weekly recap

Much has happened in the last week. First was the dessert that I would love to forget - Apple Crumble Bars. I don't know what went wrong, but the crust and the base were so flavorless I wouldn't eat them. I thought the apple-cinnamon mixture in the center was tasty, but that was the only redeeming quality about the bars. I fault myself, not the recipe. Perhaps one day in the very distant future I will try them again. Suffice it to say the bars were tasteless and messy enough that I didn't even take a photo of them at any stage. Bless my sweet family who suffered through every bite of those. I swear next time I bring dessert to a family dinner I will make it tasty!

After the apple crumble debacle at dinner, I returned home focused on creating a yummy dessert for Tuesday's dinner with friends. I set my sights on Oreo Cheesecake. I L-O-V-E cheesecake, oreos, and I loved the idea that I could make it on Sunday night and have it ready to go on Tuesday without any further preparation. This was especially important given, sigh, that I had to return to work on Monday morning. Second attempt ever at cheesecake and this is what my setup looked like. Addison fell asleep on the way home and we did not argue given that we all had to be up early the next morning. This, however, significantly cut down on my allowable time in the kitchen. She came out once and complained that the mixer was too loud. I picked up all my ingredients and headed into the only available room with a closeable door - the master bedroom. Unconventional, yes, but did not end up lacking any function. I spread out my ingredients on the dresser and went to work. Robert furiously chopped oreos for the crumb crust and to include in the cheesecake base. Without his help this would never have worked! In the end, the oreo cheesecake was a success. A vast improvement over my previous attempt of the day! Here's how they looked in the end.

Then on Monday all my world changed - I went back to work. How spoiled I had been by two weeks off. If I ever take an entire summer off I may never want to return. I have however decided to combine my new interest in dessert-making with my unavoidable return to work: I will bake/make dessert for each students' birthday. I will have to give them options since my skills are still extremely limited, but I hope it will keep me involved with cooking which I rather enjoy and it will provide an opportunity to connect on a personal level with my kids - let them know that I am not really all those horrible names they call me, there is some good in me. ;-)

This afternoon is Addison's playdate. We are supposed to play in the sprinkler, but rain may force us inside. If so, we are at the ready with craft projects and of course, tons of toys, games, and dress-up outfits. Addison crafted her own dinner menu. She quickly selected mac & cheese, but with some assistance added ham and cheese sandwiches to the menu. For dessert she wanted cupcakes that were - yep! you guessed it - pink. For the adults, I settled on shredded chicken (since I can use my handy-dandy crock-pot and have dinner ready and not be cooking while guests are here) to pair with the mac & cheese. I further encouraged fruit salad (yummy, yummy!) and finished with Oreo Madness Cupcakes. I clearly have obsessed over Oreos this week. I found a recipe online from my new favorite, Annie's Eats, and tweaked it by using boxed mixes (I know, I know...I wanted to do scratch cupcakes and icing, but didn't have baking powder last night, so I had no choice!) and just adding the oreo bits in. We haven't tried them yet, but I will shortly. Addison IMMEDIATELY scarfed down a pink cupcake. And when I say scarfed, I mean she ate the entire thing. She never eats the cake - only licks off the icing. So our Ode to Pinkalicious cupcakes must've been good. Wish us luck during the playdate and cross your fingers that the rain holds off!

Last but not least, as I walked through the nearly-defunct Blockbuster store that I frequented in my college years, I perused the overwhelming remaining selection, when suddenly out of the sea of black and white labels for case-less DVDs pops what my family has come to call "The Doodah Movie". It is, however, more commonly known as "Surviving Christmas" with James Gandolfini and Ben Affleck. This is the very movie that I watched when I was pregnant with Addison and fell in love with the name "Doodah" for a grandpa. I knew immediately that was the name for my dad - my parents told me they didn't want to be Grandma & Grandpa, but rather have a more unique name. Dad initially resisted, but over time has come to love his nickname. What better way to say goodbye to a store where I spent so much time - and money! - then to purchase a funny move with special meaning to me! It was meant to be.

my school made the news...

