Today, my friend Angela and I were invited to our mutual friend, Dawna's, for a Christmas luncheon. After all the food and small talk we got down to the real reason we had met.....the gift exchange. Dawna anxiously gave Angela and me our gifts and told us we had to open them at the same time. Imagine our delight and surprise when our eyes beheld a gift that was both attractive and multifunctional. Now, I know what you all are thinking, "How can I too, enjoy a striking, versatile pair of those padded cuties?"


Simple. You'll need a package of extra long, extra thick maxipads, several of your favorite motifs, and glue. Hope you receive as much pleasure from yours as I am from mine.

I wish every day could be Christmas. Except for the cold weather . . . . . I love the music, lights, people, food, colors and reverence for goodness that the season brings.

HA!

YES! I finally figured out how to alter my background layout. Yeh, yeh, I know nearly all other bloggers figured it out long ago . . . . . . . but, nonetheless, I'm proud of myself.

And, dear vegie Rachie, here's a very special Thanksgiving Jello turkey just for you!

Into the Woods

Rachel bought tickets for last night's play for Lauryn, Alex, herself and me. Lauryn couldn't get off work so we took Brett instead.

For those who've not experienced the show....it was wonderful. It began as a montage of amusing fairy tale adventures entertwining, and then ended without the expected 'happily ever afters'.

It was hard to observe families, lives and expectations dissolve because of choices made. My favorite, albeit, teary part was a song with words that stated, "People make mistakes. Fathers, mothers holding to their own, thinking they're alone. Witches can be right, giants can be good. You decide what's right, you decide what's good. You decide, but you're not alone, noone is alone".

NEED A NEW NAME?

So, I decided to find out what my name would have been if I'd been 'lucky' enough to have been born to Sarah Palin. Come to find out everyone would be calling me Mounty Bat. It's got kind of a small-town, scrubbrush, minty fresh sound to it, don't you think?
Additionally, I've decided that her names are much more inventive and befitting of my children than their bland, worn-out origonal names.
Ready-or-not here they are: Erin - Wesson Scalper; Ryan, (Erin's husband) Muzzel Mammoth; Daniel - Chin Trout; Emily, (Daniel's wife) Jeep Pike; Rachel - Pump Bust; Tyler - Pie Gallon; Nicholas - Cheney Wolfhound; Devin - Hose Hotrod; and Lauryn - Shove Maggot.
Realizing that these new names could be a mouthful to speak....it should behove any valued acquaintances to have them memorized by the next time you contact me----so get crack'n!
Please let me know what I should be calling you.
http://politsk.blogspot.com/2008/09/sarah_13.html

Rumor has it......

I was innocently preparing for class ,this morning, as I can never seem to get it all done in the 1 1/2 hours they pay us to complete weekly preparation on Friday afternoons.

A woman walked into my classroom and began, "I've heard that you are a mean teacher."

Thankfully, after speaking to her for several minutes I understood that she meant it as a compliment. However, it annoys me that many youngsters associate structure, high expectations and compliance in the classroom as characteristics of a 'mean teacher'.

It further aggravates me that many children report their interpretation to their parents, and without further investigation parents are persuaded to believe similarly and the rumor spreads like the common cold.

Three-Day Weekend...Yeh!!!!! Let's see.......how long have I been back to school? Uh.....oh yeh, one week. Pretty pathetic, but there is just something about being back on the 7-6 work schedule that makes an extra day off seem heavenly.

My class seems somewhat better behaved at the beginning of this year than last year's kids. It took about six months to get my last-year's class to where they knew what was expected. I remember well, being frustrated and wanting to quit, even if it was to work at the dreaded Wal-Mart.

Funny, though, when I saw them last week I was overjoyed and felt sad that they'd moved on to sixth-grade----I missed them! Weird, yes, but that must be a characteristic that goes with those who teach.

On a similar but different note: Our rooms are HOT!!! Even with three fans going and windows open they average about 88 degrees. How come the district office and prisons get air conditioning, but the teacher of future generations is equipped only with a FREE district-provided 'squirt bottle'?