C Jane, Jane and Claire

My favorite blog in the world is this...http://blog.cjanerun.com/

I have been watchingTHIS this for two days...about 7 times now.

I love it and can't get enough!

Sweet words...

Awhile ago I posted about a little turkey that wasn't one that rubbed me the right way...

he has definitely grown on me since that day. He is darling actually.

Yesterday, I was testing him on his sight words and he didn't really know them but had the biggest brightest smile on his face the whole time! It almost made me want to give him a star or something!

Today was his last day in my class. =( He is moving and I will miss him dearly. Sometimes I am so sad when kids move and sometimes it is no big deal.

His mom brought in a special treat for the class...those sugar cookies with the massive frosting to be exact...SUGAR GOODNESS right there!!! Before the snack was passed out to the class, I had the kids offer bits of farewell and goodness to him. I had tears in my eyes! It was the most darling thing in the world!!! Some told him he was a great friend. Some told him they would miss him. Some wished him luck at his new school. Again...he had the biggest brightest smile in the world on his face!

Later while cleaning up his brought me a Capri Sun and asked me if he could put it in my refrigerator. I have a mini fridge under my desk and the kids are fascinated with it. I dunno why... I asked him why he wanted to keep it there. He told me it was for Abbie because she missed school today and he wanted to leave her a goodbye gift...I cried or as Teacha would say..."There was a little moisture coming out of my eye!"

OBAMA or MCCAIN?

Today...I was sitting at my kidney table with some kids and their math.

For whatever the heck reason...the presidential election came up in conversation...kind of weird of many reasons of which I will share below:


1) We were working on subtraction.

2) We were working on subtraction.

3) We were working on subraction.

4) What the are 7 year olds doing talking about the election?!?!?!

Girl student says..."I know who I am voting for?"

Boy 1 says..."Who?"

Boy2 says..."We all need to vote for McCain!"

Boy 1 says..." Is that the white guy or the black guy?"

Girl says laughing..."The white guy"

Boy 1 says..."I am not voting for that white guy!"

Boy 2 says..." Everyone HAS to vote for McCain...he is the best and you know what is the best about him? HE IS GOING TO LOWER THE PRICES!!!"

Girl says disgusted..."No way I am NOT voting for him!"

There you have it...incase you were confused about who to vote for...take some voting advice from my class.

Halloweenier!

I am too tired to blog today...so I thought I would give you guys a replay of Halloween last year...please don't be concerned with my costume choice...me being a teacher and all. =)

Erin the Flight Attendant!

The Troll...

Kid Sister mixing up a few!

Mary Kay Letourneau and Swiss Miss

Yep...Swiss Miss and the Sign Twirler (sweetest costume ever!)

Angelina (kids in tow) with Mary Kay

My Buddy with Swiss Miss

There are many costumes that were not shown here due to some graphic natured photography...

Flying to AZ?

Over a week ago I learned of a concert by Mindy Gledhill that I wanted to attend. One hiccup was that it was in Mesa, Arizona. The concert was a benefit for NieNie and her husband Christian who were in a plane crash in August. Since Rose had found this wonderful family on another blog, we have been addicted to CJane's blog. CJane keeps her blog up with updates of Stephanie and Christian. CJane is Stephanie's sister and since C and S have been in the hospital for 2 months, CJane has taken in the children along with her sister Lucy. Anyway, wonderful family...every blog brings tears to my eyes. It definitely puts a "bad day" into perspective.

For about 10 minutes after learning of the concert...I was determined to go. One MORE problem...Rose, my fellow blog reader, would be out of town in Disneyland. I couldn't go by myself for obvious reasons. I know it seems kind of weird that we would fly to AZ for a concert for a benefit of someone we didn't even know. After reading this blog EVERDAY for over a month...you feel more like family than a blog reader. They are unbelievable. I could only imagine being in the presence of this family there in AZ.

So I dropped the idea of flying to AZ.

I did have a FANTASTIC weekend though. My baby's mama and daddy were in town from Idaho for the football game. I haven't seen her since the summer wedding of Kristin, our cousin. It was so good to see her and her pudgy little belly. I got to see the babies mama and daddy, Mr. and Mrs. Gay too! There were pudgy bellies all over the place, including mine! =)
After attending Mr. Jensen's football game, we met his family and our family at a great Italian Restaurant downtown.

I don't have pictures as my camera is in Disneyland with my princess' and Rose! GOSH! Worst Day of My LIFE!

I have been DYING to see an update from Cjane about the concert...oh yeah..another reason I wanted to go was that NieNie's daughters, Claire (5) and Jane (6) were going to sing with Mindy!!!! I KNOW that was amazing! My heart and prayers were still with them this weekend!


