LilySlim Weight loss tickers

Monday, January 31, 2011

Do you see that big smile on my face?

It's all thanks to this. Despite the fact that CPS NEVER gets snow days, these are the days I don't mind being at the Hell-Hole, since there are usually only a handful of children in the building. They might all be there tomorrow, but I'll bet most of them won't be there on Wednesday. It's snowing like a mo-fo right now, so I'm curious to see what's on the ground in the morning. I have a feeling that Stud's school is going to dismiss them early tomorrow, since the 'big' storm is supposed to hit tomorrow afternoon. I'm hoping they call in the morning before I leave, so I won't have to scramble from work to find him a ride home. Guess I'd better hit the sack, since I'm going to have to leave pretty early tomorrow morning to deal with the idiots who don't know how to drive in the snow. Ugh!!!

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Saturday, January 29, 2011

I Heart Chicago!

Do you remember my friend, Mrs. F., from school? (We had that baby shower for her a while back?) Well, her husband recently started a new job with an armored guard service. Yesterday, we had a staff development day (yay! no kids!) and she and I went out for lunch. While we were eating, her husband called, and told her there had been an armed robbery involving one of their trucks. Here's a link to the Chicago Sun Times article about it.

Now, the reason I'm even sharing this is because, after reading the entire article, (and thinking, "Thank God that wasn't Art's truck!" the whole time), I get to the very last line:

“It’s a quiet corner most of the time, other than the regular drug and gang activity,” said a worker at a nearby shop.

Is it wrong that my first thought was - only in Chicago!!! Now, you guys know I couldn't possibly love my city any more than I already do, but sometimes, I just have to shake my head at the crazy shit.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Is it Friday yet?!

Good Lord, it's been a LONG week!!! I'm too pooped to even write about it right now. Maybe I'll have the energy to bore you with it tomorrow. Then again, I'm having some my sister and some friends over for a Girls' Night tomorrow, so I can't make any promises. As a matter of fact, I need to go make the buckets of margaritas and get them outside so they'll freeze into a yummy slush for tomorrow night. Before I go, I'd like to ask you to please send some prayers to Tiffany's family. Her brother-in-law passed away last night.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Need a good laugh?

You must check out this post by Pissed Off, one of my favorite teacher bloggers. I tried to embed it here, but it won't work. Click here for a giggle.

This one's easy...

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

What are five good reasons to break off a wedding?

1. your fiance is cheating

2. either party is not ready to commit

3. one person wants children, but the other doesn't

4. your fiance can't stand your family

5. your fiance does not treat you with respect or is abusive

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

January 25

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

What's something you do really well that other people are amazed by?

I spend my days with 30 5&6 year-olds, who belong to OTHER PEOPLE, and I don't kill them or myself. As a matter of fact, I like to think I'm shaping their future, and the future of our world. Then again, I can be pretty full of myself like that.

My second choice would be cooking/baking. I'm having some girls from school over for dinner tomorrow, and they've all put in their requests for what they want me to make. I can't guarantee I'll make them all, but I AM going to fulfill the request of my pregnant girlfriend, because the BABY needs veggie chili!

Monday, January 24, 2011

Email of the Day

Employee of the Month

...We have a Winner!
ATT00085

This is the level of dedication we expect from all staff!
There is a reason laptop spelled backwards is “potpal”.

Thanks, C!! That was just what I needed to see before heading off to work! ;-)

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Suddenly, I'm really hungry...

I just stole this from Technodoll over at Bubblegum Diaries. I feel like I'm being so disrespectful to Jack even posting this, but I'm sorry, it made me laugh my ass off!! And, it gave me a whole bunch of new recipes that I'm dying to try!

RIP Jack

I just heard the news about 30 seconds ago on the evening news. This just makes me sad. I know he lived a long, full life, but it's still sad. I remember watching his show when I was a kid. I was always enamored with Jack. I can't tell you how many times I sat through his infomercial for his juicer in the middle of the night. In all seriousness, I just talked to Stud about getting one. I think I may just have to do it now, out of respect for his dedication to the health and well-being of others.

Rest in peace, Jack Lalanne. You will be missed.

Do you hear that?

It's the sound of the wind being let out of my sails.

So, I was very rudely awakened this morning at 5:30am by Dorky Dog. After I let him out, I decided to shoot BH a quick email. I have not been able to stop wondering what's been going on with him since we last spoke. Ok, truth be told, I wanted to know if he finally got divorced or not.

In the email, I told him about the last time I spoke to our friend, and that the friend told me he was going through a divorce. I told him I hoped it hadn't been a messy, drawn out affair, and that I hoped he was happy now.

I kept the rest of the email pretty short, mentioning the BIG GAME this afternoon, asking him how work was going, etc.

When I checked my email later, I saw that there were two emails from him in my inbox. One was sent at 8:30, one at 10:30. The first email was a reply to my email. Here's where it goes downhill - he's still married. God almighty, I could NOT feel like a bigger idiot!!!

He also told me that he has a 7 year old daughter. Now, THAT was really a shock because our friend NEVER mentioned that he had a child. I don't know why he wouldn't have said anything. Like I said, we last spoke about 3 years ago, so obviously BH's daughter was born already.

He also told me some things about his job, and then closed the email by saying he looked forward to my call.

The email that he sent two hours later was a picture of his daughter. Nothing else, just the picture attached to a quick note - my daughter kathy.

Of course, his daughter is GORGEOUS! She looks just like her daddy. Actually, she looks a lot like her auntie. BH had a younger sister and a younger brother. His sister and I were close friends in high school. I think she was rooting harder than I was that we would end up together. She used to tease him about me all the time, and she would tell me little embarrassing things about him just to bug him. (for example, she used to tease him, in front of me, about having our Homecoming picture on his dresser so that it was the first thing he saw every morning and the last thing he saw every night. Typical little sister stuff.)

It seems this is yet one more chapter of my life that I need to close. Yes, I know I can still call him to catch up on the past 25 years, but why? Yes, we could still be friends, I suppose. But, truthfully, I don't think I'm mature enough for that. Right now, I can't get past my inner 17 year-old. She wants to go pout somewhere. I think for now, I'm gonna let her...

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Keeping the crazy alive, Part 2...

It will be 25 years ago in June that we graduated. (For the last time - I'M FREAKIN' OLD!!) That memory is as fresh in my mind today as the day it happened. Things were just so complicated by then with CSJ. By then, we had been dating for over 6 months (yes, I know, that's the blink of an eye. But, hey I was just a dumb kid then!) and I actually had feelings for him by then. Hell, he had bought my ring 3 months earlier! I had even worn my engagement ring to prom, despite keeping it a secret from my parents. The day I graduated, CSJ told my dad he had a graduation present he wanted to give me, and that he wanted his permission first. Then he showed my dad the ring, and of course, my dad told him it was ok. What my dad failed to do is run it by my mother. Mama mia, what a mistake!!! But, that's a story for another post.

