Look Who's 2!!!

I can't believe these boys are two! Based on yesterday's antics, they act like they're still about 6 months but I love them anyway. Still, it's a good thing today is their birthday because yesterday would have been a terrible birthday as they got several stern warnings, a couple of fingers in the face and maybe a raised voice here and there. Not to mention that Scout got sent to his room for about a 1/2 hour.

First, they caught, killed and then brought me a chipmunk...inside! Well, they didn't really bring it to me because they would give it up very easily. Turkeys! I knew that something was terribly wrong when I saw Boo run inside and hide under the dining room table (his go to escape place) with something long and dangly in his mouth. Turned out to be a chipmunk tail. The actual chipmunk was in Scout's mouth across the way. I managed to chase Scout out of the house (thank God he didn't run upstairs) but Boo stayed under the table and proceeded to eat the tail. (Jim's question was, "What happens to a tail when you eat it?" Really? It doesn't come out in diamonds!) Anyway, after I got Scout out of the house, I got my shoes on, grabbed a shovel and tracked the damn dog down out in the backyard (the shovel wasn't for the dog). When I caught up with him, he wouldn't drop the poor animal so I had to pick him up at which point he dropped it. I picked it up with the shovel and whipped the poor little limp guy over the fence.

From there, I was doing laundry and the boys were being quiet. Too quiet. And then they came up on the deck (I accidentally typed dick...hahaha!!!) and were CAKED, I mean CAKED with mud. I looked out into the yard and saw they had decided to dig a couple holes at the fence line (right where I'd thrown the damn chipmunk)! ARG!!! So then I get them all cleaned up and settled and right in front of me, Scout thinks it would be funny to try and eat the living room couch. Oh man did he get yelled at. He sent himself to his room and legit stayed there on his own for a half hour. Yesterday was a tough day for those little heathens! Tougher on me though I think.

Jim called earlier and I reminded him it's their birthday so I told him to get them something special on the way home (Frosty Paws). Hopefully he'll remember. Hopefully they won't be bad today and NOT get they're birthday treat. Maggie asked if I was going to bake them a cake and I said, "No...but maybe I'll make a chipmunk pie for them."

In other news, I've only gotten half my workout in today (abs, booty and arms) because the A/C guy is coming to look at our unit. It needs serviced but Jim also wants it to be mounted on the house. We'll get an estimate for that. And then I can finish my workout.

Oh, hey, it's Friday! What do you know about that?

Okay well, that's all I've got so I'll get myself straightened up a little and wait for the A/C guy to come and go. Happy Friday! Later!

Thinking About Doing Things

When Maggie and I were talking this morning, she asked me what I was going to do today. I really have no plans but I told her..."I'm thinking about cleaning out my drawers. I'm also thinking I need to straighten the shelves in the garage and I'm thinking about cutting up the jeans I no longer fit into to make a quilt (or 10). I'm thinking about doing a lot of things." Of course I'll probably try and tackle at least one of those things today (since it's gloomy...AGAIN) but I don't want to blow my wad (that's gross) all in one day...I've got all summer you know.

Yesterday was pretty productive. I did a little exercise, a little cleaning, a little laundry, a lot of cuddling with my babes, a bit of reading. I made a delicious meal (loves me some crispy oven roasted Brussels sprouts) and I binged some more Chef's Table. That show just floors me. It's so beautiful.

So far today I've exercised and eaten breakfast. And cuddled a bit with the boys. Other than that, nothing. I think I'll start on my drawers when I'm done here. I'd like to do a little rearranging too up there. I need to make my shorts more accessible and get rid of lots of stuff. I've gotten rid of all my pants...it's the top area that is harder to give up. But I need to quit being a procrastinator and declutter!

Dinner tonight will be BBQ Turkey Joes (a WW recipe), cole slaw and probably french fries. Oh, by the way, the dessert I made up at PIB was delicious! And so easy! You get a box of chocolate cake mix (preferably sugar free) and mix it with a can of diet soda (I used diet coke). Bake it and then top it with a concoction of sugar free vanilla pudding folded with whipped cream (I used sugar free). Crush up some of your fave candy bars (you could even use skinny cow crisps or freeze some Snickers or 3 Musketeers or whatever) and top it. It's very good and not many points! This will be my go to dessert from now on! I'm mentioning it because I brought the leftovers home from PIB and have been enjoying it after dinner these last two nights. YUMS!

