Three days to go...

The elementary school teacher profession keeps you hopping at the holidays. There are the holiday programs, Secret Santas, and the cookie exchanges. While it all helps to build the holiday mood (there's no missing the anticipatory buildup to the holidays in grade school), it is a bit tiring after a while.

I have today, Thursday, and Friday to go. I have 'miles to go before I rest.'

The holiday program (which could have been a train wreck, but wasn't) was last night. Of course DH was out of town. One of the secretaries at our school, who happens to be the most fabulous, funny, self-depreciating mother I have ever met (and who loves Mark as if he were her own-- no, really)-- wrangled the toddler while I was on teacher duty.

Just realized the time. I'm off. It's cookie exchange today.

I need some coffee.

Oh, yeah...

We've been watching airline fares on kayak.com for a while. We wanted to go to Germany.

It was $600 for a one-stop flight, and I encouraged my DH to buy... and he wanted to wait.

Then it dropped to just over $500 direct.

Merry Christmas to us. We're going to Germany this spring. :)

Number One and Number Two

There are certain humbling experiences about parenting. We all go through them.

Baby puke on your clothing.

Awkwardness at work as you muddle through your third month of sleep deprivation.

Realizing others around you are disgusted by potty-talk. (As in bathroom-talk, not Illinois governor talk.)

I had a humbling moment tonight.

I have not been able to shop after work for, oh, three years or so. Recently, Mark has allowed me to shop at night. Alone, with him. (This is a small miracle, because I was one of those parents you glared at as I rolled past you with a cart full of screaming infant/toddler.) Tonight, it was off to Staples to buy a printer cartridge to get our Christmas letters knocked out. I was so proud of my boy-- he walked into the store with me, let me put him in the cart, waited patiently as I grabbed the cartridges, and talked to me as we waited in line for the register.

Oh, until we were next in line and he screamed, "MOMMY! I NEED TO PEE AND POOP!"

Apparently he thought I didn't hear, because he then repeated it.

I would have crawled under the cart right there had it been possible.

If you are in public and hear this, please know that we parents don't wish to subject you to this punishment.

Double Standards

I have a dirty little secret. I can cuss like a sailor.

Oh, I definitely try to keep my language clean. It's hard for me, though. At school, I most certainly keep the language under wraps, unless I'm with some of my very close friends. Put me in my car though, and I can let it rip.

I also try to keep it clean around my toddler. I thought I was doing pretty well until Mark dropped a toy one day and said sh-(poopy word).

Why is it necessary to make this confession? Oh, sexism.

Really, I mean that-- sexism.

The last time I heard sexism seriously discussed was when Rudy Guliani went on the Today show and harped about the sexism being heaped upon Sarah Palin. (Before she had gone out to do any interviews, mind you.)

However, sexism has reared its ugly head today.

Hillary? Nope. Palin? Ha-- she wishes. Pelosi? Umm, no.

It centers around Patricia "Patti" Blagojevich. A couple of days ago, I wouldn't have known who she was. Last night, I was throwing my own personal blue streak at the television as I heard what her putz Illinois governor husband had done. (His stupidity both astounds and disgusts me. Ms. Illinois Attorney General, could you please declare him unfit for office already?)

But so what if she has a potty mouth? Did anyone blink an eye when her husband was quoted as using a variety of expletives in his conversations?

Sarah Palin, you don't know sexism. Unfortunately, Patti Blagojevich now does.

Logic

Umm... My toddler is sounding like a barking seal. It's really heartbreaking to hear. He coughed all night long last night, and none of us got much sleep.

After much persuasion (some might call it nagging), DH finally took him to urgent care when Mark's ped. was triple-booked. What was up with the barking like a seal, active and jumping toddler? An ear infection, of course. (How logical is that?)

So it's my turn to stay home tomorrow. I'm thinking chicken noodle soup (homemade, of course), hot cocoa, and Veggie Tales 'The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything' is in order. Or, if he's a rascal, it's the Sprout channel and Easy Mac. We'll see how it goes.

And for the movies...

Inspired by my friend, here are a couple of movies I recently saw.

