A side affect

I am discovering one of the side affects of living with Jimmy.  While he is at work in the evenings, Caiti and I have some strange, but wonderful experiences, talks, walks, etc.   This past five days or so, Caiti has been complaining about how her stomach seems to be hurting all the time, but she is not throwing up or has any other symptoms associated with coming down with a "bug."  In puzzling over what might be the cause, I suddenly remembered that Hey !  She is actually 10 1/2 years old and maybe... just maybe... Aunt Emma is getting ready to move in with her !   Since I only had one girl and that "event" was soooooo long ago in my memory, I might be wrong... But, based on the ages of the girls I teach and when their "visits" began...... it is a distinct possibility.  !
The first time I got a visit, we were living at Eglin.  I was supposed to babysit for my very first time and it just so happened to be for a teacher of mine.   It was Saturday morning when I discovered there was no doubt that somehow I was bleeding to death !   I remember even thinking that I was going to die and therefore would not be able to babysit for my teacher and how mad she would be !  
Caiti's reaction when I suggested the possibility to her was """  No Way !   How can I do 'THAT" and still jump on the trampoline !   I did tell her that on the bright side, I did not have to have my visit from Aunt Emma anymore and all Caiti had to do was be as old as I am!   I cannot publish in the presence of polite society the look that she gave me when confronted with that piece of info. !!
Ahhhhhhh....... life with a little one ----What can I say ????  

A funny thing happened at my desk today...

Tension is at an all time high around school these days.  My students have been wearing their tiny little fingers to the bone with all the "stuff" I have been giving them these days.   Sooooooooo... in the midst of all the quiet in the room today--(which at first led me to believe I was in a dream world), I decided to do something to try to at least put a dent in their stress level.  
     I was at my desk working away when suddenly... I hollered   "OH, MY GOSH !   THERE'S A MOUSE ON MY DESK !!!!! "  Of course, my students squealed and shrieked in panic.    Then they looked at me and I was collapsing on my desk laughing so hard I almost needed a bathroom pass.  
     When I had all of their attention, I simply held up my computer mouse by its "tail" and let it dangle from my fingers.... The look on my "darlings" faces was priceless !   I enjoyed doing that so much I did it every period today !   It has been weeks since I laughed that hard....
     And someday....... sometime...... I will do it again to my unsuspecting students !!!   (Visualize me rubbing my hands together, having a horribly, wicked grin on my face and the theme from "Jaws" playing merrily in my brain.....   )      Exit stage left.....  

Random thoughts at day's end.

No, I am not a the motel and forgot how to capitalize it.... It is 11:00ish and I am winding down...

I have one thing I really HATE doing as a teacher and that is to grade papers.  Since the beginning of this last 9 week's period (2 weeks ago) I have given 16 worksheets/packets for the students to do.... Why?? You ask...
Because my students would rather do those than watch one of my cool movies.  They would rather talk than do anything else. quite frankly.   Anyhow... I digress.... Today, I got 2600 assignments graded AND recorded in the grade book.  I AM COMPLETELY UP TO DATE ON GRADES!  LOOK OUT !!  THE WORLD IS COMING TO AN END!  Actually, I am determined to have ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with school once Easter Break starts this Friday afternoon.  Since mid-qtrs are due 9 days after we return from break and in the middle of the "crunch time review" for CRCT, I decided to just bite the bullet and get these things done... ! 
GO ME !!  GO ME !!

Please, Please.... !!

Pray for me and what is left of my sanity---Here is what the next couple of weeks look like for me:.

1- Spring Fever which means Hormonal rages are rampant
2- FULL MOON !!
3- Easter Break starts officially Friday, but the youngins are not as antsy about this break as I am  !!
4- CRCT starts the week after we get back !!
5- Mid quarter grades go out in the MIDDLE of CRCT week---can we say "What the H e double toothpick was someone thinking when they did the scheduling on that ????????
6- IF the Mock CRCT was any indication of what the real one will be like---I am sooooooooo dead!  Out of 102 students, IF the REAL CRCT counted on them moving to 9th grade, I would only have 3 students going!  I actually have 28 students who have an excuse for not passing..... they have LEARNING DIFFICULTIES !
 The other ones suffer from the "L" disease------LAZINESS !!!

HELP !   HELP !   HELP !    HELP !   HELP !

Another beautiful day---weather wise !

I personally think that standardized tests have a specific place...... Deep, deep, deep in the bowels of Hades!!!
I know somewhere there is life after them... I just am not sure I will survive this year's crop of participants!  Throw registration for 9th grade into the mix and you get INSTANT CHAOS!!! 
That is why I decided to do nothing related to school at all when i got home.. Well, except bake a Butter Pecan Bake with Cream Cheese Icing to take in tomorrow for the adults at the "zoo" to indulge in....
For those of you who don't know it, Caiti will be performing in her first play this coming weekend.. She is playing the part of John in "Tink's Peter Pan"-this year's offering from the Drama Club at J. T. Reddick.  She is really getting BIG TIME!  They are into the final practices at the Preforming Arts Center at the High School-  WhooHoo!  Seriously, she is super excited about it.  While I was waiting to pick her up this evening, I had decided to take Lacey along with me for the ride.  Then I realized what wonderful, open spaces the High School grounds offered an inquiring dog and its devoted master.  So, I was able to get in about a mile of walking in the beautiful sunshine while I waited and Lacey discovered the fountain outside of the PAC... She now thinks of it as her own private drinking fountain.... She went back three times to get a drink!  The great thing was I didn't even have to fix any dinner cause the cast ate pizzas...  Well, there you have it!  Another fun filled day!  