Okay - I've rambled on enough about nothing so it's now time to clean the drawers. Excited tomorrow is Friday...can't wait for a glass of wine. Later!

Officially Summer

It's officially been summer since yesterday but I forgot to post so there you go.

Some good news: Jim is back to work today. They have another vote on June 5th so keep your fingers crossed. It's all about the money and hopefully they can all come to an agreement. We'll see. And since Jim was off yesterday anyway - he was only affected for 1 day (last Friday) so that's good.

PIB was good. We had fun and a couple of really beautiful days that weren't expected. The bad parts: We've got black mold due to water leaks, due to windows being completely shot and we've got mice. The thing about this that pisses me off is that we knew about the mice at the end of the season and it was brought up and my cousin said she would take care of it...and she didn't. I mean, how can you claim to love a place and then treat it so badly. It's upsetting. I hate the disrepair that's happening. UGH!  I'll be heading back up on June 24 for a few days and then returning for my week with Jimmy on the 29th.

Here's something I don't understand: Why do people climb Mt. Everest?! What is the draw? Is it worth the risk of death or frostbite? And are you willing to die up there or leave someone who has died up there because it's too dangerous to take their bodies back down? And what must that be like, passing all the dead bodies on the way to the summit? And then the money! It can cost $60,000 to take that trip! People are just stupid. I don't get it.

I think the chipmunks out front are killing my plant which pisses me off. Maybe I should fill the watering can up like Jim did and let nature take it's course? Or maybe I should just set Scout up out there on a tie. He'd swiftly catch me a few, I'm sure.

So here's a scary thing: The tornadoes that ripped through Dayton on Monday night? Jim and I had just driven through there a 1/2 hour or so prior. So scary. I knew we were racing against a storm because I could see the lighting toward the west and every now and then as we drove we'd go through one of those whacky downpours but I had no idea at the time how dangerous the storms were. Man were we lucky. I feel so badly for those people.  Little Miami Brewery is doing a fundraiser starting Friday and going for about 2 weeks. For every pint of Dayton Strong Milk Stout they sell, one dollar will go toward relief. I loves me some milk stout!

Lost another 2 pounds which is saying something since I drank quite a lot while in PIB. Now that it's summer, I'm able to exercise like I like. Yesterday I took Scoutie on a 3 miler and then mowed the lawn which was another 3 miles of walking! I'm DETERMINED to keep this weight off!

Okay - I guess that's all I've got.  A storm is rolling in and I want to bring in the cushions and then do some cleaning. Happy Wednesday (it's that time of year where I forget what day it is). Later!

On Strike

And...Jimmy's on strike. Kind of comes at a good time with us headed away for the weekend and him taking Monday and Tuesday off anyway. Now I have him around today to be my bitch and clean the house while I finish things up at work. They voted about two weeks ago and the shitty contract that was offered to the painters and finishers was handily voted down. Then they came up with a tentative deal which they voted on yesterday and though it was a closer vote, it still got voted down. Who knows how long this will last but I can't imagine the painting and finishing companies can afford to allow it for too long. Jim ended up going back down to the job he was working on and picking up all his gear. Fingers crossed he's back to work by next Wednesday. 

One thing I know is I won't be at work next Wednesday! In fact I hope to be out of there today before 10 AM...we'll see. I really have nothing to do. I'll pack up a few last minute things, go to the retirement party thing and then see ya! 

Plans for today: Well, now that I don't have to clean, I'll grocery shop, get a pedicure, take Jimmy to lunch and pack. Not much else to do. And exercise...and play with my pups. I did all my laundry last night so I'm ahead of the game. 

So here's something that I find kind of crazy...don't judge me. I was cooking dinner last night and was flipping channels and there was a Jerry Garcia tribute on...lots of different artists singing his most loved songs. And it got me thinking about David (my ex who committed suicide several years ago) and I said out loud, "You're around here, aren't you David? If so, give me some proof." The very next song was Morning Dew which was David's absolute favorite...annoyingly so...being performed by Widespread Panic who we had actually gone to see at Bogarts (local venue). It was kind of weird. Think/say what you will but it freaked me out a little. 

Okay well, I'm going to get a move on. I won't post again until next week when I get back from PIB but I'll try to post on Instagram and FB. Happy Friday to you! Happy last day of school for me! Later!