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Spending time with my family makes me happy!

HSM...3!!!!

So as you can imagine...after my High School Musical Sing-Along with J the other night...I am pretty estatic over the 3rd one coming out tonight! I didn't have any plans to see it...most likely would pick it up on the Disney Channel in a few months, or if I was lucky enough a friend would want me to go with their family...until this morning...

J calls at 6:50am! Wants to know if the kids are busy doing their "busy work". I am not sure where he went to school but last time I checked 1st graders weren't even up at that time of the morning! He was calling to make my Friday dreams come true...
HE INVITED ME TO PARTAKE IN THE HSM 3 MADNESS TONIGHT!!!! WAHOO!!!

During morning meeting I couldn't keep this kind of news in...I told the whole class. They were excited. They wanted to tell me they were going to. I didn't care. Half were lying anyway...the only thing important is that I WAS GOING!

DQ's turn comes up in the circle...

"Tonight I am going to see High School Musical 3 in theaters soon! I also know Miss MagPie is going and I also know Miss MagPie has the same middle name as me! Want to hear me sing?"

Kind of an odd little duck...

Are you married Miss MagPie?

Finally these turkeys are piping up again!

For writing we use an ever so popular writing adoption. Yes, 6 and 7 year olds can write! They are actually pretty stinkin good at it too! Maybe they have a good teacher...hmm....dunno!
Anyway, I always demonstrate a story during my lesson on my own writing then send them off to do their writing. They LOVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEE writing time. I don't particularly care for it as it is very HIGH maintenance for the children that aren't so good at sounding out words! GRR!!!

Today I was writing my story on my board. It was about what I did last night. Last night I went to G and J's house to pick up a chair they let me have. I am going to repaint it and cover the seat to make a cutie cute teachers chair! I will post when and if that gets done =) Anyhow, we were sitting on the couch messing around with the dogs. J was flipping channels of the enormous tv they have. He happened to stop on The Disney Channel...IT WAS HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL!!! One of the freakin best movies ever made...especially if you like to sing along! And I DO!!!
So I start singing...low and behold on the freakin screen are the words!!! Not only is it HSM but it is HSM Sing- Along!!!! WHOOP WHOOP!!! HOLLA!
Next thing you know J and I are singing to it. I made him do the boy parts and me do the girl parts. As you can imagine...we were AMAZING!

So, back to school...I was telling the kids about it. They are fans of HSM so I knew they would enjoy it. What they enjoyed most was that G and J are boys! I could hear brains turning as I went back to writing my story. Please remember boys and girls have cooties in first grade... Then someone pipes up...

"Hey! Are you married Miss MagPie?" says one turkey.
"Nope she isn't", said Miss Ladybug. (she was in my class last year...they ask about 50 times a year on average about me being married)
"I thought you were," said another turkey.
"Nope...she's just a teacher! She can't be married!", replies Ladybug again.

Damn! There you have it! THE ANSWER!

Why didn't anyone tell me this before???

39/365
Funny children make me happy!

God...and my kidney table

Children in general are obsessed with God. What does that tell us? That tells us they are listening...they have faith...they know everything will be okay.

Today I had set the children off to work on an individual project...please notice I said "individual". Please keep in mind...NOTHING in my class is individual. These kids are the chattiest kids in the WORLD! As my sophomore year english teacher would say, you guys would talk to the wall if you had to! Or something to that effect. She was a little nutso if you ask me!

So I like to just meander around the room and listen to their conversations.
Today this is what I hear coming from the trapezoid table...

Student A: "You know God is watching you right now!"

(this sparks my attention because God is always a great subject of funniness from my kids)

Student B: "Oh! I know!"

Student C: "I don't know about that!"

Student D: (very loud student) "NO NO HE IS!!! My mom told me!"

Student B: "yeah when you play hide and seek, God is the only one that knows where you are hiding!"

Student A: "What about Jesus? Does he know where you are hiding?"

Student B: "Hmm...maybe we should try it sometime!"

Of course! Just try is sometime!

Later in the day I am working with some of the students that have yet to finish a supposed one day project. (Why? Why do I do this to myself? I think it will be a great thing and BAM! It is the worst lesson EVER! What can I do? Throw their work away? They would totally remember! Or would they? =) I have been known to ditch a few things in the BIG blue file...aka the recycling. Mostly due to it being a total bomb lesson. I blame it on the custodian if they ever bring it up. In all my days of "ditching" one thing has gotten brought up. I have a winning record.) So I am at my most favorite spot in the room..the kidney table! I heart my kidney table! God so help me if someone steals it from me! For those of you not familiar with my favorite piece of classroom furniture goodness...picture this in all it's glory...a table shaped like a kidney bean! Pure genius people! I hope the inventor is living the dream right now...those bad boys are NOT cheap either! Anywho...I sit in the part that goes in a little and the turkeys sit around me. I am in arms reach of all of them. Little Nicky approaches me while at "my table". He wants to know when we can try and see if Jesus is watching us to. "Maybe tomorrow!" I said. "Okay, that sounds good!" he replied. Very content with my answer.