Where was I? Oh, yeah, graduation. Because I was getting so serious with CSJ, I never contacted BH again after graduation. One day, about 6 months or a year after we graduated, I saw him at our local community college. I was walking to my car after a class, and he was getting out of his car to (I assume) go to class. My heart literally stopped. Naturally, I looked like a hot mess, as I had probably gone to class in whatever sweats I grabbed first. Um, and I was engaged (officially, by now) to someone else. So I did what anyone else would have done. I ducked down and hid so he wouldn't see me. Yep, smart thinking, huh? I dove into my car, and got the hell out of Dodge. But, all the way home, I planned what I was going to do/say the next time I ran into him. Cuz, hey, he goes to the same school again! I parked in that damn lot for the rest of the semester and never saw him again. I took it as a sign that was meant to remind me that CSJ and I were planning a life together now, and that I really did love him, and BH needed to just be a pleasant memory.

Not long after that, I saw BH again at the mall, with his mom. Again, I basically hid, and fought the urge to run up to him and hug him. Then, about 10 years ago, I was at the mall with one of my besties, and who did I see? Yep, BH! OMG, he was just as gorgeous then as he was in high school. I felt like a goofy teenager again. My heart started pounding, and I got butterflies in my stomach. How ridiculous is that!? Again, I didn't dare approach him, and I stayed out of his line of vision. He was with some statuesque blond. I pointed him out to my friend as he was walking away. After telling me how hot he was, she asked me who he was, and I told her the whole story. (I met this bestie as an adult, so she didn't know the background.) After she heard the story, she decided that there was NO WAY she was letting me leave without talking to him, so she literally dragged me by the arm from one end of the mall to the other. But, we never found him.

Let's flash forward just a little bit. It was now 2000, and I had made a New Millennium Resolution (NMR, if you will) to get out there and start living (again, another post entirely, but by then CSJ and I had been separated for over 4 years and I had spent those years crying over my loss, and not moving on with my life.) so I took a bold step. I looked BH up! And, low and behold, I found his address. AND, I sent him a letter!! In the interest of full disclosure, I didn't do it until more than 6 months after I had seen him at the mall. But, I DID IT! I wrote him a 5 or 6 page letter. It's a bit embarrassing now, when I think about it, since a part of that letter was telling him that I wonder how different my life would have turned out if one of us had just made the first move. Pathetic, huh? I finished the letter by giving him my phone number, and told him that if I hadn't totally freaked him out and/or scared him away, I would love to hear from him, and catch up on the past 15 years. I shoved the novel in an envelope and dropped it in the mail. And, then I immediately wanted to crawl into the mailbox and get it back!! What had I done!!?

I tried not to think about it, so imagine my surprise when about 4 days later, my phone rang, and the caller ID showed BH. I almost peed myself. And, I almost didn't answer. I gave some serious consideration to letting the machine get it. But, then I reminded myself of my NMR, and picked up the receiver. I was instantly transported back to high school. Oh, I hadn't heard that voice in over 15 years! And, he was still so damn sweet! I told him that I felt like such a fool for sending the letter, and he immediately told me that he was glad I did, and that I shouldn't feel foolish. But, sadly, he also told me he had just gotten married. The blond I saw him with was his fiance at the time, and they had just gotten married a couple of months before. Poop. So much for my master plan to get us back together.

After we talked for about 15 or 20 minutes, I was feeling really uncomfortable, given that his WIFE was home (he had shared the letter with her, so there were NO secrets here!) and I was feeling really stupid and childish for having sent the letter at all, so I started wrapping things up. He made sure that I had his number, and said to call him anytime (yeah, right!!) and that he's so glad I contacted him, etc. I never called him. I just didn't see the point. I was just this pathetic loser who was still pining for her high school love, and he was a happily married newlywed.

Over the years, I ran into other friends from high school, and every one of them asked me if I ever heard from/talked to BH. It made me laugh every single time! I ran into one friend who was not only one of my closest friends in high school, he was also one of BH's. As a matter of fact, they stayed close even after high school. Actually, as it turns out, he became friends with a friend of mine, and we reconnected at a gig this friend was playing. Anyway, this friend and I spent the whole night catching up on the past 20 years (which meant we missed our other friend's entire show. Oops!) and inevitably, the conversation turned to BH. Long story short, my friend told me that BH was in the process of getting a divorce (and he gave me some dirt on the soon-to-be ex-wife!) and told me that I needed to call him. He even went so far as to say he was going to have us both over for dinner so we could reconnect. I told him I didn't think that was such a good idea, especially since he was in the midst of the whole divorce process. I figured he had enough on his plate, ya know? I told me friend to give me a call when things settled down, and I'd reconsider his offer.

That was about 3 years ago, and I haven't spoken to my friend since. OK, so back to where I started about 4 hours ago. For some reason, BH looked me up on Classmate.com the other day! Things that make you go hmmmm..... Through Classmates, I sent him a quick note, saying I was pleasantly surprised to see he stopped by and signed my guestbook, and I gave him my email address. I wasn't really expecting to hear from him, especially because I have no idea why he was looking me up. Just because he clicked on my profile doesn't necessarily mean that he wants to contact me. He could have just been stopping by to see how poorly I've aged over the past 25 years!

If I was pleased to see he had stopped by my profile, imagine my excitement when his name showed up in my inbox the next day! "Hi L how are you. Here is my cell# 708-6XX-1XX4 give me a call so we can catch up." Short and sweet, right? There's no way I'm ready to use that phone number just yet, but I did send him a reply that day saying that I was going to wait until I had a good chunk of uninterrupted time to talk. "Sounds good. take care and have a good week." Be still my heart....

Now, I should probably mention that this email volley all took place on Thursday. As in January 19. As in, what would have been my 20th anniversary. You know, the morning that I posted how, deep down, I'm still in love with my ex-husband. Can someone explain why, then, has my stomach been fluttering for the past 5 days at the prospect of reconnecting with BH? Why do I instantly revert back to being that silly, immature 17 year-old? Why am I making more of this than there is? Who knows, I may hate him now. He might have grown up to be a crotchety old man. Maybe he's a jerk now. Maybe he's weird. Maybe he's still the same sweet, kind boy he was 25 years ago. I have no idea. Is it crazy that I'm dying to find out? I realize that both of us must have changed a LOT since high school. It would be ludicrous to think we haven't. But, at this point in my life, I no longer want to have any regrets about things I could/would/should have done. What's the worse that could happen? We discover we no longer like each other? Ok, so be it. But, if I didn't allow myself to find out, I would regret it. And, I don't want to live my life with any more regrets.

So, my Bloggy Buddies, what do you think? Thoughts, suggestions, criticisms, anything? Is anyone even still reading at this point? This just may be my longest (and probably most boring!) posts. I had to split over two days, for heaven's sake! If you're still here, thanks. Now, tell me what to do! ;-)

Oh, crap, one more thing. I know I told you that CSJ, Stud and I went out for dinner on Thursday. At some point during dinner conversation, CSJ brought up BH!!! I can't even really remember what the hell we were talking about. I'm sure it had something to do with Stud being 17, which was the age I was when I met CSJ. He said something about me dating 'someone,' and Stud said, "Yeah, you!" And, CSJ said, "Oh no! It was some OTHER guy named B! Your mom even went to Homecoming with him!" It was kinda funny, actually. He almost sounded jealous. I was just blown away that CSJ would even bring BH up, since it's not like he was ever a topic of conversation before. SO weird, don't you think? By then, I had already seen the email from BH, but CSJ didn't know that. Just so weird. Am I trying too hard to pretend this is some kind of sign? Ok, come on, this is where you're supposed to give me your words of wisdom!