One More

Last exam today! Woot! It's my science exam and I'm thinking I'll let the kids use their study guide. I did that with my history class and only 2 of my 6 kids used theirs. Bonus though, they all passed, even those who didn't use. Science is going to be a lot harder so I'm hoping they'll A) have them with them and B) pull them out and use them.

Have I mentioned that I've been watching another new series on Netflix? It's called Dead To Me with Christina Applegate. Cool little aside: One of the actors in it - Diana-Maria Riva - graduated from SUA with Maggie. Her last name back then was Uhlenbrock but obviously that wasn't very "Hollywood". Anyway - it's a really good series if you're looking. Pretty dark and funny.

I'm also still watching Chef's Table and last night I watched the very first episode on an Italian chef named Massimo Bottura who owns the #3 restaurant in the world. His story was pretty neat but coolest of all was the Parmesan "factory" that they visited...so amazing.

Bonus: Jim's headed to Party Source tomorrow! That means a couple things: 1) he can get me some big bottles of Skinny Girl Margarita (the only place I've found that sells the big bottles) and 2) cheaper champagne! That's about all I need. I'm not taking beer up to the Bay - we'll get it there. Their alcohol prices are pretty comparable to Cincy prices so there's no point using up all that space in the car with beer. Plus we're going to be there 3 days...I'm not hauling a ton of shit up there.

What else? Nothing much. Storms are getting set to roll in around 8 AM. These are the storms that just walloped Missouri. Thankfully they're losing their punch but I still worry about the boys being here home alone.

Okay - time to get a move on. We've got kids for the first part of the day...until about 10:30 and then I'm DONE!!! So happy! Tomorrow should be easy...just packing some things up and doing check out shit and then I'm OUT!

Happy Thursday! Later!

And We're Down To Two

Is this the slowest countdown in history? UGH! I think it's going slowly for a couple reasons. First, it's the last week of school and with the end so near, happiness is slow to make it's way to my outstretched fingers. Second, PIB is the pot of gold at the end of this adventure/school year and so of course it seems to be moving ever so slightly away from me as I move toward it. But this too shall pass and in the meantime, I'm getting some piddly shit done at school.

I was sitting in my classroom yesterday...it was 5th bell exam - a period I don't teach so there's another teacher in my room and my cellphone starts ringing. It was the factory set ring so I thought it was a junk call but looking down I saw it was my Aunt Muir. Oops, sorry kids...and I took the call out in the hallway. She was calling in regard to PIB, knowing we were heading up there this weekend. I was worried, of course, because last time she called like that was to tell me the water had been shut off...and we were headed up there the next day. UGH! So she tells me that the guy who opened the cottage the other day noticed some "black spots" on the kitchen ceiling. Shit! Mold is scary shit and Muwee don't do mold. I'm not surprised, however, because the windows, roof and gutters are in sad shape and need replacement ASAP...like 5 years ago ASAP! She's got a guy going in there to check things out today...we'll see what he has to say. The thing about this is, the longer these things wait, the more damage is done and that's as scary thing when the cottage sits all winter with no one there to monitor is something happens during a snow storm or high winds or ice. We'll see what shape we're in when we arrive on Saturday. Fingers crossed.

I discovered a new (to me) show on Netflix and it's enthralling. Chef's Table. It focuses each episode on a world renowned chef and I'm telling you what, these dishes they serve...the beauty of them...it's almost a shame to eat them. How do you come up with the concept of scallops prepared and served in shell over a bed of burning juniper branches? Or caviar stuffed mushrooms with dried pig blood (um...that's gross...but it sure looked pretty). The show is an artistic, visual masterpiece and the music is good too. Not to mention it has 6 seasons so I'll be enjoying it for a while.

Okay - I best mosey...Jim's trying to get his shoes on and is having a hard time...better go help him...slip his foot into his CROC! Really Jim!?

Happy Wednesday...near 90 today. Later!

One Down...

...three to go! And by that I mean both exam days and exams. I gave my 7th bell LA exam yesterday and today I'll give my history. I will say that I was bored out of my MIND yesterday. I finished my IEP progress reports early and then was struggling to do things. Here are some things I found to do:

• Figured out meals for PIB and sent texts to Maggie
• Made my list for PIB (grocery, what to pack etc.) 
• Figured out yesterday's dinner (Healthy buffalo sloppy joes...yummy!)
• Bought some shoelaces 
• Cleared off my desk
• Stowed certain things for summer
• Prepared files for tracking my caseload/classes for next year 

Now the question is: What the FUCK am I going to do today!?

