Reconsidering Show and Tell....

8:15 am: First grade boy runs in with box in hand, pushes his way through a crowd of parents and kids waiting to talk to me, slides a box onto my lap (I am sitting at my desk) and excidedly proclaims "Here Teacher! Here is my show and tell!".

Instinctively, I reach out to take the box before glancing down, as usually the floor beside my desk is reserved for really big pieces of sharing on Friday that must remain obscure until the appropriate time. As my hands touch the box, I glance down and my heart nearly stops. A snake! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

I blurt out, "Is it real???" while shoving the box back into my little boy's face. Laughing, his mom says "No" so I take a second look, thinking its rubber. No, definately not rubber. At one point it was real, so in essence she lied, not grasping just how debilitating my fear of these reptiles are, including anything remotely related to them or pieces of what was once them.

It turns out, it was the exoskeleton, still in one perfect piece of a rather large snake found in the garden where they live in the country (the largest snake I had ever seen). After quickly composing myself, I put the box on the floor beside my desk without really looking at it and continued to talk and gather information from other parents while trying inwardly to catch my breath.

After the bold mother left, I had another very understanding mom move the box to another table away from me. Luckily, I had arranged to be out of the room in the morning, to do reading assessments out in the hall. I gave her the task of reading to them about animals (our current unit of study in science) and ironically, they discussed snakes in the reading so she got to lead the real-life show and tell of what was once this creature.

That said, my interaction with the snake skin was minimal all day. We kept our distances and I was happy to see it go at 2:45. However, I think I am pushing my luck with show and tell and may have to come up with some new rules for sharing next year...for the safety of ALL involved. :-)

Mondays and Fridays

The only good Mondays are the no-work Mondays, and I also like the Fridays following the no-work Mondays because they seem to come up faster when it is a shorter week. I don't mind that tomorrow is Friday, and I even don't mind that three days after that is Monday, because it is the last Monday before next Friday, which is the last day of school! I can hardly believe it, though now I am more excited because I have just solidified my summer plans and I have some jobs lined up! Woo hoo! Bryan also liked last Friday because he had it off (giving him a four day weekend) and I liked it because it is the one day of the year he can visit me at school. He was immediately elevated to mega-celebrity status as the "boyfriend" of Mrs. H. and everyone had to talk to him/sit by him/stare at him during lunch. Apparently one girl was staring too hard at him from behind, because she approached me on my other side during lunch and said "Mrs. H., I think you need to buy your boyfriend a belt." :-) Whatever. She needs to take that one up with him...little does she know its a losing fight. But maybe I can convince him to at least not wear boxers with snowmen on them during the summer....

Noise

I need some advice/help.

Ever since the mouse incident, my ears have perked up. I don't know if the two are related, but around the same time I began to hear a tapping/shuffling noise in the wall in our bathroom, which shares a wall with the garage. Bryan says its just the pipes in the water heater, which is right there but I am skeptical.

There is really no way to tell but it now annoys me and creeps me out to no end. Bryan set a trap in the garage so we will see if anything comes of it.

Any other ideas???

Backyard Pictures

We are on our way to building a backyard oasis, though also trying to remain budget conscious. This year, we bought the mower, the BBQ and the patio table (maybe an umbrella, if I can find one cute and cheap enough). We also borrowed some gardening tools from outside sources to clip here, chop there and we also scored some bricks thanks to Bryan's sister and her husband. So Bryan built up a little lair for my flowers under the kitchen window and also lined/created a flowerbed along the opposite side of the house with bricks. We have a ways to go, due to poor maintenance/ taste on behalf of the prior residence. For example, we have some really knarly bushes that appear to serve no purpose smack dab in the middle of the lawn on both sides. When we had 4 feet of snow out back they looked like creatures from the black lagoon rising up. However, now I feel like we have a good start on making our yard look pretty! Neither of us has a green thumb or landscaping credentials, but I think we may be on our way!

Beach Trip!

It turns out yesterday was the only day Bryan and I could schedule to be together this weekend...sad face. While he is busy working on Fugly, I have been exercising and cleaning and running errands and taking care of paperwork and....

BUT we did take a day out to have fun (as we have been doing the last six Sundays in a row...I like this)...this time at the beach! We left after going to church and picking up plants at the store (Bryan built me a little garden area on his day off on Friday. I will post pics later). Since going to Seaside is the only route our car knows, we headed in that direction only to be stopped in a long line of traffic. So, we took a detour and headed through Tillamook on our way to Lincoln City. However, we were both a little tired of driving so we decided to take an exit towards Pacific Beach, which is a beach I don't know that I have ever been to but I had heard good things about and always wanted to try.