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My kidney table makes me happy!

How to Dance in the Rain...

This is a wonderful story that I read every once in awhile...

It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an elderly gentleman in his 80's, arrived at the clinic where I work as a RN. He to have stitches removed from his thumb. He said he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am.

I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would to able to see him.

I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound.

On exam, it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound.

While taking care of his wound, I asked him if he had another doctor's appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry. The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife.

I asked about her health. He told me that she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer's Disease. As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him for five years now.

I was surprised, and asked him, 'And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are?'

He smiled as he patted my hand and said, 'She doesn't know me, but I still know who she is.'

I had to hold back tears as he left, I had goose bumps on my arm, and thought, 'That is the kind of love I want in my life.'

True love is neither physical, nor romantic. True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be.

The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have.We all want to receive this kind of love, but somehow, I think, the better part is to be in a position to give this kind of love.

Bloggin Rut...

I am in a rut folks...those little turkeys aren't being very funny!!!

Overpaid teachers...

AREN'T YOU ALL SICK OF THOSE HIGHLY PAID TEACHERS??
Their hefty salaries are driving up taxes, and they only work nine or ten months a year!

It's time we put things in perspective and pay them for what they do... baby-sit!
We can get that for less than minimum wage. That is right. I would give them $3.00 dollars an hour and only the hours they worked, not any of that silly planning time.
That would be $19.50 a day (7:45 AM to 4:00 PM with 45 min. off for lunch).
Each parent should pay $19.50 a day for these teachers to baby-sit their children.
Now, how many do they teach in a day... maybe 30? So that's 19.5 X 30 = $585.00 a day. However, remember they only work 180 days a year! I am not going to pay them for any vacations.
Let's see . . .. that's $585 x 180 = $105,300 per year.(Hold on! My calculator must need batteries!)
What about those special teachers and the ones with master's degrees?
Well, we could pay them minimum wage just to be fair, round it off to $7.00 an hour.

That would be $7 times 6-1/2 hours times 30 children times 180 days =$245,700.00 per year.
Wait a minute, there is something wrong here!

(Average teacher salary $50,000/180 days = $277 per day/30 students =$9.23/6.5 hours = $1.42 per hour per student.) Very inexpensive babysitter, and they even educate your kids! Crazy!

Pictures of my three little bebés!

This is one baby...

Baby Jensen

This one will definitely look like me...I can tell.

The Gay babies...

Lost...Saturday Gatherings

I am at a loss for bloggin lately. I mean I have things, but I guess I am really too concerned with my readers. I mean I have 3 whole readers! I read blogs that are WONDERFULLY written. My favorite wonderfully written blog is Courtney K's from Utah. She is an absolutely amazing writer. She definitely writes for her audience. In my writing lessons at school, we dicuss writing for your audience. I will bet you 10 pop tarts if you asked one of my kids what that means they would have no clue...yes, I am THAT good. =)

So my "cure" for my problem is to read A LOT of blogs that are well written and then some that aren't so I can compare and then learn from those...seems like a good idea to me! You agree? If you don't, keep those comments to yourself!

Anyway, sometimes I have these things I want to write about, but I know they won't come out right...but I will keep trying until they do. Sometimes I even go back and reread them after a long time and change them. Today is a day that I can picture a TOTALLY inspiring blog entry, but it probably won't happen. Just pretend it is great okay? You could even comment on it too =)


So today was my first Saturday Gathering after Camp Erin 2008. SG's are a follow up to camp. All the campers from this year are invited every other month for a few hours on a Saturday. We do an opening circle (i will explain that later) and a memory/grief activity and then closing circle.
It is awkward because we haven't seen them in a few months. It is awkward because there are only 7 of us counselors there and the kids are used to 40 of us. So they have a small chance that their own counselor is even there. 20 kids were signed up today, but not everyone made it.

I am always excited to go because during the year I miss my camp friends a TON! I LOVE and adore everyone I work with there! They are wonderful, kind, gentle, HEART of GOLD people. Every stinkin one. We all make a great team together, because we bring a ton of different qualities and mix them all up.