...too bad it was for something so negative. Just in case you saw this article on tallahassee.com or wctv.tv, know that the teacher describe was not me, nor was it one of my students.

Frustration consumes me now. For every one step forward we take as a school, we jump about three feet back in the opposite direction. I want nothing more than for my school's image to improve. Today it seems an impossible feat. I think I'm most frustrated that someone at my school felt compelled to share this story with the news media. I find that to be inappropriate and counterproductive to our purpose. The PACE school goal is to promote a positive, caring, academic environment for all students. How on earth is spreading this sort of negative news furthering our cause? I am embarrassed and disappointed today.

As for happier news, Robert and I had a fantastic weekend away in Apalachicola celebrating our anniversary.

summer, sleep habits, and sweet nothings

It's summer! I am relaxed, rejuvenated and refreshed. So far, I've only had two weeks off of work, but it has been enough. Teaching over the summer is idyllic: 9 - 1, Monday through Friday. Average of four students per class. Could it get any better? I do not think so. I have two weeks left of summer school, then two weeks off before the fall semester begins.

Addison's night terrors returned with full-force after our recent Disney World trip. She had three night terrors in six days. The night terrors have gotten much, much more intense with some unpleasant side effects that I will not describe here, but (knock on wood) we're at seven days without one! Let's hope for day eight!

Seven years of wedded bliss have passed for Robert and me, bringing our total of years together up to eleven. When I stop to think about all we've accomplished in those seven years, I'm impressed. We graduated from high school, college and grad school, bought a car and a house, began our professional careers, and most importantly created a life. Words really fail me when I attempt to describe just how lucky I feel to share my life with Robert. He supports me, guides me, challenges me, and loves me through any and every obstacle that has come our way. I love Robert for the wonderful husband and friend he is to me. I love him for the energetic, entertaining, loving father he is to Addison, and I know she adores and admires him, too. I would not change even one minute of the last eleven years. I love you, Robert!

recent happenings

Last night I awoke at 4am from one of those fantastic nightmares where I can't talk or scream by screaming out loud. Robert was reasonably startled by my outburst, as was I. Luckily, it didn't disturb Addison. I was awake for at least as hour after that happened though. The nightmare felt very real. It was too close to home for comfort and it took my mind and my racing heart a long while to forget.

I finally feel like I have a group of kids who are learning. I have one group of 6th and 7th graders that are making great progress with the Language Arts program I am using. It's a very non-standard approach to language arts that focuses largely on daily repetition of the most necessary language skills, rather than one at a time focus on all the individual skills. I am not yet working on compound/complex sentences structure with the kids, but that's because I don't think I was ever taught that concept. They have finally mastered calling an apostrophe by it's name rather than an "up high comma". And they know about adverbs, adjectives, pronous, verb, nouns. They are learning about prepositions slowly. They are comma-usage masters, even for introductory adverbs. It makes my heart happy. It's something I very much needed to see, so I am immensely thankful for my smart little students this year.

Speaking of smart students, some of my kids are extremely bright when it comes to technology. I consider myself fairly technology literate, however I have nothing on these kids. They can throw together a powerpoint presentation in 5 minutes, install and calibrate Interactive Whiteboards, and find proxies to access blocked websites. They are masters of their craft. I am awed by their abilities.

14 days of school left for Nicole. I get a 4 day break and then I go back for ESY (extended school year). Fun, fun.

quoteable Addy, Senators not making good choices

Addison: "Mommy, I'm so proud of you for putting on your shoes all by yourself! Good job!" Funny stuff.