King Corn-- Wow. If you don't have time to read Michael Pollan's tome The Omnivore's Dilemma, this is a quick alternate overview of the industrial foodchain section. (And if you eat, I personally think that you should read Pollan's book.) If you watch the movie and wonder what to do next, read Pollan's In Defense of Food. Good documentary.

La Vie En Rose-- I watched this one solo. The scene that haunted me was when her boxer lover wakes her up after his flight and the chaos that ensues afterward. So sad to see how she physically deteriorated at such a young age.

No Country For Old Men-- This movie is one of many (The Departed, Sweeney Todd, and others that I can't remember off the top of my head) that I just plain haven't finished. I'm kind of over entertaining myself with dark bleakness. (I felt secretly guilty about it until I saw the article in the Washington Post about this issue...) I get about halfway in and then look a spoiler up on the web. It's making my DH crazy.

Sunset Boulevard-- I have never seen this before (yes, Mike, I deserve twenty lashes...) so I figured it was high time. Gloria Swanson had always skeeved me out when she delivered the "I'm ready for my close-up..." line. I'm glad that I got over it. I now see why it is such a classic. (And I was surprised by the secondary love affair story line.)

That's as far as I've gotten. I got to see half of Madagascar II this weekend (in the theater! Oh, the joy!) before the bulb on the projector burned out and the employees said that we all needed to come back for another showing. Iwas incredibly proud of Mark-- he sat and watched like such a big boy. There's just something wistful and touching about watching your little boy sitting straight up in his seat, watching the movie intently. To quote Mike, good times.

No, I Haven't Fallen Off the Face of the Earth

I truly have been busy.

There was a confrontation between me and my co-worker. She had been snarky and rediculous for a full week. I avoided her until I got a chance to talk to her with no one else around. I calmly stated how I felt-- that she'd hurt my feelings and overwhelmed me when my husband was out of town and I was swamped. I was proud of myself because I know I don't usually confront well. Well, the result was that she didn't talk to me and wouldn't be around me at all for the rest of the week. On one hand, it made me angry that she generated drama about herself from me confronting her about how she'd hurt my feelings. On the other hand, I think that it's just really, really sad.

We finished sending all 100+ blankets around the world and we're now on a first-name basis with the little post office down the road. It was a fundraiser for troops that returned safely from Iraq-- DH's brother is back, safe and sound. While I bit off more than I thought I had with the project, I learned a lot about how to handle it.

Thanksgiving has been private and quiet. We didn't go anywhere. We didn't shop either. What I can't believe are all of the media reports of deep, deep discounts. Umm, where? I truly saw nothing that was worth rolling out of bed for-- at 4 am or 7 am. Give me a computer and websites with free shipping any day.

I'm still trying to finish pumpkin cheesecake and Dorie Greenspan's Spiced Cranberry Cake. My hint for the cranberry cake? Start with the glaze in the recipe, then cover with cream cheese frosting. Oh, and don't eat it the first day-- the flavors need a day to meld. And the America's Test Kitchen green bean casserole is heavenly-- just cut the bread crumb/fried onion topping in half. (It ends up soaking the delicious homemade cream of mushroom soup base, and you end up with green beans encased in soggy oniony mush when you reheat it.) And the meatloaf from the Fall issue of Cook's Illustrated? It made DH pledge his everlasting love to me. And he then transitioned to creative pro-mommy cheers coordinated with our toddler. Yeah, it is that good.

I'm going to teach this week, go to our staff holiday party Friday night, sell items at a craft show on Saturday, and Sunday I leave for New York City. I have never, ever been to NYC before. (Outer NJ/NY/CT suburbs, yes. JFK airport, yes. Any of the actual boroughs? Never.) I am going with other teachers to see the Rockettes Christmas show. The 10-year-old girl inside me is downright giddy. Department store window displays, Rockettes, urban holiday goodness. I truly cannot wait.

Later this month, it is time for our annual road trip to Minnesota. We'll pack our minivan, load in the DVDs, keep the apple juice and granola bar supply line going, and off we'll go.

My dilemma that I didn't anticipate is: How much do I build up this Santa thing? I've never been a mom before, and I'm a little unsure where to take all of this. I'm tempted to just let the Santa thing build naturally for him. I feel a bit ooky about creating this whole huge Santa myth that will inevitably be blown in a few years. Any advice on how to handle Santa with a two-year-old?

