Living the busy life!

Here today...

2011-04-19T22:53:00.003-06:00

Gone to Maui!

Tomorrow, after school, I'm outta here! Off to Edmonton for the night and then I fly out Thursday morning!

Maui wedding! Shannon's getting married!

So many exclamation points!!!

Winter, begone!

2011-03-31T22:28:00.002-06:00

Well, last week I realized that we were still working on a winter craft and my classroom walls were filled with winter artwork.

It was our fault that Spring wasn't here!

I told my students so, and we've been working hard at doing what we can to hurry the arrival of my favourite season. We replaced the snowflakes hanging from the ceiling with flowers, took down our polar bear art, and sent home our penguin craft. The walls are starting to fill up with Spring art grids.

And what do you know, here comes Spring!

You're welcome! Sorry about the long winter.

Not so quiet anymore!

2011-03-16T17:59:00.003-06:00

It's funny that a month ago I blogged that nothing much was going on in my life because now I'm super busy! And things won't be slowing down anytime soon. I'm looking forward to the next 2 months because they bring some fun things, but it's going to be a VERY busy 2 months!

2 months from today, the following will have happened:

-Senior Drama Dessert Theatre (I'm one of the directors)
-LOTS of rehearsals
-My grade 1s' recitation of two poems at the Music Festival
-Regional Drama Festival with the senior drama
-Another wedding shower for my sister
-My birthday (yay!)
-Possible trip to Regina for best friend's mom's art show
-Trip to Hawaii for my sister's wedding
-Provincial Drama Festival in Regina
-and hopefully some sleep somewhere in there!

So ya, busy busy!

Here's a cute quote from school today: I try to tell my students how I'm feeling when I'm frustrated or impatient with them, so they can understand the impact of their behaviour. Today I found out that one of them sure has been listening! After we had a talk about her less than stellar behaviour, she said, "Miss Smith, I'm going to be on my best behaviour now so that you're not frustrated with me."

All is quiet on the village front...

2011-02-15T17:42:00.005-06:00

Well, my life has been quiet and uneventful lately so I haven't had much fodder for new blog posts. But can I just say how happy I am that the days are FINALLY getting longer? My goodness, it seems like FOREVER since it was light out when I leave for work!

Here's a pretty wintery photo to look at until I can think of something to blog about.

I would love to take credit for the photo, but I can only take credit for finding it, saving it, and posting it on here.

One of these things is not like the others...

2011-01-18T19:28:00.003-06:00

One of my EA's has been out sick for a couple of months. My students have been asking about when she's coming back, so we made her a booklet of get well pictures and letters. Most of them wrote things like "I miss you, Mrs. C!", "Are you coming back soon?", "I hope you feel better soon!", and "I hope I can see you soon!".

As I was looking through them, I found one that was not like the others. It said, "Dear Mrs. C, I played on the snow hills today. It was fun."

Just keeping her caught up on current events, I guess!

Favouritest puppy ever!

2011-01-05T21:45:00.007-06:00

Oh how I love this puppy. His name is Jake and he lives at my parents' house.

Jake and the arrow on the computer. He's trying to attack it...with his tongue.

One of those days

2010-11-30T07:26:00.000-06:00

This morning in the shower I couldn't remember if I'd conditioned yet or not. Then I couldn't remember if I'd shampooed. I knew I'd done at least one of them but I couldn't remember which. So I shampooed AND conditioned again. Then I turned off the shower without rinsing out the conditioner.

I can see it's going to be a great day.

SERIOUSLY???

2010-11-25T20:59:00.003-06:00

I went out to my car on this very cold morning to find my car not plugged in. I KNOW I plugged it in last night because I remember checking out my apartment window.

Someone UNPLUGGED MY CAR AND STOLE MY EXTENSION CORD. Who does that? Seriously. There's got to be some kind of honour code in Saskatchewan about extension cords in the winter. You just don't do that. Not cool, dude. NOT COOL.

Starbucks saver

2010-11-07T20:20:00.001-06:00

Yesterday I left a Starbucks with 2 delicious drinks in hand. One was for me; the other was for my friend Regan (although I did taste it). There was a lady sitting on bench in front of the dollar store. She waved to catch my eye, held up her drink and said, "Not that I work there or anything, but I just got a cappuccino at the dollar store for 2 bucks. And it's delicious!"

I guess she was trying to be helpful, but does she really think that someone coming out of a Starbucks is going to be converted by dollar store powder cappuccino?

Squashed!

2010-10-27T19:39:00.016-06:00

This was my supper tonight.

Can you tell I like squash?

Seriously, I LOVE squash. I can even remember when my love for each kind of squash started.

Ahh, spaghetti squash. My first squash. When I was in high school, Dad baked it and then served it with butter and parmesan cheese. Mmm...still eating it that same way.

The first time I remember eating zucchini was grilled on the barbeque. I think I was in high school for this one too. Now I usually just saute it in a little bit of olive oil with some salt. Dee-licious!

I had my first butternut squash this spring. I loved it immediately. I actually remember thinking, "How have I made it to 27 without having tried this?" So nutty and sweet, butternut squash is perfect just mashed up with some margarine.

Acorn squash: this one is easy to remember because I cooked my first acorn squash tonight. I was almost nervous to eat it because I didn't want to not like it. Well, it was delicious. Very similar to Butternut, but not as sweet.

I don't know if I've ever loved any food SO HEALTHY this much. Squash is high in beta-carotene, fibre, vitamin C, and all kinds of other good stuff. Oh, and 0 fat and low in calories! And so yummy!

Father and Daughter Part 2

2010-10-25T20:01:00.003-06:00

Our story ran in the Star Phoenix and Leader Post today.

Here it is!

Good Teachers Part 2

2010-10-25T19:21:00.003-06:00

Mr. Nethercut taught us Grade 10 Social Studies and Art. He certainly caught our attention. In a small town where new teachers are always a novelty, Mr. N was even more so. On the first day of grade 10, he walked into the room, slammed the door and proceeded to YELL at us "THIS COULD BE THE WORST YEAR OF YOUR LIFE." We were listening. He continued, "Or we could have a great year. The choice is up to you." He handed out blank pieces of paper and had us write down one word: RESPECT. He told us it was his one rule and that if we showed him respect, he would show us respect.

Background info: we were a very difficult class. Substitute teachers didn't want to sub in our classroom. The driver's ed. instructor threatened to walk out on us and fail the whole class. Teachers had meetings about us when we were in grade 8. So ya, no teachers had ever talked about respecting US before.

Mr. Nethercut had no problem controlling us. He didn't need to. We respected him because he respected us. He had high expectations of us and we actually wanted to live up to them.

Father and Daughter

2010-10-22T07:32:00.004-06:00

Dad and I are both teaching Grade 1 Math this year, in different schools of course. I was telling my principal and he suggested emailing the Bulletin (The STF monthly publication). A couple of weeks ago, one of the writers visited my classroom on a day that Dad and I had set up our classes on Skype to chat and ask each other some math questions.

Here's the article! Page 7.

Also: Pig in boots

2010-10-06T21:41:00.003-06:00

Just because these photos are so, darn, crazy cute.

World Teacher Day

2010-10-06T18:45:00.006-06:00

Yesterday was World Teacher Day and we didn't even realize it! Oops.

I've known that I wanted to be a teacher since I was in Kindergarten. Now I am a teacher and sometimes I can't even believe it. My days are crazy and my life is full of meetings and prep work; my head is always full of things I need to get done, needs of students, and thoughts about how things are going. But then my day starts and I have a bunch of small people around me, needing and talking and laughing and learning, and all that other stuff gets put on hold. In grade 1, my students' victories are small and gradual: remembering a letter sound that they couldn't remember yesterday, remembering to get out their books without being reminded, learning routines & procedures, and making better decisions than they made yesterday. Their little light bulbs flicker all day long as they learn and remember new things and all of a sudden something big happens--like they recognize a word or the concept of "adding on" becomes natural to them.

It's pretty exciting.

So I'm going to pay tribute to some of the teachers that had an impact on my life.

Mrs. Gropp-Kindergarten

Mrs. Gropp had contagious enthusiasm. She was always wide-eyed and smiling. I was already a reader when I went to kindergarten (much to the surprise of my parents) and yet I was never bored with learning the alphabet. We sang songs and read exciting stories; we played in the sandbox and dressed in high fashion from the dress-up centre. One of my clearest memories from Kindergarten is of Mrs. Gropp standing at the front of the room, leading us in our exercises. It was the 80's, so she often wore a bright coloured, one-piece pantsuit and had big, heavy beads that she would throw over her shoulder so they didn't hit her in the face as she jumped up and down.

Another clear memory from that year was one day that Mrs. Gropp asked me to come out in the hallway. She told me that I was a great kid and very special. Then she gave me a big, scratch-&-sniff sticker of a banana that said, "I think you're Top Banana!" I remember feeling so special and singled out. She probably did the same thing with every student, but I of course felt like I was the only one.