Bonus from yesterday: Emo (my part-time kid) was supposed to come in yesterday and today to do his two exams but was finished with the first one lickity split so he asked to do mine as well and be DONE for the year. I said, "HELL YES!" So that's done and off my plate. You just never know what you're going to get with this kid...he's like a box of chocolates!

Bonus #2 from yesterday: Got a couple movie gift cards from one of my parent fans! Nice!

Got home yesterday and ellipticaled for an hour watching Game of Thrones. My feet were completely numb by the time I got off but I didn't want to stop watching. Here's my take: I was fine with the ending. A lot of people are bitching about it but when you think back to everything that happened, it sort of had to happen the way it did and I'm fine with it. Everything was wrapped up as it needed to be so there you go. This customer is satisfied.

Today, after school, I'd love to get on my bike but I just don't know if Jim will be home early enough. Yesterday he had an "emergency" dermatology appointment because of something on his foot so he didn't get his full day in. We'll see...if not I'll just do my recumbent and arms/abs workout. I'm trying to workout hard this week because we know this weekend (with Maggie) is going to be a shit show of drinking.

Jim's foot: A few months ago, he had this weird growth and went and checked it out. When the doc when to slice it open to figure out what it was, it actually burst and all was fine and nothing to fret over. Jim thought he had another one of those things but it turns out to feel like bone according to his dermatologist. They set him up with a podiatrist on Thursday. It doesn't seem to be affecting him too much but he said it hurts a bit. We'll see.

So I'm getting Vanity Fair magazine because a neighbor girl was selling for her school or some such shit. Anyway, I get the mag and then read the articles while I cook or feed the boys or whatever over about a week or so. Yesterday I read an article about the comic Ali Wong. Have you heard/seen her before? Am I late to the party with this one because she's freaking hilarious. She's got a couple Netflix specials but more exciting, she's "redoing" When Harry Met Sally (only the concept) using an Asian-American type storyline. I look forward to that because that chick cracks me up. Check her out.

Okay well, I've rambled on enough. Happy Tuesday! This time next week I'll be ON SUMMER VACATION! I'll still be at PIB (though coming home next Tuesday) and figuring out how to spend the weeks leading up to another trip to PIB. Ah, the life of a teacher with the summer ahead of her! K - later!

This Time Next Week...

...hopefully I'll still be sleeping at PIB with the water crashing against the seawall and the stupid red-winged blackbirds squawking...Jim snoring. {Sigh} It can't come soon enough.

And we've made it to final exam week at the castle! Today, I'll give my 7th period exam (LA) and then I have my 6th period which is a study hall so I'll just deal with any kids that come to take an exam with me. I never have test takers during that period so I'll be interested to see if I have anyone. Kids will be done each day by 12:30 which means I'll have time every day to get the last bits of paperwork complete and do a little clean up in my room. I'm pretty much done with paperwork so that shouldn't take me longer than...today really.

The weekend was good. It started Friday with Jim and I headed down to Little Miami Brewery to meet up with a couple friends (Dan and Christine) for a couple beers and pizza. We were home by 7:15 and since I was still nursing a cold, I just took it easy. Saturday we woke up (I slept until 7:00 both days by the way!) had breakfast, bathed the pups (they were filthy) then walked them and then headed to get our plants. I only needed a couple flats, herbs and some dirt. When we got home, the planting couldn't begin until we cleaned up the deck a little and replaced the flower boxes that we've had for about 10 years and had nearly rotted out. The new ones are slightly smaller but nice and pretty. Everything looks terrific and I'm glad that's done. The pups love it out there.

Saturday evening we had a couple beers with neighbors and then I cooked dinner and Jim an I hung out and watched TV. Sunday we walked the pups and then after some laundry and whatnot, we headed to Shooters for lunch and a couple beers. Other than that, Sunday was just a day of relaxing...for me. Jim got on the roof and sucked up some helicopters. I lounged around did a little more laundry, read a little. I contemplated staying up to watch GOT but then I saw that To Kill a Mockingbird was on and so I fell asleep watching that. I'll watch GOT today when I get home.

