Questions and Laryngitis

The top three questions asked in my classroom on a daily basis..........

1. When are you going to turn the lava lamp on? So I thought a lava lamp would be a cool addition to my classroom.........until I realized they are obsessed with it. It may not last much longer.

2. How much longer until lunch? I say, "what time is it now?" They answer. Then I ask, "What time do we go to lunch every single day?" They answer. Then I sweetly tell them to figure the time left until lunch......do the math! It's a learning opportunity people!

3. What are we doing next? We pretty much follow the same routine daily, ANNDDD I write the schedule on the board.........so when I hear this, I rarely speak. Pointing at the schedule without talking is my standard response. They should catch on by December.

And speaking of not speaking, I can't! My voice is completely GONE. I have been croaking and basically whispering all day. Tomorrow will be interesting. At least it's a Friday.......and a long weekend.

Avoidance Behavior

I REAAAALLLY should be grading math papers, but instead I'm playing on the computer! I am very good at what I call avoidance behavior. Tonight's avoidance behavior involves finding some songs that I heard on tv. I like finding new songs! These were on a televised concert. They aren't new songs, but new to me.....Forever Lost by The Magic Numbers and Wires by Athlete. Then another one is from a commercial....Evermore....Falling Away

A laugh at my expense.....

An evening ritual for me is to water my pitiful attempt at landscaping (another summer project). I really like the bushes I planted, so I really want them to live.....thus, I water daily. I headed outside to begin the watering. I strategically placed the sprinkler in the perfect spot and turned the water on. No action was coming from the sprinkler. I turned the water on a little more and then realized there was a kink in the hose. Completely forgetting the water was ON, I unkinked the hose........only to get an immediate face full of water.........literally square in the face........full blast.

Now that I've dried off, removed the running mascara, and stopped laughing, just thought I'd share.

It's gonna be okay.....

So on Monday, all I could think about was leaving my job as an educator to become best buddies with the Keno brothers. Appraising priceless antique furniture was (and still is) very appealing. Then on Tuesday, as I was making my morning coffee, my first real thought was, "I wonder how many snow days we'll have this year?" At that point I hadn't even met my kiddos, and all I could hope for was inclement weather.......

Now here we are a few days and migraines later.......and the negativity has subsided. I'll give the credit to my new bunch of kiddos. I think it happened when one of my little guys exclaimed excitedly that he had an extinct turtle at home (as his pet)! The conversation went like this:

Kiddo (wide eyed and very excited): "Ms. Roderick!
I have an extinct turtle at home! He's my pet!

Me: "Is that right? How did you discover this?"

Kiddo (holding up an informational science book and
pointing to a picture of a turtle): "This is my
turtle, and this book says it's extinct!"

Me: "Oh my! I bet there are some scientists out there
who would pay big bucks to have your extinct turtle."

Kiddo: "I will keep him, but it looks like I'll need a
bigger aquarium because the book says he's gonna get
as tall as my knees!"

Between that conversation and another involving a semi truck and snapping alligator (don't ask), the funk I had been in began to fade.

I still want my snow days though.

New Job

As the first day of school draws nearer and nearer, and the stress of the first few meetings mount, I think of all the other jobs I should have gone to school for. And I've decided, while cutting out laminated name tags, that I should have been an appraiser on Antiques Roadshow.

Making the Most of the Last Days....

School: Our first contracted day is Monday, and kids come on Wednesday. Monday and Tuesday will be filled with meetings, and I can already feel my brain being filled with too much info. More than it can handle. If the new superintendent still does recognition for years in the district, Whit and I will probably have to go up for our certificate for TEN WHOLE YEARS of working in the district! That makes me nervous, since standing in front of crowds is not one of my favorite things. Oh well, we'll get a cute paperweight or something, which will make it worth it, right?

Freedom: I have been trying to make the most of the last few days. When referring to my list of things to do before the end of freedom, I discovered that I can check off a few things AND add some additional items to the list...........

• Pedicure with Whitney.......check
• Take naps...........check
• Sleep in...........check
• Swim..........tried to but it was too chilly this week! Gave it a good attempt though! Got in up to my waist..........so we'll check it off anyway.
• Spend time with family...........check
  
• Haircut..........check
• Pineapple Whip with Kenny...........check
• Ride in dad's Model T..............check
• Go to fave antique shop............check
  
• Watch Olympics...........check

Even though I spent Mon. through Wednesday in my classroom, I still feel like I accomplished a lot on my list. I really enjoyed Thursday with mom, Hill, dad, and Alex. We just hung out at Hill's all day. I brought cherry bear claws for breakfast (thank you St. George's). Hill got pizza for lunch. We ate and talked, and I got LOTS of quality time with Alex. I got to feed him and play with him! He is precious. He smiles ALL THE TIME.

