Apple Cider Vinegar

If someone suggests Apple Cider Vinegar as the Cure for what ails you. Find every other option available and try that first. I don't think I've ever tasted anything quite as horrible. My eyes cried, my mouth cried, my stomach cried. I am using the word "cried" because I truly feel it was a step up from plain "ole" mouth watering. UGGHHH.  Home remedies are something I always take a look at being so far from the store and doctor.  Ohhh I oooohhh... ugggh....iiiccckk......yaccckkk.... Find out if you can get it in pill form. Don't subject your taste buds to such cruelty.

Saloon Problems

Saloon problems are problems you have only if you live over a saloon!  For instance if you get busy don't call home, your cell phone battery dies, you don't notice for quite some time that it died, then you have to charge it........
Your parents assume you have been stabbed/shot/eaten by the locals and they call the sheriff's office to come do a "wellness" check to make sure you're still breathing. Saloon problems!

Saloon problems also include a visit from your "favorite" deputy in the early morning hours!  He verifies life and leaves. Saloon problems.

Saloon problems include everyone knowing you're in town based on your car being home. Luckily they are still scared enough of you they don't show up on your doorstep without a prior invitation. What will happen when they aren't scared anymore? Well, that scares me!
 

I have been creating in my head a list of signs that you've been living in a teeny tiny town tooo  long.

1. You know every resident by their car.
2. You know every resident by their dog.
3. You know every resident by where they sit/park at the saloon.
4. You know every resident.
5. The local restaurant has your favorite meal named after you.
6. You have ridiculous urges to go sit on a bar stool and complain!

Don't worry I am not done with this list.... it will continue later....

Summer Class

My first class of the summer has me working down at the school all hours. I have 45 hours in total to complete. It shouldn't be hard...but when you are done.. you are done...and I'm done!  It is good because I am working on things while they are still fresh in my memory! It isn't good because I have gotten interrupted for other things a lot. It is good because I have gotten a lot done for next year. It isn't good because I am tired. This is good because it will give me time to play with a clear conscience! 

We had our first day of Pre-school today with seven students in total. That made me feel like it is really worthwhile! There are a lot of little kiddos running around needing to learn their letters. The location we are holding preschool at is well filthy. It shouldn't be filthy but everyone seems to have a different idea on who is responsible for the cleaning. So I spent about an hour cleaning with my aide before I had to return to class. She spent another couple hours on it and barely made a dent in it.

I need to go have dinner! G'nite

Ignorance ....

Wellllllll what you don't know CAN hurt ya! I called another A.D. in a nearby county to learn what I could learn. He is helping me clear up a lot of my foggy areas. I was mired in fog. He will be a great resource and helped to me. I told him that I was operating on a big basket of ignorance. He definitely is helping support me in gaining some knowledge of my new roll. Thank goodness we do not have more teams that we do. I need a little more experience. I am grateful to those who are willing to help me. I also spoke with a friend in my "old" county who is going to come over and put on a volleyball camp for my girls. So that is pretty exciting. I think they will appreciate it. I seem to be getting a "sigh" of relief from folks that I am doing this job. I don't know what it was like before but it seems like I could mess up pretty badly and it still wouldn't come near the previous messes.

I started a class today which is basically to help you prep for next year in a constructive manner. I definitely need this. So I have hours to do this week and next week. Even with all of those hours I am sure I will spend much much more time on prepping. This class provides some much needed structure.  This weekend is a local town festival... I am expecting the bar to be open and the noise to be significant.  Feel free to mail me some ear plugs.

A national agency rents out our school for this week to  do some training of their new recruits. They camp out on our field in tents, their are trucks everywhere, the gym is full of tables,  etc. My classroom has a tent at the back in the "classroom library". So here I am taking a class to prep for next year and working around .... all of that. Also, our school copier is running on its last toe. I purposely did not say last leg...it is way past that. I am praying for a new copy machine A.S.A.P. How can you "prep" without a copier? My printer at school is also out of ink, but no orders go out until July 1st.  So I have a lot of handicaps for prepping but that always seems to be the case down here. You just learn to do the best you can with what you have.

I have a house to clean, dishes, and laundry to do. The scary part is I haven't stopped since school got out. I am looking forward to heading North soon for a break. 

Graduation

Our graduating class of 2 had a nice ceremony today. What is great is they had to put the whole ceremony together themselves. It was a good exercise in planning for them. They made their own pamphlets, slideshows, order of events, speeches, etc. They served a very nice turkey and ham dinner with jello salads, macaroni salad, rolls, green salad, and more. The speaker was a minister who formerly worked in this community. He did a very nice job. One of the students began with a prayer. A future administrator sat next to me and said "that is against the law". I thought "SO WHAT?" to myself. They ended the ceremony with a prayer as well. The whole thing was created by those two students. If that is what they wanted then "why not"?  Their graduating class had a valedictorian and salutatorian :)  Yep they did! Made me chuckle.I was there most of the day helping set up and then was there most of the afternoon early evening helping clean up. So it goes at a small school.

Winding down...or UP?

Well... we made it through the crazy insanity of the last day of school. Somehow! Today was our teacher work day. I slept in a bit and then went in to work. I was sitting in my classroom unsure of where to start. My brain couldn't check in. I poked my head in my colleague's door. She was having the same trouble so we decided to go clean some of the areas that needed purging.  We purged! We got rid of textbooks from the 60's through the 90's.  We found rat poop all over the place, and completely outdated materials. I don't think that place has been that thoroughly cleaned since they moved in the building.  We also took about 6 loads to the dump. Our volunteer librarian came to drop some things off and couldn't stop grinning. She didn't think she would ever be able to get through all of that. So it was really good. We didn't accomplish much in our classrooms but we did accomplish things for the whole schools benefit. So there ya go. Our classrooms... another day.

I talked with the old AD today and he handed me off fantastic things like a starting pistol, and our school locker room combination list (written on yellow legal paper). Luckily I also spoke to a few other folks and found out that the fall volleyball schedule is usually worked on NOW! Yikes.... soooo I have to make a few calls tomorrow and find out who knows something.  The kids also told me they wanted to play more volleyball scrimmages. So I will see what I can do for them.   

All of the cleaning we did today reminded me of how much cleaning there is to do throughout the whole school including the  Athletic rooms. Oh dear! Does anyone want to come help me??? Please????  sigh....
Preschool starts next week so I met with my aide this evening and thanks to my friend from up north we were able to compile a list of great ideas.Thanks Barb!! I then had to beg and plead for a key to the building where we will be holding preschool. Hopefully, we get it before our first day. Oh my! I start my first class of the summer on Monday. So I will be gathering some materials together to do that. I have no idea what to expect for that the lady organizing it has seemed Very Disorganized..... so hopefully it all comes together.

Saturday is our school graduation. We have two students graduating this year. I will be down at the school tomorrow and  Saturday helping them get set up for that.  So when you think things are winding down for summer.....not so much! 

Field Trip

We survived another field trip! Whew!  Of course on the day we decide to go swimming the weather turns colder. Luckily I made arrangements at both the indoor and outdoor pool. We played at the park and went to the indoor pool. Our bus driver is best described as elderly.  He did some creative driving today that had all of our stomachs in our throats and a little shaken. I keep begging parents to get their CDL for at least on field trips.  I came home to have some dinner. I need to finish stuff for our awards assembly tomorrow, our field day, and I don't even know what all.  It was a good day. I am pooped but don't have time to be pooped. So I'll get it done and collapse later.

Dust in the Wind

So I drove North and East for my first day of a class I will be taking all of next year. I left quite early this morning and got there quite early. It did give me a chance to stop at the office supply store though. I picked up another teacher who was dropping off something to get worked on. Then we went. It was a bit of a ho hum beginning. I think this is going to be a very challenging class for me. It is different that what I thought and I really don't know what to expect. I, yes me, volunteered myself to take a class called STEM. S.T.E.M. is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and MATH!  What was I thinking??? A little ignorance when you sign up for a class is BLISS. It will be interesting to find out how those disciplines can be taught all at once to say Kindergarteners. I am SOOO In for a few headaches. I am proud of myself for stretching myself. I am stretching myself like "Stretch Armstrong"! Wish me luck and say a few kind words about me when my brain explodes.

The drive home was a little eventful. We get a lot of windstorms this time of year. Windstorms bring dust. Dust and wind equals Dust-storms. It gets quite exciting on the road. Inside your car you can taste the dust in the air. It was blowing about 50 miles an hour. So then I start heading south and it rains just enough to turn the dust to mud on the windshield. So wind, dust, rain, wash. Wind, dust, rain, wash again. That's how it went. Then for a lovely but short while the rain came poring down. Then back to wind, dust, rain, wash. I pulled in the parking lot at school in my school provided vehicle and the dust was amazingly thick on the car.  So I made it back home. 

Yesterday when I left my house my key turned in my lock and turned, and turned, and turned. Last night when I came home it turned and turned and turned til.... it popped out. I had complained about the lock a long time ago but it wasn't taken care of. I really think someone had attempted at some point to break in and damaged the lock but wasn't successful getting inside. So, I had to make a call leave town and trust that it would be taken care of in a timely manner. Scary eh? I came home to a new lock and a new key in the door.

Tomorrow, we are leaving for a field trip. I have so much to do to get ready for our last day of school and our awards assembly. Somehow, someway... I will get it done. We should find out by the end of this week if our carpet in the classroom is being replaced. This weekend I will be finishing cleaning the classroom.. and preparing for summer preschool, and preparing for a different class that starts next week. Overwhelmed much? Yep YEP! I won't be bored this summer. Granny I am planning on being pleasantly bored for a couple days at the coast with you and a GOOD BOOK!  :) Something to look forward to!