Friday, January 21, 2011

Keeping the crazy alive...

I know I might have caused a few of my Bloggy Buddies to go, 'hmmmm...' after my last post (you know, where I overshared) so this will just add to that confusion. And, the general consensus that I'm a whack job!

On Tuesday, an email notice appeared in my inbox from Classmates. (On a sidenote, I sometimes feel like Classmates.com is the granddaddy to Facebook. I've been able to reconnect with old friends there, as well as catch up on what they've been doing since high school. We can leave each other messages, or post announcements, much like the FB 'wall.') I had to pick up my jaw when I saw the subject line said, "BH signed your guestbook."

You see, BH was my first true love. I know, I know, I've always said CSJ was my first true love, but if I'm going to be completely honest, it was really BH. Whenever I think about high school, he's the first one who pops into my mind. Even though he was a fellow "band geek," he was also a jock and on the football team. So during the first half of the year, which was marching band season, he was out on the field playing, while we were doing the half-time shows. After the show, we would rush to change out of our oh-so-attractive uniforms, and then my friends and I would go back out to the field to watch the second half of the game. You know, in those mega-comfortable bleachers, in that refreshing Chicago winter air. Ah, the things we do for love...

Even though he didn't actually march with us during the marching band season, he was in the concert band the second half of the year, so he still had band as a class all year. We got to spend 1 1/2 periods a day together in band, then all the band geeks had lunch during that last 1/2 period. We spent time together before and after school, as well, just hanging out. Several nights a week, we'd talk on the phone for hours. Once he got his license, he used to drive me home from school most days. Sweet, right? Even though we were never "officially" boyfriend and girlfriend, it was an unspoken thing. Everyone just kind of thought of us as a unit. If someone was looking for him, they'd come to me, and vise versa. I suppose what kept us from being "official" is the fact that we never actually went out on dates, and we never moved on to that physical stage of our relationship. But, we were both totally fine with that.

Here's the thing. We were both pretty shy in high school, him painfully so. Neither one of us could work up the nerve to 'make a move,' so things just stayed in that comfort zone. But, by senior year, after years of crushing hard on this guy, I finally worked up the courage to ask him to Homecoming. Oh, yes I did! I still don't know how I did it. It's hard to believe, especially if you know my 'in real life,' but I was nothing like the bold, hussy I am now back in high school. I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown for about a week before I did it. Thinking back on it, I'm afraid I might have really been a geek and asked him through a note. OMG, that's SO high school!! Plus, I am/was pretty old school, so for me, as the girl, to ask him out was just crazy!

The important thing is - he said yes!! I spent weeks looking for the perfect dress. I practiced how I was going to fix my hair. I was SO excited, but also so nervous. I won't keep boring you with the mundane details, but suffice it to say, it was a magical night.

Now, we all know Homecoming takes place in the beginning of the school year. I was hoping that after my bold move, our relationship would move steadily toward being 'official.' Even though it did seem to bring us closer, he still just wouldn't take that step. And, I just couldn't bring myself to do. I used up all my courage asking him to the dance, for Pete's sake! It's not like he was dating other girls, and I certainly wasn't dating other boys, so I couldn't believe he wouldn't just ask me to be his damn girlfriend! It was exasperating.

Well, flash forward about 2 months, and CSJ enters the picture. I think I've bored you in the past with the story of how we met. (It's buried at the bottom of this post.) Again, if I'm going to be completely honest here, I have to tell you that the main reason I agreed to go out with CSJ was to make BH jealous. Yes, I really did. And, boy, did it work like a charm!!

On practically our first date, CSJ gave me his high school ring to wear. (Yes, that's how OLD I am!! We wore our boyfriends' rings!) It seriously was about a week after we started going out, which in hindsight, it hilarious! Anyway, I immediately put it on a chain and wore it around my neck. He gave it to me on a Friday (after an oh-so-romantic date at the mall. hahaha!) and on Monday, I wore it to school. As per our usual routine, BH and I met up at his locker before class to chit-chat, and as I was standing there talking, he was digging things out of the bottom of his locker. As he stood up, he caught a glimpse of the ring hanging around my neck. He grabbed it, held it up, and said, "What the hell is this?!" Now, I have to tell you, he was the quietest, shyest, most soft-spoken guy, so for him to curse, it was a big deal.

I was a little taken aback by his reaction, even though it was basically what I was hoping for. Does that make sense? I wanted him to fly into a jealous rage, but I figured that was just a fantasy, since he doesn't act like that in real life. I was shocked, and secretly pleased, that he had such a noticeable reaction. I mean, come on, what a boost for my ego, right?

From that moment on, things changed with us. He became a little more attentive, he called more, started carrying my books to my classes (see, there's that old-school stuff again!). It was nice, but it still wasn't what I wanted. What I wanted was for him to step up and say, "Hey, break up with that loser and go out with me!" But, it never happened. I just continued to enjoy the extra attention at school, even while spending all my time out of school with CSJ. Essentially, we just continued to be best friends, I guess.

BH and I actually did finally go on a date. (I'm not counting Homecoming as a date, since it was a school dance.) He took me out for dinner for my birthday that year. Oh, and he gave me the cutest little stuffed bunny. It was so nice. I was on pins and needles the whole time, thinking, "Ok, he's gonna do it. He's gonna tell me he wants me to be his girlfriend. Finally!" But, no. We just had a nice dinner, with great conversation, and we thoroughly enjoyed each other's company. (And, no, CSJ didn't know about it at the time. When he found out years later, he had the nerve to be mad about it.) I sometimes think (wish?) that the problem was, he figured I had a boyfriend now, so he shouldn't try to mess that up. He would never try to steal someone else's girl. I wish I knew what was really going through his head back then.

About a month later, we graduated. After the ceremony, as I was walking out the front doors of the school with my family and CSJ, I heard my name being called. I turned around to see BH rushing toward me. He gave me a big bear hug (yeah, CSJ LOVED that!), congratulated me, as I did him, and that was the last face-to-face conversation we ever had. Oh my God, I can't believe that just typing that made me start tearing up. What the hell is wrong with me!? Time for a break....

Thursday, January 20, 2011

I may just have to wear a coat tomorrow...

Check it out.

The post where I overshare...

Thursday, January 20, 2011

What's holding you back?

Hmmm...I guess that depends on what I'm holding myself back from.

What's holding me back from finding someone to spend my life with? Probably the fact that I'm still, down deep, in love with my ex-husband. There. I said it. The past 6 months or so, like I mentioned yesterday, have brought some interesting/crazy changes. It caused me to take a serious look at myself in the mirror and do some major self-analysis. Trust me, I don't like most of what I see. But, it is what it is.