At camp I took special interest from afar (I know that sounds stalkerish) in a girl in the teen girls cabin. I will call her Lucy, because she has a name that isn't very common and I would in no way want anyone to know who she is. The first day we meet the kids is a week before camp. It is a pizza party for everyone to meet each other before camp. Similar to a dog and pony show...if you will. The parents are checking us out the WHOLE TIME. Which in this case I understand. Their already very vulnerable children are going to go to a very intense camp for a weekend. I get it.

Lucy arrived at the pizza party with a hat on and a "I am too cool for this" look on her face. Not a lot of words. I noticed her this night, but thought NOTHING of her.

One week later at camp, I noticed her again. This time I notice she has a hat on again. It is like a guys' hat and it is a little crooked. Totally ghetto, but whatever. I notice her more this time because I realize she looks very similar to a good friend of mine.
The next day, the hat it still on. Very gangsta ( I am still young so I can use the no "r" in that word) like. I thought about her and her hat all day. I analyzed her and her hat all day. I noticed she wore the hat EVERYWHERE. She had the hat on for EVERYTHING.

I noticed that the teen girls are very standoffish with each other and everyone at camp for about the first day and a half. Some stay that way the whole time, but for the most party by Saturday afternoon they open up.

I mentioned something about the hat to my dear from Candice. Candice is a middle school counselor (read: candice is a god-send!) You couldn't pay me enough to work with that age group...they scare me. Their hormones scare me. Candice agreed that there was something strange with the hat.

Sunday morning at breakfast...4 hours prior to departure of Camp Erin 2008...

Lucy's hat is off!

Lucy has a smile on her face.

Lucy is chatting with her cabin mates.

MegPie is smiling.

Candice is smiling.

Candice and I looked at each other and knew what the other was thinking without saying a word.

At closing circle after the campers leave, the staff sits around and bawls together about the weekend. There wouldn't be nearly the bawling if we weren't so freakin tired. But it works for us. We share about the weekend. We share what we got out of it. Some of us cry that NEVER cry. I, on the other hand am not one of those people that don't cry. I CRY ALL THE FREAKIN TIME!

So in closing circle I like to be inspiring, appreciative, and gentle. Kind of like these blogs...
I mentioned how in the movie Big Daddy, starring Adam Sandler, that the little boy wears his "invisible" glasses so that no one can see him. He is suffering the loss of his parents I believe.
I compare Lucy's hat with the glasses. The hat was a comfort to her. She didn't have to open up or "show" anyone who she was. Sunday morning was like a new beginning for her. She didn't need the hat anymore. She felt free and ready to be herself. She really touched me that weekend and I didn't speak to her once.

After my turn in closing circle, Lucy's counselor told us that she said to her that morning, "man if camp was longer I actually would have done the activities." Sunday was the only day she participated for the most part.

Today Lucy showed up. We were very surprised. Today, Lucy had no hat.

I made a point to sit with Lucy at her table of collage making. We got to talking and sharing a few things. She is an AMAZINGLY strong girl.

Lucy's mother passed away and Lucy and her older sister had to be adopted by a friend. What a tough thing when you are in middle school. Lucy is now a Sophomore and seems to be doing well. It was totally her choice to come today. She amazes me. I hope she will come back.

37/365
Seeing my old camp friends makes me happy!

My date...

Tonight I have a date!
I am so excited. I love going on dates.
His name is Jim Halpert. I heart Jim!


36/365
The Office makes me happy!

Sweet Niblets!!!

So I don't have such an exciting post today.
I am still doing my baby baby baby dance so I don't have a lot of time to blog anyway!

I did forget to share a kiddo story from yesterday. All that baby talk made me forget about my sweet kiddos...blah!

I have a child in my class...we shall call her...DQ as in DRAMA QUEEN!!! On a regular basis, I think to myself in my head "save the drama for your mama" but she doesn't really have a good mom. Her Grammy raises her and her mom is a deadbeat down in Cali...probably stays at home and reads blogs all day but that's neither here nor there.

So DQ is just full of herself. She is spoiled rotten to the core. I mean you name the toy and she has it. Every morning meeting she is telling about something new she has gotten. I can only imagine what her room looks like. I know for a fact they live in a HUGE house and it is just her and her grandparents. She probably has her own apartment in the basement...anyway...again that's neither here nor there. She thinks she is a Cheetah Girl. She always calls herself royalty. She walks at a snails pace and when I try to hurry her up her reply is as follows, "Princess' can't walk too fast!" BARF!

DQ sobs usually 3 times a week. That's a good week. It's about this or that or this or that. One time I got a note from Grammy stating that DQ didn't sleep because she was upset that she wasn't sitting near any of her "friends" on the carpet after I assigned there seats...THAT WAS THE POINT! They can't keep their mouths shut so my answer is to move them! (You are thinking...wow, brilliant teacher! Don't forget I have my master's degree people!)