This Senate Bill 6 stuff sucks. I may change careers. So far, I'm thinking of working at Hallmark. I've always loved Hallmark. With the variety of outside influences that overwhelm my students' each day, there is no way that I will show enough student gains (at least when measured by standardized testing) to be retained. I am so disappointed with the 21 Senators who think Senate Bill 6 is a fair and equitable way to manage teaching and student achievement/learning.

thoughts from my brain

First, I need to clarify - my sleepless night on Friday was not at all related to my caffiene overdose, but rather the steroids that were injected into my hip late that afternoon. The steroids were given to reduce my hives that I'd been battling for a week. I only just yesterday figured out what was causing the hives. My Snuggie. My cuddly, fuzzy, pink Snuggie. It now must be retired...to the garbage, unless someone claims it first. Any takers? Perhaps my brother Andrew is interested...

I love days like today. The weather was chilly but great. My students were cooperative and compliant, for the most part. I had a long-overdue and much needed parent meeting where the parent appreciated and praised us for our efforts with his child. (It was at this point in the day that I realized I was still wearing my "Belle" sticker that Addison adorned me with earlier this morning!) I got to give my intern an excellent evaluation (she really is going to be an awesome teacher). Then I got to go pick up Addison and Robert. We shopped at Kmart (Addison's first ever visit there), stopped in Toys-R-Us and bought Addison an adorable Princess castle alarm clock (yes, she really did need a clock for her room), and then headed off to eat yummy pizza at Barnaby's. We came home and have been lauging for the last hour. Now I'm stoked to play "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego, thanks to Jason who shared an online version with us!). I absolutely adore days like this.

Looking forward to breakfast for dinner tomorrow with Uncle Patrick! Yum!

happy times

Thankfully, the last few weeks of school have been better, but not stellar. I blame any negativity at school on the fact that this "9 weeks" is actually 57 days long. For those of you who can't/don't like to do math in your free time, that adds up to an 11.5 week "9 weeks". 9 weeks my foot. Anyway, the extra weeks leading up to spring break have been trying on everyone at my school. We are now only 5 days away. Wish us luck.

HUGE yard sale at Betty & Phill's tomorrow. They sell their house in early April, so we're clearing out the clutter tomorrow from 8 - 1. Come say goodbye to the house that we all know & loved...and buy some stuff while you're there.

You will never believe this but, TWICE in the last seven days, I have voluntarily eaten broccoli! That has never, ever happened before in my lifetime. Robert is on this whole, "I'm going to eat vegetables now" kick, and I certainly can't let him best me there. Though so far he's ahead due to his eating zucchini and squash last week. Addison still can't handle broccoli, but she tries, bless her little heart.

Some of you may notice that I am posting this at 3am. Why, you ask? Because I had a gallon and a half (ish) of soda at Sonny's tonight (you know how humongous their glasses are!). Problem was that we ate dinner at about 8pm...so the caffeine continues to surge through me and gives me so much excess energy that I can't sleep. I got about two hours and have been awake since. Being ready for the yard sale may not be too much trouble for me, if I don't get to sleep soon.

Happy weekend everyone!

thank heaven for weekends

While I may have endured an exceptionally horrible week (there were several events that transpired this week that I am choosing not to blog about), I intend to stay positive. Last night, I pulled a "Power Thought Card" that one of my fabulous Aunts (don't remember which one) gave to me many, many years ago and it read: "I turn every experience into an opportunity. Each problem has a solution. All experiences are opportunities to learn and grow. I am safe." Wow. I haven't looked at those cards in forever plus one day, and when I finally decide to open the box again the card is completely relevant to my current situation. Some (Read: Robert) will say that those cards are so generic that their 'meaning' could be made to fit any situation. I say that I can take it to mean whatever I want...and if that one little card is going to inspire me to keep going with my head held high, then so be it. If all else fails, at least the weekend is here now. All is well in your world when you're with the ones you love the most.

education perspective

After reading the front page of today's Tallahassee Democrat today, I found myself agitated. Charlie Crist was quoted as saying that Florida needs to maintain it's focus on education by holding schools accountable for student progress and having stricter teacher standards. Relief washed over me as I read Jackie Pons' response stating that he agreed stricter standards are important, but without adequate funding, little can be accomplished. AMEN, Mr. Pons!