Jim has some sort of weird lump on his foot. He's had something similar before that was nothing but he'll try to get into the dermatologist today to get it checked out. He's a stickler for any weird thing on his body now which makes me very happy because usually he ignores shit. Fingers crossed it's nothing.

My cold didn't go much further than it did on Friday...that was the worst day of my cold. Saturday I felt fine but didn't have much of a voice...yelling at Jim and the boys was difficult. And then by Sunday, it was like I never even had a cold. So weird.

And that's all I've got. No real need to get to school quickly but I don't have anything else to talk about so there you go. Happy Monday! Later!

Jim's New Name

Some people call him Amy. Some people call hi Dim. Usually I call him Jimmy but after seeing the state of my cupboards when Jim unloaded the dishwasher yesterday, his new name is Ed...as in Special Ed! Here's the thing: Jim bitches about the Tupperware cabinet, which is ridiculous because it's never messy. I have everything stacked properly and neatly (everything has a place and is in it's place). That is until Jim empties the dishwasher and just throws shit in there willy nilly. I looked in there last night and found it a disaster. So annoying. So Ed! We had to have a little lesson in how to put things away. It was fun...for me...not so much for Jim Ed. Maybe he won't do it again!

Jim did do one good thing yesterday. He fixed the bed. For some reason, there's a child lock on my adjustable bed which they don't tell you about and it's not in the manual. I went to adjust my bed the other night and it didn't work. And I was PISSED! I mean with the amount of money I spent on that thing!? I was seeing red! And then I thought the dogs had done it because they like to go under the bed and play so they got a stern talking to but alas, it was just some stupid thing that happened with the remote. Jim called customer service and found all this out. My question is, if this is something they have with their remotes, why don't they put the fix in the manual troubleshooting section (I typed "troubleshitting" at first)? It's annoying.

Oh, and here's something else annoying: I went all year without getting sick and guess what happened to me yesterday? Yup...got a cold. I don't know who the guilty party is that gave me this cold but I want to secretly secret my snotty tissues in their pockets as punishment. The weird tickle in my throat made me sleep like shit. I ended up having to take a melatonin because it was irritating me so much and keeping me from sleeping. Hopefully it won't be long lasting...we'll see. At least it's happening now, however, rather than next week when I'm in PIB.

I got to take a nice bike ride yesterday. I just rode around my neighborhood and went about 7 1/2 miles. It was lovely and my but did surprisingly well. I think I'm ready for the trail! Can't wait.

And that's all that's happening here. I'm excited for the weekend and hopefully getting all my plants planted, purchasing my herbs, and getting the rest of my flowers.

Oh, Ed killed a chipmunk. Don't tell him I told you...he's really sad about it. He has these watering cans that he keeps on the front porch and he left them full the other day and I guess one of our little chipmunk friends (not sure if it was Simon, Theodore or Alvin) got curious and drowned. It is sad...I felt bad for poor Ed. He gave him a proper burial. The pups wanted his carcass to play with but I told them that was inappropriate. So they chewed on each other's faces. And then Boo ripped Scout's collar off and I can't find it.

K - best mosey. Happy FRIDAY! YAY!!! Last regular Friday of the year! WOOT! Later!

Slowest Week In History?

I think quite possibly it might be. Although, when I'm at it...in the middle of my day, it doesn't seem to be going slowly. However, sitting here, right now, I thought, Jeez! It's still only Thursday! Oh well, upside is tomorrow is Friday.

Update on Emo: He came in yesterday and actually wanted to talk about the day before. That's pretty good. I mean, sitting there with him telling me that he's not good at communication, I had to put a mirror in front of his face and say, "I beg to differ." I explained he's good at it when he wants to be and he needs to push himself to communicate with me. We had a respect talk as well and I explained how he WON'T talk to me. I said the door goes both ways, however, and I will in turn try to be more aware of what's happening with him. Not always easy when I'm trying to teach a class and he's fuming in the hallway but whatever. Progress I think was made. Plus I just kept telling myself that I only had 3 more days of his antics.

What else? Seniors are done at school. They'll be in for graduation practice today and field day tomorrow but they're done with classes...thank the baby Jesus. It's so much nicer leaving school when the seniors are out of there.

