How in the world did she know.....

...that I was having such a horrible day?

The past 36 hours or so have been kinda on the crappy side.  I came home from work in a really awful mood, for many reasons, the least of which was the hour I had just been stuck in traffic.

I walked into my room, to change out of my work clothes, only to find a package on my bed.  Hmmm...what's this?

Look what I found in the box:

Oh my holy hell!!!  It's SO stinkin' cute!!!!!  My sweet Bloggy Buddy, Ricochet, sent this adorable bag to me, completely out of the blue.  It literally brought tears to my eyes.  It was exactly the bit of joy I needed today.  And, it seriously warmed my heart to know that just because I've been away from the Blogosphere FOREVER, I haven't been forgotten.

Thank you, Ricochet!!  Your kindness is such a blessing!

Isn't it cute/funny/interesting/cool....

...that within a matter of a couple of days, both my brother and sister sent this to me?  (My brother sent it to me "from Monkey," but still.)

I have the best Bloggy Buddies!!

A couple weeks ago, I made a donation toward Swim Across America, for my Bloggy Buddy, M.  The swim benefited child cancer research.  M's daughter is a survivor of childhood cancer (Thank you, God!)

Anyway, as a "thank you," she made me this freakin' adorable kitchen towel!!!

Don't you love it?!?!  I had Monkey today, and as soon as she saw it, she yelled, "PENGUIN!"

Thank you, M!  I love it!!  You found the perfect way to bring my two obsessions together. =)

Just for fun, I'll show you a couple of pictures I snapped of my Monkey, about 1 minute apart.

I have the sweetest Bloggy Buddies

My Bloggy Buddy, Ricochet, sent this to me today. The subject line of her email said, "This was written for you."



At the time that I checked my email, I had a Monkeys Marathon playing on the TV. I had also watched the Brady Bunch episode with Davy Jones and two episodes of Love American Style with him this morning. This just kinda pushed me over the edge, and actually made me cry. :(

Naturally, I have this book by Sandra Boynton, who is one of my favorite children's authors. I also have this song saved to a flash drive, as I would play it for my babies when we read the book. But, I had never seen this 'behind the scenes' video before. Thanks, again, Ricochet!!

I need a little distraction...

...from this and this. Here's another button I picked up today. Unfortunately, I don't even remember whose blog I stole it from. Sorry. If it was yours, please leave me a comment, so I can give you credit!
I've always had a "thing" for pits, and have always been of the school that believes their bad rap is SO undeserved. I feel even more strongly about it since my brother rescued his pit three years ago. If I ever get another dog, it'll absolutely be a rescued pit. However, it may have to raise itself because I've promised to jump off a bridge before I EVER get another dog!

Here are a couple cute pictures of my brother's dog, just to remind you how cute he is!


You may remember that my neighbor rescued her own pit this past summer. Here's an early puppy picture of Max. He's just about the same size as Pootz these days. I got the sweetest email today from my Bloggy Buddy, Debbie in Japan. Here's a little excerpt...

...okay....so, i was going through some pictures, getting a bit of organization accomplished when i came across this one and was wondering if i had actually sent it to you?? i honestly don't remember. ;-/

we were at one of our most favorite of stores and my youngest was like "you have GOT to see this" and drug me to another part of the store.

This was the photo attached:Can you even freakin' believe it?! Well, wait, some of you don't know this, but Deb is actually just as obsessed with flamingos as I am with penguins. You may remember that she sent me the coolest package a few months ago LOADED with penguin goodies. She freakin' rocks!!! A few weeks later, she sent me another prezzie.

My reply -

Are you freakin' SERIOUS?!?! You didn't stage that?? Awesome! I think it's a sign that we are destined to meet in person on day. :) Thanks for sending me the smile.

She emailed back -

right hand over my heart-left hand in the air swear that i did NOT stage that! awesome, right?!! even koji recognizes total coolness when he sees it!!! ;-D i'm not even really sure what the heck those two figures were doing together....but....i do recognize karma when i see it.....and yes...we WILL meet....someday!!!

have a fantabulous day/evening!!!

xoxo

It's still cracking me up!