Weekend and Bicycles

I forgot in my last post to share how our Bicycle Day went. All of my students but one had bicycles. Another student brought an extra from home so that everyone would have one. I made an obstacle course on our playground pavement. They loved it. I learned a lot from that and if I have it again I know how to improve it now. Then I let them go ride around our track. They wore themselves out. A community member brought their snow-cone machine and syrup. The kids loved that treat. What was very interesting is I had a 7 year old student who did not know how to ride  a bike at all. This student is athletic and constantly moves. I don't think balance was a skill that he's worked on. I was very surprised. Hopefully, he will have opportunities to learn. It was overall a very successful day. They had a great time.

I went to town this weekend for my current aides Bachelorette party. It really isn't my scene and isn't something I enjoy doing in any way shape or form. I went to be nice. Luckily most of the plans fell through. I was relieved it ended up being shopping and hanging out rather than partying partying and more partying. I really dislike the mall... ALOT. I think I was over mall shopping in the mid-90's. Uggh.  We also went to see the dueling pianos. They were good that night! I have been a couple of times and you never know how skilled the players will be. These were pretty good.

I was talking with my former aide about the weekend. I had come to the conclusion... I don't have to be nice and attend these things.  My former aide seemed really uncomfortable. I talked with her and realized from our conversation she has completely changed her lifestyle. She felt like attending was a retrograde step for herself. It represented a self she never wanted to be again. I have very strong boundaries and refuse to go do something I am uncomfortable with or feel doesn't match my moral compass. So I didn't feel uncomfortable because of where I am at as an adult. So we chatted about the idea of a bachelorette party. It seems a very unhealthy concept. If you are looking forward to your marriage why is that party something you feel you need? Is there security in your relationship?  My former aide said that at the most she would like to have her girl friends over for dinner, chatting, and movies.  I will not be attending a bachelorette party again. It was dumb, unhealthy, and pointless. I think my current aide was disappointed we weren't into it more. I think she has some maturing to do.

I am trying to get ready to head to a bigger town for some training tomorrow. I've been trying to check my e-mail to get the place written down I need to go. Of COURSE, for some reason the school e-mail isn't working. Print when you receive information you need!! UGGH! I am being loaned the school vehicle to drive there. YAY! I don't have to pay for gas. YAY!  I have a lot of last minute stuff to do before heading that way tomorrow so I'd better sign off.

Honesty

The strange and horrible thing about a dishonest person. Is that they can make you feel like you are as dishonest as them, even when you aren't. I weary of dishonesty. I just wish people could do things the right way and nothing would be tainted. It is something I want to be more conscious of. I want to always be sure to go out of my way to do things the honest way.

We had a long arduous staff meeting today. All of our staff meetings make me feel as though nothing I do is valued or makes a difference. I literally have to fight to get my students services that should be given. The excuse I was given today was we have at least a hundred kids at our big school with the same issue. Why is that an acceptable reason to NOT provide services. The other teachers are just as frustrated as you. Okay then why aren't we helping these kids. The answer was dodged artfully and carefully. I am sure it comes down to money. This is part of the reason why public school fails. You say this is an issue again, and again, and again. You are saying the system is broken again, and again, and again. The only response you get is yes it is an issue but you have to follow this system. Even if the system is either broken or doesn't work in certain circumstances. If virtually all of your teachers are saying this doesn't work.. why don't you listen? It isn't one or two who refuse to use it or have bad attitudes. The majority are saying it doesn't work. UGGH  As teachers we get the blame if our students don't learn. Period. However, sometimes we are fighting soooooooo unbelievable hard a system we know is broken to get our students what they need to be successful. That is the frustration. We KNOW we should be doing more. We WANT to do more. We just are  flying a kite in a hurricane. The hurricane is going to win. The kite might be seen but the hurricane will be seen and HEARD.

I have a tendency to take on too much responsibilities. However, I think we all need to at a small school. The staff simply isn't large enough to spread out the responsibilities. Lately though I've looked around and wondered am I the only one still working? The fact is I have been. I've walked out of my classroom at 3:45 and it is silent. Not a single person in the building. Apparently we don't worry about contract hours here. I think to myself how can they have everything done? Am I less organized than them? Nope I'm not but what I do is actually grade papers not just the "important ones". I  don't see how education is ever going to not involve grading. Some of my colleagues seem to think the switch to C.C.S.S. will involve less grading. When I read them and then listen to my Principal... I wonder if we are reading the same sets of standards. I think we all can easily get stuck on one aspect of a new concept instead of looking at the picture as a whole.

Speaking of taking on more responsibility. I was made Athletic Director. I had been asked by our superintendent to do it. I told my principal. My principal didn't share it with the staff. I didn't feel like it was my place to do so. I got a lot of attitude about this. It was being manipulated to go to a certain person. I had a feeling it was being manipulated but I didn't know which person. I was proud of myself when it was brought up I stayed silent. My principal said actually the "super" already promised it to her. The principal then said " he overstepped his bounds by doing so" "that is the principals job". That didn't make me feel very good.  The principal wasn't doing the job but allowing others to do it. I was asked, I shared that with my boss, and left it alone. I was letting the chips fall and wasn't going to argue it. It made me feel like I was doing something sneaky. I didn't bring it up to the "super" it was asked of me. It is this kind of stuff that stresses me out. So I will be doing that job next year. It will involve scheduling, hiring coaching staff, organizing athletic events, etc. I will have some learning to do  but I am up for the challenge.

Everything I've been through this last year I hope I have learned from. The things I need to work on like keeping my mouth shut :). I was thinking how important it is to have people around you that you respect and value their opinion. The respect is a key component. The more I see with some things the less respect I have. If we all did our jobs to the best of our ability every single day....we'd make great strides. I am glad that I have so many people I can call on to get ideas from. They have the experience and expertise to back up their suggestions. I think I've been yelling out "HELP" and have been instead greeted with criticism, excuses, and avoidance. The people who are doing it and doing it well. I really appreciate their help. Sometimes I feel like my little town is a little island and I can't seem to build a boat and paddle fast enough!

I wish I could stop going to these meetings... see how discouraged I get after one? I need some positivity around me. I have to go into town tomorrow for some car maintenance and a wee bit of shopping. I'm headed to the big city for one night this weekend. Then I have to be in a training on Monday. Tuesday we are going on a field trip, and Wednesday is the last day of school. Thursday is a work day. The following week I am in a class and preschool begins. Here we go summer! Here we go!  

Miss C.... Miss C....Miss C

I heard my own name so many times today I wanted to change names. My aide started giggling because it was happening so often.  Only 2 days left in this week. I can do it! Yes I can!! I spent the last to days of my long weekend out at the ranch of one of my students. It was so peaceful and quiet. The landlords opened the Saloon for their family and they kept me up till 2:30 a.m. Then the old folks and youngest folks came early the next morning to make breakfast for everyone. I pulled pillows over my head, turned on my fan, and wanted to cry. Perpetual noise is very wearing to a person. I was so glad when they invited me out. The loudest noise was the kids playing outside and the wind blowing through. ahhhhh

I have been working on supplemental work for students to take home over the summer. I don't expect all of the parents will do it. The ones who do will make my job easier in the fall. It isn't much but doing a little practice now and then makes all the difference. I did finally open my new box of curriculum. I didn't have time to dive into it but I drooled a little over the books. 

I had my proposal approved that I sent to the Superintendent. So that means I will be teaching preschool this summer. (What was I thinking?) I won't be doing it every week my aide and I are going through our summer schedules together. We will trade on and off depending on what we each have going and when.  I also found a location to have it. The school has so much going on this summer for maintenance it can't happen there. So we were brainstorming ideas...and finally thought of the  most obvious choice. The youth center! It just happens to be about 2 doors down from me on the same block. Nice and convenient. It is in town so everyone can get there easily, it  has a bathroom, running water, and plenty of SPACE! Yay!
I am thrilled. I talked to the president of the youth center board and she unofficially approved it but was going to talk with the other board members.  I know I am a nut for taking this on but the community really, really, needs it. If I don't make it happen...it won't happen. So as if I didn't have enough going this summer I add to it.

A warning light came on, on my car. Soooo I reset the computer according to my brothers instructions. It sounds very impressive but was super easy. (once I figured out how to put an attachment on my ratcheting wrench).  Anyhow, then It came back on so I was figuring out where to take it. Then I found out my from my favorite trooper that he has a chip reader. So he's going to check out what codes are being triggered. Then hopefully I will know what the problem is before taking it to get fixed. Hopefully it is a cheap fix.

I almost dozed off there so I'm signing out....

Memorial Day

I was thinking about all of the men who served in the Military in my own family and close friends. There were sacrifices they made that I do not know of and probably can't comprehend.

I expect snow on Memorial Day weekend at this point.  I wasn't expecting 8-9 inches of snow with it still falling. On one half of main street the power is out which includes the only decent cafe and our 2 gas stations. So it has been a little entertaining watching travelers come through dazed and confused. The motorcyclists are freezing their patooties off. I made some hot cocoa to take to my favorite ladies at the closed cafe. They had just left but I found them. So for their 30-45 minute drive home they can have a hot drink. I have a little bit of an entrepreneurial spirit. I was thinking I could have made a lot of money selling hot cocoa at the closed gas station. I would've needed a helper to heat water, and bring it down. Oh well maybe on the next snow storm in May.