I came home yesterday (after going to Coscto and Aldi) and took Scout for a nice walk. We only made it 3 miles...I wanted to go 4 but his tongue was nearly touching the ground so I decided to give him a break. It wasn't even that warm but he was exhausted. The weird thing he was still a maniac with his brother later in the evening. I will say, however, that when we walk them like that, they tend to NOT wake up in the morning before we do or before the alarm goes off.

Okay well that's all I've got. Best motor to school. Happy...dammit! I was going to type "Happy Friday" but it's not Friday! It's only Thursday! Well, fine! Happy jerk Thursday! Later!

5 More Days

Yes, I know I have 7 more days with kids and 1 work day but my real count down is the number of days I have with my emo meltdown kid. He is getting on my last nerve. Here's the issue: Everything is going fine...he's having no issue in 3rd bell...yuckin' it up, socializing, even "making new friends" (as he said to me yesterday when he asked me for a piece of paper to write a kids number down) and then suddenly the bell rings to end his class...all is still fine...and then my kids for history start floating in and getting their materials and I say, "Make sure to get your binders and open up to where we left off on Friday" and suddenly Emo is having an issue and needs some time to recover from "something". This means, he's out in the hallway, missing my class and I can't go babysit him because I have a class. So annoying. And then he says to another teacher that he has to go down to the office and not be in my class because he's "going to go off on me". Yeah, that's not okay. I'll talk to him today and respond to his parents email but 5 days may be more than I can put up with. Well, actually, it's 4 because Monday he'll be with another colleague taking an exam...not me. So, okay...I can do 4 days.

I'll be headed to Costco after school today and Aldi. Jim's already gone for work (5:52) so he can get home early and the dogs aren't in their cages too terribly long. They've been pills this week...I'll tell you. And I had forgotten how much they love the hibiscus trees we always have on the back deck...until Jim came home with them yesterday and they thought they were just for them to rip leaves and flowers off of. Ridiculous! BTW - they cost $10!!! I'm tempted to go back for more. Several years ago when I first started getting them they were $20.  Hopefully I'll be able to get the rest of my flowers this weekend and put those in pots/flower boxes.

Oh, yeah, so the painters union reached a tentative deal. They'll vote again on the 23rd but work until then...so that's good. More money apparently but the details haven't been laid out. The bad thing with this is that my yard isn't going to get fixed during the strike like I'd hoped. Annoying. Like I said to Jim last night in a fit of frustration (about something else) I'm so sick of the shit that needs to get fixed in this house getting longer and nothing ever getting checked off. These are things that Jim should be taking care of but he's constantly rearranging the garage, or cleaning the windows in the Florida room that we barely use, or planting flowers around the mailbox! UGH! DUDE! FOCUS!

Can you tell I need a vacation? I think today I may need to do some yoga after school...a little deep breathing (ujjayi) wouldn't be amiss!

Okay well, I'll finish getting ready. I'll leave a little later than usual today since the pups need some out time and currently they are snoozing. Those boys need to get up and chase each other and wear themselves out.

K - happy Wednesday...later.

Headline: WLWT Anchor Can't Pronounce Words

And Jim's hearing things wrong. Yeah, so our local news anchor was reporting on Doris Day's death and she pronounced Que Sera Sera as "K sara sara". Dumb ass! And then Jim was asking if I had heard her but his rendition of the report was that she said, "K Sara K Sara". I said, "No, she said, "K Sara Sara." And he was adamant that she said "K Sara K Sara". I said, "JIM! She's reading off a teleprompter! The teleprompter didn't say K Sara K Sara because the name of the song is Que Sera Sera!" ARG!

And BTW - Jim's getting extra grief this morning because I got up this morning irritated with him. See, Jim does this annoying thing when he's not quite asleep: He moves his feet ever so slightly about every 10 seconds. This is annoying because it shifts the covers and wakes me up! It's almost as bad as him snoring. I told him about this today and he said, "Are you sure I wasn't asleep?" Uh, no! You had JUST come back from going the bathroom. Turkey!

On another note, I found a new perfume that I'm loving. If you know me, you know I don't really wear parfum...I'm a natural soap-smelling or lotion wearing girl. Well now that I've been getting Vanity Fair mag, I have get to smell all those perfume pages they put in and the other day I had the pleasure of smelling Si by Giorgio Armani (red). I don't know what it is about it but it's lovely! And when I wipe it all over myself and smell it later, it's changed. I'll have to keep that in mind for when Jim's looking to buy me a gift.

