Sunday, December 30, 2007

Hail to the Redskins!!!

Beating the Cowboys is just a late Christmas present for me.

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Saturday, December 29, 2007

What's Left to Be Done (or Undone)

My Christmas, for one, was surprisingly pleasant. After the initial shock of having the rug pulled out from under us, we ditched our traditional Christmas Eve family feast and headed to our local cowboy steakhouse with another family from church (PrepGirl's best friend, as luck would have it) and we had ourselves a Merry Margarita Christmas Eve.



Bed, Santa and Christmas Morning... and in waltzes the in-laws, the ShoeKing and Martha Stewart's own LawyerBoy. All was well. Dinner later that day with same in-laws and then, we went to the movies. PrincipalGirl doesn't like to do anything that encourages businesses to be open on Thanksgiving or Christmas Day. However, we enjoyed ourselves immensely at the new National Treasure movie, thank you, very much. LawyerBoy has declared that we have started some new traditions. Some that I find to be very welcome.

The news that I find to be, well, amazing, is that this newcomer isn't all that new at all. As a matter of fact, I think he has been around for quite some time. LawyerBoy and I have decided that his parents didn't mention him because they were afraid of LawyerBoy's reaction. Now, LawyerBoy is a conservative - trust me - but his conservatism runs toward the fiscal management of the country and its money supply. Socially, he is more liberal. Liberal enough to support his only brother in a lifestyle decision that everyone knew was true and no one was surprised to hear about. I mean, really. My own daughters were neither shocked nor alarmed.

Still, there's a lot of head shaking going on in my house; at my in-laws, mainly, for not trusting us to not be stupid.

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Monday, December 24, 2007

Christmas Eve Drama

All is calm, all is bright... unless you are here. ShoeKing has announced that he is bringing home a friend for Christmas. Not that there's anything wrong with that.


PrepGirl's and BrownBear's paternal grandparents have made the announcement that they are going to a gala with the ShoeKing and said friend. No church at all for them.... Please, someone explain to me how you can spend your life in the ministry and suddenly, one Christmas Eve, you blow off church ( and the only grandchildren you will ever have in your entire life) in one grand swoop. (No need to point out the imagery. I get it.)

LawyerBoy is just standing around wide eyed with amazement.


Film at eleven. Or whenever.

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Friday, December 21, 2007

Stick a Fork in It

Now that it is all said and done, today was a piece of cake. With the exception of one of our special ed kids locking himself in the clinic bathroom, today went off without a hitch. We never know how the kids are going to react to this last day - some are fine and others don't handle it so well.

My sister, PrincipalGirl, administrates in a warzone. She said that many of her students today were completely crazy. Teachers were calling for reinforcements all over the building. They didn't want today to end - so many of them go home to complete chaos that they can't comprehend being away from the only structure and meals they have. PrincipalGirl was talking to a first grader - a first grader, mind you - who told her that his mother told him that she was Santa Claus and that she wasn't buying any presents this year. PrincipalGirl said that this family was one of the ones that had been helped with the Angel Tree and all those other things that make sure that families without don't have to do without Christmas. WTH is my only reaction. Who treats a six year old like this? At Christmas?

No wonder we can't teach them how to read. Or add. Or trust. No wonder they can't believe in anything, including themselves.

So, while I'm scrambling to fill PrepGirl's and BrownBear's stocking, I'll just be grateful that I didn't have to deal with this stupid parent today. Because I'd be in jail right now.

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Thursday, December 20, 2007

Party Day!!!!

We had our party today instead of tomorrow. While tomorrow is officially party day, the fifth grade decided that it would be in our best interests to go ahead and have the party today. In years past, we have had our parties on Friday, only to return two weeks later to find our floors unvacuumed and party trash bags over flowing in our classrooms. (Trailers clean ups are contracted out by the county - our janitors (who are wonderful) don't clean our trailers. Can you believe it?)

Tomorrow is the last day...I can't believe it and I can't wait.

We are finishing up parent presents, working on some benchmark assessments and going to an assembly. Then I am sending them on their way and I am hitting the road. Can I wait?