Can I tell you how hard it is to teach with out-dated textbooks? And if you're lucky enough to get updated curriculum, it's highly likely that you won't receive all of the necessary at one time. For example, my co-worker who teaches high school English is still waiting for the Teacher's Guide that accompanies her students' textbooks which were delivered to her back in OCTOBER. Seriously. What good are scientifically-researched, organized, structured textbooks if the teacher doesn't have the teacher guide to go with it? Sure, teachers can "wing it" and improvise, but that process will not necessarily produce quality instruction. (This is NOT to say that I doubt my co-workers ability. She is a great English teacher!)

Can I tell you how hard it is to integrate technology into instruction when the computers we have are so out-dated that daily internal system failures occur? What about when you don't have enough desks - forget nice desks, just enough desks for all your students? What about a not having a music teacher, art teacher, drama teacher, or school nurse?

I could go on forever, but I won't. I'm not intending to complain, but rather make people aware at how hard it really is to teach these days. I really, really wish that the powerful political leaders knew what all this pressure and lack of support was doing to teachers AND students in schools. They seem so out of touch. I love my job, and would like to continue loving my job. Thanks.

The Querulous Day

You know how sometimes you plan something that you think is going to be awesome and it ends up setting an entirely different tone for the day? That happened today. I made up a "Word of the Day" list back in January. Today's word of the day happened to be "querulous", meaning argumentative, whiny, complaining, fretful. (See: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/querulous) I don't know if this being the word of the day today was a crazy coincidence, but the entire day was full of argument, unrest, and whining children of all ages. By 11:00, I was ready to head home. I was exhausted mentally. I can only be called a racist so many times before I'm ready to cry. I can only tolerate so much obscenity before I want to scream back. I can only handle so much anger, hate, and distrust before I want to go back home and start the day over again. Today I wanted to do all three. It was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. (I think Judith Viorst is awesome for writing that book.) Some days I really love my job. Today was not one of them. My querulous students came and left, only to leave me facing querulous co-workers. I am ready to head back tomorrow and start fresh. THAT'S what I love about my job. Each day is a fresh, new start. Everyone who works there thinks that way, including the kids. It's a comforting idea.

My unceasingly-thoughtful spouse took Addison to the park after dinner so that I could get some Wii Fit time in. I managed about 30 minutes of exercise and felt much more relaxed. I also made a cinnamon crumb cake that we will be sharing with Patrick when he joins us tomorrow for dinner.

Here's to the end of another Monday. May Tuesday be far more productive and pleasant for us all.

my grown up little girl

Addison astounds me each and every day. Yesterday, her teacher mentioned that while she was playing Disney Princess songs in class, Addison would tune in to the first two or three notes of a song, and proudly declare, "THAT song is Aurora/Cinderella/Mulan/Pocahantas/etc." Miss Stacey says Addison was correct every, single time. Smarty pants little girl has an ear for music.

This week, Addison refused to sleep with a pull-up on at night, citing that they itch her skin. I can feasibly see that they are uncomfortable and chose not to argue with her much to Robert's dismay. All he could visualize was pee-soaked mattress, night after night. Luckily we found avoided the pee-soaked mattress the first few nights (we did not buy a mattress protector until today!). Addison ended up with a few accidents - two at most - which impressed me. Last night was night four of this effort, and I was beginning to feel pretty confident. I awoke around 11:30 and tried to get Addison to use the potty one more time. She refused. Robert tried again around 12:30. She again refused. We conceded. At 4:30, Addison appeared in our room at my bedside. She said she couldn't sleep. I picked her up, assuming that I would find urine-soaked clothes. When I realized her clothes were dry, I said, "Great job, Addison! Your clothes are still dry!" She pointedly responded, "Oh, Mom. I already changed my clothes and my blanket." When I questioned her further, she informed me that before walking to our room, she changed her wet clothes, put them in a dirty clothes pile, changed the protective blanket on her bed, and THEN came to our room. What three year old does that?! She's so grown up sometimes it baffles me.