Whew!

Sorry about the lack of posts. I've had quite a few things going on.

I'm trying to get the house tamed. This doggone clutter is kicking my tail.

There are over a hundred blankets in my garage. Don't ask-- just trust me when I say that I need to learn how to say no.

I was observed today by my principal and the central office supervisor for our school. I was nervous, and my co-worker decided it was a good morning to come in my classroom to spew snark. She seems to think that it was funny. (Crickets chirping as I fail to laugh.)

My husband is on travel, of course.

My child has decided that when I am attempting to put him in his carseat is the perfect time to throw a ranting, kicking, screaming tantrum. (Yelling "Ow! Ow! Ow!" He acts like I'm hurting him. Uh, the way you're twisting yourself is where pain is coming from, kid.) Oh, yeah, when I try to take him out of daycare is also a great time for a tantrum. You know the 'How to throw a tantrum' YouTube video? She is a mere amateur compared to my child.

Thanksgiving is next week. The only prep I've done is to make homemade cranberry sauce. That's it. I'll be a busy girl.

I'm wiped. I'm really looking forward to some down time.

Stress

Co-workers? Husband? Son?

All seem like contenders for the tension I've been feeling-- but no, they are not the cause of my stress.

I really think the worst stress is when you're on the periphery of a situation over which you have zero control.

I have a student that has been having a series of health issues. It seems like once the student begins to bounce back, more issues pop up.

The learning is totally not the main focus here. I'm in a twist about this terrific kid actually being able to make it to school and to feel like a normal kid.

There's been enough drama for this kid this year. If you have a spare minute, throw up a prayer for my student. The kid (and for that case, the kid's family), quite frankly, needs it.

Worrywart

This nickname goes back to fourth grade when Milo Winter, the concert band director for a large high school in my home area, called me a worrywart. He said not to be such a worrywart as I played.

He was quite insightful. I am a worrywart.

The presentations went just fine. It was a good day.

Why-0-Why?

Why do I volunteer for things?

I didn't really want to present to my fellow teachers... Now I'm doing it again tomorrow.

I'm not as scared as I was the first time. It was scary because I know how rude teachers can be. Really, really rude. As in obnoxiously rude. They yell and rant. They walk out. They laugh at you. Every single behavior that would spin up a teacher is what they do not hesitate to do in a classroom situation. I'm serious.

Worst case scenario is that by mid-morning, the worst will be over.

One more thing...

Oh, turns out I was inaccurate about the state of the AC in my elementary school in a previous post. They do air condition the building during the summer. Turns out that the chiller on top of the building died. And I had the, umm, luck (?) to move my classroom while there was no air conditioning in the school.

It's fixed now. I will complain no more (about AC, anyway).

Oh, how I love me some snark...

For those of you who think that there are people in this world with too much time on their hands, I believe that the executive producer of CNN's Science, Technology, and Weather division agrees with you. You could cut the snark with a knife, and I love it. Enjoy.

http://scitech.blogs.cnn.com/ (Look at the August 18th, 2008 entry.)

Now my neighbors know I can cuss like a sailor...

It's been a busy time for me this week. Mark started back at his daycare center on Monday. Yes, I skipped out of the center, thinking, "WOOHOO!" in my head. Lovely, lovely daycare. I really do not feel guilty, either. He loves it there. The employees at the center stop me and tell me how much they missed him over the summer. My son loves them. All good.

It's been a busy week at work. I'm not sure when I'll have my classroom prepared. I've been making progress, but that wouldn't necessarily be obvious if you walked into the room. Comments have been made, but it technically doesn't have to be ready until next week. I'm really trying to avoid the stuff-it-in-a-box-and-forget-about-it thing. I want to go through this stuff and actually clean. Which means that my garbage cans are getting filled up each day, but that's not so bad either.

Today was a heckuva day, though. Up to school, worked on my room, out to lunch with new teachers, back to school to show new teachers around, back into my room to clean, and then back to pick up Mark. Came home, and that's where it all fell apart. When I decided to water my garden, there was a 3-foot black snake that crawled right out at me. I don't do snakes. And this explains the title, folks. I let every word I know fly, as I screamed at the top of my lungs and jumped up on the edge of my garden bed. I then spun around to tell (uh, yell at) Mark to stay on our deck. And just then my friend arrived and her two- and three-year-old sons began to run towards me. It was fine, but I literally had to smooth the hairs on my arms so they laid flat again.