Kindergarten was the first time I remember wanting to be a teacher. I remember watching Mrs. Gropp, thinking how much fun her job must be. It's definitely harder than I thought it would be at the time, but it's just as much fun. Thanks, Mrs. Gropp!

Beat that!

2010-08-31T20:15:00.004-06:00

One of my adorable grade 1 boys was playing Rock, Paper, Scissors with a boy in grade 5 at recess today. After a few rounds, my grade 1 boy, Jonathan, added in "worm" which he claims, beats everything.

After watching him beat the grade 5 boy a few times in a row, I inquired further about the new addition. "Jonathan," I said, "how does a worm beat everything?"

"Because I made it up."

"But if it beats everything in the game, wouldn't you just pick it every time?"

To which he replied, "Obviously."

Mathematical Funny

2010-08-28T11:11:00.002-06:00

Yesterday one of my Grade 2 boys came to me and asked me what 8 + 8 is. Of course, I replied that it was 16. He asked if I knew what 8 + 8 is in high school. When I said 16 again, he said, "No, it's B."

Algebra. The funny thing is that he probably doesn't even know why it's so funny!

Lovely, lovely, lovely summer.

2010-08-06T16:58:00.005-06:00

Just pictures today! Some of my summer adventures.

Busy summer life

2010-07-16T10:26:00.002-06:00

I'm a busy girl today! I'm meeting my cousin Rachel for some time with the baby cousin (who's not so much a baby anymore) then I'm rushing off to meet my friend Deb for a canoe ride and then scooting off to get my nails done. Then it's back to the Day house to make a yummy curry with Em. And all this is between the hours of 1-7!

Too busy to blog...

2010-07-15T23:58:00.001-06:00

too busy relaxing! Happy summer!

Time is ticking away, tick-tick-ticking away!

2010-06-21T18:31:00.002-06:00

That title is a throwback for all you old school DC Talk Fans like me.

Anyway, time. Yes. I remember posting this and how I felt. Just under 2 years ago, I was freaking out and feeling very surreal about my first day of school as a teacher. Now, I'm a week away from the end of my second year of teaching! Wow. I will always love my job, but I am SO looking forward to summer!

I had a wonderful summer last year, but it was SO busy. This year, apart from working a day and a half a week for fun (I mean, I'm still getting paid) at the flower shop I used to work at, I am taking it very easy. I'll be living at my favourite house on Baker Road (the Day house) and enjoying summer fun in Saskatoon. I'm going to catch up on my big pile of books and catch up with friends and just have fun. SO EXCITED.

Oh, and I might go to a couple of short courses offered by the STF in Saskatoon. Learning where I don't have to do any work? Sign me up!

We should all start our day like this!

2010-06-17T22:23:00.001-06:00

What an affirmation!

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

2010-06-09T20:36:00.002-06:00

How do you know when "dieting" has transitioned into a life change?

Today I got home and I was tired from the day and it's gray and rainy and cold. It felt like one of those "comfort food" days.

What did I reach for?

Asparagus.

What a month!

2010-06-09T07:42:00.002-06:00

June.

It's always going to be a crazy month for teachers. But this June? It's a doozy. This month I have:

-2 weddings
-1 field trip
-2 wedding showers
-1 best friend coming home from Vancouver for a visit
-28 report cards
-1 teacher retirement event (obviously not for me)
-2 board meetings
-and a bunch of school events that I'm too tired to even think of.

Yikes!

Smiles and Book Reviews

2010-05-30T19:40:00.007-06:00

When we have journal time at school, I usually give my students a sentence starter or a writing prompt. One day last week, my grade 1's asked if they could write about whatever they wanted. I obliged. This kid wrote the following: "If I was a zombie I would eat all my friends and the girls. Then I would eat big people too. They would taste like meat." Oh how he makes me laugh.

Now on to book reviews of some of the books I've read in 2010.

Yikes. Wow. So good. I don't know what else to say about this book because I feel like anything I could say would just not be able to describe it. Read it.

I actually listened to this one as an audio book. It was really interesting and not at all what I expected. The narrator of the book (not the audio book) is a dog so the whole book is the dog's perspective of what's going on in his owners' lives. It was good.

One of the blurbs about this book said it was a love letter to reading. How true. This is a favourite of my mom's, so I had pretty high expectations going into it and it lived up to all of them. I was sad when it was over.

It took me a little while to get into this one, but when I did I really enjoyed it. It's from the perspective of an 11 year old girl who witnesses a man's dying breath. It's a quirky mystery. The end was kind of messily written--it's kinda like he ran out of steam--but I would still recommend it.

I listened to this one as an audio book too. Oh, it was so good. I listened to it in the car and when I was walking and it just totally invaded my life. I found myself thinking about the characters when I was at school and couldn't wait to go for a walk so I could listen to it.

If you haven't already, read it.

Weather woes

2010-05-17T22:49:00.002-06:00

My favourite seasons are Autumn and Spring.

It was bad enough when we essentially skipped fall this year. It went straight from summer to winter. There were a few temperate days and just when the leaves were about to change colour (my favourite part), they all froze and dropped off their branches. Sure, it warmed up again for a little bit, but the chlorophyll process was halted and changed irreversibly.

But now we skipped Spring! We had like, a week of spring-like weather (and not even the good part--just the rainy part) and then it was winter again! And now it's Summer. What happened to our lovely, just a light sweater, no snow on the ground weather?

Stupid 30 degrees.

Oh, and if you want to sing the praises of the warm weather and condemn me for complaining about it, just come and live in my non-air conditioned apartment with ZERO air circulation and south facing windows.

No? No takers?

Good eats.

2010-05-13T22:35:00.007-06:00

I got to my 50 pound goal a couple of weeks ago! I thought it would be a good time to share some of the foods that have helped me get here!

DELICIOUS Pork Kabobs. So much flavour and so juicy!

CheeCha Puffs are probably my favourite new discovery. They're like chips in a fun pretzel shape!

Best popsicles ever. I think it's funny that they advertise things like this as fat-free. Ya...it's fruit!

I love squash. Butternut, Zucchini, and Spaghetti!

If you haven't tried these yet, DO. They're like pop-tarts only better!

Napper Supreme

2010-05-09T20:40:00.003-06:00

I had an incredibly lazy day today. Last weekend I was in Regina for a quiz meet. I got home late Sunday, semi-unpacked, did some laundry, taught for 3 days and left right after school on Wednesday. I took a few of my high school drama kids to Regina as observers at the Provincial Drama Festival.

It was a blast (and they were super appreciative) but it was EXHAUSTING. It was LATE nights and EARLY mornings and then we didn't get back until about 1:30 this morning. I tried to sleep in but I woke up around 9. I got up, moved to the couch, and fell back to sleep. I woke up around 11, had some coffee, and fell back to sleep. I woke up around 1, had some breakfast/lunch, and yep, fell back to sleep. Then I woke up and was up for awhile but eventually fell back to sleep.

So yep, 4 naps today. It's been a good day.

New Old!

2010-04-23T17:46:00.003-06:00

Today I was super excited to wear my "new" jeans to school--they're actually old jeans from when I worked at GAP. They haven't fit me in about 3 years! And, if I do say so myself, (and obviously I am) my bum looked GREAT!

On another note, isn't it weird how you can get so tired of eating one thing and yet eat another all the time and never get sick of it? I LOVE green beans. I have been eating green beans 2 or 3 nights a week every week since September and even still, when they're cooking, I can't WAIT for them to be done so I can eat them!

That's all I've got for today. Have a great weekend!

I love the way his mind works!

2010-04-20T19:10:00.004-06:00

I wish everyone could meet this kid. Lucas is one of my grade 1 students and he's just the coolest, most inquisitive kid I've ever met. His questions are SO funny, but he doesn't ask them to be funny! It's really just the way he thinks.

I was walking home from school today, listening to my iPod. Lucas saw me and came over to say hi. Here is our conversation:

Lucas-So, did you have lots of fun at school today, Miss Smith?
Me-I sure did, Lucas, did you?
L-Is that your iPod?
M-Yep.
L-Oh. What colour is it? Oh, it's blue?
M-Yep.
L-And do you just like it a lot?
M-I do like it a lot.
L-Oh. (taking it out of my hand and smelling it) What song are you listening to now?
M-I'm actually not listening to a song, I'm listening to a book!
L-How do you listen to a book on there?
M-Well, someone reads the book out loud and then they record it and I put it on my iPod!
L-Oh, how big is the book?
M-Well, it's about this big (holding up my fingers to show the novel thickness).
L-Oh, so that's probably 100 pages I bet.
M-Well, it's probably more like 300 pages.
L-Oh. So is your iPod really old already or is it new?
M-It's probably almost 2 years old.
L-Oh. Where did you get it?
M-I got it for a Christmas present.
L-From who?
M-From my mom and dad.
L-So, I bet it costed about a hundred dollars probably?
M-Well, I think it was more like about $150.
L-Oh. So, they put all their money together to buy it for you?
M-Ya, something like that.
L-So, what does your dad look like?
M-Well, he's pretty tall and he has short dark hair...
L-Is it blacker than yours is?
M-It is. And he has glasses.
L-What kind of glasses are they? Are they like yours?
M-Kind of, but his are glasses for boys.
L-Oh, so are they blue?
M-I think they're black.
L-Oh. So you got your iPod for a Christmas present?
M-Yep.
L-From your mom and dad?
M-Yep.
L-Where did they buy it from?
M-I think it was from Wal-Mart.
L-Which one? (Thinking hard) In Saskatoon?
M-Maybe. Or it might have been in Medicine Hat.
L-Oh. And it was 2 years ago?
M-Ya.
L-Oh. So are you going to have some supper now?
M-Yep.
L-Okay. Bye!