I find DQ curled up in a fetal position yesterday. Something horrific must have happened that I missed somehow (hate it when that happens). After ten minutes of probing I finally get out of her the problem.

"DQ, what is wrong?" I askfor the 100th time...at this point super annoyed!

"Well, Mr. Clean called Hannah Montana DUMB!" sob sob sob.

"Oh honey I am sure he didn't mean it!" (read: you have got to be freakin kidding me that I wasted more than 2 seconds on Hannah Montana!)

BTW, I heart Hannah Montana in a BIG way! My little babysitting charges got me hooked this summer! Again, here nor there.

So we have a small intervention in the hall with Mr. Clean...he apologized with a smirk on his face. DW hugged him. I love when my kids hug. That's what makes everything better!

Until Miley Cyrus gets called ugly!!! I'm still trying to figure out how she can be so tricky!
Face it...she's got the BEST OF BOTH WORLDS!

I am the favorite aunt =)

I have another cousin.

Her name is Mrs. Jensen.

She is Mrs. Gay's sister.

Mrs. Jensen is... PREGGERS TOO!!!

Now I have a baby baby baby dance!!!

Our family will welcome 3 little cupcakes into the family sometime in the springish! Mayish we are thinking!!! Yeah for babies to love on!!!

Picture above: Me and Mrs. Jensen...we aren't naked...just strapless dresses!!!!

Baby Baby Dance!!!!

Remember how my cousin Mrs. Gay is preggers? Well...then, I was doing my BABY dance...now I am doing my BABY BABY dance!!!!! She is having TWINIES!!!! Baby dance baby dance!
Hopefully she will use a couple of my name ideas now!

I am loving these babies...and it isn't even me who has to labor them!!! wahoo!!!
I can love on them and then give them back!!!!

I did some photoshopping and found some "could be" pictures of them...









Love you Mr. and Mrs. Gay!!!

And all your little ones too!!!!

Betty Craper...

Hi Yall! (Paula Deen)

I have been baking! Scary thought for those of you that know me.

I DON'T BAKE!

I was invited to one of my friend's houses last night for dinner. Me, being the so polite young adult, raised by Lydia Lou, that I am offered to bring something. Why I offer is beyond me. I mean I know it is nice and all...but geez people! I suck okay! I try I try and I try some more. I can ruin just about everything. So if you invite me for dinner and I offer...just politely say "no thanks!"

I have self diagnosed some of my cooking/baking problems. Am I willing to change them? Maybe not!

1) I am not patient...this leads to problems with frosting cakes, etc.

2) Sometimes I don't really read the whole recipe before starting...oops

3) Something is wrong with me...

The other day at a local craft store I was perusing the aisles...I found these amazing Halloween stencils for cakes. They were darling and I knew I needed them (read: another bit of junk to add to the collection). Why you ask? I dunno I just did. GOSH!

So I picked them up. I decided to make a cake for last night and then if that went well I have Wednesday Munchie duty at school so I could use it again! SCORE! Now, you are probably wondering what Wednesday Munchies is...well, some brilliant person (our school is crawling with them!) decided to brainwash us all and have everyone get into groups and bring eats every Wednesday to school. It is dumb, but we all do it. Who knows why???? You only have to do it about every other month which is great...but it is such a hassle. I mean the last thing I want to do after dispensing genius all day is bake!

Well, I am not sure last night went "well". They said it was good...and it was...they are also very nice people...they probably blessed my heart a million times as I walked to my car! The one pictured below looks great...I think. Although I can't imagine it would taste that good considering it is just cake under there. What good is cake with no frosting people?!?!?

Then I changed from cakes for Wednesday Munchies to cookies...these are my favs. Weight Watcher Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies...2 pts. each...HOLLA!!!

Mix one box of Spice Cake with one 15 oz. can of pumpkin and 1 cup give or take a few of chocolate chips.

Bake at 375 degrees for approx. 11 minutes.

Viola!

Leave dishes in sink for maid (read: my roommate, Matthew)

35/365

Cookies that come out well make me happy!

Oregon Duck...

I am sitting on the computer watching the end of the Oregon vs. UCLA football game. We are winning by the way...I'm just sayin!

I can see the Duck mascot hanging out with the fans. Everytime I see the mascot something warms my heart. My sister, Stephanie, was the mascot. She loved it. She adored it. That was her goal for college...among other things =)

Everytime I see that duck I can't help but picture her inside of that crazy costume. My sister was a crazy girl.