I recently began a self-study. Largely, this is due to the excess time I have at school now that my fantastic intern is teaching all my classes. (Seriously, I hope my school administrators will hire her next year. She is a gifted teacher, and there aren't many people that are truly GOOD at what I do every day. Most people run as quickly as they can in the other direction!) Anyway, it's given me time to think about my teaching, my organization, me in general. So far, I've realized that:
1. I am a stuff-accumulator.
2. I have a minor addiction to online shopping.
3. I use up all my patience and energy at school and don't have much left to give to my family.
4. I really miss music in my life, singing and piano.

There are other things that I can't remember now, but it's been interesting. I hadn't taken the time to reflect on myself in quite a while...and I'm glad that I am able to know.

We have an exciting weekend planned. Tonight we have dinner to celebrate my mom's dad's birthday. He was actually born on February 29th, so today is his birthday observance. When I was little I would always write on Februrary 28th: "Papa's Birthday (Observed)". I have actually celebrated more birthdays than my grandfather. He's a mere 21 birthdays old! Happy Birthday, Papa!

music and more

The last two days at work have been rough. Yesterday I lost my cool during one class. I'm disappointed that I let the kids get the best of me, but every once ina while I need to use my teacher voice - just so the kids know that I have it.

Today my intern was out (she needed to finish her Master's Thesis which is due next week), so I got to teach again. It worked out well that today was a day off for Miriam, because it fell in line with my favorite lesson of the year: Poetry as Music, Music as Poetry. I illustrate how lyrical poetry is by sharing musical selections that vary by genre. My students always love it. This year's big hit was for a selection that Robert suggested: "Heartless" by Kanye West compared to "Heartless" by Kris Allen. Much to my surprise, most of the kids loved both versions! They were able to see how meaningful each version can be. The whole experience today was pretty powerful and exciting. Tomorrow I return to my role as observer in class. It's been a challenge, but has afforded me time to reflect on my own teaching practices and contemplate changes I want to make once I take my classes back over.

I attempted to gather suggestions for my above-described Music/Poetry lesson on Facebook and Google Buzz, but didn't get a lot of bites from people. Therefore, In preparation for next year's lesson, I ask you, my three loyal readers: What songs are meaningful/lyrical/poetic to you? Either from you youth or currently. I'll be waiting for your input...I know who you are!

We've done a lot of experimenting with crock-pot cooking lately. Tonight was made Maple Glazed Turkey breast with mashed potatoes and green beans. It was yummy. Patrick came to join us and also to watch this week's "Lost" episode. Addison loves it when Uncle Pat comes over. She dragged him to her playroom and they worked on a sticker book for what seemed like EVER. Pat is a great uncle!

Lost is on now, so I'm off. Happy week to you all!

Christmas songs for you!

Merry Christmas to you all from Addison!

The Princess Party last Saturday was a total blast. Here is a pic of all the kids with Princess Aurora.
Princess Aurora painted faces for an hour and had a dance session with the kids that involved more bouncing and jumping than actual dancing. It was a perfect 3 year old party if you ask me. The kids didn't stop moving for three hours and Addison was exhausted when it was over. She seemed quite overwhelmed by all the activity and was worn out by present time. She got lots of great Princess items: games, books, a doll, building blocks, dress-up clothes. There is no end to the Disney Princess merchandise. She got NO repeat gifts, which I though was a minor miracle! Addison was most excited that her friends from school were at her house - she kept saying, "My friends are coming to MY house?! That's CRAZY, Mommy!". It was a really great day. And we continue to celebrate. Today we got THREE birthday gifts for her in the mail: one from Uncle Brian and Aunt Pat, one from Fenella & Mark, and one from Uncle Marcus. She was in love with each item she opened: a new outfit, books, and puzzles. We've read all the books twice already and done one of the two puzzles.