Oh, and just to clarify something from yesterday's post (so Suz doesn't have a stroke!) yes, it WAS a kiss in the morning, but that's because CSJ picks up Stud most mornings, and drives him to school. He has a key to my house, so he lets himself in the back door, goes down to the basement to make sure Stud is up, and then he usually comes upstairs and checks his email or whatever on Stud's computer. If he takes him to school for me, it literally gives me an extra hour to sleep. Usually, I hear him come in (he'd NEVER make a good cat burglar!) but yesterday, I was in a coma or something. I didn't hear him come in, and was seriously in a deep sleep when he planted one on me. As much as I hate to admit it, it was a really sweet way to wake up.

Ok, moving on...

What's holding me back from getting in shape? The short answer - pure laziness. That, and my LOVE of food. All food. I can only think of about 3 things I won't eat. Liver (or any organs, that matter), cilantro, and any kind of innards (tripe, for example). Other than that, I'll put just about anything in my mouth. (Ok, C and Sandra, get your minds out of the gutter!)

The intelligent, educated side of me knows that for health reasons alone, I need to lose some weight and get some exercise. The 'looking better' part would just an added bonus.

What's holding me back from changing jobs? Well, part of that is my aforementioned laziness. When I think about having to pack up all that stuff and move it, it gives me palpitations! But, really, there aren't a whole lot of jobs out there right now. Chicago let about 3,000 teachers go at the end of last school year. There just aren't any positions available. Well, if I was a special ed or bilingual teacher, there would be positions, but I'm neither of those. As my partner at school keeps saying, "Just suck it up and play the game. At least we have jobs." It's hard to argue with her most days. Especially when New Principal is being psycho.

But, as most of you know, it upsets me that I've lost my joy. I used to feel joy about going to school and seeing my babies every day. I used to feel joy when I thought about all the activities we'd be doing. I used to feel joy when writing out my lesson plans, because I was so excited about teaching them new things. Now, all I feel is stress, mixed with anger, occasionally interrupted with rare moments of joy.

Now, in all fairness, this year has been getting better, especially since I decided to approach 2011 with a new outlook on things. But, it's nowhere near what it used to be. I still count down the days until our breaks. Hell, I count down to days off! (For example, the kids are off next Friday for a staff development day, and that's all I can focus on to get me through the week.) I have my tickers right there, smack at the top of my page, so every time I come here, the first thing I see is how long I have before my next break. It makes me sad that I feel this way, but at the same time, I can't help it.

What's holding me back from getting my early childhood certificate? This one would mostly be finances. I finished my last masters program before Stud started high school. I'm going to have to wait until he graduates, I'm afraid, before I can start another program. His tuition is outrageous (but totally worth it!) so I just can't add grad school tuition to the mix right now. I have one more year of tuition for him at this school, then I'm not sure what's going to happen. I'm hoping and praying he'll get some kind of financial aid and/or scholarship money.

And, hey, he can get a job!! That's how I paid for college, for Pete's sake! I started working full-time in high school, as soon as I could get a job at 16. This lazy bones is 17 already, and has absolutely no interest in getting a job of any kind. WTH?! I had to work full-time to pay for college, and I still managed to keep a 4.0. There was a semester that I was taking a full-time load at two different colleges, plus working. How in the HELL did I do it?! I never took out any student loans, my parents made "too much money" for me to get financial aid, so I worked my butt off to pay my own tuition. Just like I worked 3 friggin' jobs to pay Stud's tuition when he first started high school. Thankfully, by suffering through summer school last summer, I can get by with just working one job this year. I am thankful for small victories. :)

Sorry, I'll quit the whining now. Wow, how did this post become such a roller coaster ride of weirdness? I went for over-sharing my self-analysis issues, to confessing my uber-laziness, to bitching about my poor son. This is one of those moments when I wonder why the hell you guys keep coming back every day. I guess you like me. You really, really like me. :)

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

January 19

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

What was the best day of your life so far?

This one is a no-brainer!

November 6, 1993

The day my little Stud Muffin was born!

One of these days, I'll actually scan one of his newborn pictures. He really was beautiful. Here are a couple of shots of his new haircut. (He came to the salon with me last night.)

I found this prompt incredibly ironic. I had planned to post about what happened 0n this date, 20 years ago...

which at one point in my life, would have been my response to this prompt. (I really should scan in a different picture to share with you, since I've posted this one before.)

Today was strange from the start. I was awakened by a kiss, Sleeping Beauty style, from CSJ, along with a whispered, "Happy Anniversary." No, I'm not kidding. I was seriously in a deep sleep when it happened, so I wasn't really sure what the hell was going on at first.

Tonight, after Stud's doctor appointment, the three of us went out for dinner, and actually had a really nice time. I know some of you are screaming, "WTF?!?!" at your screen right now, and I totally understand. Without getting into the nitty gritty of things, let me just say that there are some strange and interesting events that have happened in the past few months. Actually, a few of you picked up on the "disturbance in the force" this summer and commented on it (thank you, Bloggy Buddies!) but I wasn't really in a place where I wanted to share. Truthfully, I'm not really there now, either.

Time to move on to lighter subjects. Like my hair! Yeah, I'm still feeling like a bratty little teenager, cuz I'm certain I'm going to be crying in the next day or two. I mean LITERALLY crying. Here's a comparison of the "new" do, and what it looked like Saturday night.
I suppose it might not look much shorter in the new picture, but keep in mind that the bottom picture is my hair all curly. If I had straightened in last Saturday, it would have easily been about 4 or 5 inches longer. I know that when I wash my hair, and it curls again, it will barely reach my shoulders. Ugh, just typing that was like a punch to my gut.

Here's a few more shots. What can I say, I'm trying to distract myself from my sadness.


Ok, I hear you, enough with the hair already! Last night, before we went to the salon, I had Stud help me with a little project. I've been wanting to do it for a while, but I hadn't taken the time to look for the boxes I needed. Then, over the weekend, Stud and I stopped at Target, and while I was perusing the dollar bins, I spotted these and was overcome with excitement!
They could not have been more perfect!! They have 26 little boxes (a-z), and 3 bigger ones for punctuation marks, and special characters. Woo hoo!! When I showed them to the babies this morning, they were almost excited as I was. :) So far, I've only done these 4 sets of letters. I have several other sets at school that I plan to separate this weekend. Is it pitiful that this makes me so excited?
Ok, all this excitement has exhausted me, so I'm gonna hit the sack. I'll probably dream about magnetic letters all night.... ;-)

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

I have about a minute to spare...

...before missing my midnight deadline for today's post! Holy moly! I just walked in the door from a hair appointment at my friend's salon. I have a feeling I'm going to be crying in the next day or two, because she cut about 4-6" off my hair. She blew it out and straightened it, so right now, it still looks long. But, once I wash it, and it's curly, I know I'm going to really see how short it is, and I think I'm going to be upset.