I hope she is that entertaining up there...

xoxo

sissy

Dear Mr. Obama...innocent children...

Saturday afternoons are reserved for ONE of my little Emmas. She needs a little helpy help with her math, so I go over to her house every Saturday for an hour. We work on memorizing memorizing and memorizing. Then when we are done with that, we memorize more! Many of you will wonder why memorizing? That is what we have come too! Nothing else works and we are just getting her through her times tests!

Anyway, when she is taking one of her times tests I read her homework or newsletters from her teacher. I am always VERY interested in what other teachers have to say or what they are doing. For those of you that don't know...teachers are the BIGGEST thieves around! We steal EVERYTHING from each other, make it our own, and then make it better. Then someone rips it off from us. No worries...it is kind a "pay it forward" if you will. =)

As I am reading, I see a letter she has written as part of her homework. The assignment was to write one of the presidential candidates and let them know why you would vote for them if you could and what you would want them to change.

Her letter read something like this:

Dear Mr. Obama,

If I were old enough to vote, I would vote for you. I really like you and think you have good ideas. There is something I would like you to change though. I think you should change the price of Webkinz to $1.00! That would make me so happy.

Your Friend,

Emma

(Webkinz are a stuffed animal that you can register online and make a pretend life for them)

To be an innocent child again would be the life.

We adults worry about money, relationships, jobs, wars, etc.

Let's all be kids again for just one day and worry about Webkinz!

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Innocent children make me happy!

Good Meggie...

As I sit and write this, I can hear little girl giggles in my bedroom.  A and S are here spending the night for the first time ever.  They have been in the room for an hour now.  No sleep to be found. They are going to be so freakin tired in the morning and we are getting up early to go to our friend's soccer games.  Oh well!

We went to Gustav's for dinner...FONDUE baby!  Then came home, gave the girls a bath while they complained my tub was dirty.  Worst day of my life!  I do have to say there were a few little new dirties in there...not sure where they came from.

About a half hour ago I am lying on the couch watching some tube.  I remember the wonderful peanut M & M goodness that Rose packed in the girls' suitcase for me.  I get up to get them and Sam can hear me get up and grab them.  "Meggie what are you doing?"  I hear from the bedroom.

"Nothing," I said.

"Are you eating your M & M's?"

"Yep!"

"Why did we buy those for you?" asks Abby

"Cause you are nice!" I said

"NO!  Cause you are a good Meggie!"

Thank goodness I am a good Meggie!  We will see if I am still a good Meggie in the morning!

33/365

M&M's make me happy!

Fifths disease...

Hmm...
We don't have school tomorrow so I am excited as a mouse!

Today, as we are about packing up to go home...Mrs. Craziness, aka our secretary, brought in an URGENT notice to go home. She made it clear that it needed to go home TODAY. Must be something SUPER important...I couldn't quite get to the location of the papers at the time as I was explaining something or another to the munckins. I was thinking in my head what it could be about...here is what I came up with and my reasoning....

1) Lice breakout...SURPRISE! We have as much lice in the building as we have pencils...I know I know I shouldn't complain because the West Side of my school district has it ten times worse, which I can't even imagine!

2) Fundraising crapolla! Probably not that because we have had 50 other notices about that go home just this week.

3) Hmm...I don't really have a number three.

FINALLY, I am getting ready to release my kids off the carpet to get packed up. I realize that their folders are already packed and I will have to walk around and pack this new notice in their bags myself. I wasn't feeling that motivated...so as I walked closer to the paper, I decided that depending on what it was... I would scare the children into putting it in their folder themselves.

FIFTHS DISEASE!!!

There is two reported cases of this disease at our school. Apparently it is a red blotchiness and cold symptoms, BUT you aren't contagious anymore once the blotchiness arrives. BUT they have to send a note home because it is very harmful to pregnant women. I guess this would be the time to tell you...I am expecting!!!! RIIIGGGHHHTTTTT!!!!!!!!

Perhaps this wasn't the best judgement call I have ever made in teaching...but I think it did the trick. I quiet the kids and tell them about this disease going around our school and it is important for their parents to see this letter, blah blah blah. I think they all got the point and put it in their bags.

We are headed out the door...and BAM! Peanut Gallery aka Twinie says, "Sorry I can't help you with your little disease (he puts air quotes up around disease) Miss Conway," and walks out.

P.S. I don't know the kid in the picture...that was just the poor child that came up when I looked in photobucket...


Mrs. Gay,
Please watch out for Fifths Disease.




32/365

No school Fridays make me happy!

Maracas and Mice...

For whatever reason...I have been collecting maracas. Darling T-Girl brought me the "Oregon Duck" one before I was going to the football game that I never made it to due to illness. BOO!