Thanks

My sweet Bloggy Buddy, Debbie, sent me a lovely little Thanksgiving note today, along with this adorable video. She said it made her think of me. I can't imagine why. ;-)


Happy, happy Thanksgiving to all of you. My friends, both bloggy and IRL, are high on my list of things I will be giving thanks for today. I hope your day is spent surrounded by loved ones. Oh, and food. Lots and lots of food.

So sweet, my teeth hurt!

One of my favorite bloggers, La Roo, posted this over at her place today. I just HAD to share it with you guys.

Now, for a great big belly laugh, go see what my other bloggy buddy, Jim, posted over at his place tonight. TOO funny!!

She did it again!!!

Because I was gone all day yesterday, and didn't get home until very late, I didn't get yesterday's mail out of my mailbox until right this minute. Look what was in there! ANOTHER gift from my friend Debbie! I wonder why she thought this was so perfect for me... ;-)

She better watch it, a girl could get very used to this kind of treatment. THANK YOU, Deb. Your generosity is astounding!

My day just keeps getting better and better...

...because I have the BEST freakin' friends!!! My Bloggy Buddies are on a roll today. First, Ricochet sends me that adorable video (see below). Then, I went to get my mail, and found a wonderful surprise!

No, not this junk mail.
This package from Japan!!My dear, sweet friend, dkuroiwa, sent me some pressies! She feels almost the same about flamingos that I do about penguins. (I say 'almost' because nobody is as big a freak as I am!)There was a sweet note in the package. I had to laugh at what she said about the stationery. I don't know if you can tell from this picture, but the stationery is actually turned on its side because the lines are designed for Japanese characters.
How freakin' cute are these!? You can write a little note on the penguin's belly, then you fold up his arms into a hug, and stick it to a gift or anything else you want.
These are cool. They are index stickers, designed to be stuck to the side of pages, like tabs. So cool!
Now, these next three things are really awesome. They are called tenugui. D said they were originally used as bandages and/or just to put around your neck or head on hot days. Now they are also used to "advertise" at festivals, etc.

This one she thought Stud would find interesting. It is covered with different sumo positions. The symbols are Kanji, and she thought Brian might be able to translate. Well, as soon as I unfolded it, Brian said, "Oh, I can read that!"
Here's a close up view of the cloth. How interesting.
This one is a Chinese Dragon Dance.
This third one is extra special, thanks to her explanation. She said she picked it out because of the picture on it, but after her husband translated it, she said she "realized that is is perfect for" me! The picture is Kannon, the Goddess of Mercy. She wrote me a special blessing - "May she watch over and protect you and help keep you strong!" How incredibly sweet is she?!


Like I said, I have the BEST friends EVER!!! I'm off to write 'someone' a heartfelt thank you letter!

Email of the Day

Thanks to my friend, Ricochet, THIS is how I started my day today. :)



Thank you, my friend, for guaranteeing my day started with a smile!

It exactly what I needed after the story in our local news yesterday that Lincoln Park Zoo will be temporarily closing its penguin exhibit. I was seriously teary-eyed when I heard that. They say they're going to renovate, and then bring the penguins back, but it won't be soon enough for me. :(

I have the best friends...

Do you remember when I told you about my breakfast with Jo? Well, last week, she sent me an email telling me that she picked up some friends for me on her road trip, and now that she's home, she's going to send them to me. Now, I knew by the way she said "friends" that it was going to have something to do with penguins, which made me smile.

This morning, when I went outside to see if the damn mailman ever showed up yesterday (it obviously was after 6, cuz that's the last time I checked my mailbox!) I found a package on my doorstep. Look what was inside!!How flimmin' flammin' cute is this trio?!?!

I had just taken them out of the box and set them on my table this morning when my sister walked in the door. She took one look and yelled, "Where in the world did you get brass penguins?! Those are adorable!" I agree wholeheartedly!

Thank, Jo! You're the best. That was SO totally unnecessary, but oh, so appreciated!