My landlords came out for the weekend and opened up the saloon for their family and friends. So I was woken up to ABBA this morning. No one should EVER have to wake up to ABBA. Well maybe inmates. ABBA morning,noon, and night for them. Yep, great punishment.   So I am not exactly having a quiet weekend. I may have to run down to school for that.  I don't know if the power is on at the school though.  So, the weather has definitely dictated me doing laundry, dishes, and getting ready for the end of year.

"I'll never understand teachers"

So I stopped at the post office to pick up some much anticipated packages like "Hank the Cowdog's Greatest Hits", a couple of cookbooks, NRA stickers, and curriculum! The curriculum box was quite heavy with books! I was pretty excited and said "Yay, new curriculum." The postmaster said "I'll never understand teachers" and shook his head with a dash of perplexity and  much disgust.  I smiled and went on my way. I started listening to "Hank the Cowdog's Greatest Hits Volume I & II" and realized  this joy was best shared with my students and an aspirin. I've shared "Horse Tunes For Kids" with my students and I really love that one. I don't think ol' Hank's tunes are quite as melodious. The kid's will LOVE IT! uggh!   Our new "Traveling Bus" comes with a CD player... so we may be listening to some tunes on the road. We will test it on our next trip. I have no idea if it actually works.

So my new box of curriculum. I ordered it based on my cousins recommendation. It is a Social Studies Curriculum from Sonlight. I am very excited to open the box. I promised myself as soon as I cleaned house and did laundry that would be my reward. I am soooo lucky to work in a place that I have some freedom to choose curriculum. It makes me feel like I am giving my students some quality options. I also received this last week the spelling curriculum I will begin to use next year. I am going to learn many new things from this curriculum so that is wonderful as well.  I have a lot of reading to do this summer to prepare myself for teaching it. I feel better about this coming school year because I DO have time to prepare. YAY!

What else do I know?? Well my engine had a warning light come on. All my manual says is to go to your dealer. So now it is a Holiday weekend... I have to figure out how serious this is and if I can drive 111 miles to the nearest place that can work on it. The joys of living in the boonies.

Baseball

Well we went to the Big City to watch the Baseball game. It was a long ride there. We have a new travel bus! The seats are much more comfortable in this one! There are even overhead racks. It came with a bathroom but the School District tore it out! Maybe they didn't want to deal with emptying the tank. I don't know but what a bummer! The seats are higher than the old bus so the little guys were constantly wanting to stand in their seats to see what was going on. The Baseball game was billed "Education Day" with baseball related instructional activities. The activity was a worksheet. A WORKSHEET! Seriously?  I didn't have my kids do the multi-page worksheet. They were just excited to be at the park. So we checked it out and found our seats. A couple of the players came to chat with the schools visiting and even that was lack-luster. They were definitely told you will do this! So that wasn't very interesting! Then the game finally started and sno-cones and cotton candy started rolling around. Yeah....not happening Kiddos! They whined, begged, pleaded, negotiated....and their  mean teacher never stopped saying "NO".

My students don't really know even the basic rules of baseball. So I pointed things out and asked them questions. That lasted for awhile and they were very bored. Luckily the park had a "Bouncy House" and a playground. We visited that twice and then it was time to go. My colleague bought her daughters cotton candy in front of all the other kids after I had told my class nope! Of course the other kids were very upset. All I could say was "Wow, that really isn't fair is it?" I was pretty ticked off. I am so lucky with my students. They really accept the boundaries I lay down. I thought that was very rude.  The day was a hot one so I constantly applied sunscreen and made sure they drank often.

When we arrived home I was hot, stinky, sweaty, dirty, and tired. My shower felt fabulous! When possible I will be avoiding field trips with my colleague. It is just a headache I really do not need!  The kids were very tired the next day and so was I! It is a very good thing that we have a four day weekend. I can catch up on everything from laundry to school stuff.

My proposal was submitted to the Superintendent so hopefully I will find out something very soon. I will keep you posted. A large local business donated some funds to help purchase curriculum. The lady who works in the donations department asked me to let her know the next time we had an event at school. I asked her to come to our final awards assembly. She said she would come so I am really looking forward to meeting her. Our principal will not be joining us that day. Hopefully, the other teachers make some kind of effort. We hired a new math teacher who will be joining us at our last PLC. I am really relieved he can attend. I was worried we would be making scheduling decisions on his behalf, and I really didn't think that was right. I am trying not to be stressed about the last meeting but it will be interesting. My colleague wants to change the whole plan so she doesn't have as many students to teach.  Which would add more to my schedule and the high school schedule.  All of us have a lot and find it difficult at times. She isn't unique or alone in that regard. I don't know....what it will look like...or what will happen. I want to say "quit whining and do your job". We'll see.

I have made a few of my own decisions about next year. I decided to do math first thing in the morning and then after our a.m. recess doing reading. I am also changing the time of our recess. I didn't really ever like the time but I changed it to be flexible for others. The problem is it isn't working for me or my students. So that is going out the window! Afternoons will be writing, social studies, and science.

We also worked on planning our "Field Day" on the last day of school. Hopefully the weather co-operates and is nice. You never know. The teacher who is on his way out promised to pick up some things for field day. We are nervously trusting he will follow through and show up. Well at least follow through with what he is bringing even if he decides not to show up!  Anyhow, I'd better go

Solar Eclipse

It was a success we sold out on our glasses. Some people came with their welding helmets or even welding glass. That would've been handy! One gentleman had his camera rigged up to take photos safely. We had the fire pit going and  s'mores were cooked. I was happy to see how many people in the community showed up. One of our school board members drove down for it. That was very nice. It is quite a ways to come to show your support. What was pathetic... I was the only teacher who came for it. Not good! Everyone seemed to have a very good time! It was a nice way to spend a Sunday Evening. It was very cool to see the ring of fire around the sun. It is always good to have a WOW from mother nature. I was pestered all day long for glasses. We decided not to do any pre-sales. I was pretty sure we would sell out and not have enough. We did!  I did sale a couple to the folks at the gas station who  were working and could not make it!

 There is a local couple new to the area. So far they haven't made a lot of friends because of their very aggressive dogs. They always get them out let them loose at every event. I asked them to please keep the dogs away from the s'mores table. They didn't and the dogs were stealing s'mores out of the kids hands. They also let them into the lobby of the post office when they check their mail. I've had them growling at me when I am trying to check my box. This isn't okay!  They leave them on the sidewalk in front of the gas station. (Because they were told NO DOGS IN THE GAS STATION). So you have to get by them without letting them in the door. I don't see the locals letting this go on for too much longer.  The locals are dog crazy but they know the boundaries for what is acceptable.  Chocolate is really bad for dogs so I'm not sure why that wasn't a concern as they were gulping down 3 year old children's s'mores. Uggh.

I am pretty sure with my day out in the sun yesterday I didn't drink enough water. I fought a headache all day today. I have been guzzling water and must remember to do better! Well I am going to throw a roast in the crock-pot. G'nite

Sunny Day

It was a nice sunny day at the barrel race! It was really fun to watch my student. She was very confident and did very well. It was a bit shocking for me how many people put their inexperienced kids in the race. You could really tell the race was their practice ground. They will definitely need to find some other practice grounds before competition. Yikes. My student made it look easy. It was fun.

I then went into the small grocery store in this small town. I couldn't believe how much they packed into that space. They are definitely serving a need for that community. Making sure that it is all there! It was a little claustrophobic but I found everything I needed.

I got to spend the rest of my day/evening with some friends. It is always very relaxed at their house. We had a lot of laughs and a great time together.

A glider crashed in the mountains this weekend and the pilot was killed on impact.

Today is our Solar eclipse viewing event. Everyone in town is bugging my co-planner and I for the glasses. So I've been hiding out.  I am not carrying them around with me sorry people! I guess we will have no problem selling them all. Sheesh. So I was gone all day yesterday and today I'll be hiding out and avoiding the locals. That is good though because I seriously need to catch up on laundry. Another busy week ahead.

Post...

The FB post of one of our students:

I have often wondered why it is that Conservatives are called the "right" & Liberals are called the "left." The Lord clarifies this in Ecclesiastes 10:2: The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left.
It can't get any simpler than that! And have you ever noticed...
The last four letters of American is I CAN!
The last four letters of Republican is I CAN!
And, the last four letters of Democrats is RATS!

Don't Shoot!

Well... when you live over a saloon, and your neighbors are saloons, and the weather is nice enough to hang out on the street and drink....things get exciting. A little too exciting! I started hearing the yelling, and it continued for awhile. Threats were issued and discussion of killing and guns were brought up. Yippee. It didn't appear to be chilling out...so I dialed the emergency number. The problem with this is the authorities that came I know very well. I had to get my buddies away from their pillows to go arrest someone for threatening someone else with a loaded weapon.  :) I apologized for that! One of their significant others suggested I let the shooter shoot before I dialed next time! With my luck I'd have a dead car!   Anyhow, hopefully the arrest will keep things quiet for awhile.

Another entertaining fact is we have a local running for the local Justice of the Peace position. The problem with this individual is that he keeps getting arrested. Then he had to go and taunt the Sheriff's office by driving by at the beginning of their shift change  with a revoked license! Isn't that fun stuff.

I keep having flashbacks to the meeting I went to at our local library. The request for Encyclopedia Britannica's still has me giggling. One individual suggested we have readings of "Shakespeare". Hmmmm, well  I get some Shakespeare out on the street in front of my apartment. I really don't have to  go listen to it being read.