Had my last PD meeting yesterday. Glad that's over. It was pretty much stupid...especially the one part where they told us that they are now going to have the sped teachers in the building write the IEPs for scholarship students. These are students who don't attend my school but are residents in our district and going to other schools on either the autism scholarship or the Jon Peterson scholarship. In other words, students whom we've never met and don't have in our classroom. The shitty thing about this is that in the past this has been a "supplemental" position so people were getting paid to do this job. Now apparently, they're going to force it upon us...without compensation. AND!!! there's still a supplemental position for the scholarship coordinator. Bunch of horse shit is what it is!

A week from today will be exam week and I can't wait! Ooh, and today we get to start watching Secret Life of Bees (we finished the book yesterday) Woot!

Okay well that's all the excitement for now. Guess I'd better get a move on. It's that time of year where I start leaving later and later. Don't want to be late though! Happy Tuesday! Later!

Countdown: Two Weeks

I have two weeks of school left, which means, this time in two weeks, I'll be in PIB! Woot!

Weekend Recap: Friday was just a chill night. I had a dentist appointment after school (all went well and my mouth looks great according to my doc) and then I came home to make dinner (brats and metts), drink a couple cocktails with the neighbors, take a nice bubble bath and sleep.

Saturday, Jim and I made plans to head out to a new brewery. This time it was The Common Beer Company in Mason. It was good. Small. I enjoyed a flight with a couple brown ales, a stout and a lemony wheat. I did not like the lemony wheat...tasted like a hefeweizen...YUCK!  Here's a funny thing: We were at the bar with only one other dude sitting there and in walks a couple of ladies, one of whom had a PIB Boardwalk sweatshirt on. And Jim had a PIB t-shirt on. I mean what are the chances?

Anyway - afterward, we headed to a nearby restaurant - The Lucky Dog Grille - and enjoyed a yummy lunch. One of the draws that took us there was they had this whole section of mac and cheese dishes and we all know how Jim is a sucker for mac and cheese. It was good...they have a great craft beer selection. From there we came home and hung out until dinner. We went out to Asian Paradise...a little sushi a little General Tso's chicken...Jim enjoyed a mai tai...Jimmy loves himself a mai tai.

Oh, I forgot to mention, on our way home from lunch, we stopped and bought a new lawn mower! Woot! I can't remember what the brand is but I took it out for a spin and it's lovely. I look forward to using if for real once things dry out.

Sunday, I wanted to take the pups for a walk but alas, it never wasn't misting or raining and nasty. So...I did my elliptical and just hung out at home. Made some scones and biscotti and read my book. The dogs were crazy lazy which made me want to cuddle with them. It wasn't a very productive day but who cares?

Jim is so funny! He just got a whole bowl of cereal all ready, topped with bananas and blueberries and oops...no milk. We do have almond milk however so he'll use that.

I have a morning 1/2 day meeting today - pfft! I actually don't mind like I usually do. I need a break from the kids. I'm SO done with teaching this year! Thank God I've only got a couple sections left in history to go and in science, we're on the final exam reviews starting today. Language Arts, we have less than a half chapter in our book which means we can watch the movie for the rest of the week. Should be easy breezy.

K - well, I guess I should get a move on. Happy Monday!  Later!

Sometimes Unhappy Parents Are A Plus

So there's this parent with her two girls who are on my caseload...the oldest girl is a senior and I'm not sure she's even going to graduate because she continually has had an F in one of her required English courses this semester. (Oh and she recently turned 18 and moved out.) The other girl is a sophomore and mid-way in February, after having missed most of the 3rd quarter due to whatever "medical issues" she has, withdrew to go to the online school. Well, apparently THAT didn't work out. She barely did any work and ended up re-enrolling at my school on April 17th (with less than 5 weeks of school left). It was ridiculous and I let the mother know that I didn't think it was the best idea. BUT! mom let daughter make the executive decision (that's the nature of the relationship) and here we are.

One of the reasons the girl wanted to come back is that she thought that in coming back, she wouldn't be behind in credits. Well, that's not true...she still needs to pass the English and history classes that she's enrolled in with us for the online credit recovery and apparently she hasn't been doing shit in there. She's got a credit recovery class, a regular study hall and a special ed study hall and still she's done very little. Yesterday she came in and asked me if she HAD to work on  it in my class. I told her that if she has any down time, she should work on it so she could get it done and not have to worry about it. I then told her that I would be happy to help her. She proceeded to get a computer, sit all by herself and stew while apparently emailing her mother lies about me.