Seriously. Don't you just want to meet this kid?

What a day

2010-04-12T18:32:00.003-06:00

I really could make a strong case for having just a half day of school on the first day back from a week off. At least for elementary students. Especially ones who are 6-8 years old in a classroom of 28.

THEY WERE NUTS TODAY!

I mean, they weren't BAD today, they were just nuts! Crazy! Overstimulated! Energetic! Loud. It was like they saved all their Easter candy and ate it ALL this morning.

Thank goodness we had Phys. Ed. this afternoon. I threw out a bunch of balls and hula hoops and just told them to go nuts. And they did!

And now I'm exhausted.

For reals?

2010-04-01T22:35:00.002-06:00

I don't even know what to say about this.

Blurg.

2010-03-30T18:42:00.003-06:00

As a teacher, being sick is so much work. In what other profession do you have to plan out your day to stay home? And even more so as an elementary teacher, as I pretty much have to plan out my day minute by minute.

Well, I just got home from planning my third sick day in a row. Tomorrow I will sleep in and then go to the hospital to get my throat checked out. I have a bump in the back of my throat where my tonsils are. Or rather, where they aren't, as I had them removed when I was 6. Then they sort of grew back when I was 12ish. Bet you didn't know they could grow back, did you? Apparently if some tissue remains, they can regenerate. So, is that what's going on again? All I know is I feel like I'm trying to swallow a tennis ball.

And I don't even play tennis.

Almost there!

2010-03-28T21:29:00.004-06:00

So, when I started my journey back in September, one of the first goals I set was to lose 50 pounds by my birthday.

Well, my birthday is in less than 3 weeks and I've lost 46 pounds so far. It's looking like I'm going to make it!

Really? Not even on fish?

2010-03-19T23:42:00.003-06:00

I was hurrying my students out of the computer lab the other day by flickering the lights because I have a few dawdlers. The lab doesn't have any windows, so when you turn off the lights, it's quite dark.

Lucas, one of my grade 1 students, was the last one in the lab and I had flicked the lights a couple of times before I turned them off completely. As he was coming down the steps, I heard Lucas mutter, "Oh, tartar sauce!"

Perplexed, I asked, "Lucas, did you just say tartar sauce?"

"Yep," he replied.

"Why did you say tartar sauce?"

"Because I don't like being in the dark."

"But why did you say tartar sauce?" Still confused.

"Because I don't like tartar sauce either."

Time to get a little personal

2010-03-10T18:27:00.006-06:00

I don't usually get very personal on here. I'm not quite sure why, since it's a pretty small group of people who read my blog. In any case, I haven't in the past, but now I'm going to share something that I'm rather proud about.

I've been on a weight loss journey this year. One of my EA's and I joined Weight Watchers and 5 months later, I've lost 40 pounds! I've still got a ways to go, but it's awfully motivating to know that I can actually do it now!

Here's a picture of me from this summer, before I started losing weight.

Here's a picture from a few days ago, 40 pounds lighter!

A Canmore Christmas

2010-02-18T18:29:00.012-06:00

I know. It's February. Better late than never, right?

We stayed in a beautiful condo in Canmore for Christmas (try saying that 5 times fast!). This was the view out our windows.

With all the food and stuff we brought along, we didn't have room to bring a tree. I found this tree in the Christmas store in Banff, so I bought it and we decorated it. The Starbucks ornaments are my favourites.

Someone wrote this festive message on a bench downtown. So I took a picture of it.

On one of our walks, we came across this duck. Actually, he came across us. We were just walking and he was flying above us and as soon as he saw us, he swooped down into the snow beside us. Luckily, we had bread with us as we were on our way to find and feed some ducks. This is the first of MANY duck pictures. These ducks were awesome.

I don't know why these videos won't fit in the border. Oh well. Enjoy.

On our way back from feeding ducks one day, Huey spied an adventure. There was a little island of ice with a branch going across the creek. Being the adventurous sort, he set off across the branch.

Don't fall! That would be cold.

So proud.

Then he made a giant snow angel.

Back home again. Dad and Zack are so cute.

Blogger Failure

2010-02-17T10:46:00.002-06:00

Oh, that title works in 2 ways! It has been way too long since I blogged, AND I tried to do a long overdue Christmas blog and stupid blogger won't upload my photos.

I'll try again later.

Just thought I would let you know of my efforts.

Call me boring, but...

2010-01-14T23:02:00.003-06:00

I love vanilla. It's true. Given my choice of chocolate or vanilla, 9 times out of 10 I would choose vanilla. I love its richness, its scent, and the creaminess of it.

I like it by itself.

Has anyone else noticed that it's being added all willy-nilly to make all kinds of strange combinations? It's made this huge comeback! It's everywhere!! I would have thought that this perfume would have killed it forever, but I guess it's been long enough that people have forgotten...or at least forgiven.

Anyway, today I saw a juice flavoured--get this--"Apple Vanilla Pear." What? Seriously. Doesn't that just sound weird??

Anyone brave enough to try it, report back here with the conclusion.

I dare you to frown.

2010-01-10T00:37:00.008-06:00

Go ahead...look at the following pictures and videos and just try to be unhappy. I dare you.

Literary Holidays

2010-01-04T21:24:00.006-06:00

Well, it was the Christmas of reading this year. I finally had time last year to catch up on some reading and read some excellent books (Life Inside, Slumdog Millionaire--so much better than the movie, etc.) and my reading pile just keeps staying the same. Not because I'm not reading--but because I keep buying new books! So I thought it was time to make a dent in that pile, which is what I did over my Christmas holidays in the midst of all the relaxing I was doing.

I didn't doubt it would be good. Everything I've heard about it was true. Excellent excellent.

Very good. The first 3/4 of the book was amazing. The last 1/4 wasn't bad but I think she tried to do too many twists. But so worth reading. I learned a lot about the Vel' d'Hiv, which I didn't know anything about. Don't let my little complaint about the last bit keep you from reading it. You should read it. For sure.

Interesting and gripping. Not life changing but it kept me engaged.

Everyone should read this book. All of the anti-vaccine propaganda that's been floating around has been driving me NUTS because most of the information is SO misrepresented, out of context, and ignorant. Get your flu shot, don't get your flu shot...I don't care, but don't base your decision on misinformation. Anyway, the book is a good source to read. It's about more than just vaccines, though. It's about the widespread mistrust of scientific progress. It's good. You should read it.

READ THIS BOOK. Heartbreakingly beautiful. It's about a woman who finds out she has early onset Alzheimer's. Keep your kleenex close by.

Bump it!

2009-12-09T07:22:00.002-06:00

So, my students and I wrote our Christmas play this year. We wrote some of the students and me into the play, so I had to choose one of my students to play me. I was talking to the mom of the student who will be playing "Miss Smith" and she said her daughter is so excited. Mrs. D was joking around with her daughter Becky, saying "Maybe I should call you Gina till the Christmas play."

Becky said, "Mom, you don't need to call me Gina. But I would really appreciate it if you got me a bump-it* so I can look like Miss Smith."

*Just to be clear...I don't actually wear a bump-it. I do it the natural way.

Ye olde wilde west

2009-11-26T08:40:00.003-06:00

This morning I overheard a conversation between two of my students about the "Olden days." Jill was telling her friend about cowboys and cowgirls.

"If you were a cowgirl in the olden days you would have really long hair. The women had really long hair because there was no such thing as hairdressers. Or scissors."

How she thinks the men kept their hair short, I'm not sure. Maybe back then the men's hair just didn't grow.

Looking for a fruity revolution

2009-11-23T20:39:00.005-06:00

Seriously. What's the deal with the big strawberry-kiwi comeback? Everywhere I turn, it's more strawberry-kiwi.

Why do people think they go together? Peach mango, I get that. Raspberry pomegranate? Sounds great. Notice the similarities in colour, even textures? The only thing strawberries and kiwis have in common are tiny little seeds.

Come on, yogurt producers and popsicle makers! THEY DON'T GO TOGETHER!!!

And really...strawberry-kiwi is SO 1998.

What to blog?

2009-11-16T20:15:00.002-06:00

I've been such a lazy blogger lately.

But seriously, I can't think of anything to blog about.

What a lame post.

But it counts.