Another less than exciting thing happened. My students were very naughty at recess with one of our aides today. They had to come in and put their heads on the desk. Then I made them write the aide an apology note. One student was still feeling a little hot under the collar over perceived injustices. The instructions I gave were to write the aide an apology letter for what you did wrong. They were told they couldn't write about what anyone else had done, only about themselves. Then they were to write what they could do better next time. This is a direct quote from a first draft of a letter that I rejected " I am sorry that you gave me attitude"! Yep... they missed the point.  When they asked me how to spell attitude I mistakenly believed they were apologizing for their own attitude. One of the notes said "I'm sorry I mist behaved." Yep we need to work on spelling.

A new math teacher was hired! WOOT WOOT! I am sooo happy! I think it will be a good fit. I am just happy to have another person with some grasp of reality. YAY!

My aide and I grabbed 4 garbage bags and went to do some cleaning. I told her we would work for 15 minutes then stop. Well we'd filled the bags before our time was up. I found some reading books from the early 60's. I got a kick out of looking at them. I think they probably need to be at our local museum :)!  That's all  I know for now...

Update: The local authorities personally thanked me for the lack of sleep, 7 hours of overtime, and 15 hours of paperwork.  Not sure if they were whining or complaining... :)

42 Years

In human years 42 doesn't sound like too long. In textbook years 42 is ridiculous! I went on a cleaning spree in the school again. I found a set of Journalism textbooks published in 1970! Seriously! I don't know... Has Journalism changed much since then?? Hmmmmm nawwww probably not. I was irritated. The aide said "can't we sell them?". I said "These are so old 3rd world countries won't even accept them."  Anyhow, it is annoying and unbelievable what they have kept but we are making some progress. I found some GREGG Keyboarding books from 1987. Nice eh? Do you remember learning to type via a textbook. Sounds insane  doesn't it?

We have a gum issue at school. The problem with gum is... you give it to kids and it ends up everywhere. On the floor, under chairs, next to the trash can, in their hair, under tables, etc etc. The problem with the gum is the bus driver who gives them the gum. It is "his" thing he does for the kids. He won't give them a piece of candy. Nope has to be gum. Any other suggestions are impossible. "His kids wouldn't put gum anywhere but the trash can". Riiiiighhhtttt!

I was asked to write up a proposal to send to our Superintendent. I've never written something like this and I am not sure what to include. I need to get it done A.S.A.P. as usual. The deadlines I have do me in. I always seem to be 5 steps behind. I looked around today and there were only 2 teachers without subs today. It is usually down to the two of us. Plugging away at it trying to do our best. Feeling like we're paddling alone! I could feel my shoulders creeping up to my ears today. So I took a couple of steps back and let it go!

I am going to watch one of my students Barrel Race this weekend. It should be entertaining. She has been teaching another student how to Barrel Race on the playground. This other student loves horses! I can barely get her to read a book if it doesn't have a horse on the cover. It is tough to watch sometimes because of their beliefs she is being trained for home and hearth. I hope it doesn't crush her spirit. She just breathes horses. Anyhow I will let you know  how the Barrel Race goes. It should be pretty entertaining.

Next week is our field trip to the  Big City for a Baseball Game. That will be a hectic week. The students are already driving their teacher nutso asking field trip questions.  Well, I'd better boogie my pillow is calling me.

Happy Mother's Day!

It has been a somewhat eventful weekend. I hung up flyers throughout town about our Eclipse viewing party. I have been getting a positive response about it so that is a good thing. I have discovered that most of the locals will come if you plan something, but refuse to plan something for themselves. That way they can reserve the right to whine if it doesn't go the way they think it should I suppose.

Then I went to see Sourdough Slim and his friend Mr. Armstrong. I am not sure what was more entertaining his silly jokes or the enjoyment the 70+ year olds got out of his goofiness. If you enjoy the accordion, the saw, the ukelele, the guitar, the steel guitar, the banjo, the mouth harp, and the accordion well go see him. He is going to my Granny's home town soon. He would introduce a song as being out in 1926 and I am thinking a bit before my time. I do know songs from that era...but there  were many I'd never heard. The few I had heard were performed by request.. Yellow Rose of Texas, Don't Fence Me In, Ghost Rider in the Sky, and Happy Trails.  So there ya go..I'd never heard "Barnacle Bill the Sailor". Apparently my musical education has been lacking. It was worth the 7$ I paid to see him. Luckily I rode with some other people so I didn't have gas money on top of it. Yep... I went, I saw, I heard... and didn't buy a cd. I have been trying to upload video of this magnificent show...but It has only let me put one up so far. Probably has something to do with the painfully slow internet.

I drove into town yesterday for some shopping and prom avoidance. I hadn't been grocery shopping since spring break so I was due. I wanted to put it off for another week but now I am glad I did not. Once I started making a list I realized how much I needed to go shopping. I can probably make it now until I have to go to town in June for a class. Prom was this weekend. I decided to NOT be involved. It has been busy enough lately. It was also a community prom which can sometimes get a little out of hand from my understanding. It was very warm in town and felt like summer was here. I am sure we will have at least one or two more snows.

If you don't know what a "Mormon Cricket" is check them out. Apparently every 5 years or so they get really bad. They are actually a katy-did not a cricket. They are also carnivores and eat roadkill and each other. Apparently they march like the ants in the jungle. When they get really bad the roadways become as slick as ice with dead ones. They have to sand the roads. All I can say is .... NOOOOOOOOO THANKKKK YOUUUUUU!!!

Sourdough Slim and Mr. Armstrong

Soup

My brain feels like some mushy soup tonight. It was a busy week. I had the meeting, and the meeting, and the school board meeting. It was a long day. It was interesting...and painfully boring. That's the way it is. I can't imagine ever volunteering to be on the school board. What a time consuming job on top of a job.The first meeting gave me a painful taste of how local meetings go. They all had the same comments and requests. They just all needed the opportunity to voice them at least twice. The school board meeting was loooonnng. I wish I could remember something memorable about it. We did our presentation. We lived through it.

 Anyhow, one of my student's parents brought in a flyer about an Education Day at our state baseball team headquarters. I checked it out and thought hey why not?? Learn about some math through baseball! SURE!!! So in one day I planned a field trip, contacted the right people, sent flyers home, found out if other classes wanted to attend, and taught school. Brain hurting sure! Yep! ya! You Betcha! Planning a field trip is a little different for us because: 1. Nothing is nearby, 2. Parents have a long way to drive their kids to school, 3. They need a lot of snacks, supplies, and materials, 4. You have to include bathroom stops, and dinner stops. 5. The students have to pack a bag for a field trip, 6. The students need guidelines for what they can bring, ... I am sure there is more but I can't think of it right now. Oh yes... The teacher has to pack a cooler, a first aide kit, trash bags, baby wipes, snacks for all, a change of clothes ( yep I learned my lesson), lunch, and more.

Mosquito season has come. I haven't noticed them too much but my students have been discovered by them! I am the anti-itch dispenser. I think my secretary thinks they should tough it out. The problem with that is they can't focus because all they are doing is scratching. A few of my students are very allergic to mosquito bites so they swell up like tomatoes. Tomorrow I am heading to see old "Sourdough Slim". I also had an invite to drive 3 1/2 hours for a movie. I am debating doing it just because it might be a nice change of scenery with some fun, positive, people! We'll see... the only reasons I'm thinking no is because of the drive, and I'm tired. A good night of sleep may change my opinion!

Meetings

One never knows what a week or day will bring, but meetings are pretty much a guarantee. I started making "Special K" bars for our school board meeting tomorrow evening. I can hardly make them without shedding a tear or two. They make me think of that amazing lady who taught me how to make them and many other delicious recipes. The only thing I never learned to get right was her fried chicken. Not sure how she did it but it was awesome. Anyhow, the super asked me to attend the Maintenance/Finance Meeting before the school board meeting. So I will go to that and I am hopeful we will get some much needed maintenance issues resolved. Following that we will have the School Board meeting.

 We met as a staff and discussed what we wanted to present. Luckily our English teacher volunteered to be our speech delivery person. He uses some lovely big words in the right context and makes everything sound sparkly, glittery, and brand new! :) Thank goodness he is talking. I can talk in front of my students all day long but I still get nervous in front of adults. Our local school board member asked me if I could possibly attend a morning meeting put on by our Regional Library Board regarding funding a preschool. There is a HUGE need for a preschool here. If they came in with some letter and number awareness it would be very beneficial. Most of the local parents do not work with their students. So, that will be an interesting experience. I have no idea what to expect. Not knowing what to expect is the norm.

On Monday a choir from about 2 1/2 hours away came and performed for our school. It was a lot of fun. They sang a medley of 50's hits, a medley of popular country tunes, and other songs. I knew most of them very well. One of the girls in the choir pulled one of my students "the class ham" out and sang to him. My whole class found this hysterically funny and they were laughing so hard they were crying. Their reaction was sooo much funnier than his reaction. That was a treat for our student body. When on break I bought my students a couple of Cd's to play in the classroom. These have become HITS! I am going to share soon with some of my little cousins. They will love it their parents will probably donate my class a drum set. :) HEE HEE! I told my teacher aide some of my musical plans for next year. I let her know she would be hearing songs so often she will want to use the cd as target practice. I also told her sleep would be interrupted by the music playing through her head. It is something to look forward to!

 Back to the "Special K" Bars... I started thinking...what school board arrives to homemade rolls, pulled roast beef, salad, lemonade, coffee, and a homemade desert medley. Seriously it almost makes it worthwhile to attend a school board meeting...Right?? They are making a drive for it. My principal will not be attending as she has a training elsewhere. I will get to see another friend from the district that I do not get to see very often. So even though it involves a boring meeting at least I get to see a friend.