I knew this was going to happen because in less than a week, at least 6 people have commented on how long my hair has grown since they've last seen me. Last week, the nurse at Stud's doctor's office said, "Oh, wow! I didn't even recognize you! Your hair is SO long!" Just this afternoon, I had to take the babies down for hearing/vision tests, and one of the testers pretty much said the same thing. I only see her once a year, when she comes to do testing, so I guess she would notice it even more than most people.

I've been trying to grow my hair out for YEARS, so I had a feeling my friend was going to end up cutting it tonight. I just didn't expect her to have to cut SO much. I know I sound like a 14 year old, whiny little baby. But, my hair is just about the only thing I have going for me, so I try to do what I can to keep it looking nice. I was actually pleasantly surprised on the night of the dance that it actually didn't look half bad. In the picture I posted from that night (at 4am!) you can see how long it had gotten. If I remember, I'll post another one this week so you can see how short it is now. :( Ok, go ahead, tell me to shut the hell up, and stop acting like a baby. I deserve it.

Monday, January 17, 2011

I swore I would NEVER do it again...

...and yet, here I am. WATCHING THE DAMN BACHELOR!!

I didn't see even one episode of the last season, which was The Bachelorette with Ally. Not even one. That was mostly because the last Bachelor season, where Ally was one of the girls, was so outrageous and unbelievable, I didn't think I could stomach any more. Then, I saw a few of the previews, and I knew it just wasn't going to be worth watching. I actually tried to watch the premier, and I couldn't even get through the whole episode. Yuk!

Ah, but then, I heard that Brad Womack was back. I was definitely curious. I really liked him the last time he was The Bachelor. As a matter of fact, when the show ended, I found myself completely alone in my defense of him and his choice. I had a LOT of respect for him and his decision to not pick either girl. I admired his honestly, and the fact that he was being true to himself. I appreciated that he didn't mislead anyone by saying, "You're the one I want to spend my life with!" when he really didn't (ahem...Jason, are you listening?!).

So far, the girl that I dislike the most is Michelle. Holy hell, she's CRAZY!!! It's only 40 minutes into tonight's episode, and she's pissed me off about 6 times already. Oh my hell, she's SPYING on Brad and another girl!! WTF?!? What a crazy bitch!

OK, I need to go listen to what's going on, since I've been trying to type and watch up til this point. Anyone else out there caught up in this season?

I think I need to be unplugged...

Monday, January 17, 2011

Write about something you feel should not have been invented.

Oh my, I don't even know where to start with this one. The cheeky little devil in me is screaming "The internet!!" as I lose way too many hours each day to the evils of the interwebs!

But, then again, without the internet, there would be no blogging, which means no Bloggy Buddies, and I can't imagine my life without you guys!

And, if we're gonna talk about things that are time suckers in my life, I guess I'd have to get rid of television, too. And THAT ain't gonna happen!

That reminds me...I need to get over to ABC.com and watch all the shows I missed last night because I watched the Golden Globes instead. I need my Desperate Housewives fix! Ta ta for now!

Sunday, January 16, 2011

A few details and pics...

So, we started the evening at the new Italian restaurant I told you about yesterday. We were NOT disappointed. LOVED it!! As a matter of fact, we plan to go back later this week with my parents. We ended up having a little extra time to linger over our meal because I thought the dance started at 7, but it actually started at 7:30. We even let ourselves have dessert. It was so nice to not have to rush through our meal. We really were able to enjoy each other's company. We left the restaurant around 7:20, and headed down the street to the school.

As soon as we arrived at the dance, we all jumped in the line to have our 'official' Mother/Son portrait taken in the library. The hallway that leads to the library is where we all had to stand in line, and as soon as you turn the corner, there is a display case that the art teacher uses to showcase student projects. Look at whose project was front and center!

We did not take even ONE nice photo together last night!! WTH?! I really hated the one we took with the photographer, so I'm not even posting it. Let's see, if you ignore my fluorescent-green gum (that makes me look like a cow chewing its cud), Stud's half-closed eyes (that make him look drunk), and one of his besties trying to get into the picture (with those crazy eyes!) this one is only half bad. :(
Here's the same goofball in his own picture.Stud's #1 Bestie.
Stud's other bestie. Funny story here...some of you may recognize him, since he's been in lots of the photos I've posted here. I don't know if I mentioned that he changed schools this year, so he no longer goes to school with Stud and his other 2 besties. Because of that, I don't get to see him nearly as much as I used to, which makes me sad. I may or may not have mentioned to Stud that we should try to sneak him into the dance. Long story short, here he is! Can you tell how excited I was to see him?One of the Brothers who works at the school very quickly became a favorite of our boys. Brother McGovern was new to the school last year, and became involved in drama club, which is how the boys became so close to him. He is at just about all school functions, which the boys really enjoy.
After I took this picture, Br. McGovern (or Bro, as the boys very affectionately refer to him) said he wanted to take a professional picture with the group, and took them all off to the library. He then came back a little while later with a copy for each boy. So sweet!!

I post about the Mother/Son Dance would not be complete without the obligatory "dip" photo!
The boys came back from taking their photo with Bro with pieces of 'caution' tape tied all over them. (They had used it to mark off the area for the photographer in the library.) One had a piece tied around him like a Miss America sash. A couple had it tied like Rambo headbands. One had it like a belt. You get the picture. They are so goofy!

After the dance, we went bowling. AFTER we arrived at the bowling alley, one of the boys said, "Hey, we should have asked Bro to come with us!" Well, DUH!! We quickly called him to see if he'd like to join us, and I ended up running back to the school to pick him up.

Look at the motley crew I had to bowl with!
This kid never stops cracking me up!!
Just for the record, we played Moms vs. Boys, and we kicked their asses BIG time!!!

After bowling, we all headed over to one of Stud and my favorite restaurants, since we were all starving. I was afraid Bro would want to go home first, since we didn't finish bowling until 1 am, but he was up for some grub, so we headed off for The View. Like I said, this our favorite restaurant, so we were not disappointed. By the time we all finished eating, and I drove Bro back to school, it was around 3:30. We also made a quick pit stop to drop my long-lost son's car (well, his mom's car) at his house because he was going to come back and spend the night at our house. Stud's other friend was going to spend the night, too. That was decided when we finished bowling. Since it was 1am, his mom was too tired to come eat with us, so I offered to keep him, and bring him home today.

Like I said in the last post, the boys pretty much passed out before 4 am. I woke up around 9, and believe it or not, Stud was the first of the 3 boys to get up (around 1), which NEVER happens! Usually his friends have to wake him up. They decided at about 3:30, after playing a couple hours of XBox, that they were starving, so I made some scrambled eggs with cheese, bacon and cinnamon raisin toast. I made a dozen eggs, a pound of bacon, and a half a loaf of bread, and I kid you not, it was gone in less than 10 minutes! Teenage boys are amazing creatures. They washed it all down with about half a gallon of milk.

Shortly after they ate, it was time to drive the boys home, and hunker down to watch the Golden Globes, which is just starting. I hate to leave you so abruptly, but I can't wait to see what Ricky Gervais has up his sleeve for this year. I was able to write this during the Red Carpet portion, which I don't really care about, but now the good stuff is coming.

Just in case you have no life, and want to see the whole album of photos from last night, go here.