A Shaky excuse...

2009-10-26T19:08:00.002-06:00

Today one of my grade 1 boys told me he couldn't run in Phys. Ed. because he was sick.

"Oh," I said, "What are you sick with?"

His reply? "I have the hiccups."

I almost made him run an extra lap.

What a nut.

2009-10-20T18:43:00.003-06:00

Today I was telling my students that I'm going to be gone on Friday. Before I could tell them it was to a town nearby for an inservice, Mindy, who is a very quirky girl in grade two, blurted out, "Where are you going, Miss Smith? China?"

To which I replied, "Of course."

And without missing a beat, she replied, "Oh, well bring me back a fortune cookie!"

You mean teachers DON'T live at the school?

2009-10-19T21:07:00.003-06:00

It's always funny witnessing different students' reactions to seeing their teacher outside of school. Some kids' parents have a lot of teacher friends, so seeing teachers out of school isn't a big deal. Other kids have older brothers and sisters, so the whole teachers as real people is an old concept for them.

Tyler's mom invited me over tonight for a jewellery party. Tyler was happy but underwhelmed to see me there. 3 or 4 more of my students were also there playing in the basement and thought it completely normal that I was around. Sarge, however, is the first of his siblings to go to school and I don't think his parents have many teacher friends. When Sarge saw me, he just kinda stared at me and waved. Then he turned to Tyler's little brother and whispered, "Hey, Tim, that's my teacher." Tim just said, "Ya, I know." Then Sarge grabbed Dallas' arm and said, "Dallas, did you see who's here? Look, look who it is!" And of course, he thought he was being quiet but everyone could hear him and all the moms were giggling.

So just to set the record straight, no, we don't live at the school and yes, we go grocery shopping just like everyone else.

Just in case you didn't know.

Disappointed.

2009-10-13T22:07:00.001-06:00

Can I just say that all this business with John and Kate makes me so sad?

Now that's a 75 cent word!

2009-10-10T09:50:00.003-06:00

So, in the classroom this week, my students were making their own cornucopias for Thanksgiving. (Out of paper, not basket weaving. That would be very cool, but maybe a bit advanced for grade 1 and 2 students). Anyway, they were having trouble saying the word and I heard a few different pronunciations.

My personal favourite, though, was Haley's. When she finished hers, she excitedly exclaimed, "Miss Smith! I'm done my cornucoppity!"

Happy Thanksgiving, Canadians!

Friday! It's Video Friday!

2009-09-25T07:34:00.002-06:00

Seriously. Wow. So funny.

Video Friday!...erm, Wednesday.

2009-09-23T22:30:00.003-06:00

Ohmigosh. If you haven't seen this, you're welcome. It will make your day.

If you have, enjoy it again!

SK to BC and back...in photos!

2009-09-12T15:56:00.015-06:00

Here they are, a very select few of my pictures I took on my trip!

Sadly, I didn't stop here.

Life changing soup in Jasper.

I took this picture for my mom.

I love Jasper.

I stopped for cherries, peas, and jam at the best fruit stand I found.

It rained from Jasper to Vancouver.

The sun would come out for a little windows of like, half an hour and then it would be back to the rain!

Sadly, I couldn't stop here either.

The hydrangeas in Vancouver were insanely huge and beautiful.

This used book store was CRAZY.

I love notebooks. And journals. And pens. And paper. Naturally, this store was like heaven for me. I could have spent $500 there. Seriously.

In the past couple of months, I've got this specific writing on my starbucks cup AT LEAST 5 times. What are the chances?

On the ferry on the way to Victoria!

Emma jumping into frame.

GREAT store where I got some great art pieces.

Stanley Park

Vancouver Aquarium

Turns out octopusses aren't cute at all. Quite ugly, in fact!

I'll give you 3 guesses what province I'm in now...and the first two guesses don't count!

Classroom Quotables

2009-08-31T20:53:00.003-06:00

Today, one of my students told me about his fishing trip. "I caught this huge, 700 pound jackfish!"

"Hmmm," I said, "700 pounds is bigger than your whole boat. Do you think it may have been 7 pounds?"

To which he replied, "Ya, maybe about that."

I can see he's going to need some extra practice estimating.

Another student was telling me about his summer when they went to the waterpark. He told me that he was scared to go down the biggest waterslide because..."I'm afraid of hikes."

Back to school

2009-08-28T20:42:00.004-06:00

Yikes! It's almost been 2 months since I blogged last! What can I say? It was my first summer vacation as a teacher.

It was wonderful.

And busy! When school was done, I spent a few days here in the Village tidying up my apartment and my classroom. Then I went to Saskatoon to pick up my sister Shannon and we went home to my parents' house for mom's birthday. We stayed for a couple days and went back to Saskatoon. I spent a couple nights there before leaving on my big trip.

It was wonderful.

I took my time getting out to Vancouver. I stayed a night catching up with Lynnie C in Edmonton, then I spent a day and night in Jasper (where I did my part in supporting their economy!) and then I crossed the border into BC. I spent a night with some friends who just moved from SK to BC, and then I finally got to Vancouver!

I spent about 10 days in Vancouver and it was so great. I was staying with one of my best friends, Emma, who worked during the day while I did my shopping and shopping and sightseeing, (yes, I know I said shopping twice...I really did a lot of it!) and then we kicked around together in the evenings.

I left Van. on the 17th of July and drove to Calgary and then back to my parents' house. We drove to Moose Jaw the next day to meet my sister and Arizona Grandparents, where we spent the weekend doing the tunnels and drinking milkshakes and yes, more shopping. My parents and Grandparents went back to my parent's house for the rest of the week.

It was wonderful.

I was so enjoying relaxing that I stayed for a few days longer than I was planning! I think I would have stayed another week, but I had a meeting in Saskatoon.

So I went to Saskatoon for a few days, and then I was off with my friend Colleen to Pioneer Girls' Camp for a week!

It was wonderful.

We had such great weather and it was SUCH a lovely group of girls this year. Other than our furry friend who kept visiting (think Winnie the Pooh) (but that's a whole other blog for later), it was a seamless, fun week.

Then I was back in Saskatoon for a few days, where I squeezed in some last visits with friends, and then I was back to the Village by the 15th of August! I spent the last week planning for the school year and working on my classroom and now we're back at it! We started on the 24th and students started on the 25th, so we've already had 4 days of school!

So overall, my summer was...wonderful.

Facial Accessory

2009-07-05T22:45:00.004-06:00

No, I didn't get my nose pierced, if that's what you're thinking. Although, I want to.

So, I've wanted glasses my whole life. I was always jealous of people who had glasses because every couple of years, they got a new accessory for their face! But, I've always had really good eyesight, so I've always been out of luck.

Well, I went the other day for my first eye appointment in probably 5 years*. I've always been a little bit farsighted and now because I do so much close-up work like marking and reading and computer work, I've been getting a bit of eye strain. So the optometrist said I could get glasses to reduce the strain!!! Hooray! Finally!

*Okay, maybe it's been 10 years. I know, I know.

T-Minus 5 days!

2009-06-29T13:20:00.010-06:00

I'm supposed to be packing to leave The Village for the summer, so naturally...it's the perfect time for a blog!

I'm off to Saskatoon to pick up my sister and then we're off to my parents' house to celebrate mom's birthday and then...Ginger and I are heading west! In 5 days! Here are my travel plans:

Saturday, July 5th-leave Saskatoon in the am and travel to Edmonton. Have supper with LynnieC and crash at her place.

Sunday, July 6th-leave Edmonton and travel to Jasper. Do stuff in Jasper. Stay overnight.

Monday, July 7th-leave Jasper and travel to Salmon Arm, BC to see newly moved friends Karen and Garrett and baby Ezekiel. Supper, stay overnight in their camper.

Tuesday, July 8th-leave Salmon Arm (very weird name) for VANCOUVER!!! Emma!!!

Wednesday, July 9th-Wednesday, July 15th...hang out in Vancouver. Plan to see Aquarium, zoo perhaps, Stanley Park, Auntie Brenda and Uncle Garry, hopefully hop over to Victoria to see more family, have sushi, go to the opening of Harry Potter 6, and other fun stuff!

Thursday, July 16th-leave Vancouver and make a loooong day of traveling to Calgary. Stay overnight.

Friday, July 17th-leave Calgary for Saskatoon or Leader...haven't decided yet.

Any suggestions for must-sees in Vancouver/Victoria or along the way?

Auto excitement

2009-06-15T16:54:00.006-06:00

I BOUGHT A CAR!!!

It's a 2005 Pontiac Wave, 5 speed manual, and it's so cute!

Now I just need the perfect name. My friend Tanys suggested Ginger. Any other suggestions?

Another video, still crazy

2009-06-09T07:21:00.001-06:00

Walter's first marshmallow.

Video Friday

2009-06-05T07:25:00.002-06:00

Here's a video of my cat, Walter.

Forgotten comfort aid...