Jealous of Sourdough!

I am trying to remember everything that happened this week. I can't. I feel like my head is still spinning. I was pretty ticked off at seeing something this week that just should not happen. I let everybody know I wasn't happy about it. I just want people to do their jobs!!!!! GRRRR. Anyhow we also had testing this week so this makes for some tired kids by the end of the week. Of course that never goes as smoothly as planned because the tests for Kindergarten weren't on the server, new students hadn't been added, and other delights. I have to take care of those types of things because they loaded the test administrator application on my computer. They did that because in the fall I was the only one who stayed at school to resolve some issues with testing then. So we got many of those kinks worked out.

 On Monday we had a famous former NASCAR Driver, a NFL Hall-of-famer, and a Host of American Top Gear drive through town. My students didn't know who they were or why it was exciting but it was! They got autographs, the NFL player gave them all hats, there was a pace car, a coca-cola motorcycle, and about 70 motorcycles in all. Pretty exciting.

I don't know how long it will take my students scores to get uploaded...but not too long. They must have decided to immediately get on board with some much needed maintenance on our school starting with the parking lot. They came and killed the weeds and swept and blew off the whole lot. Tonight we are having a wind storm so that may not help. Tomorrow they are supposed to tar the cracks and seal the lot. I don't know if this means a fresh layer of pavement but I am hoping.

 I did some much needed purging at the school today. I sought permission from the boss first. Then I went to town. The stuff they saved, is ridiculous. It was a great day to do it because my secretary the hoarder was chaperoning another class on a field trip. We got rid of about 4 large bags of trash. WHOOO HOOO. Now hopefully our trash guy doesn't break or pull anything on trash day. What was really scary after purging all of that is....the room didn't look like we'd thrown out anything at all. Really and Truly! You know there is a LOT of stuff when it doesn't look like anything was removed. My students were pretty tired today after a busy week of testing etc.

We had a session of P.E. up on our grassy field. We finished this afternoon quietly with a movie about the journey a sea turtle takes. They loved it! I called my Father this evening to share the wonderful news that next weekend I would be going to see Sourdough Slim. I knew nothing about him other than he wore a tall hat and played an accordion. Well Father immediately looked him up on the internet and played a couple of clips over the phone. I could tell my Father's envy was barely contained. I don't know what you'll be doing next Friday but I doubt it will involve an accordion, a banjo, and yodeling. It's okay I know you're envious... try to contain it.

Spaghetti Night

I love Spaghetti... not sure why I don't make it more often. It is even better in the next couple of days. Yummy. In our monthly lunch menu it drives me batty that Spaghetti is misspelled every time. Speghetti. Yep Speghetti. If my students remember it is Spaghetti day at school they try not to miss it. Then we have to practice saying Spaghetti, because you get the "basghetti, Pasghetti, skagetti, and other variations.

 I managed to get a lot accomplished this weekend which was a good feeling. I worked on some of the areas in my classroom I didn't get to before school started. Three more garbage bags out the door. Woot Woot. I kind of skimmed the surface because some things I wasn't sure about. So maybe when I have a better grasp of what I need/don't need more will go out the door. Some of it is soooo dated but until I have something of quality to replace it I will keep it. I also got a few of those time-consuming tasks done. Those tasks that require a quiet room and a little time to finish them. I also did some more laundry and cleaned house.

 In about 9 days I have the school board presentation. I am NOT looking forward to this. When that is done I will feel sooooo much better. Before that meeting we are having a maintenance meeting to look at some of those things that need to be worked on. They are probably going to repave our entire parking lot. It needs it pretty badly. Part of this is where the kids play on the playground. It would be fun to see their sidewalk chalk art on new black top. If they do that I will paint hopscotch courts for them. Another thing they are talking about doing is replacing all the carpeted classrooms with vinyl flooring. I would LOVE to say goodbye to my stinky, ripped, taped, smelling, stained, messy, putrid, old, carpet. What I am NOT excited about is emptying my whole classroom so they can accomplish this. This will definitely inspire me getting rid of more old stuff from my classroom. I would love to go through the whole school and get rid of the textbooks from 1975. I am so not kidding about that date. I think my school secretary is a hoarder. I have a tendency to save to much but I eventually hit my wall and get rid of a lot. Hopefully when we have to clear out rooms to replace them w/ flooring it will inspire getting rid of stuff! UGGH I have to ignore it most of the time even though it drives me crazy! Well... I'd better get myself to sleep

Visitors

Well... when you hop in the shower and turn the fan on you never know who will come knocking! And the worse part is you won't even hear them knocking! I was sooo bummed out. I missed seeing some friends from home! I thought they were joking when they told me they stopped by. Today was another crazy busy day. The superintendent stopped by and we discussed some of the needs/issues at our school. He has been down to visit our school many times and since he is new to the area I think he is getting more and more aware of what the whole district is dealing with. He's very personable to talk with so that is nice! The more I learn about certain things the more frustrated I get. People are not doing things in the correct way or the honest way. I think because we are isolated there is sometimes a lack of oversight. Which is a blessing and a curse. I just have to keep my focus on doing right and help others who are also trying to do the same. It sounds like I may be losing my carpeted classroom and be switching to vinyl floors! That would be WONDERFUL!! The carpet is so old, torn, taped, and stinky. When my class has been closed for the weekend I walk in and it smells like used kitty litter. Nice eh? Some positive change I am seeing is that more people from the community are willing to get involved with different activities. I am glad to see this because it takes a lot of pressure off of me. I feel like I've been the instigator most of the time on getting things going. Having the community get things going is much much better! We have a school board presentation coming up with all teachers doing about a 2 minute talk. UGGH.. the Principal keeps saying talk about this or that... and so far I'm like hmmmm not impressed w/ you suggestions. Anyhow, there is a solar eclipse occurring on May 20th, 2012. Our area of the state is in the right alignment to have a great view of this. A local person asked me to help host an eclipse viewing event. So I am helping with that. To view it safely you need the protective glasses... so we are ordering them. We are also having the event on a nearby mountainside over looking a valley and facing west. Afterwards we are cooking up S'mores... so that on Monday I will have students crashing from sugar!! YAY!! ahem. I have forgotten to tell you about the Dangers of Tobacco. We had students from the larger town in our district come teach our students about the dangers of Tobacco use. One of my first graders became more and more upset by the presentation. She clinged to me more and more. I finally asked her if anyone she new smoked, or chewed. Nope she didn't but her soft little heart was sad for all the people who died from cancer etc. caused by tobacco use. They also had 2 pairs of pig lungs. One pair healthy and pink and breathing correctly (on a machine), another pair that was damaged to recreate the idea of what a smoker's lungs would look like. This was very very upsetting to her. I reminded her of "Little Britches" by Ralph Moody. I said what was the purpose of the life of a pig? "To be food for us", I said "well the rest of this pig was made into food for us" "but the lungs were saved to teach us about why not to use tobacco" "so these pigs purpose was to teach us, which is pretty neat if you think about it". She agreed that these pigs got to do a little more for us than feed us but she still thought it was scary and gross. Well there you go! Anyhow I talked with her parents later and they said she was very upset for the rest of the night. I don't think they have to worry about her smoking. Well in a previous blog I told you about teaching my students to "toot". Well this has become a really fun stretching activity. Thank you mom for bringing me that bottle of "Febreeze" we needed it. On spring break I bought a Cd for my students called "Horse Tunes For Kids"... they are loving it but I had one of the songs rolling through my brain as I was trying to fall asleep last night. I finally turned it off and the wind picked up and was gusting against the side of my apartment. It finally slowed down and I feel back asleep. Welll that's all for now

Pippi

I've been trying to play an audio book for my students but for some reason I can't get the audio settings correct. Now that we are running the Fan's and AC it is really hard for the students to hear. So I had to stop it for now. I had to go to the shelf and pick something quickly. Sometimes this works out better than when you have a lot of time to pick out a book. The first one I grabbed was Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren. This was one of my favorite characters as a child. I even "helped" wash a kitchen floor a few times "Pippi" style. I started reading it and felt the same thrill as when I first read it. My students got into the story very quickly. It is really fun when you reel them in with a good story. We have a school board presentation on the 9th of next month. I am in charge of decorating the foyer and creating a 2-3 minute presentation for the board. I am a little stressed about what I have to accomplish in a short time. Anyhow, my students and I have finished our Important Book, inspired by a book called "The Important Book" by Margaret Wise Brown. I really want to have it done and together to share with the school board. I think they would enjoy it. My internet went from completely dead to barely functioning. We'll keep making phone calls until we get so annoying they want to come fix it. Of course people sent me some lovely videos and interesting texts that I can't open. I also got a card in the mail from an "old" friend today just to say hi. That was a nice finish to the day. I have been teasing a couple of my students all year long about being adopted by their family. Purely based on their homemade school lunches. Fresh homemade bread, spaghetti, brownies, and more. Today they came in and said "Miss C, Miss C, Mom said she'd adopt you!" It was so cute. So I am invited out to their place this weekend learn how to make bread. I have gotten a couple of recipes from their Mom she is an amazing cook. She even makes her kids homemade "fruit leather" from fresh fruit. Yummy! So I'm adopted... I'll let you know how that goes :)

