Crappy week

Okay, so I'm coming to the realization that no matter how much I try to "put on a happy face" I've been having a crappy week. From the news that Barbara Di from church died (I saw her the night before she had the stroke and she was FINE) to the attempted bank robbery and how that affected school (although it was more just mentally rattling, than anything else) to general chaos in the house and then of course, the whole yucky mess with the new LLL design (blech! is about all I can say about that) and feeling super ready to retire from LLL, but I don't have anyone to turn my files over to - hopefully they will find a replacement for me soon! Of course, there is other stuff, but I won't go into it here. :(

I just want to crawl in a hole and not come out for a week. :(

Suffice it to say, right now I just feel like Life Sucks. Next week's gotta be better, right?

Just a bit scary...

Today was quite a day. To give some background: our classrooms are on the end of the building, with a foyer on our hallway side that has exterior doors that lead to the playground. The past week, we have been using a school key to access the foyer doors, so that when we come in from the playground, we don't have to march 15 preschoolers around the building and down the 4th grade hallway to return to our rooms. The past week, about 75% of the time, the door has been unlocked (which is not good). Every time I called the office to let them know. Today around noon, there was an email reminding people to make sure that exterior doors were secured. When we came in again, the doors were unlocked, so I called the office again, and the principal came down and checked them out. Apparently, there was something broken and they had to call a locksmith. Locksmith came and fixed the doors around 3:00 when my afternoon class and I were outside and coming inside.



at 3:30 we got an announcement that there was emergency meeting in front of the office immediately. Apparently around 3pm there was an attempted bank robbery down the road (about ~1 mile from the school) and the suspect spotted with a shot gun was headed our way - he was last spotted between the middle school and our school) Thank God the kids had already left the building. But we were now in a lockdown and noone could leave the building. We were later escorted out of the building to our cars. Pretty freaky! I'm so glad that I kept reporting that the door was unlocked and that they got it fixed!

So far, I haven't heard if they caught the guy or not, perhaps it will be on the news.

Saying goodbye to graphic...

...okay so it's not terribly important in the grand scheme of things. But I just heard that the graphic montage that I've been in for the past 4 (?) years is being refactored (well, I knew it was going to happen - but I just heard that the new (so-called) improved version is going live soon. If you are curious and you get there before the change, you can see a picture of me and Sean (as a not so little nursling - doing what nurslings do) here: http://www.lalecheleague.org/leader.html I'm the one on the far right with the white tshirt and blue sling.

gotta get me some tissues...

Am I any smarter now?

Well, I had a rather productive day at the training event I attended. Although, I gotta say, it was hard sitting still for so long!! I'm definitely not used to that. I'm used to barely sitting down at all. I did learn a lot of new ways to use the software we are using for the classroom. It is really quite fun thinking about all the possibilities. But now I feel like I need another Professional Development Day to play with the program and use what I've learned.

It was also nice to hear that things went well in my room in my absence. Nancy, my assistant filled in for me and then we had a teacher/mom fill in for the assistant. Nancy said that everything went really well and she really appreciated how smooth the classroom routine and organization worked this year. Last year our room so tiny there was no place to put things so everything would end up getting piled on top of this one shelf and after a day it would be impossible to find anything. This year with our bigger room, I have space for a 'teacher's desk' for all the memos/paperwork and to work with kids one on one and then also a space for the work we will do throughout the week, each day goes in one bin, with 5 bins across the countertop, so it is easy to find the materials for today all in one place.

Now to make some more playdough for green day tomorrow (we will be mixing yellow and blue playdough together). :)

Good movie

Today we watched the documentary movie, "Paperclips". It was really good - I highly recommend it. It's about a middle school, in Whitwell, Tennessee that started a holocaust project and began collecting paperclips to represent the 6 million Jewish people who died in the holocaust. It is quite a remarkable and life-changing story. Our church is going to show it as part of our movie series this fall. I think also on the slate is "An Inconvient Truth", which we saw on our anniversary (yeah, real romantic).