2009-05-31T22:05:00.002-06:00

When I moved to the village, I was NOT INTERESTED in another basement apartment. Been there, done that...for the past 7 years. I wanted light. So I got an above ground level apartment, forgetting that that brought with it a higher likelihood of raised indoor temperatures.

With the return of spring, we've also had a rise in temperature over the past week or so. I've been complaining (to myself) about how warm my apartment has been and today I thought to bring out the little fan from my bedroom. I had forgotten how much of a difference a little fan could make. As I was enjoying the breeze, I looked up and remembered...I have a ceiling fan!

Dare to dream...

2009-05-21T19:35:00.003-06:00

So, we've been having a bad run of luck with weather lately. It was an exceptionally cold, snowy, miserable winter this year but things were starting to look up. It started warming up in April and it was feeling like good old spring was here to stay...rain and all!

Then May came. In the last 3 weeks, we've had snow/sleet 3 times and just around the time that it is SUPPOSED to be sunny and greening up, more rain. Yesterday, when it was busy sleeting (is that even a word?) outside, I told my students that we needed to do some spring decorating to encourage the weather. So we made flowery, springy decorations to hang from the ceiling and hung them up.

Today? It was sunny and beautiful outside.

So now my students think they are soley responsible for the re-arrival of spring.

Show interest with caution

2009-05-15T07:34:00.003-06:00

So, I was in drama all through highschool and for my first 3 years of University. I love theatre. So, after a few years of not being involved, I'm thrilled to be back in the swing of things on the directorial side. I helped direct our school's senior play this year and had a blast. We also took our play to our regional drama festival and put forward a respectable, hilarious show.

At our region's AGM, Carol--the past president of the Saskatchewan Drama Association (SDA)--was talking about the board and how they need new people. She teaches in our region and is retiring this year and was saying that our region should continue to be represented. She was begging for volunteers. I told her I MIGHT be interested in helping out in some way and could she send me some information about it.

Fast forward a couple of months. Having not heard from Carol, I hadn't though about what we had talked about at the regional AGM. I got a grant from the SDA to go to the Provincial Drama Festival...I got to go to some directing workshops and see all the plays. (It was fabulous). All of a sudden, 2 weeks before Provincials, I got an email from Carol, thanking me for my interest in sitting on the SDA board (what? I didn't say that!) and that she needs a short bio from me.

What? What? This is moving to fast!! I was trying to decide what to do, when I got another email from her like, 2 days later saying she really needed the bio, so I figured well, I'll just send her the bio and then when I see her at provincials, I'll talk to her about exactly what I might be getting myself into and how much I want to commit to.

When I got to provincials, I got my registration package and in it was the program for the provincial AGM (that was happening that weekend). Guess what was in the newsletter? That's right, MY NAME, with my bio, in the elections section for CHAIR of one of the committees!

So there you go. My "I might be interested" turned into me being a chairperson on the SDA board.

The lesson? If you show interest (or even make eye contact) in something that is in need of volunteers, you are as good as SIGNED UP!!

She's heard that before!

2009-05-11T17:36:00.002-06:00

Today Mindy, one of my grade one girls, came to me to tell me that her Great Gramma was coming along with her on a trip. She started to walk away and then stopped, turned around, and told me:

"She's really into God."

Feline Psychosis

2009-05-05T22:37:00.003-06:00

Oh my gosh. My mom sent me these and they are just TOO FUNNY not to share! Enjoy!

Arachnids and seeing red...

2009-05-04T19:25:00.005-06:00

I've blogged before about my students taking care of spiders for me. Now that it is spring, those 8 legged freaks are out again. I had to kill one on my own in my apartment the other day. It. was. HUGE. And I found myself wishing that one of my 7 year olds was here to do it for me.

Anyway, we've only had a couple weeks of nice weather, and they're already making their appearance around the school. So, my students have been taking care of them. And most of the time, they try to get the spiders before I even see them. I love my job.

At our school, spring also brings with it a new obsession. Baseball. Even during the 10 minute recesses, the kids all rush outside with their ball gloves to hopefully get in a solid 7 or 8 minutes before the bell rings again.

So far it hasn't been going well. Last week, a grade 3 student slid into home...and his foot slid into the batcatcher's leg, breaking it (quite badly) in two places.***

Today, one of my students got a bat (mid swing) to the nose. I have SERIOUSLY never seen that much blood come out of someone's nose. It was ALL OVER his coat, his pants, his whole face, his hands, in his mouth...and his nose started swelling IMMEDIATELY. I don't know HOW I stayed so calm, except that perhaps I knew I needed to if I was going to have any chance of calming him down.

Miraculously, his nose is not broken. He's going to be very sore, and no more baseball for him for awhile!

***This kid has TERRIBLE luck. He's had stiches something like 4 times in his life. Now the broken leg, which is casted from his foot to the top of his thigh. If you can believe it, he fell down a short set of stairs this weekend when he was trying to maneuver on his crutches and broke his ankle on his good leg. So now both legs are in a cast.

Free money!

2009-04-28T18:27:00.002-06:00

Remember book orders? I don't even remember if I got many books out of them (Mom? Maybe you'll remember), but I definitely remember how exciting it was to get book orders with all the pictures of possible books I could own.

Well, I had no idea how sweet of deal they are for teachers! Every time my students order books, I get a few free books out of it, and "bonus coupons" based on how much the total order was. The bonus coupons are basically gift certificates for me to use. I've been saving them up all year with the intention of getting a bunch of stuff at one time. I had $140 to spend and I used it all up last night (I love online ordering)!

Here's what I got:

-2 bulletin board sets
-2 bulletin board boarders
-Back to school, fall, and winter window decorations
-a book of phonics poems
-word cards for my word wall
-a cool magnet kit for my magnets unit
-a "root view" kit for my plants unit

And I didn't have to pay a thing! Scholastic rocks!

Oh, well if that's all!

2009-04-20T21:57:00.004-06:00

So, on the first day of school in August, I played a game with my students. I told them 30 things about myself and they each told me 3. Then they said all the things they remembered about me and vice versa. Whoever remembered the most things won. (Obviously they won, since their were 26 kids on their team and only 1 on mine).

Anyway, one of the things I told them was that I want to have lots of kids of my own. Remember, that's the one and only time I said that, and it was in August.

Last week, one of my grade one girls came up to me and said, "Miss Smith, if you want to have babies, all you have to do is find someone to marry you!"

Has she been thinking about my situation for the last 7 months?

I really should have taken a picture...

2009-04-12T19:52:00.004-06:00

So, there are both things I like and things I don't like about living in a village. .

I like that it's quiet. It lets me focus on my work, and then forces me to relax when I'm not working (because there's nothing else to do!).

On the other hand, because it's so quiet, it leaves very few (or none at all) options for activities when I want to do something. Overall, though, I enjoy the slower paced life, especially since I lived SUCH a busy life in Saskatoon for 7 years! *

I don't like that there are so few options and little selection at the grocery store and that the hours are limited. It makes it a bit difficult, because I work longer hours and don't always make it to the store by 6.

On the other hand, I encountered something on Friday that you definitely wouldn't see in the city. I was pretty sick on Friday and was having trouble swallowing, so I couldn't really handle anything I had in my fridge or pantry. I set out toward the store, and then remembered it was Good Friday, so everything was likely to be closed. The Co-op was closed, but we also have another small, family run store. When I got to the front, the "closed" sign was in the window, but above it, written in handwriting on a brown paper bag were the words, "Come around back if you need anything."

So I went around back, knocked on the door, and the owner was back there cutting meat and he let me come in and grab a few things.

Adorable. So village.

*Don't get me wrong, I'm still VERY busy with work, but I don't have a million other side activities on top of it like I did in the city.

Someone give me a paddle...

2009-04-09T16:27:00.000-06:00

I feel like I'm trying to swallow a ping pong ball.

Sicko

2009-04-09T07:43:00.002-06:00

So far this year, my first year of teaching, I've had the stomach flu (or gastro something something as Auntie Sonja told us last weekend) 2 times, 3 sinus colds, 2 chest colds, and at least 2 throat infections. Not to mention a few regular old common colds. A couple of these bouts of sickness have been considerably lengthy in duration, one of them lasting over a month.

Today I have a sore throat and am planning to sanitize my hands every two minutes all day...because 3 of my students have thrown up a total of 8 times at school in the past 2 days.

Very Critical Condition

2009-04-01T17:24:00.002-06:00

I blogged a couple of weeks ago about a family from my church in Saskatoon that has been going through a terrible ordeal. They lost their 16 year old daughter in a car accident and their 14 year old son is in critical condition.

Over the past few days his condition has worsened and things are very serious for him right now. He went through his 11th surgery since the accident last night and it took quite a toll on his body. This is an exerpt from the family's update blog.

Life for Brent right now is a huge battle. The surgery last night took a huge toll on his body. This afternoon he's now having challenges with his heart rate and there is fluid around his lungs. We know you are already praying but right now life is critical for Brent and more than ever before he needs a supernatural miracle.