10 Life Lessons....

10 Amazing Life lessons from Albert Enstein

1. Follow Your Curiosity. "I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious."
2. Perseverance is Priceless. "It's not that I'm so smart; it's just that I stay with problems longer."
3. Focus on the Present. "Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves."
4. The Imagination is Powerful. "Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions. Imagination is more important than knowledge."
5. Make Mistakes. "A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new."
6. Live in the Moment. "I never think of the future - it comes soon enough."
7. Create Value. "Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value."
8. Don't Expect Different Results. "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
9. Knowledge Comes From Experience. "Information is not knowledge. The only source of knowledge is experience."
10. Learn the Rules and Then Play Better. "You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else."

Oh my gosh.... !

I have decided that when I get old... I want to find a way to bottle the energy that Gretchen has !!  She has two speeds:  Full on and totally off !!  

Happy Sunshine Day !!

I am thankful today for the sunshine and the pleasant temperatures that went along with it.  The combination of those two things allowed me to 1- feel physically good and 2- accomplish so many things !
Here's what I did...

1- Slept till about 11:30.... aaaahhhhhh... what lovely decadence!
2- Made four batches of brownies for Relay for Life
3-Made two chocolate cakes for Relay for Life... One will end up being an Oreo Cake and the other a Kit-Kat cake..
4- Did three loads of laundry
5- Washed and cleaned my car --inside and out
6- Took over food for three days to a sick friend of mine
7- Walked 2 miles today
8-Visited with Mom and Dad
9-Put a roast in the crock pot for Sunday dinner tomorrow
And it is only 6:45 at the moment! I think I will spend the rest of the evening on myself by reading a book, taking a bubble bath and doing my nails...
As James Brown said "  I FEEL GOOD!! I FEEL GOOD!!!

It's gone.... I think !!

Whatever nasty little bug had a hold on my blog page for the past couple of weeks is finally gone... I think !!
Anywhoo...

I was thinking again today about how sometimes we do things and really don't know why and then sometime later the "why" becomes perfectly clear.... Case in point--
Tuesday afternoon I was at school enjoying the peaceful atmosphere that comes when everyone is on Spring Break (or the weekend or whatever) and you are the only one there...
Actually, Caiti and one of my students from this year was also there with me in my classroom.. I got so prepared and ahead of the game I scared even myself!  We decided that we would go out and walk a mile and a half around the track because it was truly a beautiful day.  For some reason, after about the first 1/2 mile, I was just suddenly really tired and we decided to quit.  The student, Sara, said we had about an hour till she could be dropped off at the place her mom works-which just happens to be our family's eye doctor.  Since we were so close to the house, I brought her with me to introduce her to Dad and Mom and just kill some time.. Within 15 minutes of our arrival, the emergency with Mom started.. I was able to drop Sara off at the eye doctor and still come back to take Dad to follow the ambulance to the ER.  As I was driving, I realized that if we had walked our intended mile and a half, we would never have been at Mom and Dad's in time to help out!  Don't know if I was just "in tune" at that time or what----but it was just one of those instances that make you pause and think !!

Doing something dangerous...

I was just sitting here thinking (that's where the doing something dangerous part comes in)....

1- These past two years have been filled with a boatload of ups and downs... but my boat is still afloat!
2- I can't believe it is only 10 weeks until the end of the school year !
3- Days like last Saturday's trip to Andersonville are like trips down memory lane... especially when some of the people who drive are some of my former students !!!   eeekkkk!!
4- My voice is a little gravely today--maybe that's why 3 out of 4 of my classes were quiet for me today..  Whatever it takes !
5- I have seen evidence this week of the writing talents of both my children-  Travis with his beautiful ode of love to "his Lindsea" and Sarah with her grasp of Spanish still after all these years.  When I read her comments to her friends in Chile and couldn't read what she said, I thought how cool it was for her to still be fluent in Spanish!
6- I am looking forward to the family reunion this year.  Cant wait to see if little Derek still "loves" his aunt he has only seen once, and maybe I'll even have a few tricks up my sleeve to liven up the place this year! 
7-I find I am surrounded with negativity as the main ingredient in many places I go these days---Maybe that is why sometimes it is easier to succumb to it instead of trying to summon the energy to fight it or maybe that is why I find myself purposefully isolating myself from it at work...
8-I am anxious for this weather to settle into the beautiful spring weather we all deserve.  It is so hard to get out and walk when there are icicles hanging from your nose or the wind chimes are blowing straight out! 
9- I realize that I don't have to refer to my history textbook these days in order to teach because I am teaching about the 1960's-the present time.... Oh, No!!!
10-I think my brain is tired from thinking so hard today, so I'll say Good night and let the little cells rest :-)