The Night I've Been Waiting For...

The season premiere of The Office. I'm so psyched. Now the challenge is that I have to be somewhere at 7pm so I will need to be sure to get home by 8:30 so I don't miss anything. The webisodes were good a holdover during the summer, but I'm dying to know what happens with Pam and Jim. God I hope she ditches Roy.

Things that make me go hmmmm....

So last night I had a really odd dream. Odd in that in some ways it wasn't odd - it was a fairly normal thing for your average person. I dreamt that I had dinner at with my dad. Nothing odd about the dinner - we weren't eating anything terribly strange, and neither of us had two heads or anything, Lincoln wasn't our waiter. It was odd because I've not seen my dad for 27 years - my parents separated when I was 2 and the last time I saw him I was 11 years old (prior to that we didn't have regular visitations even). Dr. M. said that dreams usually stem from something that happened in the last 24-48 hours. I found it interesting that just the other day, I had mentioned him in my blog (about him giving me my first poncho). Really, that is the only time I've even thought about him in the last oh, I don't know?? 6 months at least. I really don't think about him. He is too much like a stranger to me. Why would you think about a stranger? Typically you don't, and I don't.

But the dream does have me now wondering, where he is? what he's doing? if I have any other brothers or sisters? how odd it would be to find out that I had brothers or sisters that I never knew about. I don't think that it would really change my family - my family is made up of more than just genetics - but I still am curious about it all - much like an adopted child wonders about their birth parents.

Oh yeah, and tomorrow is International Day of Peace -- so Peace! Namaste!

Aye, matie!

Shiver me timbers! I actually achieved my goal of riding my bike today. It worked out pretty well. The only challenge is getting the kids on the bus - g'ma was able to watch them for the 15 minutes until the bus came. So it worked out. I really need to get a new helmet since I noticed a crack in my current one. So I rode to the bike store (in hopes of getting them to look at my gears cuz they're making funny noises and need some looking at), but alas I forgot that Tuesdays are the day that the bike shop is closed. Of course, it's the only weekday that I'd actually be able to swing by. Oh well, it will have to wait until the weekend. Speaking of the weekend, it seems that there is something I said I would do this weekend and damned if I can remember what it was?? Anyone??
Hmmm.

Okay, this is probably one of my favorite ones yet -- if you don't get the whole vacuum cleaner thing, watch yesterdays show.
the show with zefrank: 09-19-06

Ahoy Maties!

Arrrr, me going to be celebratin' Talk Like a Pirate Day (September 19th)! Don't be a land lubber -- join me smartly by diggin' out yer swords and eye patches, maybe rent a lil Pirates of the Carribean.

My latest download

It's a little more mellow techno than I usually do, but wow, it hits me between the eyes, once upon a time...

Madonna – The Power Of Goodbye

http://play.napster.com/track/15827981

Your heart is not open, so I must go
The spell has been broken, I loved you so
Freedom comes when you learn to let go
Creation comes when you learn to say no

You were my lesson I had to learn
I was your fortress you had to burn
Pain is a warning that something’s wrong
I pray to God that it won’t be long
Do ya wanna go higher?

There’s nothing left to try
There’s no place left to hide
There’s no greater power
Than the power of good-bye

Your heart is not open so I must go
The spell has been broken, I loved you so
You were my lesson I had to learn
I was your fortress

There’s nothing left to lose
There’s no more heart to bruise
There’s no greater power
Than the power of good-bye

Learn to say good-bye
I yearn to say good-bye

Sunday, Sunday

Well, we headed back to church this morning. Sean, of course, did not really want to go, so I told him that if he goes to church without complaining for *4* Sunday's in a row then he could get a pogo stick. He's been really jonesing for a pogo stick for some reason, and he likely would have gotten one anyway, but now we get at least 4 whine-free Sunday mornings and he gets his stick. A win-win - that's what I'm calling it (no, no, no, it's not a bribe - unless you consider your paycheck a bribe for showing up at work).