I liked it right away, and apparently so did many other people. It was pretty crowded (not the clean and quiet little beach I had heard about) so I cannot imagine what Seaside was like. We were lucky enough to find a spot to park and headed down with our blanket to lay on the sand for a couple hours. Bryan was excited to go to the beach only because it meant he could drive his rc car. Inititially, he was skeptical about driving it with so many people around. However, it was a big hit among dogs, children and even adults. I had no idea this little toy was that cool. A lot of people stopped to ask about it and kids wanted to drive it. In not so many words, Bryan told the kids to beat it. I wanted to try climbing the giant sand dune (pictured above) but could not muster the energy. It was very pleasant to lay on the beach, but after awhile we got restless so we got back in the car to head to Lincoln City, the town where we spent our honeymoon. Coming back here after 3 years (next month is our anniversary!)we realized how easy life was back then and how much fun we had. Usually people say the first year of marriage is the worst, but both Bryan and I disagree about that (not that our marriage itself was better the first year, but that we had a lot less crap to deal with).

Our first stop was the house we stayed at on our honeymooon, overlooking the ocean (pictured above). Then, we headed to the outlet stores where again we were lucky to find parking. Bryan bought new shoes and basketball shorts at Nike (I struck out miserably...oh well) and I got a couple gifts at Bath and Body Works (which saved me a trip to the mall today!). We were going to go to Mo's for dinner but the line was out the door to the getty so instead we settled on dinner and desert at DQ before heading home in the traffic. We took a detour through Newberg so it still only took us two hours to get home. After we shook out the sand, we plopped down in the family room to watch Paul Blart Mall Cop, which was funny at times but very mediocre.

It was a fun day! Its always hard to go back to the daily grind, though....

It's FUGLY!

Somebody PLEASE "pimp my ride"!!!!

Bryan bought me (him) a new car on Thursday. Its name is Fugly (it had that name straight off the lot). He basically paid for it in coins from some hippie in Portland and it is a parts car. Don't worry- I will not be cruising to work in this car tomorrow. The thing is Capital H-I-D-E-O-U-S. Once Bryan strips it, he will get to crush it. The parts are going to his black CRX that has been sitting in the garage since last fall. The plans after that get a bit fuzzy. If we are lucky enough to sell my car (the Accord) for a good price, I may be able to drive the black CRX for awhile until we save up enough money to buy something a little nicer but not as nice as the car I am selling. Then Bryan may turn the CRX back into his race car or we might sell it....or.....or.....who knows???

Zoo Pics

We had the opportunity last weekend to go to the Zoo with my friend Melissa and her kids. They adore Bryan and all four of the kids (Bryan included) had fun playing at the zoo. Here are some pics. The penguins are dedicated to Brandon (his favorite).

They are remodeling the Zoo, and since we were hot and tired we didn't have the energy or patience to figure out all the detours and see all the animals. It will be fun to go back when (if) it is ever done.

Yahoo!!!!

Yesterday I accidentally pulled out a pair of jeans that my booty had not seen in two years. And guess what? It worked. All day yesterday I rocked that pair of jeans like there was no tomorrow. And today? Well, it was hot so I tested my luck with an older pair of denim capris. It....worked....but....not as well. I still have some work to do! But I like it when I can begin to see results of my hard earned efforts. May has been a busy month with birthdays and celebrations, so the pounds are not dropping as fast, so that is unfortunate. But at least I am still going down. Also unfortunate today: the snake sighting. That will probably put a real big damper on my motivation to go walking outside.

I have T minus one month until the first of two weddings/trips. I wanted to look bangin' but dropping 50+ pounds is not likely from when I started diet/exercise in March. I just tried on the bridesmaid dress I am wearing to Arizona on June 13 and it fits better than it did last summer when I wore it to another wedding, but I am in no way ready for the next size down (which is okay- it saves me money!). Maybe between the two trips I will try the Daniel Fast again for a quick weight loss effort and see where that gets me. Since we will be with our hearty-eating family in the country in late June/early July I will probably gain it all back by the time we get home.

Alrighty- better go get some work done. SO far this weekend, we went out to eat with family, and swimming and birthday shopping, slept in this morning (slept through our committment to giving our friends a ride to the airport...ooops)exercised, wasted time waiting at the bank, visited with more family and now I am sitting around home trying to get up the motivation to clean. Tomorrows plans: the Zoo!