THIS is what I woke up to today :)

Could this be any cuter? This was the first email I opened this morning from my Sista-Girl, C. Thanks, C!! That was the perfect way to start my day! Love you, Sista!

It must be The Day of the Penguin!!

Immediately after posting the video below, I got this in my mailbox from my sweet Bloggy Buddy, dkuroiwa, over at Etc., Etc., Etc. Guess what will be on our Easter table in a few days...

Cutest thing EVER!!!

Thanks, Bestest Friend!! That was the PERFECT way to start my day!!!

***9:10 am
Oh my hell!! They just played this video on Regis & Kelly!! Yay!

Email of the Day 2

My Bloggy Buddy, dkuroiwa, sent me this great music video today. It's by The Penguins!!! And, on a funny note, the first song on my wedding video is Earth Angel! It plays during the part where I'm getting dressed and ready for the wedding. Too funny! Thanks, D!

I have never been MORE jealous in my entire life!!

I'm moving to Japan! Hey, dkuroiwa, start looking for me on your doorstep! ;-)

Spirit Week, The Recap

I had intended to write this post over the weekend, when I could include photos, but I think I'll just have to come back and add them later at home. Today, only 13 babies showed up for school. Apparently, I never received the memo that stated a pizza party signifies the end of the school year. Hmmm...oh, well. I'll just have to deal with having 1/2 my class gone... ;-)

Ok, so I already shared Monday's festivities. Fun, fun, fun! Tuesday was Crazy Hat/Hair Day, and the babies did not disappoint! The girls had the crazy hair, and the boys wore the hats. I actually only had 3 boys that did not have hats, but as luck would have it, I had three "crazy" hats in my trunk (from last year's Spirit Week!) so it all worked out perfectly! I didn't need the paper hats after all. I'm going to pack them away for next year. I've already thought of a hundred different things we can do with them (including making 100th Day hats! yay! I've warned you all several times now that I'm a helplessly geeky teacher, right?) I tried to take pictures of my hair for you, but of course my camera died! I had the front of my hair up in a ponytail (picture samurai hair?) then I braided that. I put the two sides up in pigtails, and the back was up in a bun. The babies thought it was hilarious, and the adults all told me I looked like a little girl (because of the pigtails). I took pictures of the babies, though, and I will post them later.

Wednesday was Mix 'N Match Day, and it was too cute! Let me first tell you how I dressed. I prayed all the way to school, that I wouldn't get pulled over or in an accident, because I would have a hard time explaining myself! I took half of my hair and put it in a french braid, then put the other half in a pigtail. Because I did this immediately after I got out of the shower, my hair was soaking wet. As I drove, I must have been twisting the pigtail, because by the time I got to school, it was one big banana curl (picture Cindy Brady!) I had one brown eye and one green eye. I had on a crazy patterned top (flowers and hearts) with a pair of penguin pajama pants (navy blue pants with white penguin silhouettes) I wore one orange sock and one red sock, one slide-on sandle (the ones that I adore, that make my foot feel better! smart, right?) and one clog. I looked utterly ridiculous, which was the point, after all! Most of the babies wore two different shoes and/or two different socks. A couple actually wore some mixed patterns.

Unfortunately, the Trail Mix was a big bust! Most of the kids didn't like it, and I watched my $$ get thrown right in the trash. :( I don't understand it. It was all stuff they liked individually. As I told them what each ingredient was going to be, I kept hearing "mmmmmm!" but then once it was mixed together, they didn't want it. Go figure!

Thursday was a cute day. Not all the babies brought Teddy bears, though. Some of the kids, however, brought bears that were literally bigger than they were! It was hilarious! I had downloaded a bunch of teddy bears pages from a website, so we colored teddy bears, wrote our Daily News on teddy bear paper, and made a jointed teddy bear. That afternoon, the Teddy Grahams and Gummy bears were a HUGE hit!