Brent is in very CRITICAL CONDITION at the moment.....we're cheering you on LITTLE MAN
He needs a supernatural miracle.....

Please, please pray. They've already lost their daughter...now they need a miracle for their son.

I guess it HAS been awhile...

2009-03-22T20:23:00.002-06:00

Yep.

That's right.

I'm sick again. I'm all stuffed up and my throat hurts. It gets harder and harder to swallow as the hours pass.

Everyone told me I would probably get sick a lot in my first year of teaching, but this is a bit ridiculous! I'd better be building up a killer immunity because I don't think I can do this every year!

Critical Condition

2009-03-11T19:10:00.003-06:00

A family from my church in Saskatoon is living their worst nightmare. They were in a car accident a couple of weeks ago; their 16 year old daughter Katie was killed in the accident and their 14 year old son is in critical condition.

"Scot, Carolyn and their two kids, Katie and Brent were on their way for a fun family weekend. Around 3:30 p.m on Friday, February 27, 2009 there was a tragic accident just south of Lumsden near Regina. The parents Scot and Carolyn were taken to hospital with serious injuries. Brent, 14, was hospitalized with critical injuries. With immense grief we found out that Katie, 16, died at the scene of the accident.

Katie was a sweet girl who was kind to everyone she knew. Katie loved her friends and loved to have fun. She was very involved in her home church, Elim Tabernacle, looking after children. She loved being around kids, especially little babies and toddlers. We will miss Katie greatly."

That's an excerpt from the blog that our youth pastor has set up to keep everyone updated.

I didn't know the family well. But I feel connected to them as a part of my church family and I can't even imagine how hard this is. My heart breaks for them. Brent was doing really well for a few days...he was wiggling his toes and smiling. He still can't talk but he was blinking in response to questions. Last night he took a turn for the worse. He developed an infection around his aorta and abdomen...he's in critical condition.

I just can't imagine...they just lost their daughter and they're on constant watch for their son's life.

If you believe in the power of prayer, please pray.

Appliance Attachment

2009-03-08T21:16:00.004-06:00

My microwave died this weekend. I was heating up some leftovers when it flickered like there was a power surge. I stopped it and when I tried again, the same thing happened. Boo. Lukewarm leftovers for me. I left it unplugged overnight and tried again yesterday...no change. So, I guess it didn't actually die, but rather malfunctioned.

I got that microwave for free. My friend Regan and her husband bought a house in Saskatoon that had belonged to 2 elderly, unmarried sisters. Their family had decided to move them to a home, so they were selling the house. Regan and husband told them that if they wanted to leave anything (there were a lot of antiques in the house), that they would take care of it in an estate sale. The idea, obviously, was to hopefully score some items that could bring in a bit of extra cash.

Unfortunately, the family of the sisters took advantage of the offer and left SO MUCH JUNK. Like, they took clothes and some knick-knacks, but they left everything else. Records, clothes hangers, beds...even food in the cupboards. The pantry downstairs was clearly left untouched and Regan and I spent a long evening cleaning it out. We found old letters, containers full of old pill bottles, almost empty paint cans, old cleaners...along with a lot of spiders. Gross. We probably filled up 10 garbage bags full of junk.

Anyway, as a reward for my work, Regan gave me the microwave the families had left. Regan and Jon had one already, so they didn't need it. It was practically new and has served me well for the past few years.

I already don't like the new one. It's not as pretty. And it doesn't have any memories attached to it.

I was going to be productive, but I think I'll just sleep instead.

2009-03-03T20:51:00.005-06:00

I got more sleep than usual last night and I'm way more tired. Kinda feels like I'm defeating the purpose!

Anyway, since I don't have enough energy for a proper blog, here is an amazing video to watch. My Grampa sent this to me. The girls on the right are 6 years old, the 2 in the middle are 7, and the one on the left is 8 years old.

WOW...it gives me chills everytime I watch it!

Resentment

2009-02-25T20:58:00.002-06:00

I resent people who imply that I am only passionate about teaching because I'm a first year teacher.

That my excitement will "wear off" in a couple of years.

That I will stop caring so much when I've had more experience.

Perspectives on love

2009-02-12T23:23:00.002-06:00

The following are my students' responses to questions about love. Precious and insightful.

What is love?

“Like you like something.”
“When you give a person a hug like my mom and dad.”
“Caring for others like someone who can’t get in a store, getting them a coffee.”
“When I love my baby sister”
“It’s when your parents hug you and show you lots of love.”
“When a boy really really likes a girl and a girl really really likes a boy.”
“Like when you spend time with your parents and your whole family is there.”
“It’s when someone likes you really lots.”
“When you have a family you get respected.”
“When you give hugs and kisses to mom and dad.”
“When you go to someone and tell them.”
“When you live together like a family.”
“When you are happy.”

How can you show love to someone?

“By giving them a heart.”
“If someone was crying I would give them a hug.”
“I hug my mom and dad.”
“Hug them.”
“I just say that I love everybody in my family.”
“You respect them and you love them.”
“I would be nice and play with them a lot.”
“Well, I love a girl, I think she’s pretty and I like her.”
“By being nice.”
“Being their friend and including them in games and give them Valentine’s cards.”
“I play with them.”
“I be nice to them. I give my mom kisses and my dad hugs.”
“Maybe you would kiss them and tell them you love them.”

What does love mean to you?

“Like, when I love my Grandma.”
“It’s like when someone is in love with each other.”
“It’s the kind of thing when you love your parents or something.”
“It means you like people.”
“When you fall in love with someone.”
“Hugging my dad.”
“It’s about being nice.”

How do you show your mom that you love her?

“I give her a Valentine’s card.”
“I hug my mom.”

How does your dad show you he loves you?

“He gives me games for PS3.”

How do your mom and dad show they love you?

“Sometimes my mom takes breaks and cuddles me and my dad likes to tease me.”
“They take good care of me and treat me nice.”
“They hug me and kiss me.”
“By keeping me safe.”
“They hug me and buy me stuff.”

Just ask.

2009-02-09T20:16:00.005-06:00

My students are hilarious.

Every week, on Monday, we have our Weekend Review. We sit in a circle on the floor and everyone gets a chance to share about three things they did on the weekend. After they have all taken their turns, I tell them what I did on the weekend. For some reason, at some point, (I don't know how it started) they began asking questions about my weekend after I shared. Like, a lot of questions.

Oh, and they fire them at me without waiting for answers or taking turns. Here's a random sampling of what they asked me today:

Did you brush your hair?

Did you brush your teeth?

Did you drink some coffee?

Did you drink water?

What did you have for breakfast?

What did you have for lunch?

Did you have any snacks?

Did you have a shower? Or a bath?

Did you watch any movies?

Did you read a book?

When did you go to bed?

Did you have a nap?

and so on, and so on.

Why they do this, I do not know. They laugh the whole time they're asking. They're weird.

Picto-blog

2009-02-08T20:40:00.004-06:00

I overheard the following conversation in the hallway last week between two Kindergarten students. They were just coming in from recess and Mrs. N was telling them to hurry up because they had to get to an assembly.

T: Hurry up, B! Assembully! Assembully!
B: What's an Assembully?
T: I don't know, but we sure have to hurry!!

And now, some pictures.

Oh sad, yellow bamboo. Why are you dying?

New pillows! Hooray for pillows that make my place look more grown up!

And new sheets, compliments of my mother. They're flannel and so cozy. They make it hard to get out of bed in the morning.

I have this huge, blank wall in my kitchen that finally has some adornment. You can't really see the pictures, but they're kind of kitchen-y. The fruit in the frames are too high, but they're a huge hassle to move. I love my new clock, even though the Roman numeral is wrong for the 4. It says IIII instead of IV.

One of my students has an alpaca farm and they've started making pet pillows, stuffing them with alpaca fibre. They gave me one for Christmas for my Walter. He loves it.

Emma painted me this for Christmas. I love it.

25 Random Facts

2009-02-05T21:12:00.002-06:00

This has been passed around so I thought I'd finally do it.

1. I have an adorable cat Walter. My old roommate and I got cats together a few years ago. Walter is a monster (in size...in personality he's a baby) but when he was a kitten, he was the cutest round little ball of fluff.

2. I NEED to have at least one cup of coffee EVERY day. My first roommate got me hooked on it. Now, if I don't have a cup of coffee by late morning, I get a RAGING headache.

3. Like Regan, I put on lotion whenever I think of it. I keep it in my purse, in my desk at school, and in my car so it will always be on hand.

4. I love owning books. I have tons of books that I've never read, and my "to read" list gets longer and longer every time I buy a new one. And kids' books are even more of a weakness for me! Scholastic book orders are getting lots of business out of me this year!!!

5. I used to be SUPER picky about food. It's all my big sister's fault! I didn't like peppers, mushrooms, radishes, onions, tomatoes...

6. Okay, so I'm still a little picky about food. I still don't like onions, cooked carrots, or cooked celery. Or tomatoes. But I've REALLY tried to work on liking tomatoes, because they're in everything! I should say, it's just raw ones I don't like. I like things like ketchup, tomato soup, salsa, etc.