Tonight was the first night we've had at home in a long time. We've been spending two nights a week at Margie & Bill's house stringing paper cranes for Matt & Helen's wedding. It's going to be beautiful, but it's quite time-consuming. We average about 1 crane strand per 45 minutes...and we're hoping for 125 strands total.








And, finally, here is a parting shot of our little fairy princess on a crane folding night....

Three days of school left. I cannot wait for Christmas vacation to begin!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving from Addison

Here is 2009's installment of Thanksgiving songs for you, from Addison.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

As a quick catch-up on the rest of November, we attended Bradley's Country Fair (lots of great shopping and a ride on a white pony) and went to Disney World for Robert's 28th birthday. We explored Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom this time. We all found the cool weather ideal and thoroughly enjoyed the animal exhibits.

As for our two Thanksgiving meals this year: We look forward to our 1st Thanksgiving lunch in Betty & Phill's new house. We also look forward to our 2nd Thanksgiving dinner at Andrew & Evelyn's new house.

Happy moment for the month: A student, who started the year at a 2nd grade reading level, hugged me after seeing a 79% passing score on a reading post-test last week. He was so proud of himself! I cried because I was so touched. Those are the moments that keep me going back to work every day.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

no more sickness here!

We are all finally healthy. Robert had a moment yesterday when he thought he might be coming down with something, but thankfully it was nothing serious. I spent the weekend enduring a raging sinus infection, but now feel 100% better. Addison is A-OK now, thank goodness!

Addison returned to school this morning with a cheerful grin and a bit of a skip in her step. She agreed to walk to class with Miss Stacey, which gave Robert & me great relief and comfort...oh how we dread the return to school after a break! She even turned and blew a quick kiss to us before disappearing into the classroom! Hallelujah for this morning's drop. We can only hope that the rest of the week goes as smoothly as today did!

We visited with baby Stokes again. Addison got to hold him this time, which tickled her to no end. She held him for about 2.5 seconds and then said, "Ok, Daddy. Now you take Stokes." She held him just long enough to snap a quick photo, which pleased me! She was very gentle and (mostly) calm while we were there. Her excess engery was diverted to Trevor & Jen's dog, Yoshi. Poor Yoshi. By the time we left, he was hiding under their coffee table...Addison can be a little too gregarious sometimes. But the way I see it is that Addison was just given Yoshi a taste of what life will be like as baby Stokes grows older!

We also went to the pumpkin patch, but I'll have to write about that another time....

ready for vacation!

We leave on the 18th for our trip. I cannot wait. I'm scared to death about flying, but I am going to suck it up & get on that plane. I am so excited - especially to take Addison on this adventure. Seeing the princesses at Disneyland is the highlight for her...but I think she'll enjoy the family time, too. Probably sightseeing in the Grand Canyon & Zion are not going to keep her attention. I guess it's good that Disneyland is in the middle of our trip...her fun is sandwiched between the things that will be less exciting for her. I'm looking forward to Disneyland, too. And I'm thrilled I'll get to see Amaly in AZ and Heather in CA.

One more week of summer school for me. It's been a fantastic summer. I really love having students in class who want to learn, want to be successful, and want to be there. I have so many kids that don't value education, that I was getting bogged down...this summer has been a welcome relief.

Lately, Addison has begun sleeping in the guest room. Probably it's related to us putting a new TV in that room for her to watch movies on. She's funny about it - she sleeps on top of the comforter, with three pillows packed in around her. She looks so tiny on that huge bed. Perspective...

catch-up post

Robert and I went out on a date last weekend. We left "blue Cinderelly" at home with her Memaw and Grandpa to watch Finding Nemo and headed out to see The Hangover. I knew it would be funny, but I was blown away by how much I laughed. I have not laughed so consistently through a movie in as long as I can remember. I wanted to stay and catch the next showing I liked it so much. Absolute hilarity for the entire 100 minutes. If you haven't seen it, you should.