Internet, Lightening, Visits, etc

Getting on the internet has become almost an unbreakable habit. For me it is a way to have a little social contact when I live so isolated. I reach for my computer and then realize for about the 15th time that I can get on the computer but not the internet. So of course I have to stop at the gas station to get the “local news.” The internet isn’t just down for me but most the town. Unless they have satellite internet, which costs way more money than I am willing to spend. It is also just as unreliable. I don’t know what will bring us into the modern age, but it doesn’t look like it is going to happen anytime soon. I had a somewhat productive weekend. I spent most of my Friday catching up on laundry. I didn’t completely conquer it but I was definitely winning the war. Saturday I got a series of texts inviting me out to the ranch of one of my students. I say a series of texts because well… when the internet is down…the cell phones are also unreliable. So we send, resend, get it a day later, or never get a text. Anyhow we are used to this situation, so I accepted the invite a few times then gave up and called. I ended up spending Saturday afternoon and evening out at this ranch. It is in a beautiful location surrounded by mountains . They were practicing their roping skills. They had a “playpen” for the little kids which was more like a small fenced corral. It definitely worked for keeping them safe from cows and horses. It did make me laugh though. They had the typical old rock buildings and many newer ones. They’d built a lot of fence and corral out of old pipes they had to remove and replace. On the way back home after dark… millions of jackrabbits played chicken with my car. Okay maybe not millions but so many you can’t believe it. It is like they see the headlights of the car and that is their cue to CROSS THE ROAD! I think I only took one out. Which is seriously amazing. Driving back over the summit lightening was striking way off in the distance. A flash of yellow briefly highlighting the clouds above at the peaks of the mountains. It seems tonight we are having more lightening. I’ve seen sprinkles off in the distance and once in a while a flash of light. It seems it is spring. There are finally daffodils blooming, buds on the trees, songbirds, butterflies, flies, moths, barflies, motorcycles, and an abundance of tourists. Yep spring has sprung.

Tootie Toot Toot

Today was Spring Picture Day and I will do what it takes to get my kids to smile. I have a couple who are determined not to smile. These are the boys of course...so we get to the first boy and I say... Oh NO " So & So TOOTED" of course laughter ensued! Boys and Tooting go hand in hand. The Tooting Discussion did not end there of course because well... as I mentioned Boys and Tooting go together, like peanut-butter and jelly. So we get back to the classroom and their Teacher teaches them a yoga move that will induce Tooting if you are desperate to TOOT. It can also help them to POO! Ahh mass hysteria. It took awhile to come back to Mathematics when Toots and Poo have been brought up. I am not sure if I will get any notes from home about Tooting on Monday. I may get some comments when they see me. :) I like yoga as a stretching exercise, not as a system of belief, and EVERYBODY needs to TOOT Sometimes! HA HA

Your best...

Sometimes your best doesn't look like much to anyone else. Sometimes your best at a particular moment on a particular day is pretty pathetic. We all have those times where we aren't our best. Those times when you think your are trying really hard, but someone outside might think you weren't trying at all. I realized that sometimes I need to take a step back. Maybe a person IS capable of more, but is having a bad day. I am grateful to the folks who can overlook those days and realize that it wasn't my best, but the best I could do at the time.

It has been great to be back with my students. They make me laugh every single day. I truly never know what they are going to say or do. It makes it really fun. It will be fun to see how much they grow and change over the summer. My aide and I were talking about how we/I could change around my classroom this summer. I need to move some things around but I am not sure how yet. I will have more time to wiggle things around to my satisfaction this summer. I have started to make a list of what I want to accomplish this summer. I'm afraid I will forget something I really wanted to change up for next year. I finally got an evaluation from my principal. It was very good. Her criticisms were ones that I expected, and am still frustrated by. They are related to curriculum and you know... If you can't give me the right resources... you can't really beat that horse. I am hoping the class I will take this summer and throughout next year will help me with that. I think it will be beneficial.

I got news on the grant I applied for. Didn't get it. UGGH. Their reasons made me want to beat my head against a wall...but there ya go. On the upside of things another grant I applied for went through. They are sending our school the money... so this makes me nervous. It seems like once it gets into the vacuum of our school...it takes a ridiculously long time. I am going to be speaking with the person who is giving us the money again.. they usually place orders themselves. I am hoping I can just have them do that. It would be less of a headache. We shall see. I heard more news about the computers we are supposed to be getting next year... I am wondering how it is all going to go. We've been told one thing, the tech people are saying another thing. I don't know but hopefully they get us closer to the modern age. I am going to have to look into more software based online. I have a feeling that a couple of things we use, we won't be able to. It seems like we do a lot of waiting to see what or how things really will be.

Okay well... I am going to read a dumb book and take a hot bath and reeeeeeeeelllllllaaaaxxxxxxxxxxxxx!

Doing Right..

Thank you to my Uncle M... for reminding me there are still people doing what is right. They just are quietly going about doing it. Without talking about it, without trumpets, and fanfare they quietly go about doing what is right. Sometimes I look around and wonder hmmmm is anyone attempting to hold onto values, it gets a bit discouraging.

It was good to come home for a short visit and mourn my friend Sylvia. She meant so much to me and it was good to be around people who knew her and loved her as well. She had a strong faith and belief in Christ. I don't think a day will pass that I will not think of her and what I learned from her. Thinking of her made me think of all the family and friends I have learned from. Remember when you are going through something tough others are taking note and remembering you made it. You might have had some bumps, scrapes, bruises, and pain, but we see that you made it. It helps us to know we can make it through the hard stuff too.

It has been a tough week, but a good remembrance. Sylvia was ready for the end of life. It is us left behind that were not ready. I head back south tomorrow, and will get to see some old friends on the way. It will be good to see my students again, and get back in the groove. Only 30 school days left this year. It has flown by.

It has begun to sink in...

I have had the distractions of travel and being with friends. It seemed appropriate that I would find out we lost her in Bryce Canyon. She often talked about the trip she made with family there and how beautiful it was. At almost every stop there was an "old" lady who didn't know a stranger talking to me and telling me about herself and asking me questions about me. That was Sylvia, she made a friend on every train ride, every trip to the grocery store, in every town, and every place. She never met a stranger. Tonight it really sunk in just how much I am going to miss her. I didn't send her a postcard from my trip, I won't hear her voice saying "come in, come in", on my next visit home. I think of the can of pineapple she always kept in the cupboard because during the Great Depression it was a very rare and precious treat to have pineapple. I think of all the recipes she shared and taught me how to make. I think of her always open door. Even when it was locked it was open to me. I couldn't figure out why she thought Rhett Butler was soooo handsome. We laughed over that one many times. We celebrated and enjoyed the generation gap between us. She taught me how to make a quilt and tie squares. She was at my graduations and celebrated my accomplishments. She was stubborn pure stubborn and not afraid to admit it. She refused to embrace the technological age but was quick to forget phone numbers when they were programmed into her phone. Fruit could cure every single ache, pain, and ailment. We watched many a storm, and night sky from her back yard. I feel like all of us who knew her were the luckiest people on the planet.

R.I.P.

One of my most favorite people on the planet passed away last night. I knew that whenever she went I would not be ready. She was my neighbor, my friend, my confidant, and a grandma figure. She was right next door, always ready with some fresh fruit and something baked. If she didn't have a chance to feed you she didn't feel she was doing her job. I am going to miss walking between the yards and straight in the back door, Hollering "knock knock" as I walk in the door. She had a strength of character and conviction that you do not find very often these days. She taught me so much I am sure the lessons will come back to me again and again. I don't remember who adopted who maybe we adopted each other but I am glad that she was such a huge part of my life. From child, to teenager, to adult, my friend next door was there for all my ups and downs. She could be brutally honest, kindly honest, but always honest. You could count on her for the truth. She introduced me to "musicals" whether I liked them or not. Shared some great authors, and stories I'd never read. I heard about what life was like for her as a child, where she grew up, and how she always wanted a pair of rubber boots. ( I got her a pair). I knew exactly what she didn't like from M & M's, to Frank Sinatra (She was not a fan), She didn't like Johnny Carson, or Cats. She really didn't like cats but didn't mind them catching mice in the fields behind us. She was always there... I don't know how I am going to go home and not make that walk next door...

Bureaucracy Logic

So if you read my last post you would've read about the budget and money you have to spend or lose. When you lose it I'm not sure where it goes. I think I asked that question before and the answer was so ridiculous that I did a brain dump. Anyhow, we came up with orders so we could purchase things we need. Guess what?! Much of it we couldn't get because we would be using it next year. We only can purchase things we are using this year for this years budget. Does this sound illogical? It is difficult to even explain. So what do you purchase? Copy paper... file folders... How do you prove or disprove you are not using it this year?? I don't know what they ended up ordering I was too irritated to ask more questions. Whatever they ordered...I am sure it is not really anything I need immediately. Nor will it be anything I'd like to study and start implementing in my classroom. So there ya go, this is how your government works. Makes you proud doesn't it? Instead of putting the money away for when you need it... you end up buying reams of construction paper you may or may not need....because you have to spend the money. Yep that is why your local schools "paper room" is full. When you have extra money at the end of the budget... you buy consumable items. Sigghhh

Tis TIME!

We are allllll ready for Spring Break. Brains have turned to mush, patience is thin, and spring fever has arrived. Out on recess with my students they spotted a butterfly. With little optimism I thought they were wrong and that they had only spotted a moth. However, it was a butterfly. A sign of spring. I think I saw a robin sitting on a electric wire the other day as well. Other than that there hasn't been a sign of spring. Not much is green, nothing is budding or blooming. So if you are enjoying some spring bulbs right now really appreciate them. Our other sign of spring is the tourists coming through by bicycle, by motor-home, and by motorcycle. Bicycle season is my least favorite. They really slow things down. Another more obvious sign of spring is my least favorite. The weather is nice for the "bar-stoolers" to drink their beers on the sidewalk and talk trash. Last night I could hear one talking to his girlfriend. If a man spoke to me that way his heiney would now be festering with lead shot.