Friday was Pajama Day, always my favorite day! I wore a different pair of penguin pajamas (I know, you're shocked that I have more than one, right!?) and put my hair in pigtails (this time they both were in Cindy Brady curls!) and most of the babies wore jammies, too. All but one of the girls wore cute two-piece pajamas, as did about half of the boys. One little guy, DB, wore his Superman pjs under his clothes, but didn't want to take the clothes off. He had denim shorts on over his long Superman pants. It was hilarious! His mom also brought us cupcakes, which was an unexpected treat. Another mom brought three big bags of candy for the kids (I ended up making candy bags to take HOME!) so we had lots of treats. During my prep, I convinced my friend to go to the grocery store with me, so he could run in for me, (I didn't want to walk around the store in my pajamas!) and get the Popsicles. Turns out we didn't even eat them since we had too many other treats. I'm hoping we have a warm day tomorrow or Wednesday so we can go outside and eat them. It's raining today :(

I guess because we had a week of celebration, my parents assumed that school was over. Um, hello!! Who the hell said that?! I guess I shouldn't be complaining, but I'm not ready for the babies to leave yet. I haven't given them their end-of-the-year gifts, they didn't empty their cubbies, they didn't take their papers home, WE'RE NOT READY!! They didn't even get their report cards yet. And, many of them owe me library books. I'm really pissed about this, to tell the truth.

I have never let my students take my library books home before. Never. I knew I would never see them again. Now don't get wrong, I have hundreds of other books that I let the babies "borrow" because I don't really care if I get them back. Some were here when I came to the Hell-Hole, and the rest I've accumulated over the years, either through donations from colleagues, book drives, or other programs (we have this awesome program every year called Bookworm Angels.) Anyway, I made a list this morning of every child who owes me a book, with the name of the book and the replacement cost, to hang on my door. I'm also giving the office a copy because none of those children will receive a report card until the book is brought back or paid for. Sad thing is, most just won't get their report cards because their parents could care less. But, since today's post is not going to be a bitching session, I'm moving on....

We only have two full days left of school. Thursday is a teachers institute day so the kids are off, then Friday the kids are supposed to come for one hour. What a waste! I actually convinced the Big Cheese to print the report cards out early so we can pass them out on Wednesday, thus eliminating the need for the children to return on Friday. Our attendance is anticipated for the last week of school, anyway, so the kids are already marked present. The teachers only work a half-day on the last day, so we are finished at 11:30. That is, IF you worked both Report Card Pick-Up nights. I don't know why they always stipulate that. Who would NOT work Report Card Pick-up? But, I guess some people don't, since it's in the evening. Who knows!

Traditionally, I meet for lunch with a group of my teacher friends on the last day of school, since we get out so early. Even though we don't all work together anymore, we still try to keep up with this, since we so rarely see each other anymore. I'm really looking forward to our lunch.

Oh, one crappy little thing I realized today...we start back to work on AUGUST 5TH!!! I want to cry. I keep trying to find the silver lining in this year-round BS, but things like this make it really, really hard....ok, I said no bitching, right? I'll come back and do it tomorrow....

Seriously?!

OK, it's been pretty rainy here lately. Plus, the temperature dropped over the weekend. Monday night we were expected to have a low in the 30s and snow. Freakin' snow! (In the windup, it didn't snow, but it was cold as hell.) Today, it warmed up quite a bit (60s) and by Friday, we are supposed to hit 80. Seriously?! I'm already annoyed. It was too warm for me today, and it was only in the 60s. Yeah, I know, I'm weird. I've said it before, and I'll say it again - I think I was a penguin in a previous life!

I give up...

I've been fighting the urge to add this blog to my blog list for quite some time now. I mean, come on, it's called Fuck You, Penguin! How in the world can I condone such a thing?!?! (Those of you who may not be long-time readers are probably confused right now, huh? Suffice it to say, I have a sick, twisted obsession with penguins.) However, this blog is on the blog list on a couple other blogs I regularly read, and I can never resist clicking on it. It's actually a really hilarious blog, and I love it! I just couldn't stand the thought of seeing "Fuck You, Penguin" on the side of my blog every time I opened it. Well, I'm just going to have to deal with it, cuz I need to share it with those who have never read it. Be warned, you need to have a sick, warped sense of humor to truly enjoy it. And, it's all in good fun, so don't get your panties in a bunch!