We are having another goreous weekend here. Yesterday I went for a ride which was lovely. Definitely the bummer about school starting is that it really cuts into my riding time. I'm hoping that I will things under control enough that on Tuesday afternoons I can go for a ride before the bus comes. (I think I will make that my goal for this week - as long as the weather holds out for me). Today we went to Devils' Hopyard to try and do some letterboxing, and we found what we thought was the location, but no box there. :( There were several other boxes I would have liked to try and find, but the kids were getting antsy to get off the trail and kick the soccer ball around. At one point the ball when far into the middle of the stream and since I was the only one with sandals (Keen's) on, I went in after it. Ah, reminded me of my days at summer camp as a kid - one of my favorite things was to go creek-walking - for some reason I just loved that! While out and about on the trails, we spotted 2 tiny frogs at the base of a tree, 3 salamanders, and then one big frog on a rock in the a small pond-like area. The big frog was so still, we kept throwing things around it and did not move - we were starting to think it was a frog statue that someone put there to trick folks, but then Pete used a big stick and splashed the water next to it, and it jumped in the water. One of the tiny frogs we saw, at one point jumped into my backpack that was on the ground, we thought it would have been funny if we hadn't seen it jump in and took it home by mistake - what a shock that would've been.

Oh yeah, neighbor update: another weekly present left on our doorstep , what're gonna do?

Hope that you got a chance to enjoy the weekend, whether it was rain or shine where you are. :)

Interesting story

Okay, so rewind about 20 years (gee, does that make me feel old) to when I was in high school. I was active in Junior Achievement (and FBLA - Future Business Leaders of America - which has it's own funny story - sort of ala Napoleon Dynamite's Pedro for President thing, but that is for another post). One year I earned a spot to go to ROJAC (the Regional JA Conference) - it was a weekend, and golly I can't even remember where it was - but I think we stayed at a hotel??). At the conference there were a bunch of different competitions and such going on, one was a Talent Show - in the talent show was a guy named Rob. Rob did a stand up routine of Mikey Spillane's Mike Hammer. It was really funny and a big hit. After the Talent Show, they were doing "mock weddings" (reality check: what the ^&*# were these adults planning this event thinking?? let's put a bunch of teenagers together and tell them that they are married??). Long story short: Rob and I got married. A few weeks after we returned to our respective homes, I got a letter from Humpty Dumpty Attorney's At Law, filing for divorce on several grounds, including the fact that we would probably never see each other again. It was really cute and made me laugh. Later that summer, I was at NAJAC (the National JA Conference) and looky who is in the Talent Show again?? Yep, Rob was there - altough amongst 3000 people attending the conference it's not surprising that we never got to see each other.

Fast forward to this summer: I'm doing some research on using some newer technologies in my classroom this year, and I'm surfing around on podcastingnews.com, somewhere in the midst of everything I get lost (as one does when researching online) and then I notice some podcasts that reference Rob - seemingly the same Rob! So I do a little research and track down an email (not as easy as one might imagine) and popped him an email from his "long lost wife", honestly, I kept thinking that this would have to be some other guy with the same name and he would be thinking that I'm some kind of crazy woman trying to claim alimony or something. But it turned out to be the one and only - my first husband and he even remembered me! Pretty wild that someone who I literally only knew for a day or so, could bump into each other 20 years later! Turns out that he works in the education and technology field - pretty cool! We emailed about using blogs/podcasts and such in a classroom setting, he sent me some awesome links to some really helpful information and lo and behold, my 3AM/PM classes now have a class blog! I'm not sure that the kids really understand it yet, but the parents are loving it (they can check to see what is going on when they are at home or work and can leave comments). So a big kudos to Rob who helped me get started on this project!!! Now to just start doing some podcasting from Ms. Barb's room......

Where I Was...

...on Nine Eleven. This seems to be the topic of most blogs this weekend, and I figured I'd add my "whereabouts" to the list, tho' it's not particularly interesting...