My girls make EVERYTHING Oregon colors. They are darling! Okay, maybe I threaten that if anything comes in the room orange and black they all flunk and go back to kindergarten...but that's neither here nor there.

The second and obviously smaller piece of work is from L-Bug. I think she saw the original instrument and needed to do her part of my musical collection. I have a rather large one you know!

Please note the large amount of tape. We have stock in scotch tape as well as masking tape.

Story of the Day:

I walk into Teacha's room about 11:00 this morning. That is her smoke break time between Kindergarten sessions. You know...she is the loon that took my job last year...all together now...BLESS HER HEART! Her momma, Netty, and her were eating their little Subway sandwiches. As I walk in, out of the corner of my eye I see something run under the table. Now, I don't run on a whole lot of sleep so sometimes my eyes do crazy little things. Not today ladies and gentlemen! I saw a freakin RODENT! I quick jumped on a chair and screamed..."MOUSE!"

Netty gets her garbage can and tries to catch it. Teacha gets on the phone and the secretary doesn't even believe her!!!! FINALLY the secretary comes down as well as the custodian, the principal, and the next door teacher. We had 7 people total screaming and trying to catch it. It was a lovely sight. We started rumors so by the end of the day

"There was a racoon in the Kindergarten room!"

I didn't want you to think I was fibbin...so I took a picture of the first place I saw it...he was too fast for me to get him!

31/365

Maracas make me happy!

They don't call me MegPIE for nothin!

Hello!  My name is Miss MegPie and I like to eat.  I have an eating problem.  A HUGE eating problem.  Perhaps an addiction.  Eating makes me happy.  Eating makes me sad.  I am an eater.

In September of 2006 I joined a little something called Weight Watchers.  This is where you watch your weight...in case you didn't know.

I was approached by two co-workers who wanted to do an intervention with me regarding my eating problem...KIDDING!  

Take two:

I was approached by two friends/co-workers that were planning on heading to the nearest Weight Watchers meeting that day during our lunch hour and asked if I wanted to join.  Sure! Why not?  I have a problem.  I can admit it.  Don't think I am going back next week though!

We go...I am weary.  They sign up for some 10 pass deal.  This girl doesn't go for "deals" the first time of hearing about it.  I KNEW I wasn't coming back therefore I wasn't getting the pass. I decided to give it a whirl.  The next week, we went back at the same time and low and behold...Miss MegPie lost 8 lbs!!! I am not even joking you people!  It was pretty easy too!  So I kept with it.  I left my workplace and went to student teach at my current school.  Great news!  WW lady comes to the school!!! HOLY COW...literally!  All I could think of was the weight problem these teachers must have if the lady comes to them!  Yeah right...can we say a bunch of paranoid freakos!!!  But heck..if she's coming to me I am down!

By the end of my first year at WW I had lost 43 lbs.  HOLLA!!!

Travel to present time:

I am only down 35 lbs. but I am back at it.  It is a struggle and always will be.  I need to do it.  I have to do it.  For me and me only.  

I need to be the size 8 I was in high school.  There is no reason I can't be!!!!

This was a boring post...sorry!  My kids need to step it up.  No good material!  Come on kids!  Teacher needs some bloggin material duh?!?!?!?

30/365

Being down .8 lbs. after the weekend I had makes me happy!

Hand sanitizer...what not to do with it...

Hand sanitizer is my friend. Hand sanitizer kills germs. Germs are my enemy. Many of you know, germs congregate like a freakin gospel choir in my immune system.

Hand sanitizer is only used in my room at certain times of the day. I AM certain that if there were no restrictions, we would have children hands crumbling from being so dry. They LOVE hand sanitizer and I don't know why!!!! 3 times a day it is used in my classroom... 1) before snack 2) before lunch 3) after lunch recess with the exception of a nasty sneeze or something, those are the ONLY times it is SUPPOSED to be used. I used "supposed" lightly.
Now, before you all get your panties in a bunch hear me out. I was weary of using so much hand sanitizer. Some say it causes a "stronger strain of the cold virus" to come back. (I think that person made that crapolla up!) Some say you can get drunk from drinking it so it isn't safe in the classroom, (well, sometimes I question this, but I hope that my kids aren't THAT dumb! we have a drinking fountain in the classroom for pete's sake!), BUT FOLKS LISTEN AND LISTEN CLOSELY...
I have had a doctor with FULL credentials (i hope) tell me that it is perfectly okay and she actually praised me for using it so often in my classroom and a med student who did the same. SO THERE!