It's 4 am...

...and I'm just getting to bed. Once again, we had a BLAST!!! And, despite the time, I still look like this:Trust me, I've looked worse! Especially at 4 am! tee hee!

I brought two of the boys home with me, and thankfully, in the time it took me to undress and get into my jammies, take my contacts out, and feed the dog, the noise coming from downstairs has completely stopped. They must have all passed out. Thank God! I'm about to do the same myself. You KNOW I'll be back tomorrow with the scoop. :)

Saturday, January 15, 2011

I know you've been on the edge of your seat...

...waiting to see the video from last weekend's cheerleading competition. Far be it from me to keep you in suspense any longer!

The day of the competition, I really didn't get to 'watch' them perform, since I was too busy trying to take this incredibly shaky, nausea-inducing video. I was switching back and forth from watching my camera to watching the floor, and really not 'seeing' any of it. Plus, my sister and I were talking and whatever. But, after I downloaded to my computer last night, I watched it for the first time, and thought, "Wow, they really WERE good!" And, I laughed out loud at the coach. Did you catch that move at the end of the video? Think she was a little excited? I suppose that's why they won FIRST PLACE!!

I was a nervous wreck that whole day, watching all the different groups perform. Every single time they threw some little girl up in the air, my stomach would clench. It was awful. And, obviously none of them are my daughters, so could you imagine if it were MY child?! Luckily for me, my niece is NOT one of the girls who gets tossed around, as she's much too big for that. She's nearly 5'7" already, and she's only in 8th grade. One of her besties (who I love!) gets tossed, though, and it scares me to death. Aren't they cute?These two are pretty cute, too!I was laughing at my niece all day because she had her ponytail pulled SO tight, it was pulling the corners of her eyes up. She looked like she had a really bad face lift. I called her Joan (as in Rivers!) but she didn't get it, of course.

As much as I'd love to keep boring you with the minutia of my life, my sister just called and somehow talked me into taking her AND my mother to Sam's Club. Just shoot me now. Even though it's only 11:30, and just KNOW this is going to make me late for my date tonight. Ugh.

Friday, January 14, 2011

It's 7 pm...

...and today's prompt still isn't up, so I'm going to put my jammies on, and settle in for some mindless TV. It was a LONG week, for some reason, and I'm really tired. Plus, I need to be well rested for tomorrow. Why, you ask? Well, it's Mother/Son Weekend!! Woo hoo!!!

The annual Mother/Son Dance at Stud's school is tomorrow. I'm a little excited, in case you couldn't tell. We had such a great time when he was a freshman, and then again when he was a sophomore.

Tomorrow before the dance, we'll be having dinner at a new Italian place in town. I hope it's good. It's really hard for us to go out for Italian, because it's hard to find authentic Italian cooking in a restaurant. It's almost never as good as Mama's!

After the dance, we'll be bowling again, but at a different bowling alley this year. It's actually the one I love in our area (I had many of Stud's birthday parties there when he was little) so I'm really looking forward to it.

I figure we'll be out of the house for a good 8 hours of Mother/Son fun. I can NOT wait!!! You KNOW there'll be pictures, and maybe even video, coming this weekend. AND, as an added bonus, we have a three-day weekend! Woo-to-the-freakin-hoo!!!! Happy Birthday, Dr. King. :)

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Does this count?

Thursday, January 13, 2011

What's the biggest lie you ever told?

I don't know if this is technically a lie, or more of an omission....

I never told my family (or anyone, for that matter) when I threw CSJ out of my house. It was very easy to keep it on the 'down low' because, at the time, he still was on the job, so anytime I showed up somewhere alone, it was just assumed that he was working or sleeping. He always worked afternoons or nights (never days) so it was completely plausible. And, there were LOTS of things he did come to (family parties, etc.) so nobody ever had a clue. I was able to keep it to myself for about 2 1/2 years.

The only reason my mother, and subsequently the rest of the family, found out was because one day, she and CSJ were ganging up on my (ok, teasing me mercilessly, same thing!) and I blew my top and just spewed the whole story. It was killing me to have her siding with him about ANYTHING, and I lost it. Right there in my mother's driveway, at the top of my lungs. Then, I whipped my wedding rings (which I had continued to wear as part of the charade) across her lawn and into her bushes. Yeah, definitely one of my prouder moments....

After we left, my mother went out and looked on her hands and knees for all three of my rings. I really did/do love those rings, so I'll forever be thankful to her for doing that. I had a whole plan laid out with CSJ in regards to those rings. He would never have had to come up with any ideas for 'big' gifts for me, as I already told him what to get. I purposely never had my rings soldered because I wanted to be able to mix and match to get different looks. I suppose I should explain what the hell I'm talking about.

My wedding set. (PLEASE ignore the ugly, old, pudgy, wrinkled hand!!! What the hell happened to me since I first put that engagement ring on back on St. Patrick's Day 1986?!)

I love all three of these rings. Like I said, I got the engagement ring in March of 86. The ring on top was my first (dating) anniversary gift, and the band on the bottom is my wedding band.

Now, on to the rest of the rings. I thought it would be really cool to also have a solitaire emerald (my birthstone) to wear interchangeably with the diamond solitaire.
I also thought it would be nice to have a band that had alternating diamonds and emeralds.
Why not a new "V" with alternating stones?
Then I could were them both together.
I also wanted a band with all emeralds.
And all of those combinations could be done with the emerald solitaire, too. :)


(I almost wish Stud had never shown me how to use Paint! I'm such a geek!)

I love my rings so much, that over the years, I've often thought about wearing them on my right hand as a cocktail ring. But, I just can't bring myself to do it. I don't know what to do with them, so they've been sitting in a box, in a basket, in a cabinet in my kitchen, for over 13 years now. There have been lots of times I've thought about just selling them, but I just couldn't. I don't think I can pass them on to Stud, either, to give to some girl MANY years from now. I know it sounds silly, but I feel they're kinda cursed. They definitely don't have good karma attached to them. I wouldn't want Stud to pass on the bad vibes to a woman he loves and wants to spend his life with, ya know?

So, what do you guys think? Comments, questions, suggestions...I'll take them all!

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

It's late, and I'm tired...

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

What do you prefer listening to, music with lyrics or music without?

Generally, with lyrics. However, I do enjoy listening to classical music (that would be my inner band geek talking), as well as the occasional "elevator music."

That's all there is tonight, folks. I had a VERY long day (having to do with Stud and some medical issues) so I'm gonna hit the sack. Maybe I'll feel like sharing tomorrow. Nighty night.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Have you giggled today?

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

What's the most fun you've had without laughing?

Wait, is this a trick question?! What kind of fun is there to be had without laughing?! Oh....wait....I can think of an answer now, but I can't really share it here..... ;-)

I have a couple of quick giggles to share with you from today at the Hell-Hole. It's DIBELS time again (can't you just feel my excitement? NOT!) which usually means some funny moments.