Once in awhile a rumor turns out to be true. The technical support guys were rumored to be visiting our school this week. Five of them showed up today. It is funny to watch how socially challenged they are.. but that is another story. My students tolerate some very frustrating technology. I would love to round up many of these aging computers and place them on the shooting range. Apparently they will be recycled...which isn't as satisfying. Okay so the first computer guy comes in my room and my kids lay it on thick (I had them prepped and loaded). He a little nervously says to wait until the rest of them come. So I said save it for his boss. So the other four come in a little later and they pour it on with the appropriate amount of whine! IT was fantastic. Later one of them said tell your students we fixed it... your student's are a little scary :)! So I had my kids give them a cheer and an applause. I didn't test whether their "fixes" were "fixes". So hopefully their cheers weren't premature. The school district has said we are getting a new wireless server and all we will have are screens and keyboards. I shall believe it when I see it. The money is there...and apparently the order is going through... but these things seem to come to my town last of all. We spend the first few months of the school year at war with technology. Hmmm I don't even think that is accurate...we've been battling our ancient technology all year. One of the computer guys tried to convince me that they weren't that old. Over 10 years old in computer land puts it in the dark ages doesn't it? Not that old ...whatever.

School districts have this fascinating event every year...where budget money must be spent or you lose it. I don't understand this, I can't explain it, but I'm telling you it is everywhere. Well I had been creating a need list with all the appropriate websites etc. Luckily I was prepared because we had to have orders in by today. So I whipped them out and had them ready to go! Whew. This should get me some much needed materials. How long it will take to see the results of this...who knows...I will be thrilled to get them though! 2 more days till spring break! YEE HAW! I am so ready for my friends to come and visit, hang out, have some laughs, etc etc.

Today my boss told me she didn't want to lose me and strongly emphasized that she wanted me to stay. I appreciated it because there have been many times I've felt pretty beaten down lately. I hope this comment came from the realization that she can't allow some of the things going on to continue. During parent teacher conferences a parent (who I love and respect) asked me some pointed questions. I think she was very concerned that I would move on, and had seen not what was causing the stress, but that I was under stress. She comes in my class and volunteers quite often. I really appreciated her support. I learned sooooo much this year. I think next year I will be a significantly better teacher than I was this year. I am very, very, thankful I have had the opportunity to teach in this community.

PT conferences

So far so good. I don't know if anything was quite as scary as my first one P/T conference at the beginning of the year. Now I am much more relaxed. I think I feel more confident, but I also see the progress my students have made and it is fantastic. So that helps. Tomorrow they continue. I will be glad when it is done just so that I can get a little rest. I am still getting over my cold and my energy is still low. I just need enough time to really rest and get healthy.

Something AMAZING happened today. Seriously AMAZING. My cousin sent me a video to watch. AND I WATCHED IT!!!!! Yes my internet worked well enough to watch a short video! It didn't even stop to reload, or freeze and never recover. I was very excited! The video was pretty funny too! Amazing... when all those workers came in the middle of the snow storm with the snow-cat to reach the cell-tower...whatever they did... WORKED! YAY!

I have a lot of baking to do this weekend. Some friends are coming to see me over spring break and If I don't greet them with a truckload of Special K bars... they may lock those 4 boxes of books in their truck. Then I'd cry and it would just be a bad scene. So to save all of us from this traumatic event... I will bake. I bought extra baking materials this weekend. I did NOT want to run out!

We have been doing a "Countdown" of school days till spring break.. 4 MORE DAYS! Woot WOOT!

No News...

The grant is still being decided. My principal called and asked for more information. I provided it... and then I talked with one of the board members today. This board member was helping me with a different online program for our school. They had bought permanent access to this Spelling and Language program. It is better than our current spelling program so I am trying to figure it all out. It isn't perfect or complete but it is better than what we have right now. I think it is a useful tool. Anyhow he asked me more questions regarding our grant application. He wanted to talk to the seller himself. I have spoken to our representative sooooo many times I knew he'd have no problem. So I believe he will be talking with him in the next couple of days. The board member did say he thought it would be a really good thing for our school. Maybe this way they will feel they have a more complete picture. This board member is very methodical and precise. So if it all comes together and we do get it... you can be sure they have considered every aspect of this product. :) I guess I am learning some patience again or still.

Testing Monday....

I was a little irritated to leave my class to administer the state test. I didn't have a choice so I did it. While waiting patiently for students to do their test after reading the directions, I caught up on some things I had fallen behind on. It was quiet and gave me the opportunity to work on those things. So that helped me to get over the fact I wasn't in my classroom. I had a mini-meltdown this morning. I realized I am tired. Not just physically tired, but tired. It is that point of the school year where everyone is tired, the kids, myself, everyone. We all need spring break. The cranky quotient is high!

I had some not so great news last week about a class I signed up for. They had so many applicants they weren't sure how many applications they would accept. I really, really wanted to take it. For one thing the collaboration with other teachers is really good for me. So I was trying to remain hopeful. Today I got the e-mail that I was one of the applicants selected! WOOT WOOT! I am sooo glad. I think it is really going to help me build some skills. So I was thrilled to get the e-mail. I responded with my acceptance Immediately. I wanted them to know I am serious about it and am looking forward to it.

I hope you had a good Monday.

Away!

Away means a long drive. Away means I catch up with friends and family on the phone. Away means ooh civilization. Away means I'm off the Island for a bit. I feel like I live on a very small island sometimes. Where the neighbors are all related and ticked off at each other. Unless they are united against the evil outsiders bringing them into the current century. They have a love hate relationship with progress. It can be a good thing...but sometimes it defies logic.

I went to the little/big town and am staying at my favorite hotel! Yay! Today was a very productive day in the class I've been taking. It gave me a chance to work with people who are very experienced and have been living and breathing mathematics and the standard changes. They have the experience and the knowledge to offer quality help and resources. Because I feel like I am on an island all by myself sometimes, it is great to meet these people. I can e-mail them and pick their brains anytime! YAY!

To end this on an upper I did some assessments on my students to check for growth. Every single one of them have made significant progress. Most are way above grade level, and the rest are on grade level. It felt so good after feeling pretty beaten up a week ago. If I'm doing soo much sooo wrong why am I seeing these results with my students? I have to be doing something right! Right? I had a nice visit with a friend who has taught in multi-grade classrooms from Alaska to Nevada. She is a great resource because she really understands the challenges associated with it. She also gives me great ideas to implement. I'll say I got this broad suggestion/order but no real information on how to implement it. She immediately has several specific suggestions. I am glad she's around because I'd probably cry a lot more often without her. I think what frustrates me the most as a teacher is having a student that I feel like I am not helping. When I feel I should be doing more but I don't know what that is. Many times I feel like I am climbing a steep mountain all alone while people are throwing rocks at my head from the top preventing me from getting real help. I just keep asking and asking and asking and I will get one little strategy here or there which really helps! I asked for some help in a very specific area and I was told to go observe some teachers. This situation requires some very specific strategies. Am I supposed to go observe and pull a strategy out of a hat and hope there is one that works? I am sure I'd learn something that would benefit my class. When I ask a specific question and get a broad answer ...I think that suggests the knowledge of the person answering the question. If not their knowledge then their experience.

Anyhow, I am glad to be away this weekend. Even with my stack of papers to put in my gradebook, lesson plans to write, and shopping to do. I also get to see one of my cousins. So It is good to have a change of scenery! I can't hear anyone playing pool and talking trash in the room below me! Ahhhhhhh
G'nite

Head spinning

We had a successful fundraiser. Despite the snow coming down fast and furious, and despite the heater being turned off. It was successful. They didn't turn the power off and give me a heart attack.. it was close but didn't happen. I was fighting a cold that got perpetually worse throughout the weekend. I was sooo glad I had Carmen and the 'rents help. I scalded my hands but must've gotten them under cold water soon enough because by Sunday I'd forgotten I burnt them. We had a lot of students gone sick from the fundraiser and from school. Anyhow, I discovered exactly how crazy this town is over BINGO! WOW! I don't feel old enough to appreciate bingo... or maybe I need significantly more grey hair. Whatever it is...I am lacking something regarding appreciation for bingo. I do appreciate that others are willing to play and pay. So we raised quite a bit of money. I am trying to remember all the excitement. It was an impressive amount of snow coming down. It is hard to imagine today as that almost 2 feet of snow mostly melted away.

I started running a fever Sunday. I crawled into bed with flannel pj's, a hoodie, thick socks and my electric mattress pad turned up. Even with all that I had goosebumps. I stayed home Monday and my fever broke yesterday. I shared my germs with my guests so hopefully they stayed healthy. This weekend is a "coyote roundup" where they go and get as many coyotes as possible and the winner is king of the saloon. Well I don't really know what the winner gets but I do know that I am leaving town. The saloon is opening for the event which for me means smoke and lots of noise. I don't know what big/little town I am going to yet but I will be leaving. I have class on Friday up north so I will leave from there. The brain is mush so I shall sign off for now.

ACCKK!!!

Oh yes panic has set in. Thinking of everything I need to do before Saturday! I am cleaning house tonight so that nobody has to sleep on a pile of my clean clothes. Although that's better than sleeping on dirty clothes ha ha! My students and I have decorated the lobby. We've done some fabulous art projects. I am so scared about how many people will come. Cross your fingers for me. I am very nervous!