On 9/11, I had planned to go over to another LLL Leader's house to show her how to update the Group Web pages for our Area. I was busy getting the kids ready (Ahren was 4 and Sean was almost 2), and for some reason the tv in the playroom was on the news (normally it was always on pbs, this was strange because I don't remember changing the channel or anything). I was half listening to the anouncer saying something about a plane hitting a building and I thought, "god, that's odd, how could the pilot not see the building??", and then I started watching and realizing that it didn't just hit a building but the WTC in New York. I called my friend and said ask if she had the news on, she had pbs on, but switched the channel just before the second plane hit. There we were both on the phone watching the same thing unravel on our tvs and unable to speak or even try to understand what was going on. I remember quickly saying through tears that I wouldn't be coming over and just sitting mezmerized at the tv.

After they announced that all flights were being grounded and the revelation about the flight in PA and the one that hit the Pentagon, I remember thinking that my friend Suna was flying into Chicago that day - I tried to call her cell phone, no answer and I was sick with worry until I got word from another friend, Nancy Jo that she was safe (tho' she wasn't able to get home when she had planned).

My daughter had preschool the next day and I remember struggling to keep myself pulled together as I dropped her and then learned that her teacher, Miss Tammie was stuck in Texas and wasn't able to return home for a couple of days. Shortly after 9/11, Ahren began having some separation anxiety problems, not wanting to leave my side (after I did my coop day in class, she got the idea that I could stay and wanted me to stay everyday) both in class and at dance class where I would wait for her in the waiting room. I think it was part of the anxiety that was in the air, you just couldn't escape it and it didn't matter how old (or young) you are.

In the aftermath, like many people I've tried to make some kind of sense of it. I was talking my sil, Lucia yesterday about it and about the idea of "how can God let this happen". She said that she heard once that to have true love, you have to let go of power (follow me here). If God truely loves us, s/he cannot be all powerful (and therefore can't "prevent" or "make" things happen). (Hmmm, I think this concept can also be applied to spousal relationships - something to think on, but for another post, another day).

Great Sunday!

So Pete and Sean are off at their very first Boston Red Sox game at Fenway. While the boys are out the girls will play. So far Ahren and I have been having a great day. First we out letterboxing for the first time. We did a 3 part one at Rocky Neck State Park (parking in the backpackers lot to avoid the entrance fees) - it was great fun with great clues/directions. We did the red trail which was about a 1.75 mile hike and had a great time talking and laughing and enjoying the beautiful weather.

Then we headed over the Book Barn where there was another 2 part letterboxing search. I picked up some books for my classroom (some at $1 each!) and Ahren got a book about dog breeds and puppy training. Since her cousin Bridget visited last weekend with her new puppy, Winnie, Ahren has been all over the whole puppy thing.

Since we rarely get to have pizza, we decided to go to Pizza Hut and had their buffet. It was nice and relaxed and then we headed home. I think the plan for tonight is to watch the Crocodile Hunter movie (in memory of Steve) and relax.

The week is OVER!

Thank the Gods and the Goddesses! I am exhausted! The first week of school always wipes me out. One of the biggest adjustments is that I'm so hungry by lunchtime. I don't really eat a lot during the day, but I guess do a lot of grazing, because I can't wait to eat my lunch after the kids leave.

I figure now that school has started and I'll have so much free time (ha!) I need a new obsession, er, I mean hobby. Since it's a little easier to resurrect an old habit, I dug out some knitting books and some yarn and even my lovely Addi Turbo needles and I've started the not-in-the-round round scarf. I think it looks more like a half poncho than a scarf, but since I love ponchos that's a good thing. (My dad gave my first poncho - I think was probably around 5 years old or so, and it was dark pink and light pink and was made with granny squares. I don't have many memories of him, but that is one).