Then, I fed my son fresh mozzerella (warm dairy) in the kitchen as he went back for orange juice chasers in the living room. Which resulted in vomited sludge on our living room rug. Bless my friend for cleaning up toddler urp while I cleaned him up in the bathroom.

All of this was followed by a wasp in our upstairs hallway. As my half-naked son refused to stay in his room. The wasp (or is it a hornet if it has an all-black body? I'm never sure...) was sucked up by the vacuum. Which is now sitting on the porch, to the chagrin of my DH. I say he can come down from travel, take apart the vacuum to see if the wasp is dead, and then bring it inside if having a vacuum on the porch is such an emergency.

Time for wine and making of math games. Yay!

Out of curiosity...

I am interested in environmentalism. I use Seventh Generation and Method laundry products so I am reducing dependence on oil-- they use plant based oils. I recycle, can foods grown locally, and donate clothes and household items to a local thrift shop.

Why can't I buy a hybrid minivan? I love my Honda Odyssey, and it gets decent gas mileage. But think of what it could do with a hybrid engine!

The kicker is that the hybrid minivan exists. It's been sold in Japan since 2001.

What's the deal?

I'll stay awake for Smith Island cake...

I'm so tired. Woke up tired. Drove to school tired, worked on moving tired, and sat through a meeting tired.

Finished moving everything out of my old classroom. All of my stuff is fully in my new room.

I am going to Norfolk. Tired, but happy.

The road trip begins tomorrow afternoon. I'm ready.

Oh, yeah. We ate local for DH's birthday. There was some good barbecue. (I've had better, but it worked for the night. But oh, that potato salad...)

And tonight, it was time for cake. Smith Island Cake, that is. Yum. But so rich that you have to have a glass of milk handy. (I needed two refills, but who's counting?)

Sweaty, umm... fun?

I stopped at two schools and the school administrative offices today, toddler in tow, before going to my school. My cutie pie son threw a rip-roaring temper tantrum as we left the first school-- made me crazy, because I don't want to be the teacher with the obnoxious child.

Got into the school and hit the ground running. I was, quite literally, jogging down the hallway with the carts laden with my stuff. (Nothing like the idea of missing out on a mini-vacation to motivate oneself. Here's the deal. If I get everything done, then I get to go to Norfolk-- and outlet goodness at Williamsburg-- with DH as he goes down for his job. If I don't finish, no trip.) Why so sweaty, you ask?

No air conditioning in the building during the summer, folks. Yes, that's right-- your tax dollars are conserved at our school and we only air condition the areas where people are. I mean, where they are supposed to be. It is hot and humid here in the summer, and the building was sweltering.

Then I discovered, two hours into my schlepping, that there is an air conditioner in my new classroom-- that I can control! In the portion of the building that I am leaving, there is only a unit on a master switch controlled by administration. I now! control! my! own! air! conditioner! Ahh, the luxuries of life...

Seriously, though-- as I was working on this day of vacation, since I was finishing up the previous school year less than two months ago-- it was hot, sweaty work today.

What did DH decide to do today on his birthday? To take off early and help his wife in the humid heat. Which he did, fabulously.

The spatial sense on this man of mine is amazing! I was going to go with the furniture arrangement left by the previous teacher. Mais non, DH comes in and reminds me that I'm driving students behind my desk (that ain't good, folks, even at my grade level). He twists the desk, and voila! I have a desk with 10-foot bookcases behind it. No student traffic flows behind my desk.

It's not done, but it's looking like I'll be able to go down to Virginia.

Happy birthday, DH!

Hi ho, hi ho, it's back to work I go...

I go back tomorrow.

Found out at 3 pm on Friday that I am moving to another classroom. Ha, ha, ha...

What makes that so funny, you ask?

Well, if you know me (and if you're reading this, you probably do), you realize that I'm a 'stuff' person. A pack rat. Clutterbug.