This has been a crazy busy week. Next week is state testing. Which I have 2 students testing for. I have another PLC tomorrow. Hopefully, it is good. I am riding up with the H.S. humanities teacher. So the school is paying for the gas, that's a bonus. Since it is $4.25 a gallon right now. There's more to say and not enough time...
G'nite

Not a PLC a PBC

Today was one of the worst days. Those days that make your heart hurt. Those days which you can't believe your eyes, or your ears. A day of disappointment. A day in which you lose confidence in others. Not just a little.... but a complete loss of confidence. Is this something I have to learn? I have had to use my tongue as a chew toy. I listen to the excuses, the lies, the craziness. I can't believe..just can't believe. I guess I will leave it at that. I am beyond frustration and am just feeling sad. I am going to find a way past this situation.

We had a professional learning community today. Really nice string of words which means a meeting. A meeting. It was more of a professional bragging community today. I don't know who was learning something. I have a co-worker whose favorite past time is to criticize everything I do. It really gets discouraging. If someone is telling you how perfect they are and how well they are doing on everything... Do you believe them as a boss? I heard "you should" so many times I checked out. It is difficult to listen to someone who insults you whenever possible.

Today I should've thrown the pillow over my head and stayed home. I know there are people in this community fighting as hard as I am for the right things. However, it seems like we are seriously out-numbered by crazy. Once and awhile I have to call someone I know is living in a rational world to make sure that I don't drown in the crazy. It is interesting how crazy protects crazy. Actually it is frustrating how crazy protects crazy! How many weeks till Easter break? Too many. Thank goodness I am having some visitors this weekend. I really feel fried today. I am bummed....

Rotten Teeth

What a auspicious beginning. Anyhow, our janitor has this issue. It is terrible because you walk into the building and can smell the trail of rotten teeth. I have never met anyone who needed dentures more. I have flossed with more consistency than ever. Yep, It has been inspiring. I love my can of Lysol that kills pretty much every odor that invades the classroom, while at the same time killing germs. If you haven't read this cute book "Rotten Teeth" it is a cute one.

The kids had a little bit of trouble waking up this morning. I don't think they were too excited by the time change either. I really wish they would just leave it the same year round. It really doesn't seem to make a huge difference in my day. I don't know how you feel about it. We drew leprechaun hats today, and some of the students finished their hot air balloon pictures for art today. After school my aide helped me make a giant rainbow, cloud, and pot of gold to go around our lunch counter. It came out pretty cute. I just have to paint the gold for the pot.

I can't believe how little time is left in the school year. It has been crazy! I am hoping some people move so I can move to a more permanent situation. The parents are coming this weekend sooo
Ketchup..... check
Extra Ketchup.....check
Butter............check
Jam...............check
something to put the jam on.....ummm yes yes check
Hot Dogs..............UH OH
shhhhh don't tell him.

The Weekend!

I had class yesterday. It wasn't very exciting to get up yesterday to drive 90 miles for class. I talked myself into and out of doing it many times. It was a sunny day and no snow. I got there and the doors were locked and no one was around but rolling cart of stuff, a purse, and a chart sitting in front of the door. So I assumed class was still on based on that information. So I waited awhile and the person with keys showed up. It was a good class. I had told myself if you feel like this is a waste of time don't worry about it you don't have to go to the next session. It was worth it though. I did learn a lot. Mostly because it was the first time I have done a training on this particular subject that I didn't leave feeling completely burdened and overwhelmed by a huge amount of material. The teacher really broke it down to a manageable level and we focused on one particular area. I think doing it in this way actually made the whole area more understandable. Because of my being a multi-grade teacher she had me stick with one grade level. I think by learning one grade level really well, it will make it much easier to analyze the other grade levels later. I really appreciated her organization. Sometimes we are told you need to do this. Then you're given a mountain to make something out of. You don't know where to start. Anyhow, I was pretty happy that I went.

I then drove 50 more miles to pick up a prize for our bingo game and while I was there a Wal-mart run. Wal-mart uggh. Wal-mart on Friday afternoon quadruple uggh uggh uggh uggh! You get the idea. When you are near a grocery store, you go to the grocery store. It isn't optional. I then drove the 140 miles back home. I was pretty pooped when I arrived home. The brain had gone to mush long before that. I was late enough or it was cold enough the jack-rabbits were not playing chicken in the road. I did see about 3 owls out hunting. I did get some eye shine in my headlights which I am guessing was a coyote. My pillow looked especially wonderful last night. Today I have been working around the house and thinking about what I need to do the next couple of weeks. The Week after this one... I have state testing for my third grade students. All two of them. So they are getting a sub for three days so I can administer the tests for two students. So my other twelve students are going to have a sub which may or may not provide quality instruction so that I can administer a test for two students. Does this sound crazy to anyone else?

Tuesday... just... Tuesday

It was chilly this morning and then the wind started blowing. I started singing "Let it Snow" to my students this morning. The snow always seems to blow sideways here. It never seems to be a gentle snowfall. Soooo indoor recess today. The kids don't realize they get cabin fever with indoor recess. They really think it is more fun. The snow stopped and started several times today. It was so dry that most of it was blown away.

Today was a little frustrating for me. I feel like I am spread a little to thin. I really depend on my aide to pick up the slack. She is having a tough time finding the balance between helping the student and doing it for them. It is tough because I don't want to discourage her... but I also want the students to think for themselves. I do so much a lot of correcting throughout the day as the students are working so they can have immediate feedback and so I can identify errors they may be making immediately. This way they don't continue to make the same errors again and again.
I realize that this is difficult for my aide to do. So I have her working with the kinder or 1st grade students a lot. I just don't think she enjoys that very much. I don't know what to do. It is a tough balance for me. My classroom is such a unique situation. There are a lot of needs to be met at the best of our abilities. She is not a natural teacher so I need to find ways to to help support her so she can do a better job and not discourage her. Today I was beginning to feel like Stretch Armstrong. I was frustrated and ready to cry. Then one of my parents walks in the door to volunteer. I gave her a huge hug the second I saw her. I think she immediately grasped that I was overwhelmed. She's raised a passel of kids and has great boundaries and is firm but kind. It was such a relief to see her. I decided to end the day with an art project. It is great because it was one we can do as we watch a video. It does require me to stop the video so the kids can catch up. This isn't great because it is art. It is great because it teaches the kids to follow step by step directions. I sent my aide to make copies during this time. What am I going to do?

I wish I could explain well how much teaching is interrupted by non-teaching stuff. For instance today I had to go fax testing and report card information to someone who is doing some screening on my students. I was interrupted to gather the information and it had to be sent right away. I am interrupted for meetings, I.E.P. meetings, screenings, and more. In some schools these would occur after school. Because people have to make a drive here to do those things they always schedule them during the school day. So my students learning is often interrupted by these things. I just have to hope that they get the instruction they need while I have to leave. I don't like it! Uggh.

I don't know if I've updated you on the latest book we are reading. We started reading "The Borrowers" by Mary Norton. I make a lot of grammar errors. I forgot though, till I started reading this book how terrible the grammar was of the characters. I find myself correcting the poor grammar of these little English characters living under the floorboards. After all I spend a lot of time asking my students not to say " I got me some" and things like that. It is a cute story. I am not sure what I will read when I finish this book. That is half of the fun.

After school today I was attempting to organize myself a little better. Sigh. Mission failure. I needed to change desks because mine was way to crowded with my ELMO, computer, hard drive, speakers, label maker, printer, etc. The only problem was once I got it all moved... my computer wasn't recognizing my screen or vice-versa. UGGH! I finally had to leave it till tomorrow. I couldn't figure out where it all went wrong. I finally left school at six tonight. I really hope my efforts were worth it. I was very encouraged that one of my students,who in my opinion has Dyslexia, reading level jumped. I think this was very encouraging to this student as well. It is a real struggle to read. It just bums me out because I get so much joy from reading. This student also does some interesting things with numbers. So word problems in math and looking at the numbers are also a struggle. Uggh. My first graders began basic multiplication this week. They had been watching the older kids doing it so they felt really, really, smart when they started it. It was pretty cute!

About a week and a half till I find out whether I got the grant or not. Also, a little more than that till our fundraiser. About one month exactly till spring break. Woot Woot. I try not to wish the days away, because then I look back and think... why didn't I stop to enjoy the moment. Which I need to remember when I am feeling frustrated by it all.

March Madness!

I am a nut! I signed up for a class that that will be on 2 Fridays of this month. I signed up in January when I was very optimistic about everything I could do in March :)! Then I have a meeting with the district on my other free Friday. Acck! It is very easy to get overwhelmed quickly. There is a lot going on this month. Spring break is coming... Spring Break is Coming.... I'll keep saying that to myself. I am still getting prepared for our St. Patrick's Day Fundraiser. Trying to make sure I have everything in place for everyone who comes to help. It is going to be a busy month.

Three of my students made significant jumps on their reading levels. I was excited and so were they. I think part of the reason they are doing so well is that they challenge themselves to read something that is a little bit hard. They have to work through the book and it takes a little longer but they are learning because of that. The students that aren't challenging themselves as much are making progress but it isn't as dramatic.

I did something smart this weekend. I pre-made some meals for the week. Yay!! I try to make stuff ahead and freeze some but I haven't done that in a long time so my reserves are low. I made a couple casseroles this weekend. It sure helps to get through the week when it is already done.

Happy Monday all!