Speaking of styles and clothing (okay, yeah, it's a stretch, just go with me here), I purchased two new pairs of pants for work. I guess I'm thinking it is time to update the wardrobe and not wear jeans to work everyday. So I picked up some dressy slacks - the thing that I hate about slacks is that I need to wear real shoes, not my birks, not my Keens, not my sandals - real shoes blech! Maybe I will just start wearing more skirts that can with my birks and/or keens?? I did try on a couple of shirts - with buttons down the front and realized that I don't think I own a single button down shirt - wierd! While trying them on I realized that they just don't look good on me.

And hey, if your birthday is September 9th --- Happy Birthday - hope you have a good one. ;)

Labor Day

Other than cleaning the house to get ready for the new school year, we had a pretty kick-back actual Labor Day. I did do some back-to-school grocery shopping (stuff for lunches), which is not easy with Ahren (world's pickiest eater) and Sean (allergic to 23 different foods), but I can check it off my list as DONE!

I also went for a short-ish bike ride to scope out whether or not I think I'd be able to bike to work on Tuesday mornings. (Tuesday is the only day that I'd be able to, since it's the only day I can get the kids off the bus at home - every other day they get off the bus at work and I drive them home). Without rushing (thinking I'll be a little slower first thing in the AM) it only took me 15 minutes (okay, yeah, so it's only 2 miles - but I want to err on the side of caution). I think if this works I might get some pannier packs and then after my Tuesday morning class I can go to the grocery store and do my grocery shopping before riding home. Because I will have to leave a bit before the kids get on the bus, I asked a neighbor if she could put them on the bus, so I think that will work. :)

Yeah - School starts tomorrow!!! Woo Hoo!!

This and That

First of all, thanks for all the well wishes on Jelly returning home. The vibes musta worked since she is now home and seems to be okay. And there have been no further aggressions from the neighbors. TG!

The weekend actually turned out to be okay for us. Yesterday was remarkably windy (duh), but the morning weather was okay enough for our Labor Day Land Sports where the kids do all sorts of relays and games and such. The kids had fun and Sean came in 2nd in one of his relays.
The most overall fun was (as always) the Egg Toss. Here's a pic after a few tosses. It is amazing how far apart people get and are still tossing what seem like hard boiled eggs. For the past two years, Pete and his brother Michael have won. They were the last adults left and then "tossed" the game so that a pair of the kids would win. Actually, Ahren and cousin Micah were down to the last 3 teams. Pretty cool!






Then tonight at the Community Supper (everyone brings their picnic tables and food to the park and we all eat together and do awards for the kids and raffles and stuff), there was an even cooler suprise. Michael (Pete's brother) was doing the announcing of the awards and stuff because he is the current President of the association (Pete was Pres. for the last two years) and he did the Youth Citizenship Award and then was talking about the person who was getting the Adult Appreciation Award (as voted by the Board of Directors), and he is going on and then says, "....I'm pleased to present this award to my brother, Peter...." OMG! What a shock! Neither of us knew and we were both quite surprised. Pete has always said that anyone could be Pres but to get the Adult Appreciation Award...that means that you've made a difference. Pretty cool!! Kudos Pete! (And for those skeptics, Michael said that he had nothing to do with it - that the rest of the Board made the decision). Hopefully, I will get to post a picture of him getting the award. 

We were goofing around with the camera this weekend and actually got a decent picture of me. Funny, this weekend, I've had some people tell me that my hair was getting long and others surprised that my hair was so short - guess it depends on when you've seen me last. :)

UGH!

So the incident with the neighbors is getting worse. The neighbor had a problem with our cats going in their sand box. My suggestion was to cover the sandbox, they refused saying that they shouldn't have to cover their sandbox. Since then we have had crap left on our doorstep, and on our door handles. I've filed a report with the police but things have continued (more crap on the door step). Now our cat is missing. :( I'm hoping that she will turn up unharmed, but I'm not holding my breath. I felt just awful about how my daughter is going to handle this - Jelly is her cat that she got for her birthday. I just don't get people who are so childish.

Hopefully, I'll be able to post some happier things from Labor Day weekend. Right now I just need to try and get past dealing with this idiot!