I have tried to reform! I tried FlyLady. (DH cancelled the emails, saying, "This obviously isn't working.") I tried a cleaning lady. (DH cancelled her, too-- doggone gas and grocery prices.) I have tried keeping up with it-- and a toddler is in the mix, too.

Unfortunately, that's just at home. I have a whole lotta stuff in my classroom. (Boxes and boxes and boxes...) Therefore, it's off to a babysitter for my dear, sweet child and I'll be schlepping things like a madwoman. It will be me and a cart tomorrow.

M.L.K., if you were nearby (even on this seaboard), I'd hire you for a temp. job. But you probably would laugh at me as you wheeled Wikki Stix and Beverly Cleary books down the hallway!

The kicker is that tomorrow is DH's birthday. And I haven't plan one.

God help me through these next few weeks!

Okay, okay, I'm posting...

I'm still here.

I've been enjoying my vacation, once it began on June 27.

Yes, I said June 27. I was stupid and volunteered for extra duties once school ended. (Why, you ask? Umm... can you say gas money? Milk that costs $4.05 per gallon?)

Anyway, on June 27, it was out to the West.

When one lives two hours away from the airport, it is not wise to leave for your flight 2 hours and 10 minutes before it is to depart. My husband drove up to the airport like a madman. (It took us less than two hours to get there-- it was more like 1:15...) When we were approaching the airport, I called Southwest. I explained that we had three seats and that I didn't think we'd get to the airport in time. The nice lady said that there were seats available on the next flight-- until I explained that two of the tickets were Rapid Rewards award seats. (Not so good when her voice drops and she says, "Oh... Try your best to make your current flight. There are no award seats available on the next flight.") Got to the airport, parked in hourly, ran to curbside check-in, and actually made the flight because the incoming plane was late. (Whew!)

We had a good time in the Black Hills. Mark's grandparents (aka my folks) took him to Storybook Island. We truly, seriously, had more fun at Storybook Island than we did at Walt Disney World at Easter. (Mary, we LOVED seeing the two of you. We did not love our mouse-related experience.) It makes me sad that vandals stole two of the storybook characters since we returned.

It was off to the Big Horn Mountains for the July 4th weekend. On July 4th, we played in the snow. (Seriously, I smacked DH some good ones with snowballs. ) There were no chin quivers from Mark, but it was a great time. We also went for a hike to the Medicine Wheel and to Bucking Mule Falls. It was on the way to the falls that I thought about how mountain lions have been more and more active out west. Got a little freaked. Decided to sing the ABC song to my child and came upon three irritated-looking fishermen who weren't able to get away from it all. Oh, well-- public land, ya know!

When DH and I were dating, my dad took the two of us and my sister down to Rocky Mountain National Park. (Just occurred to me, how weird it must have been for him to sleep in a bed with my dad when we were dating. Poor guy.) DH wanted to go back, so that was our next stop. We took a spectacular drive, and it went from bright sunlight to sleet within 20 minutes once we got to the top. We then drove toward Granby out of the park, and we were shocked by the number of beetle trees. I really hope that there are no fires in this area, because it won't be pretty.

Then it was down to Vail. And sticker shock. We went to a little grocery in the Lionshead area and spent $30 on what would have cost about $18 at home. DH threw a tantrum that lasted a full day. It was pretty crazy. Here we were in Vail, in a suite at a wonderful hotel, overlooking the slopes. And my DH was throwing a hissy regarding overpriced groceries. He warmed up once we went to the hot springs, took a drive through Aspen, and a drive over the mountains.

Umm... I've been tele-netting, and I'm watching the Tour de France. (LOVE the l'Alpe d'Huez segment!) I have watched the Tour de France for years now. The scenery is absolutely spectacular, but I forget every year the number of guys that moon the camera as the peloton goes by. And I must admit that I haven't seen an ugly tush. Am I horrible for actually enjoying the backsides of those young males who dare to moon an international audience?

Late night temper tantrum-ing has commenced, and I must go.

I will complete this novel at a later time.

Goodbye, Tim

It was with absolute shock that I realized that the man that I invite into my home every Sunday morning has passed. I can be in my jammies, with a hair horn from sleeping, eating our traditional weekend breakfast scramble, and sitting down with a political wonk makes the morning feel complete.