I called my little buddy, MC, over to take his test. We got through the first test, where he had to tell me the sounds in words. We made it through the next test, where he had to use given words in sentences. The third test I gave him is called Nonsense Word Fluency (NWF), and basically just tests whether or not the babies know their sounds. (For example, the 'word' on the page may be moj. They can either just read it - 'moj'- or they can say each sound individually- /m/ /o/ /j/) There are 5 'words' on each line, and I don't know, about 10 or 15 lines on the page.

Anyway....the first two tests I gave MC didn't require the book. When we got to NWF, I opened the book to appropriate page. He takes one look at it, shakes his head and says, "So...we meet again..." I almost fell off my damn chair!!!! Sometimes I think MC has a 45 year old man trapped in his 6 year old body!

I got TWO new boys today. I'm up to 28 babies now, and we are really feeling crowded in our already cramped room. They are cousins, which now brings me to four sets of cousins in my class. The one little boy, KM, is going to be a challenge, I think. More on that later.

But, this is what I wanted to tell you about. I realize I've never actually put my name on this blog, in the interest of anonymity, but just this once, I have to. (I may just delete this post later.) My married name is Lopez. So, all day, little KM kept calling me "Mrs. mumblemumbleLopez." I couldn't figure out what the hell he was saying all morning. Then after lunch, when he did it again, it sounded like he was saying "Mrs. JordanLopez." I thought maybe his last teacher was named Jordan. I was going to correct him, but I figured, who cares. He'll get it eventually.

When we settled in to work on social studies (MLK unit) I sat across from him at his table. He had a question, and I heard, "Mrs. GeorgeLopez?" Huh?!? Wait, did I hear what I thought I heard? About 30 seconds later, I again heard, "Mrs. GeorgeLopez?" All one word, mind you. I thought I was gonna bust a gut! I managed to keep the roar just a giggle. But, the more he kept saying it, the harder I laughed. The poor baby! When I finally caught my breath, I said, "KM, just say Mrs. Lopez, ok? My name is Mrs. Lopez."

OK, so the next couple times he called me, he got it right. But, within five minutes, I was back to being Mrs. GeorgeLopez. Sheesh, I WISH!!! He's loaded!!!

I'm off to make some games for the babies. They've really been making me smile lately. I hesitate to put it out there, since I'm always afraid of jinxing myself, but so far 2011 with the babies has been pretty damn nice. I'm gonna just leave it at that.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Hey, today didn't suck...

Monday, January 10, 2011

Find a quote that fits your intention for today and tell us both of them.

The object of teaching a child is to enable him to get along without a teacher.
Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author, editor and printer.
I'm pretty sure my 'intention' is clear.
You need to go over to Stephanie's blog, and check out this give-away!! Most of you already know how much I adore my crockpot, so her blog is one that I check daily. Check it out!

Keeping it short and sweet today. The title says it all. :)

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Sunday Drive

I went on a little road trip with my Sissy today. Her youngest was in a cheerleading competition today in Bloomington (home of Illinois State University) which is about 150 miles from here. Yeah, nice little drive, right?

The girls went down last night, and spent the night at a hotel. Of course, our girls were performing first, so we had to be on time. Thankfully, the competition didn't start until 10. My sister and I hit the road just after 7 am, as Mapquest said it was going to be approximately a 2 1/2 hour drive. Well, thanks to my expert driving skills (aka, speeding like a mofo!) we made it in about an hour and a half.

The highway was pretty much empty at that time on a Sunday morning, so we just cruised along, taking in the scenery (which was pretty much LOTS of flat land!), chatting, singing, laughing, having a great time. I guess that's why I didn't realize how fast I was going most of the time. At one point, I glanced down at my speedometer to see that the needle was nearly at 100. (Go ahead, yell, get it out of your system. Done? Ok.) I guess that's how I was able to shave so much time off our journey.

Being the first school to perform meant we had to sit and wait for a very long time for the awards ceremony. Actually, my niece asked my sister if we were going to just watch them perform and then leave, because she was worried that she would have to go home with us instead of the friend she drove there with yesterday. The little shit! We assured her that we weren't going to drive over 2 hours to watch a 4 minute routine, and then turn around and drive 2+ hours back home. When the girls are in competitions 'at home,' my sister and I usually leave and have lunch or shop or something, then go back for the awards. But, we didn't know where the hell we were, or where anything was in the area, so we just basically sat in the auditorium, in those oh, so comfortable bleachers for about 5 hours.

It was all worth it in the end, though, because guess which school won 1st place! Woo hoo!! I took some photos and videos to share, but in all honesty, I'm too tired and lazy to get out of bed and get my camera so I can upload them for you. Maybe tomorrow?

In the windup, my niece did drive home with us. We stopped to get something to eat, so by the time we finally got on the road, it was already getting dark. Not exactly the time of day that I wanted to do such a long drive, but what are you gonna do? We ended up getting off the highway about a block from the bar because I needed gas, and then we popped into the bar because I had to go potty. I knew I wouldn't be able to make it another 45+ minutes it was going to take for me to drop off my sister and niece, and then get home. I walked in my door at 7 pm, 12 hours after I walked out.

It was a great way to spend a Sunday. But, now I'm really tired, so I'm gonna hit the sack. I need to be well rested for another week at the Hell-Hole! ;-)

Saturday, January 8, 2011

What a way to end a week...

Now that I've had a good night's sleep, I'm not so emotionally charged about what I wanted to share with you from yesterday. That's not a bad thing, and it'll keep me from unleashing the slew of swear words that were swirling around my head yesterday. As a matter of fact, I think I'm just going to try to give you the short version of the story.

Yesterday, in a matter of less than an hour and a half, 4 cars were broken into at the Hell-Hole. Just after 8:30, there was an all-call over the PA system, asking for the owner of a red blah-blah-blah (I don't even remember what kind of car) to come to the office. I just assumed they needed to move their car, as that happens pretty frequently around the Hell-Hole. I didn't give it any thought. About 9ish, one of our security guards comes to our door, and asks me what kind of car I drive. As he's talking to me, one of the assistants also comes to my door with the same question. They both thought that a certain silver car in the lot was mine. Mr. T., the security guard (haha, I just realized he's Mr. T.!) told me that it was the second car that morning to be broken into. Thankfully, it wasn't my car. The cars that had been broken into were parked in the lot that is next to the school. I park in the very tiny lot behind the school. (One of the things I loved about my old room is that I could literally see my car all day long out my window. Now, if I wanted to keep an eye on my car, I'd have to park it on the street in front of the building, and that's not gonna happen.)

Mr. T. told me a few minutes later that the silver car they thought was mine actually belonged to a woman who was essentially making a service call to the school, and that the jackass that broke into it did it about a minute after she walked into the building. It seems to me that whoever did it was watching, and saw someone he knew didn't work at the school, so they figured what a perfect target. He smashed the window, and grabbed a bag that was on the seat. Unfortunately for him, one of the older men who work at the Hell-Hole (Mr. E., who is in his 70s) saw him and yelled, and the jerk dropped the bag and ran. Turns out, it was a bag of clothes that the woman was going to drop off at Goodwill on her way home. Hell, she would have GIVEN it to him if he had asked. So, he got away with nothing, and she's now got a busted out window. Nice, right!? "Thanks for visiting the Hell-Hole!"