My baby brother Hoyt left today on a 40-hour train ride out West. He's going on a 3 week Rayado at Philmont Boy Scout Ranch. He is going all alone for the first time ever. He will be back one week before we leave on our two-week family trip to California. He is hoping to get on good terms with the staff at Philmont so that next year he can be a camp counselor or trail guide. I'm happy that he's doing something that he loves.

Tonight we had dinner at Sonny's. Addison noticed there weren't any crayons on the table, so we asked our waiter for some. Our waiter, John, handed a handful of crayons to Addy and I pretty immediately asked her how many crayons she had. Without taking much time to think or count, she said, "I have three crayons, Mommy." She was right, there were three crayons. I am of the belief that she inherited her Daddy's mathematical skill. Thank goodness!

Addison had a 2 1/2 birthday party. We gave her a blue Cinderella dress, dress-up shoes, and a princess puzzle. We put the puzzle together but we aren't allowed to take it apart. She likes to see the picture and gets upset if one of the pieces comes loose. She lived in the Cinderella dress for a few days, and still lives in the shoes. She got four pair of shoes, and she actually alternates which ones she wears based on the color of her outfit. I find this very funny. She's fought with us about wearing them out, and only once did we give in. She wore her blue Cinderella shoes to Publix on Sunday. When one of them fell off in the parking lot she said, "Uh oh, Daddy! I lost my glass slipper!". It was quite adorable!

Summer school has been so great that it borders on boring. I am not used to days that go exactly according to my plans. I miss the chaos. I miss the activity. I miss the unpredictability. I know now that - at least at this point in my life - I could not work at a mainstream school. I love my students and the challenges they present - stolen Ipods included! I think in the end, it's good to have this down time. It's refreshing and relaxing. But I wouldn't want it for the long-term.

True Blood is back on and I am a happy camper. Our cable was out on Sunday night, so I patiently waited until Monday evening to watch. It was well worth the wait. I LOVE that show!

stuff about stuff

Summer has arrived. I now have two weeks away from students, but still very much present at school. It's good to have planning time....doing grades, getting ready for summer school, cleaning, organizing. All those things that I can't do on a regualr basis because I don't have planning time each day (that's a big con for working at Pace). I get 1 one hour planning period each week, on Friday. Needless to say, I'll keep myself busy at work for the next two days.

Addison is killing me lately with funny things. Last week she said to Robert that her "booty is making bubbles in the bath water." And she continues to have phone conversations with Princess Aurora and Ariel, but doesn't ever use her phones, just her hand! She is - knock on wood - totally potty trained for day time. She had one accident today in front of everyone - gross - and cleared the room really quickly.

Looking forward to our trip out West in July! Two weeks of driving with a 2 1/2 year old is going to be AWESOME!

