6 problems from the math workbook (5 minutes, if that)
- Start studying for the test on Chapter One in the Religion book (and be sure to bring this book back and forth between home and school every day this week)
FIVE BOOKS (plus that god damn binder filled with spiral notebooks - can't do 6 math problems on a loose piece of binder paper and then file it in the binder later, can we?) for 15 (maybe 20) minutes of homework???? Are you kidding me???
Summer frame of mind, where did you go?
Friday, September 4, 2009
living under the smoke
This Friday night sure feels different than the last Friday night. Last week, the fire was closer, there were visible flames and the smell of smoke in our house, and friends were leaving their homes (some were mandatory evacuation, some voluntary) to sleep where they could breathe. Today, the air quality has improved to moderate, the fire and smoke have moved east of here, and friends are home safe.
Last Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, the smell of smoke was unbelievably strong. The huge pyrocumulus cloud over the mountain was towering above us, with its base of gray-brown-orange and its top of fluffy bright white. It was mesmerizing. It was eerie and ominous. It was strangely beautiful.
The smell of smoke was so overpowering that I woke up Sunday morning nauseous and headache-y. The temperature outside was over 100 degrees, so we had the central air running all day. That filtered the air so that we could tolerate it. We could not stand to be outside. The AQMD listed the air quality as "hazardous."
Tuesday was a little different. The smell of smoke was not as strong as it had been. I could not see a pyrocumulus cloud, just grey cloud cover. Except it was not cloud cover, it was the smoke formation on top of us, so that I couldn't see it looking up into it. It stayed that way all of Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Finally on Friday (this morning), we woke up to blue sky over our house! And we could see the smoke cloud again, over to the east a bit.
A photo I took on Friday - again I missed it when it was big
On Wednesday morning I heard on NPR that the fire crews had done some work in the hills in our old neighborhood! The Boy and I took a drive up there to see what was going on, since we couldn't see the mountains from our new house through the smoke cover. The fire crews had bulldozed a fire line straight up the mountain from the our old neighborhood. It was 20-30 feet wide, and very striking. (Of course the photo is very hazy from the smoke!)
The fire was still on the north side of the ridge, and evacuations had not been ordered for the area, so our old neighborhood looked fine. We drove a bit farther east to do some errands, observing the smoke plume along the way.
I stole the following images off of the internet (taken with good cameras!):
Last Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, the smell of smoke was unbelievably strong. The huge pyrocumulus cloud over the mountain was towering above us, with its base of gray-brown-orange and its top of fluffy bright white. It was mesmerizing. It was eerie and ominous. It was strangely beautiful.
The smell of smoke was so overpowering that I woke up Sunday morning nauseous and headache-y. The temperature outside was over 100 degrees, so we had the central air running all day. That filtered the air so that we could tolerate it. We could not stand to be outside. The AQMD listed the air quality as "hazardous."
A photo I snapped from The Boy's room of a medium-sized pyrocumulus cloud on Monday
Tuesday was a little different. The smell of smoke was not as strong as it had been. I could not see a pyrocumulus cloud, just grey cloud cover. Except it was not cloud cover, it was the smoke formation on top of us, so that I couldn't see it looking up into it. It stayed that way all of Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Finally on Friday (this morning), we woke up to blue sky over our house! And we could see the smoke cloud again, over to the east a bit.
A photo I took on Friday - again I missed it when it was big
On Wednesday morning I heard on NPR that the fire crews had done some work in the hills in our old neighborhood! The Boy and I took a drive up there to see what was going on, since we couldn't see the mountains from our new house through the smoke cover. The fire crews had bulldozed a fire line straight up the mountain from the our old neighborhood. It was 20-30 feet wide, and very striking. (Of course the photo is very hazy from the smoke!)
The fire was still on the north side of the ridge, and evacuations had not been ordered for the area, so our old neighborhood looked fine. We drove a bit farther east to do some errands, observing the smoke plume along the way.
I stole the following images off of the internet (taken with good cameras!):
The view of the mountain last weekend. Taken by Laurie.
A picture taken from south of downtown Los Angeles. Normally, the San Gabriel Mountains would be the backdrop of this photo! (I think I found this picture in the scpr.org photo gallery.)
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