7. I'm SUPER queasy about needles. When I went to give blood, I actually thought I might pass out or throw up...before I was even in the blood giving area. When I got my wisdom teeth removed, I was equally concerned about the IV as I was about the surgery.

8. I've known that I wanted to be a teacher since I was in Kindergarten. I remember looking at Mrs. Gropp, my Kindergarten teacher, and thinking that I wanted to be a teacher too because she gets to have fun all day long.

9. I'm extremely afraid of spiders. Once, when I lived at home, I put a cup over a spider for three hours until my dad could get home to kill it. Now, I've got a classroom full of 6-8 year olds who love killing spiders FOR me!

10. I have a ridiculous capacity for remembering details and conversations from a long time ago. I have a terrible short term memory, but if something makes it into my long term memory, I can remember every little detail. Like, I still remember conversations that I had in Kindergarten. I remember thoughts I had in playschool. If I remember something, I can not only tell you what I remember, but also what happened before and after, and probably where you were sitting and what someone else was wearing.

11. I hate HATE abbreviations like LOL and OMG. I use full words (correct spelling) and full sentences (including punctuation) in all my text messages.

12. I love being alone. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE being around people, but I also LOVE spending a whole day alone just reading books and watching movies.

13. This one is similar to #11, but important enough to warrant its own number. I am bothered by poor grammar. Like when people use the wrong "your". Or less common, but equally annoying, using the wrong "too". Argh.

14. My bamboo is dying. I guess this isn't really about ME, but it's in my line of sight right now. And it's sad.

15. I love LOVE the game Catch Phrase. If you haven't played it, you should go out and buy it for your next party. Such fun.

16. I'm turning into my mother. I love things to match (though not to the extreme that my mom does) and I love dots and stripes. And decorating.

17. When I was in grade 4 or 5, I read a book about a girl who dotted her i's with a circle instead of a dot. I decided to do the same and proceeded to do so until about 2 years ago. Seriously.

18. Around the same time, I read a book about a girl whose older brother told her that you're supposed to say "Rabbit Rabbit" on the first day of every month. I've been doing so ever since.

19. I have crazy sensitive teeth. And don't tell me to brush with Sensodyne...I have been for over a year already. It doesn't help.

20. The only time I go to bed early is when I'm sick and I fall asleep on the couch. Even if I have to get up super early, I still can't bring myself to go to bed early.

21. I hate New Years Eve. I have had a long string of bad "luck" with things happening (or not happening) on NYE. This year I finally ended the chain of bad NYE's by spending a lovely, quiet evening with my parents, my Grandma, good food, good movies, good games, and a huge TV.

22. I love New York. I reminded myself of how much I love New York when I typed NYE in #21. I heart NY.

23. I've always wanted glasses. But my eyesight is too good.

24. Speaking of reading, I went to Kindergarten knowing how to read. My parents don't know how I learned. They didn't even know I knew how to read! Mrs. Gropp called my parents and told them!

25. I love peeling hard boiled eggs. Weird, I know.

Being assertive

2009-02-04T22:43:00.003-06:00

Why is it that I have so much trouble telling people exactly what I want? Like, tonight I was getting my nails done by a woman I don't know. I told her specifically what I want and then watched her not do it.

Seriously, I'm paying her. Plus, it's my nails that she's doing...I'm the one that has to look at the work she did. That I paid her for.

Why is it that I couldn't bring myself to insist on what I want?

Ho hum...

2009-02-03T18:36:00.001-06:00

I'm sitting here, trying to think of something to blog about.

Hoping that something comes to me as I type.

And I've got...nothing.

Credit Hassle

2009-01-24T15:09:00.003-06:00

I don't own a credit card. I didn't ever get one during university because I didn't want one while I was living paycheck to paycheck, especially when each one of those paychecks could be vastly different from one to the next. Plus, well, frankly I didn't trust myself with a credit card.

But now I live in a village, quite isolated if an emergency ever came about, AND my paychecks are steady and consistent. So, in July before I moved, I applied for a card through my bank. And then I waited for the exciting bit of plastic to arrive.

And I waited...

and waited...

and waited.

I called them about 2 months after I applied and was assured that I would get it within the next 10 business days.

So I waited.

Another 6 weeks later, I received a letter. No card. They were writing to tell me that they needed additional info from me. So I called to find out what kind of info. I spoke to a woman on the phone who said she reviewed my application and they had all the info they needed and the letter must have been sent by accident. Oh, and I should have my card within the next 10 business days. Ya. I've heard that one before. But, what else is there to do but wait?

And wait.

And, no word came in the next 6 weeks, so I called again (doing my level best to supress my frustration) to ask why the heck I don't have a card yet. Well, the lady on the phone said after checking my account, because we sent you a letter and we're waiting on additional information from you.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?

I politely excused myself and hung up. (Really, I was polite. I don't believe in being rude to customer service reps when they are only the bearer of bad news). A couple weeks ago, I called my bank and asked them to check it out for me, since I was getting nowhere with these people. I got a letter from my bank this week that said: "Today I spoke with a representative about your application. She indicated to me, that since so much time had passed since your initial application, your file was closed. So you will need to complete a new application."

Oh my gosh.

Well, back to square one!

Well it's about time!

2009-01-23T20:09:00.004-06:00

So, I often go to the grocery store looking for things I'd grown accustomed to in the city and I am usually forced to settle for something else. Especially when it comes to anything medicinal like NeoCitran or Robitussin.

Today I went looking for a headache remedy. I ran out of Advil Liquigels and didn't get any the last time I was in the city. I was fully expecting to have to settle for regular Advil or even Tylenol (and anyone who gets migraines surely knows the superiority of the liquigels...they work so much faster).

Well, surprise of all surprises, they had the Advil Liquigels!!!

I know, it's a small thing to blog about, but let's face it, it's my blog and I can do whatever I want!

(Besides, I once blogged about soup).

Aloha!

2009-01-19T18:05:00.004-06:00

So, my sister has been in Maui for the last three months. This weekend, we welcomed her home.

Lucky for her, she came back AFTER the -40 cold snap. Here she is beginning to layer up.

But, as we all (especially those of us living in Saskatchewan) know, our bodies become climatized to the weather we're living in. Our first -10 day of the winter is SOOOO cold. But later in the winter, after a few weeks of -40, -10 seems like spring! Well, the night we picked up Shannon it was about +2 degrees Celcius, which was feeling like summer to us! However, Shannon's body was used to Maui weather, so while the rest of us were wearing light jackets and peeling off layers, Shannon wore this:

Don't Get Your Back Up

2009-01-15T07:25:00.002-06:00

1. Put your iTunes, Windows Media Player, iPod on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.You must write that song name down no matter how silly it sounds!

If someone says "Is this okay?" you say? Paranoid (Kyle Riabko)

How would you describe yourself? Sweet and Low (Augustana)

What do you like in a guy/girl? My Moon, My Man (Feist)

How do you feel today? Unashamed Love (Lamont Heibert) It's true! I was just professing my love for Apple Cinnamon Cheerios and I'm not afraid to say it!

What is your life's purpose? What You Thought You Need (Jack Johnson)

What is your motto? You, Me and the Bourgeoisie (The Submarines) Everyone's heard me say that!

What do your friends think of you? Proper Nice (Joss Stone)

What do you think about very often? Only in the Past (Be Good Tanyas)

What do your parents think about you? Honey Honey (Feist)

What is 2 + 2? Worlds Apart (Jars of Clay) Yikes, and I actually TEACH this!

What do you think of your best friend? Free (Catpower)

What do you think of the person you like? Vultures (John Mayer)

What is your life story? Either Way, I'll Break Your Heart Someday (Augustana)

What do you want to be when you grow up? Cupid (Jack Johnson)

What do you think when you see the person you like? Fly Me to the Moon (Frank Sinatra)

What song will they play @ your wedding? The Bus Ride (Anna Wilson)

What will they play @ your funeral? Flora's Secret (Enya)

What is your hobby/interest? Silence (Jars of Clay) Try it sometime...it's so much fun.

What is your biggest fear? Pancake (Tori Amos) ...you know, I did have a recurring dream about a giant pancake falling on me...

What is your biggest secret? Mrs. Robinson (Simon & Garfunkel) Enough said.

What do you think of your friends? Rescue (Jared Anderson)

What will you title this blog? Don't Get Your Back Up (Sarah Harmer)

And now! With more questions!

What do you think about love? Love, Where is Your Fire? (Brooke Fraser)

How do you feel about others? Forgive Me (Missy Higgins)

How will you die? Disappear (Jars of Clay) No more David Copperfield shows for me!

What is your biggest flaw? In Repair (John Mayer)

What is your best trait?Indescribable (Laura Story)

What do others think of you? Good Times Gonna Come (Aqualung)

Who are you? Consuming Fire (Third Day)

Why are you here? Mamma Mia

What do you find romantic? Sleep (The Dandy Warhols)

What do you think is sexy? The Little Things (Colbie Caillat)

Exhausted in the New Year...