middle school stinks

This week was tough on me at work. Monday was a great day, but Tuesday was rough all the way through. Two of the biggest highlights from the day were: 1) a student balling up a huge wad of wet paper towels, throwing it at my wall clock, and the clock shattering on the floor into one million and one pieces and 2) my Ipod being stolen. I got over the clock thing and thought the day was going to end on a positive note, but I was wrong. Three of my sixth graders decided that while I was busy working with another student, it would be a terrific idea to take my Ipod off my desk and hide it in their pants (GROSS!). Then one of the kids involved (who is one of my most beloved students) quietly asked to go chat with another teacher, knowing that I would allow it since it was the end of the day. Really, he just wanted to hide my Ipod for collection later. Now, let me back up for a minute, because I'm sure a lot of people want to know why on earth I would've had my Ipod out where these little buggers could reach it. The story is this: we are ending the year with a project called "Music & Me". It's all about where the kids are a music-afficianados at this point in their lives and documenting that for purposes of later reflection. It includes lyrical analysis, lyrical composition, superstar reseach questions, and a musical-themed internet scavenger hunt. Since they were working so nicely that day, I decided to play some music (from my Ipod) to get them in the right frame of mind for the project. This turned out to be a huge mistake. So, fast forward again to the kid asking to leave class. While he was gone, one of the other kids involved decided to narc, and told my I.A. what was going on, basically placing all the blame on this usually good kid. Very clever, but not clever enough. My I.A. immediately called the office for a review of the last 45 minutes of class video (yes, all our buildings have continual video monitoring). We didn't get to the right segment of video before the buses left, so I was pretty sure my Ipod had gone home with one of those kids and would never be seen again by my eyes. I resigned to searching all over my classroom, while a few of my co-workers kindly offered to search around outside. Amazingly, (and stupidly of my kids), the Ipod had been dropped off in the bushes way across campus from my room. My co-worker returned it to me just about the time we identified the initial criminal and his accomplices on the video tape. We decided not to tell the kids it had been recovered, and to watch carefully to see if any of the guilty parties would return to the bushes to reclaim the Ipod in the morning. So, watch we did - four sets of eyes plastered through various windows on campus - for these kids to return to the scene of the crime. And boy did they ever. All three of them. Walked to their class, then ever so cautiously snuck over to the area where they'd left my Ipod. I was amazed at their brazenness. In the end, the Deputy lectured all of them, but couldn't arrest them because the one who actually took my Ipod confessed before he'd been read his Miranda rights. The most they were able to do was suspend that kid. The other two were innocent based on the lack of video evidence showing their involvement.

I was (and still am) so violated, enfuriated, offended, and disappointed by this that I don't think I'll ever forgive them. The next day, that whole class got a 15 minute lecture and none of them were allowed free time on computers or Play Station. They could draw or read. The group contingency is a very powerful tool, so while it was hard to give such harsh consequences to kids I knew were uninvolved, it was important to do. Peer pressure can go a long way. By this afternoon, we were all on speaking terms again and they had moved on, but I still feel hurt. I cannot believe the lack of respect they showed me. I am glad this happened at the end of the school year, so that I can have some time to regroup. I need some time away.

4 days left of school, including Tuesday's trip to Wakulla Springs and three early release days. Thank goodness!

robert rocks

Tonight I was shopping online for a new entry table. I found one I really liked, so I decided to go ahead and order it. I got all the way to the final review of the order stage before I thought about if the table would even fit in our entry way. Robert went to measure and found that the table would stick waaaaaaaay out into the hallway. Points for Robert. Reason #362 that he rocks: saving us from wasting money on furniture that's too big for our house.

Yeah for Andrew & Evelyn - they have a contract on a house! Very exciting!

Addison is the sweetest little child ever. She always responds to questions with polite answers. If you call her name, you'll hear, "Yes, Mom?" or "Yes, Dad?". When she asks us questions, she always begins by saying, "My mommy, can I __________?". She melts me. I dread this time of day when she goes to bed. (Which, by the way, when we told her it was bedtime tonight, she got a pacifier, grabbed her two kitties, said "night night guys" and went straight to her bed, on her own! She doesn't need us anymore!) I wish I could spend all my time with her. She's growing up far too fast for my liking.

Currently debating the "need" for a 1/2 birthday party this year. She certainly knows what birthdays are, but I'm afraid she would think that she's turning 3. Decisions, decisions.

8 days of school left. I cannot wait! Though, I realized today that out of 10 days "off" between end of regular school year and extended school year (read: summer school), I really only have 5 days off. June 1 & 2 are mandatory teacher planning days; June 3, 4 & 8 I have a training so I can supervise interns; June 11 is another mandatory planning day for extended school year. So that leaves me with free time on June 5, 9, 10 & 12. I am really looking forward to those days off. I'm going to plan some fun stuff for me & Addy to do!

Happy Birthday to my baby bro, Hoyt! He turns 17 tomorrow!