Within a half-hour of hearing that story, two more cars were broken into, but this time in the back lot (where I park!). WTF?! My first question was, 'why the hell weren't the police there yet, at least to write up reports for the first two break-ins?' However, I knew the reality of it was simply this - they have WAY bigger fish to fry in that neighborhood than a couple of car windows being smashed. The did come, however, but by then, there were 4 people who had been victimized. And, the kicker is, NOTHING was taken out of any of the cars. It was more vandalization than burglary, I guess, which to me, is even more pointless and annoying.

Well, so much for the short story. Although, I'm sure those of you who know me well laughed when you read "short story" cuz you know I can never do that, even though I always say I will. What can I say? I'm chatty!

Oh, I forgot this little tidbit. Right after lunch, New Principal buzzed my room. First, let me tell you that since we've been back from break, there has been something wrong with our PA system. We can't hear what the hell they're saying to us! It's really annoying. We know they've buzzed into the room because there's a beep first, but then nothing. Anyway, New Principal buzzes in, I hear, "Mrs. L?" I answer, but then hear nothing. I called out a few times, saying, "I can't hear you," because I know SHE can hear ME on her end. Nothing. About 30 seconds later, repeat of the same. Now, truthfully, I was getting nervous because I thought they were calling to tell me that now MY car had been broken into. (I had just found out during lunch that the fourth car had been vandalized.) So, I walked down to the office myself to see what was going on. Turns out, it was just an early dismissal for one of my babies. On a side note, it was his birthday yesterday, and we hadn't had a chance to celebrate. Luckily, his mom wasn't in a big hurry, so she came down to the room, and we did a rushed version.

Now, despite having the week end on such a crappy note, the first week back really wasn't so awful. Maybe I'll feel like talking about it later (you know, since I don't think I'll be following those crappy prompts for much longer) but I'm trying to approach work with a different attitude/outlook in the new year. I'm hoping this will reduce my stress level, even a little. So far, so good. Shoot....I hope I didn't just jinx myself.... ;-)

Friday, January 7, 2011

A stupid prompt deserves a stupid post...

Friday, January 7, 2011
Write a post using the following words: oregano, football field, blackbird, hurricane, and loop.

One afternoon, Jack and Diane decided to smoke a little "oregano." So, they walked down to the football field, and sneaked under the bleachers. After they both had a little buzz going, Diane noticed a blackbird flying erratically around the field. They both stepped out from behind the bleachers just in time to see a hurricane coming, which really threw them for a loop, since they lived in the middle of Iowa.

I apologize for making you read that. I'm really starting to have some serious second thoughts about doing NaBloPoMo for January. These prompts have been awful. Maybe I should just go back to what I did the first month, and write about whatever I want, as long as I post every day.

I actually had a Hell-Hole post all written in my head, but since I didn't get on the computer to post until nearly midnight, I'm going to save it for tomorrow when I'm not so exhausted.

Email of the Day

It all began with an iPhone...
March was when my son celebrated his birthday, and I got him an iPhone. He just loved it. Who wouldn't?
image
I celebrated my birthday in July, and my wife made me very happy when she bought me an iPad.
image

My daughter's birthday was in August so I got her an iPod Touch.
image

October came by, so for my wife's birthday I got her an iRon.
image

It was around then that the fight started...
What the wife failed to recognize is that the iRon can be integrated into the home network with the iWash, iCook and iClean.
(This inevitably activates the iNag reminder service.)
I should be out of the hospital by Tuesday!

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Who comes up with these prompts?

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Kant said that we require three things by which to measure happiness: someone to love, something we like to do, and something to look forward to. Who do you love, what do you like to do, and what are you looking forward to this year?

1.my son

2. work with/teach the babies

3. getting a new job

That's all I got. It's really late, and I'm really tired.


Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Oh, what a night...

Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Tell us about the day you were born.

I kinda wish I could have had my mom do a guest post, for obvious reasons, but I'll do my best. I've certainly heard the story of my birth plenty of times, but I think it would be better hearing it straight from the horse's mouth.

First, let me tell you that I was VERY late. "Back in the day," they let women go past their due dates, and in some cases (mine!) WAY past their due dates. I was due to be born sometime around the first week of April. My daddy was kind of hoping I'd be a couple days late so I would be born on his birthday (April 11). Well, as you all know (*snicker*), my birthday is May 8. I know!! A month after I was due to enter the world. WTF, right?!


Now, before you start crackin' wise, and saying that the due date was just miscalculated, it wasn't. My parents know exactly when I was conceived. Right after my mom got pregnant, my paternal grandfather passed away, so my dad went back to Italy for about a month. So, no, there's no chance that I was conceived later than they thought.


My parents tried all kinds of things to get me to finally come out and meet them. Their favorite was driving up and down the rough, bumpy streets of Chicago (there were still some 'back streets' then that were pretty awful) at high speeds, hoping to bounce me right out of there. Yeah...not so much.

My mom always loves to tell the story about the day befo
re I was born. She says I was incredibly active that day. According to her, I was trying to come out her belly button. She says I exhausted her with my acrobatics all day, so she tried to go to bed early. But, when she tried to lie down, she said it seemed like I was trying to stand straight up. She says I was literally lifting her off the bed. (Keep in mind that my mother has always been a tiny little thing. She weighed 95 lbs on her wedding day. The day she had me, she weighed in at a whopping 110!) My dad spent most of the night trying to hold me down, with BOTH hands, so my mother could try to sleep a little. He even fell asleep that way.

Very early the next morning, my mom woke up because she had to pee. When she got up, she realized her nightgown was wet, but padded to the bathroom anyway, thinking she peed the bed. When she got to the bathroom, she turned on the light, and saw that her entire nightgown was soaked with blood. She went back to the bedroom and flipped the light on, and says it looked like a murder scene. All my jumping around the night before must have really shredded her insides.

Enough with the gore. I'm making myself queasy. I was my mom's biggest baby, weighing in at 6 lbs 15 oz. She brought me home on Mother's Day. Perfect, huh?
And, I've been perfect ever since - NOT!!

I AM perfectly nuts and obsessed with one thing. Come on, say it with me....PENGUINS! Just because I love you guys so much, I took a picture for you today to share how crazy I am.
THIS is what I saw when I threw my covers back this morning:Ok, stop laughing. I've decided to do a whole series of photos for you of all the different combinations of this set up I can come up with. I have a couple of other pairs of penguin pajamas. I just bought myself a new pair of fleecy penguin pajama pants at the freakin' grocery store the other day (hey, they were on clearance! How could I possibly say no?). I have several more sets of flannel penguin sheets, and a couple more pairs of penguin socks. Alright already, enough with the laughing!! You know you can't wait to see the pictures.

Finally tonight, at the request of a fellow teacher blogger, I want to share this link to a post on Miss Elphaba's blog about the movie "School of Life." Based on the clips she's posted, I'm going to search this out. And, hey, Julie, it stars Ryan Reynolds!! (although, being his girlfriend and all, you probably already know that, huh?)