Being from a struggling town, with a dad who passed on a blue collar work ethic, I highly respected Tim Russert. He had a gift for taking something complicated and boiling it down to its essence. In addition, he didn't argue with those he was interviewing-- he put their words up on the screen and let them respond.

I really want to focus on those last three words-- he let them respond. What bothers me most about modern journalism is that journalists will throw out a question, wait three seconds when the guest is five words in, and then they will jump in with another question or will cut them off.

Not Tim Russert. He asked a question and wanted an answer. And if you didn't answer his question, he'd tell you just that and demand the answer.

Goodbye, Tim. We will miss you on Sunday mornings.

Back to politics...

Why is it that I must be subjected to Alpaca commercials while I'm trying to get my CNN fix? I just want to know how the Democratic primary went in my fantastically wonderful home state, and then I have to listen to drivel about Alpaca farming. Bleh.

In deference to one of my favorite bloggers (who has more readers than 0), I have refrained from commenting on the Democratic race. Since it is now over, I must disagree with my West coast counterpart, and declare my giddiness over Barack Obama's status as the Democratic presidential candidate. I have really desired a presidential candidate that inspires, and then moves this country to greatness.

Watching the Democratic primary has been trying this spring. Going back to my polysci background, seeing the drama has been fascinating. However, it has made me very nervous that the Democratic contest was this heated. Democrats are mobilized by the cluster-bleeping of George Bush. I didn't want an overly heated primary to divide the Dems.

Yes, I am a feminist. I am. Hillary wasn't what I wanted in my first female presidential candidate.

Is Barack perfect? Nope. I'll rant about that another night, though.

Unite, Democrats, unite.

Let's get the red out of the White House, please.

Downtime

We chose to stay home this past weekend.

Staycation, you ask?

Umm... not really. Little too heavy on work, little too light on fun for that.

Yes, work. We worked on cleaning the house (you can't tell now, though). We worked on stocking up the freezer and getting meat divided up into packs that are appropriate for our family. We got a replacement patio table (to replace the one that smashed last year-- we must remember to put down the umbrella from now on) and set it up.

We were able to relax a little bit. There was a trip to the neighborhood pool. There was a dousing of the two-year-old with the sprinkler. There was a trip for frozen custard.

This three-day weekend thing is pretty cool.

Umm... Can I blame it on my busy-ness?

Okay, I've been away for a while.

Why, do you ask?

Well, I'm not sure that anyone is reading this, and it was becoming a bit of a rant blog.

And my husband traveled for a month straight.

I'm out here, trying to keep my head above water.

Barely Keeping Myself Together...

Well, schoolwide state testing is over. Thank goodness.

My child was sick, then was well, and then was kind of sick, but then was okay. It's crazy. Good weather needs to be here. Now.

Report cards are done. And most of the papers are graded.

My husband needs to stop going on travel and my child needs to stop throwing temper tantrums.

A Power Outage... That Works Out in the End

The power went out... for our friends tonight. The group get-together that was supposed to happen at the home of friends (soon to be married! Yay!) was moved here. While it was one of those-- ooh, don't show up for a little while as I run around like a madwoman to clean, please-- it all worked out.

The pizza was good, the dessert buffet was lovely, and seeing everyone was great.

The kids are growing quickly. I wish we did this more often.

A Little Spontaneity

Monday night, we got a phone call from Mark's Oma (that's grandma, in Deutsch-- aka DH's mom). She was in the large city that closest to us and wanted us to head up on Wednesday night. We decided that it would be too much to drive up on a weeknight and comprimised on Saturday. So on Saturday, we went up to meet her at the airport.

Little did we know that we would have to drive through a parade to get there. And then we had to wait for 45 minutes for her to arrive (God bless the DVD player in the van).

We ended up up eating at a restaurant in the airport. Mark flirted with the wait staff (who responded with lots of grapes and attention). I had multiple glasses of wine.

Actually, it was the best visit that I've had with her for a long time. (Was it the wine?)

Yak

I've been looking forward to this weekend for a very long time. President's Day weekend is awesome, because it's during skiing season and my DH and I both get Monday off.