Anyway...onto my story...Student 2 was my man today. Poor little dude. Comes walking up to me, I can almost recall a limp, but don't quote me on that one. I notice he has one eye closed...or trying to do that at least. I asked what was up. He looked like a stinkin pirate I could hardly keep my laughs in. He told me he had "hand sanitizer in his eyeballs." Hmm...interesting considering this WAS NOT one of the teacher recommended/demanded times to use the HS. I asked him to tell me what exactly happened. He states that he was moving the bottle and he dropped it and KAPOW!!!! it squirted in his eye. True story. I sent him to the nurse's office/secretary and she rinsed it for him. I was sure Stewie would come down with him and take all my sanitizer away, but he didn't. =) I can rest again. And yes, Student 1 is just fine. I am scared to look at my emails tonight though in fear of an email from Momma. What can I say? I live life dangerously!


P.S. For those of you that LOVE this item as much as me, try the pink kind...it's to DIE FOR!!!

29/365
Pink Hand sanitizer makes me happy!

26, 27, 28 /365

People come into your life for a Reason, a Season or a Lifetime...When you know which one it is for a person, you will know what to do for that person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a Godsend, and they are! They are there for the reason you ned them to be. Then, without any wrong doing on your part, or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered, and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn. They bring you an experience of peace, or make you laugh. They teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it! It is real! But, only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons: things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships of your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

26/265

People that come into my life for a reason make me happy!

27/365

People that come into my life for a season make me happy!

28/365

People that come into my life for a lifetime make me happy!

They never cease to amaze me! My little turkeys have material for me everyday! I can't believe I didn't start this blog sooner. Again, usually in the mornings...
Every morning they write in their journals. I give them a prompt on the board. Today's prompt was..."At recess I like to ______________." They copy the prompt and finish the sentence. For some, this is like pulling teeth. For others, this is a great thing, they do it quickly, and nicely and are done. N-dogg (you can read more about him here) doesn't get a lot of work done. He is Mr. Social and tends to go to the bathroom a lot. I think he is just checking out his hair but that's neither here nor there. Today was a breakthrough!!!! PEOPLE, you need to understand that when a child does something for the first time... it is more like MIRACLE! I can almost here the gospel choir singing...HALLELUJAH!
It's the same version they will sing at my wedding...again, neither here nor there.
N-dogg walks up to show me his work. I always have the children read it to me as I can't always read their writing and offended is a word that works well in that situation. The conversation went something like this...

N-dogg: "Miss MegPie, I am done!"

ME: "WHAT?!?!?!?!? I mean, great! Can you read it to me?" (sometimes they can't)

N-dogg: "At recess I like to meditate."

ME: "Oh really N-dogg?"

N-dogg: "Yes, really!"

hmmm...

I too shall try meditation on the playground...he may be on to something!



25/365
Meditation on the playground makes me happy!

P.S. We got an "urgent" email today stating they are canceling Mozerella Sticks for lunch tomorrow and substituting with Whole Wheat Corn Dog. PLEASE don't confuse this with Golden Corndogs!!! I will keep you posted!

Magic Coins...

In my class, my incentive for the children to be good citizens is magic coins. Magic coins are truly magic. You should see the work that gets done when those coins are being rolled around in my hands. Trash is cleaned up, work is done to the best ability, and manners are in full effect! It is glorious! All because of a metallic coin that I have named "magic"!

Why are these magic coins so exciting you ask? DUH!!!! 4 magic coins = 1 trip to the Treasure Box! Every Friday is Treasure Box day. This is one event that I will never master. It takes FOREVER for them to choose. It is the worst. It is a wooden chest full to the brim of CRAPOLLA! Half of the CRAPOLLA doesn't make it home...I find it on the floor often. There isn't any one popular item. I do make threats though...I will admit it! If the Treasure Box is talked about or someone asks me when it is time for Treasure Box...GONE! NO TREASURE BOX THAT DAY! I am mean I know I know!
BUT PEOPLE...please understand I can't take it when 25 kids ask me 4 times each when the dumb box is coming out! For those of you not mathematicians (you aren't in my class obviously) that is 100 times in one day!!! They have been told the rule over and over again. After we pack up on Fridays that is when THE BOX comes out. Simple!

Well...here is where the story begins. I was having dinner with a rather particularly funny friend of mine. I was telling him about a recent dating situation that went wrong somewhere. Hmm...now that I think about it...they ALL have gone wrong somewhere!

The conversation changed later to my classroom and went something like this:

GB: "You know...if you give magic coins to the guys you date...I am sure they would stick around! Think about it...tell them if they are good they get four coins and then a trip to the Treasure Box!"

Me: "THE ANSWER!!!!"

I should be married soon...I'm just sayin!


24/365
Magic coin behavior makes me happy!