I am also working diligently on landing a summer nanny job and also potentitally a new full time job altogether. I have been on a steady emotional roller coaster of do I stay or do I go? (from my current job) since Spring break and I am tired! Yesterday I applied to a really cool sounding job but have not heard back yet. Sometimes I think my doors are closed but sometimes I wonder if they open...its hard not to get my hopes up!

Divorce.

Usually love is in the air during Spring. Something foul must be in the water this spring, as it seems to be vaporizing some marriages. Another marriage of a family I was relatively close to through school and work bit the dust I found out this week and the explanation was as follows: "It was just time for a change. You know how it goes."

Uhhhhhhhh????? No. I don't know how it goes. Does anyone take their vows seriously anymore?? What the heck??

First Worst Nightmare Confirmed.

This is not a good week for me.

Snake spotted this morning on weekly walk with friend Gillian.

Holy cow.

Happy Mother's Day/Birthday to Bryan

May is quite a busy month for us, especially this past weekend! I am still trying to catch up and now this next weekend is fast approaching! I did not get a chance to say HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all the outstanding moms I know, and at the top of the list is my mom and Bryan's mom, of course. But I hope everyone who is a mom to someone had a special day!

We had the opportunity to celebrate with both our families and moms together at Bryan's sister's house on Saturday which was a wonderful (and convenient) time. On Sunday, Bryan and I celebrated his birthday (which was Monday, May 11) however he wanted. (The unfortunate thing I am finding is that it is difficult to celebrate two major holidays at the same time!)

His dream day began with pancakes and bacon in the morning and a trip out to PIR, where the Porsche club was rallying. We got to watch some races and snap some pictures of exotic Porsches and then it was off to the hobby shop to purchase Bryan's long awaited RC car. When he first told me about the RC car he wanted and the cost, I told him "yeah right." So then for his birthday, the entire family pulled together money for him to go buy one (it was a surprise) and he is the happiest guy in the world now (usually he could care less about his birthday and always complains about getting things he never really wants/needs...although I do appreciate the family keeping his stock of boxers and white tee shirts current). After lunch at home and assembling the car (and scaring the crap out of Fuz) we took it out to Hagg Lake in Forrest Grove for some runs before dinner. The one bummer about dinner was that the BBQ we purchased the day before turned out to be dented and we had to return it. So dinner was later and we were later getting to bed...

So yesterday for his actual birthday, we met his family again at Red Robin for a free birthday burger and ice cream at dinner, and then Bryan and I both fell asleep in front of the tv by 8:30 and slept the whole night! You would think we both felt better rested today, though I was pretty grumpy and ready to leave school by 3:30, which I did, for the first time ever (unless for a doctor's appt). It was nice to have more time tonight to get things done, although right now it is pretty late... so goodnight!

Happy 25th Birthday Bryan! I love you!

My (Second) Worst Nightmare

Sunday night Bryan found a mouse in the garage. I have not so much as opened the door to the garage since then. This revelation brings back awful, awful memories that I have repressed since my senior year at OSU, living in a shack that was home to three roommates, myself, a raccoon in the crawlspace above, and numerous other "Mickey" and "Minnie" mice. Thank God for my friend/roommate Katie who could leap out of bed at a moments notice to empty the traps (with her bare hands! Yuck!)so I could enter the kitchen before heading off to class. Now I am blessed to have a husband who could think quickly on his feet and shut the lid on the jar of bacon juice this little feller was so indulgently devouring (so I hear). Mickey met his demise after about an hour of suffocation and lays in his final resting place in a dumpster at Bryan's work.

This nightmare only comes second to seeing a snake. Anywhere. Even on a sidewalk, it does not matter. I will never step foot on that sidewalk again. And now I will never (for a long time) enter my own garage.

Bryan's birthday was yesterday! I will post pics of our celebration and his big gift soon! Its back to American Idol and the job search!

You Know Its the End of the School Year When....

...You become an insta-celebrity among the grade prior to the one you teach, while the kids you have this year do everything but roll their eyes at anything you say. The kinders I have noticed in the last week or two have taken it upon themselves to say "HI MRS.H!!" in their loudest voice when I pass them in the hall. It's like they realize what they are up against and are trying to get a strong foot in the door. Unfortunately, I don't know very many of their names but I have this feeling like it won't matter. This morning we had a meeting to discuss the fact that our principal is leaving after this year and we will be lacking in an administration team, though I felt that this did not apply to me. Hopefully I can be out of there. And anyways, I had to resort to scare tactics today with my own class, threatening them with a mean second grade teacher who will not put up with half the stuff I do. That statement is completely true, but I should have let them find that out for themselves...I have some kids who I will tell them not to do something, they will look me in the eye and say okay, and go right back to doing it. This bugs the CRAP out of me...