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Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Book Buddy Present Day

After weaning ourselves off the glitter, we continued making books for our 2nd grade book buddies. Each 5th grader is making his buddy a "Twas the Night Before Christmas" book. They are adorable but it was painful getting them to finish. Maybe I am just impatient (do you think?) but I need to get some grades together, some teacher presents finished, and my DESK CLEANED OFF. Please. For the love of all that is holy, I need to see the wood finish on my desk.

I have assigned my students regular work for the week - I am not sure what they expected because one of them actually asked me why I had given them so much work on a holiday week. I had to explain that the holiday really wasn't until next week. Precious angel.

The chorus will be gone most of tomorrow -yea!!!!!!!!!!- and that means that a lot of my talkers will be with them. I love it when a plan comes together, even when it isn't my plan.

Oh, and our district superintendent is coming for a visit tomorrow. Sounds like he's just showing us who's the boss. Someone needs to call me if he's bringing the Christmas bonuses. If not, I'll be in my room with the kids who think it is a holiday week.

And at my house, we are half way through exam week with two more tests to go. I don't know which of the three of us will be happiest.

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Monday, December 17, 2007

Glitter and Glue Day

We made votive candleholders for the parental units today. Needless to say, there is glitter all over my room. Well, not all over, but all over enough. It was teachergirl jean day (don't mess with me, I was working with glue AND glitter) and our principal was still doing focussed walk throughs. Thank the stars in heaven that I ventured into the computer lab with my teaching buddy (and my glitter/glue counterpart) after lunch to do the STAR test because who comes around with her clipboard but my principal for a four minute look and see. We have to be able to state the standard we are using while they are visiting. I haven't figured out which standard glitter and glue hits. Tomorrow, we are off the glitter.

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Sunday, December 16, 2007

Twas the Week Before Christmas

This week before Christmas is always a tough one for a teacher; being the mother of two upper school students makes it doubly stressful. At school, we have secret projects for parents, gifts to make for our book buddies, parties, and programs. They are already so off task they can't breathe - the next five days are the charming ones. (sarcasm, of course)

Bob Marley is so ADHD, he can't function. (That, of course, is my personal diagnosis. Perhaps wrong, but perhaps not.) He wandered off to the library last Friday and returned without the book he had asked to go get. He couldn't ( or wouldn't - can't figure this one out) tell me what he had been doing in the time he was gone and this isn't the first time this has happened. Stammered, stuttered, hemmed and hawed around my desk for forever. I still don't have an explanation. I don't know if he knows, either. He talks just fine when he isn't answering a question for me. He doesn't follow directions and after I give directions, he is the only person in my face, asking me what to do. Multi-step kills him.

A return e-mail from his home wanted to know if his mom could spend three days a week in the classroom with him, straightening him out. I need some parental help, but I don't know if this is it. Three days a week with him and his mom? In my room? I am a little territorial; this is bothersome to me. Must think hard on the return reply to this.


Back to exam week - I now have two getting ready for exams. The steady sixth grader and the hyper tenth grader. The Western Civ teacher (for PrepGirl) gave everyone a 90 on the only paper they have written this semester because he didn't have time to grade it. He said to talk to him if there was a problem. Prep said, "Party on!" I would have been irate. That is the difference between us.

Prep's and BrownBear's Varsity football team went to one of the state championship games this weekend. They had their hats handed to them. Their clocks cleaned. Oh, yes, and thank you for asking, it rained like it must have for Noah. I sent them on their way in thunder and lightning.

So, by Wednesday, we'll be all ready for this to be over. They get out Thursday and I still have to muddle through Friday.

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Thursday, December 13, 2007

Rocking Around the Christmas Tree

The girls have decided that the only way to finish decorating the Christmas tree is to do so by playing old 45's on some old record player. Prep said earlier that some music only sounded good on a record - who'd have thunk it? So, right now, I'm listening to the Beatles on 45. Hey Jude never sounded better. Well, not really, but you know what I mean. Na, na, na, na, na, na, na. Skip, skip, skip.

So, Merry Christmas! One more week of school to go. A few more social functions, exam week for the girls and a high school state playoff. I can't wait.

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Sunday, December 02, 2007

Happy Holly Ball!!!


Tonight is the long awaited 10th grade formal - the Holly Ball!!!! Our long national nightmare is about to be over. The endless waiting and fretting and talking about it.... now just the hair to be done, the dressing to do and the picture party to arrive at and then.... the dates arrive!!! I think I am as stressed out about this as she is.

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