2009-01-05T22:18:00.006-06:00

but it's been too long since my last one. And now that May-B and Ariannland are posting everyday, my guilt has gotten the better of me.

First off, I had a great break. And I got plenty of rest...perhaps too much and that's why I'm so tired after only one day back. Being home and away from my lovely but germ-ridden students for so long (2 1/2 weeks!) let me finally get over being sick. Maybe that will be it for awhile?

So yes, it was a lovely break. I went home to my parents' house as soon as I could get away on the last day of school. I stayed for a full week, reading this book and this one (both great) and watching movies and playing games and scrapbooking. Then I hopped in my car and drove to Saskatoon to spend some time with Emma and gang before Emma moves back to Vancouver. After a couple days there, I set off to Regina, pulling in about 25 minutes before the wedding I was attending started. How's that for cutting it close!?! After a lovely wedding and a fun night in a gorgeous hotel, it was back to my parents' house for another half week. New Years was spent quietly with games, good food, and movies. It was exactly what I was looking for.

And now I'm back. Nothing like 26 kids to bring you back to reality!

We had a breakthrough today. Remember this guy? He told the truth today!!!! I mean, he started out by making up a story to implicate another kid, but when I confronted him about it and told him he looked guilty, HE TOLD THE TRUTH!!! I praised the heck out of him and gave him a big hug and he looked really proud of himself, so I'm hoping he'll remember that feeling.

And to end this post, I'll tell you a bit about one of my grade one students. She's so funny and gets such a kick out of making me laugh...and she does it a lot. Mindy hugs me frequently thoughout the day and often ends a hug by looking up at me and saying things like, I just can't stop hugging you, or I just wanna hug you all day long. Also, when I am helping her with her work, she's been known to ask questions like, Why are you so brilliant?

One day, when my EA was working with her on sentence making, she was sharing a story. When my EA started sharing some stuff about herself, Mindy waited for Mrs. D to finish, and then said, with her head resting in her hand, Can we just get on with this?

And the other day, when I told her and another girl that they were so funny, Mindy looked up at me and said, "Well, that's our job! To sit here and be funny!"

So funny.

'Twas the night before the Christmas Concert...

2008-12-17T18:37:00.003-06:00

and the teacher was feeling nervous. Let's hope they made all their mistakes today in rehearsal!!!

Random update

2008-12-11T17:53:00.003-06:00

I was doing so well with the posts and then...oops! Haven't posted since November!

I dunno...I don't really have anything to say! I'm into the Twilight books now and I'm a teensy bit addicted! Good thing there are only two more for me to read.

I'm pulling into the last few days before Christmas. I'm so looking forward to having the break. I'm going to spend a full week at home relaxing and scrapbooking...and baking, perhaps? I also have a wedding to go to and then I don't know about New Years...I've had a bad few in a row, so I don't really look forward to it. I think I'm cursed*.

6 days of school left. I can't believe it. It doesn't seem that long ago that I was still in university and now I'm 6 days away from Christmas break as a teacher! Oh, and 5 school days till the Christmas concert and a LOT of work left to do!

Here's a cute story. Last week 2 of my boys had a bit of a collision in gym class and one of them ended up with some bent glasses. Garry was pretty upset about him and another boy, Blake, was trying to console him as we were walking down the hallway. He asked Garry if he was going to be able to see at recess without his glasses. When Garry answered "not very well," Blake asked, "Garry, are you illegally blind?"

I bit my lip and kept walking.

*I don't actually believe in being cursed, but I've had a bad run of luck with New Years Eve's for the past few years.

It's beginning to look a lot like...

2008-11-30T00:31:00.006-06:00

Okay, so I'm a day early. Emma, don't kill me. It's the day before December 1st.

I decorated for Christmas.

I started by bringing out my snowman mugs...

Then more snowmen came out to join...

And then I had to put out my Christmas snowglobe. It was a beautiful gift from the mother of one of my students from internship. She bought it for me because of the musical theme of it.

And then I just couldn't bear to keep these ones in the box. They're so whimsical and they light up. Another gift from a student during internship.

I know. It's a bit early (I actually did it yesterday!), but it seems closer to Christmas than it really is. You can't judge me, unless you have woken up in the last two weeks to this...

or this...

Or this.

When there's this much snow (and it has stuck around, too) it just promotes the feeling of Christmas!

You know you live in a village...

2008-11-25T17:56:00.001-06:00

when a box of Christmas oranges costs $9.

What is this world coming to???

2008-11-20T18:25:00.004-06:00

Okay, so all of this text talk and internet lingo has been bugging me for quite some time now. LOL drives me crazy...people use it when things are only mildy amusing...for situations where they would not ACTUALLY laugh out loud. This comic expresses my thoughts on that.

Plus, I think it makes people sound immature and stupid. Sorry to be so harsh, but there it is.

There are all kinds of text/typing acronyms that drive me crazy, but LOL is the worst.

Today, though, I saw something in a Facebook comment that blew me away. In the comment, instead of typing OMG, which stands for Oh my God, the girl had typed:

"Ohemgee."

Are you kidding me? Now we're taking abbreviations and making them longer? How stupid are people getting?

Wow.

You know you're a teacher...

2008-11-19T18:10:00.004-06:00

When you find yourself in public, talking about the weather and your day is measured in increments of recesses.

I was at the co-op today and it's been a crazy weather day. I found myself talking about how the weather changed from first recess, to lunchtime, to last recess.

I'm a teacher!

Honestly!

2008-11-18T19:51:00.004-06:00

So, some of my students have been struggling with honesty. Or more specifically, they have been struggling with lying.

I get that it's common for kids to lie to keep themselves out of trouble. I think for a lot of kids, it`s their first instinct. But, most of my students will admit to the truth when I call them on it. For most of them, all it takes is for me to say I don`t think that`s actually what happened. You need to tell me the whole truth. Because of the relationship we have, most of my students will fess up if I tell them I think they are lying.

Except for a few of them.

Yesterday, I watched Samuel take a piece of paper on his desk and put it on another student`s desk. I picked it up to see it and he immediately said, "I didn't write that."

It said FROM SAMUEL on it.

Not a great thing to lie about. I took him into the hall to chat about it. He stuck to his story.

I brought him back into the room and compared it to his writing in his journal. It totally matched, and he STILL denied writing it.

I took him back out into the hall and we talked yet again. I told him that I saw him take it out of his desk, it was signed by him, and it matched his writing.

Still no luck.

In the end, he ended up admitting to it, but SERIOUSLY...

I'm starting a unit on honesty tomorrow.

Goodbye

2008-11-02T23:52:00.002-06:00

This weekend I said goodbye to a wonderful man. He was my best friend's dad, a very special lady's husband, and my boss for 5 years.

Goodbye, Brian. You will be missed by many, as you were admired, respected and loved by those whose lives you touched.

Agism

2008-10-27T19:58:00.003-06:00

I was just commenting on my sister's blog about age and it reminded me of a funny moment from a couple of weeks ago.

Tiffany, one of my grade two students, came to me and told me it was her dad's birthday that day.

"Oh!" said I, "And do you know how old he's turning?" (I only asked because I thought she wouldn't know but would make up an age).

"51," Tiffany quickly replied.

I turned to my EA to find out if it was accurate. It was.

My dad's 52*. My dad and my student's dad are almost the same age. I'm almost 20 years older than Tiffany, but our dad could be friends.

*Sorry for revealing that to the world, dad. It was necessary for the story.

It was meant to be...

2008-10-18T18:00:00.004-06:00

I was feeling a little stuffed up yesterday, so I bought some apple juice. I just opened it up and was about to drink it when I noticed the best before date.

That's my birthday!

Well, she told me!

2008-10-17T20:01:00.002-06:00

Krista is super smart. She's in grade one and could read what most adults could read. She has a huge vocabulary and uses words like startled and holler.

She speaks her mind and always wants to add to what has been said. I think she's awesome.

Today in phys. ed, I was introducing a new game that we were going to play using the parachute. She interrupted me and said that this game was almost like another one we have played before. I said well, except this one doesn't have lifeguards going around the outside.

Without missing a beat, she answered back, "Yes, that's why I said almost like."

S-M-R-T

2008-10-14T17:53:00.002-06:00

So last night I was driving back from my parents' house to Glaslyn. When I got to Unity, I was supposed to go East to Wilkie. I thought I was going to Wilkie, but after about a half hour I was wondering where the heck it was. Then I saw the sign for Macklin. I sure had not gone through Macklin on my way to my parents. I was 60 Km in the wrong direction. And it was already late.

Back to Unity. An hour later.

Oh well, at least I can say I've been to Macklin now!

The problem is, I made a point of looking at the sign as I was leaving Unity...and I was sure it said Wilkie. Macklin and Wilkie sort of look alike, don't they?

Great. I'm teaching a bunch of kids how to read and I can't even read myself!