And you know when it is the end of the school year when the teacher sits at her computer on a Friday night and blogs about how much her class got on her nerves today. At least I am not out taking tequila shots...

This week was also the Science Fair which was fun for the kids to tour, but another pain in my side. Every grade in the school does a project, though for the littler kids we are allowed to do one classroom project (rather than individual like in the older grades), and it becomes the teacher's responsibility to put it together on a presentation board. The kids were super excited to see we got 2nd place for our plant experiment. I was surprised and excited, too, until I found out that everyone got either a 1st, 2nd or 3rd place ribbon. So our project was mediocre, but not the worst...which I am TOTALLY fine with. But the kids were upset when they found out the other first grade got a first place ribbon (they are slightly competitive).When they asked me why, I said probably because they worked harder on it ("they" meaning their teacher). They could not understand this saying "but WE worked hard on our project too!!!". I had to work hard to refrain from laughing, as all each individual student did was drop in a spoonful of dirt and spray a little water on it. Oh well...Im just glad its over with.

As the end of the year draws near, I am noticing my workload is also lightening (for the moment). Today after school instead of cleaning up and getting materials ready for Monday, I booked our flight to and from Omaha for David's wedding on July 3rd. I am totally excited about staying in hotels, bumming around, checking out tourist attractions and spending the Fourth of July with relatives in the country, as we have a couple times before on summer vacations. This will be Bryan's first time seeing some of my relatives, and he may be surprised at how redneck we really are. I am SOOOO looking forward to this now that all the reservations are made. Now all I need is a summer job....or maybe a new one altogether.

Weekend Pics

This past weekend was that of many parties and celebrations, ending in a farewell this morning to Brad and Brandon at 4 a.m. at the army base. We won't see them for reals for another year from now...pray for peace and safety with the boys!

National Day of Prayer

Today is the National Day of Prayer, which we all kindof twiddled our thumbs over at work because we pretty much collectively support prayer everyday anyways. Its kindof along the same lines as Mother's/Father's Day, as I think we should honor our parents each day. So what do you do on a day dedicated to prayer? Well, you pray I suppose. And our principal suggested people/places/things to pray for, including the military which was very timely on my family's behalf. So the above is a token of appreciation from a seven year old. Very basic but genuinely sweet, and dedicated to Brad and/or Brandon.

Teacher Appreciation Week Sentiments

I do not think the kids fully realize what teacher appreciation really means, but boy the adults sure do. One way to end a diet quickly: a breakroom table filled to the brim with sweets (aka niblets of appreciation). Today one little handsome boy brought in the complete package: a bouquet of flowers, coffee, an apple and a card. He knows how to treat a lady and was so proud.

My favorite are the following notions recieved recently, including the one pictured above. It was a timely and reaffirming message out of a child's mouth. It has made Mrs. H. a happier person, considering the stress I am going through with the impending summer and the great unknown ahead. And I don't know if it is a coincidence, but aside from arguing and picking on each other, they have somehow collectively decided to be nice to me this week:

" I love you"

"You roke!" (you rock)

"Dear Mrs. H. thank you for teaching for us you rock for that."

" Dear Mrs. H. Thank you for teching me. I'm glad your my techer. And I Love you. I'm glad God made you."

(and my personal favorite:) "the hocie pocie! song and moshans cool!" "Put your right hand in put your right hand out and you shack it all about!!!"

Nothing like a good ol' round of the hokie pokie (song and motions included) to end a long week!

Important Nursing Adice Regarding Swine Flu

Don't Do This!

Friday Afternoon Dance Party

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hrHc5A7pYE

I am so glad I had my camera for this! The kids had a musical tonight, so I turned on the soundtrack and this is what evolved. If you know these kids well, their personalities are written all over their dance. And coordination is not their forte but they are so cute trying! It's all about the 'tude and I could not resist posting.

They did a fabulous job at the musical tonight and it was my favorite musical to date. I think we will end the year on a high note!

Disclaimer: I may or may not know who these kids are. If you are a child predator, please do not click on the above link.

I can't believe I am saying this....

I am a fan of ONE Miley Cyrus song, and I liked it before I knew it was hers. Clarification: I am NOT a Hannah Montana fan, though my classroom is adorned with every Hannah Montana item/paraphenalia you can imagine.

This is the song with lyrics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNkrzRLJeU8

It is a good song with a good message!