Friday was another great day. Kenny and I went to mom and dad's, and what did we find when we got there? Dad and mom riding around the neighborhood in the Model T!!!!!!!!!!! So of course we took turns riding in it. That was so much fun! The horn on it is hilarious! We are all very excited that dad got it running.

Today, mom brought me a great bouquet from the farmer's market. Now I want another bouquet for my classroom. I love fresh flowers! Then Whit and I got our SUPER FINE pedicures! I wish I had a picture of both of our toes! We each got artwork on our big toes, which turned out great.....very hot! Finally, after shopping at Gordman's with Whit and having lunch with Kenny, I drove out to my favorite antique shop and browsed.

I'm pretty happy with my last week of freedom, and actually I'm pretty happy with my whole summer! Got the house painted, went on a few small excursions to St. Louis, and spent time with friends and family! Let the school year begin!

Good Memories and an Accidental Turn

Good Memories: Today when I pulled up to the 4-way stop by school, I saw a sight that immediately made me smile! Various fair rides were arriving at the Kiwanis Pavilion for the Fall Festival! It made me sort of excited! I love the small fair that Republic hosts every August. It takes me back......oh the fun we had back in the day! I can remember a ride on the "Zipper" vividly........couldn't stop laughing and screaming all at once. We thought we would be flung from the thing, the way it was twisting and turning. Ah, good times.

Accidental Turn: On our way to lunch today, I was telling Ashley where the restaurant was.....minus one right turn. So as I realize this, I notice another right turn option up ahead.......the right turn into the cemetery! Half joking, I say we could turn there.........and Ashley does! Thinking the road would lead us right out the other side, we venture down the cemetery road.........only to realize IT'S A MAZE OF LANES!!!! As we take multiple turns to find our way out, we imagine who will drive by to see a car full of teachers winding their way through a cemetery. Next time I give bad directions, let's take the long way around........

The End of Freedom

Sigh of relief: band camp is over. We topped it all off with a performance called "Stepping Out." Basically, we showed family and friends what we learned during camp. Kenny came to be dazzled, and he was a great photographer!

The work isn't over yet, though. Early morning band starts on the second day of school! After school practice starts the following week. Then it'll be time for the real performances.....football games and marching competitions!!!! Maybe we'll bring some trophies home like last year!!!

Moving on.....much like band camp is over, summer is too. Today is the last Sunday of freedom. Next Sunday doesn't count because it will be a school night (sort of) with our first day back being next Monday! So tonight is our last official Sunday night that we can stay up late and go to Quarter Mania bowling or watch a late movie without paying for it the next day. The freedom will last through the end of the week, although I know I'll end up in my classroom for most of it. Blank bulletin boards and unlabeled book tubs are waiting for me. I can hear them chanting my name. So with freedom coming to an end, and only having seven days left to cherish, I want to make sure I spend them wisely! How do I make that happen? Well, here are some possibilities:

• Sleep in (at least until 7 or 7:30 am)
• Swim, swim, swim
• Get a pedicure
• Get a massage
• Take naps
• See family as much as possible (since work and band will consume any free time)
• Finish painting the kitchen
• Listen to my new favorite song over and over: All I Need
  
• If I'm working in my room, take a Sonic or Dairy Queen break
  

Any other ideas?? Hey, Andrea and Ashley, maybe we should take another walk? Whit and Jill could join us!!! This time we would have water, phones, and maybe a GPS.........

Band Camp

Okay, I'm not looking for sympathy here, but I'm in the middle of band camp. Two full weeks of twirling and tossing flags.....from 8 am to 6 pm......needless to say, pretty long days. I do it for the big bucks, of course!

In this lovely photo, the girls are in their new uniforms. Trying these on is one of the few fun parts of band camp. I also play a few fun games with my girls.......games that are now a part of our band camp tradition! But who wants to hear about the fun parts? Let's move on to the not-so-fun parts: HOT TEMPERATURES, sore muscles, and doing the same routines over and over til they are perfect. I always forget the sore muscles part. My arms haven't moved like that since last season, so they need to be whipped back into shape. Also during these two weeks, most of my vocabulary is limited to quotes such as, "One more time!" or "Let's do that again."

Anyway, aside from the work and scorching heat, the rewards are great. When we hit the field for a football game or competition, all the band camp stuff is forgotten.

So I guess I just needed to vent??? And maybe I do want a little sympathy......