Before we had a child. It all started last week when we had a day off of school. One would think that I'd be happy. Except that my son was a grumpy mess. So it was an awful day.

He came in and snuggled between us that night. We woke up the next morning and handed him his sippy cup. He took a big swig of water-- and yakked it all up after a coughing fit. (Sheets and duvet cover in the wash.) He was okay that day-- but clearly not himself.

Saturday was the day of yak here. Once first thing in the morning, once in the afternoon, and then twice in a half hour that night. Lots of coughing, still. Low-grade fever.

Yesterday, he was miserable but was easily calmed by movies. Until his fever rose to 104.

Today it was off to the pediatrician. Diagnosis was strep (greaaaat-- he's been sleeping between us, I mean breathing in our faces, for the past four nights) and perhaps pneumonia. He goes back tomorrow to see if the antibiotic will smack down the lung crackling or not.

So much for an idyllic weekend on the slopes.

Hello parenthood.

New Blog!

I realize that this blog has become messy. I'm posting about politics, parenting, family gripes, and car purchases. In the interest of being a bit more organized and focused, I've started a new blog. It's called A Snail's Garden. Check it out!

Notes on the Super Bowl

Our family ran out for a few items tonight... about an hour before the Super Bowl kickoff. Man, that is the time to hit the stores. It was remarkably easy to find what we needed, because we were virtually alone.

Tivo kept the game ready for us. The first quarter was fun, the second and third quarters were blah, and the fourth quarter was great. I'd been thinking that the Pats would win, but hoped the Giants would win (I do love myself an underdog). I cannot believe that I am saying this, but yay Giants!

My moment of disbelief came when Bill Belichick walked onto the field BEFORE THE GAME WAS OVER. What is up with that, Bill? Mike Carey (my favorite, favorite head referee) came up to Belichick and obviously told him to get off of the field and back to the sideline. Belichick's response? To IGNORE Carey and walk around him to talk to Coughlin. I so hope that the NFL fines his arrogant behind.

Anyway, my boy is now two. Which is hard to believe. Just seems like yesterday that I was dealing with the belly bump that kept kicking me.

A Cycle of Events...

I'm seeing a pattern develop over my time as an educator, and I'm not sure how long I'll last. I've seen several teachers from my Master's cohort leave the profession, and I'm not sure how much longer I'll hold out. It's a cycle, year after year-- and I'm at a 'good' school. I just don't know.

I know that there are those that appreciate me. If I was left alone to teach, I'd be happy as a clam. There are so many outside pressures that are just pure nastiness, though. Not going to get into them here-- no way. The pressures are mounting and I am just not sure where to go.

Do I stay and continue to take the pressures that directly influence me and my family life? Do I leave and find another job? Do I take the plunge and enter a doctoral program (I keep coming back to this, again and again). If I go for my doctorate, will it really be worth the investment?

I am not sure which direction I'm going in. I can't imagine another 22 to 23 years of this, though.

Gifts

It is always interesting to see what gifts arrive at Christmastime. Among the more interesting include the golf ball wine bottle stoppers and a Project Linus blanket for my son. (The wine bottle stoppers were a very obvious regift, especially because my cousin's husband is a golf freak and we don't golf. The blanket? I can't even fathom why, beyond rummage sale crap coming our way.)

However, I got some things I wanted. My folks gave me mad money for Best Buy, which I was excited to drop on Photoshop. Once I was at Best Buy, though, I decided to go for the Photoshop/Premiere combo. To clear my mind today, I decided to take it for a test drive. I can only liken it to a being teenager behind the wheel-- I was excited by the possibilities and I dove right in. I put together a slide show put to music. I haven't added the transitions yet, but I have gained a whole new appreciation for those who edit movies. There was a whole lot of effort that went in to 3 minutes and 34 minutes. Wow.

Nostalgia, served with a side of camp

It all started with Jon Krakauer. I enjoyed Krakauer's book 'Into Thin Air' and then I discovered his book 'Into the Wild.' I was really blown away by the book. Quite honestly, I think that I would have done something similar had I been born male out here on the East Coast (as McCandless was). However, I was fortunate enough to be born in Deadwood, South Dakota to an outdoorsy father. I had my scrapes with wildness-- due to a considerable amount of town spent on the South Dakota/Wyoming border on my grandparent's acreage. Had I not been exposed to that and had grown up in suburban hell, I think that I would have plunged myself more into nature. I understand that I have inborn granola tendencies, and I accept them.