While I was away...

...some stuff was going on! Here is a modge-podge of "stuff" I've been meaning to post about.

I did a seriously half-assed job of decorating this year. I just haven't been in the mood to do all the holiday stuff. Perhaps my three jobs have something to do with my lack of enthusiasm? I don't even know why I'm sharing these pictures with you, since the decorating pretty much sucks.

I usually look so forward to the day after Thanksgiving, as that's usually my big decorating day. In the three years that it's taken to finish my freakin' basement remodel (a post for another day!!) I haven't really done the big decorating. At least not inside, since it's been pretty much a mess for the past three years. Over the past couple of years, I've been slowly weeding out the decorations that didn't work, and last year, I finally threw out all my lights. Most of them were strings that only half worked (I would just bunch up the half that didn't work, so you couldn't see them) and I was sick of using them. I got rid of everything! I also threw out my Christmas tree a couple of years ago, since it had gotten filthy with construction dust. The past few years, I've been purchasing a potted "baby" tree at Sam's Club and just setting it on a table as our Christmas tree. I know, pretty lame, right?

I went to WalMart the day after Thanksgiving, and long story short, I picked up a couple of trees for $25 each. Yay! They're pre-lit, which I've always been vehemently opposed to, but I figured, screw it, they're $25! Once I got them home, and opened the boxes, I fell in love! I actually bought extra lights, since I figured there wouldn't be enough on the tree, but once I plugged them in, I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't need to put any more lights on the tree, and that left me lights to string around the room in the basement. It looks perfect for the party my son will be having Friday night. (I haven't taken pictures yet of the decorations, but I probably will the night of the party.)

But, I'm still a sad, sorry case. I only brought one box of ornaments in from the garage (because they were in my way when I was trying to get my outdoor decorations) and they happened to be my son's. It's only about a third of what he has. Every year since he's been born, my mother, sister and I have always given him personalized ornaments every Christmas. Plus, other people have given him ornaments here and there over the years. He has more than enough to decorate a whole tree. Like a said, I brought about a third of them in, and we used them to decorate the tree in the basement, which is "his" tree. No garland or tinsel, just a scattering of ornaments. Like I said, sad! But, it actually doesn't look that bad, does it? I know, it needs a skirt, I'm working on that.
Yes, ever the teacher, I put my Christmas books on display on top of the bookcase. My son has his own bookcase in his section of the basement, and there's about 20 Christmas books on top of it. I know, I'm a dork!
These are the only decorations I put outside. I decided to just "showcase" all my penguins. Plus, Santa, of course! The landscaping is all new (I had it done in November) so the bushes are so little! The are barely big enough to justify lights!Lame, right? I should be embarrassed by these photos, I know. I didn't realize until after I uploaded the pictures to my computer that I didn't get my inside tree in the picture window. I think I had the blinds closed. Oh well, no big deal. It only looks good from a distance, since there's not a single thing on it. Seriously. I didn't put one single, solitary ornament on the tree. I had originally planned to put all my penguin ornaments on it, as I have enough of those to decorate two trees. But, when I went out to the garage to look for them, I suddenly became overwhelmed by the thought of first, lugging all the boxes in, then realizing that in three short weeks, I'd have to pack them all back up and drag them back out to the garage. I just said, "Screw it!" Yeah, I'm definitely feeling the effects of the chronic fatigue I've been suffering with lately. I suppose three jobs will do that to you. That's why I'm cutting myself so much slack, and I refuse to feel guilty about this. The one upside is that we have gorgeous snow on the ground, which always makes the lights and decorations look even better. Gotta LOVE Christmas in Chicago!!

Well, this post has wiped me out. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that I'm trying to watch the series finale of Boston Legal while I type! I know there was more "stuff" I meant to share, but it's going to have to wait until next time. You're welcome! ;-)