So tonight I was looking on imdb looking at information regarding Into the Wild. I knew that part of the movie was filmed in eastern South Dakota, but on the site I discovered that part of the filming took place south of the Black Hills. As I looked for more information, I linked into a page that showed all movies filmed in South Dakota. One was a skiing movie. And as I looked for more information about that movie, I discovered that it was filmed in my hometown. It's listed incorrectly on the imdb site, because the town listed (Deadwood) does not have a ski area, only my hometown (Lead) does.

When I discovered that another B-movie was shot in 'Deadwood.' (We'll see about that-- I'll give you an update once I've watched it thanks to Netflix.) It's called 'Beast from Haunted Cave.' Which then brought back vivid memories of a time when I was involved in the shooting of a no-budget horror film during high school. How was I involved? It was my crappy Chevy Citation that enabled some of the shots to be filmed. What happened to the movie? I have no idea, although I know someone who probably does.

Snuggly baby

While there are nights that my son really upsets me, tonight was the opposite-- a really fun night. Perhaps I'm becoming a bit more acclimated to the motherhood thing. Coffee dumped on the family pictures? Oh, well-- let's mop it up. Dumping his chicken spaghetti in his milk cup and then using that concoction to gel his hair? Dig out the baby wipes.

The best part of the night was Mark running through the first floor and giving our legs a full body hug. As I picked him up, he giggled uncontrollably. That toddler tummy is perfect for zerbitts.

We put him to bed and he was like Olivia, negotiating for more books. He wedges his head between the pillows on his bed. We ask him if he wants us to start his lullaby CD and we hear the little voice say, "Uh-huh."

Tonight, it's good to be Mark's mommy.

Traveler IQ Challenge

Fun game!

I got to level 8 with a score of 273,000 on my first try. Enjoy!

Traveler IQ Challenge

Thanks for the heads up, ZeFrank!

Ahh... First Day Back From Vacation!

There are some days at school when I look at the clock and wonder how I can make it move quickly through the next five and a half hours. (At that point, I've usually had to ask a kid to pick up their pencil five times and then have picked up the pencil myself, because I would probably do the Fred Flintstone-fall if I didn't.)

Today's happiness is that the day went very smoothly. It always does, though. The kids always come back pretty calm from their holiday vacation. Oddly enough, it is the fourth Thursday in May that makes me want to pull my hair out.

And to segue...

I took tons of homemade cookies, candy, etc. to Minnesota with us. I was really happy to share the sweets (I might as well tape them to my rear instead of eat them, because that's where they are going to go).

So I went back today to... more chocolate on my desk. More truffles, peanut butter cups, chocolate-dipped pretzels, and so on. Wow-- I'm going to pay for this! (Probably on a treadmill...)

Road Trip, Past Tense

We just returned from a monster road trip out to see the Minnesota family. It took us two days of driving (each way) to get to Southeastern Minnesota. Here were some of the highlights:

• There wasn't as much traffic as we were expecting, which was a very pleasant surprise.
• We enjoyed having some time alone as we drove. It was just the three of us, and we could be as serious or as silly as we wanted to be. Pretty nice to have some family bonding time.
• The whims of the airlines were not controlling our travel destiny. I did not have to be worried if I had enough water/sippy cups/diapers. I had no b*tchy TSA employees to deal with. If we had to go to the bathroom, we stopped. If I wanted quiet, I popped in a DVD. After many recent unpleasant flying experiences lately, it was a treat.
• I got to go to Seed Savers in Decorah, Iowa. I visited where the biodiversity-preserving magic happens. (And, according to the employee I talked to, I was their first on-site customer since the Visitor Center closed.)
• We got to sit quietly in the farmhouse (where privacy does not exist) until 2 PM every day while my MIL slept after working her graveyard shift. With a toddler. And on Christmas, too.
• My son, who as my friend aptly described, sounded like a 'barking seal', got better. Gotta love the humidifier!!!

We enjoyed our trip. Do we have to go back to work?