Fast forward to the end of the day. I get an email from my VP telling me I should call the mother because she called him and told him that her daughter told her I was refusing to help her. ON NO SHE FUCKING DIDN'T!!! So rather than calling because I this mother is a pain in the ass, it was the end of the day and I wasn't staying after, and I wanted to take care of this ASAP I emailed. I basically said: "I'm hearing that your daughter told you I'm refusing to help her. That is absolutely untrue." I then told her exactly what happened in my room today and said, "Hope this clears up any confusion and miscommunication there was." I will not be lied about, that's for sure.

Her email back to me was paragraphs long going on and on about shit that is irrelevant (regarding other teachers and her other daughter and shit that only drama filled assholes feel the need to spew). In the end, however, she's wants her daughter to work in the office for the rest of the year, instead of my room - PERFECT!!! And, she wants her daughter on another teachers caseload for the last two years at the high school. YES!!! I mean, a better outcome couldn't have been hoped for! My response to her will be, "Sounds good. I will make it happen. Have a great summer!" And then I'll put a little dancing emoji on it. (No...I won't do that but God I wish I could!)

I mean - and I'm not kidding - this makes for a perfect end to my week! A perfect way to start a Friday! WOOT!

And on that note - well, I really don't need to go because I'm leaving late today. I have a dentist's appointment after school so Jim has to be home early which means he needs to be at work early (he's already gone...left around 5;30) and I want to give the boys as much time out as possible. However, I think I'll go finish getting ready and sit and watch the news. Or one of my shows in DVR. Sip some coffee...revel in the fact that I don't need to deal with that pain in the ass anymore! Oh, and I got the nicest gift card from my unstable kid's parents yesterday.

Anyway - happy Friday! Later!

Bad Influence

This weather is a bad influence! As is my neighbor! And this delicious beer is a very bad influence! Yesterday I was all ready to chill outside on my back deck, having finished my workout (almost an hour on the elliptical) with a nice glass of iced seltzer and my book. And then my neighbor sent me a text telling me she was going to be out and did I want a beer. Well, I bought this beer at the store the other day that I wanted to try so it didn't take much any arm twisting to convince me! After feeding the boys I headed out and had a beer (or two). BTW - I know you're wondering...Palisades Pineapple is delicious! I was worried abond I didn't really taste the apricot at all. Recommended.

I had some crazy dreams last night. One of which was that Dezi hit me upside the head. I don't know why but I was PISSED! I also had him pushing me around in a wheelchair and instead of grabbing the handles on the back to push, he kept grabbing my shoulders and that boy is STRONG and he was hurting me. I don't know what all that was about. BTW - only two more days of him in school. Crazy.

These last several days - since Sunday - have been beautiful and I'm so sad that today will bring more rain. I hardly see the boys when I get home because they're constantly outside playing and chasing each other and laying in the sun. They're going to be so bummed today when I get home and it's yucky!

Speaking of the boys - I've decided to change up their food. I think Scout is sick of it so I'm going to do a slow mix of what I've been getting (Costco brand) with Iams...see how that goes and if he's more hip to eating. If this morning is any indication, it's working.

Jim is most certainly going to be on strike here in less than a week. I told you yesterday that his boss originally told him that owners would cave pretty quickly but apparently that mindset has changed and now he's saying they're in it for the long haul. And by the way - this is about 20 cents on the dollar. UGH! Well, maybe Jim can get some shit done around the house then. We'll see how it all plays out.

And that's about all I've got. Guess I should head up then out. Happy (I almost typed Monday!) Thursday...one more day! Later!

Flower Time

I don't know when it will happen because of course it's going to rain this weekend but Jim bought some flowers yesterday. Not all the flowers we need but he came home with some hanging baskets for the mailbox and then some flats for the front (snapdragons and impatiens). I keep looking for my hibiscus trees at Kroger but haven't seen them yet. UGH! They always go so quickly so I have to drive by everyday otherwise I'll miss them. 

The reason Jim bought flowers was because he was at his union hall to vote on their negotiated contract. Looks like it got voted down pretty good which means they'll vote again and then most likely strike. UGH! I don't want him to have to strike but if that's what needs to happen then there you go. His boss said that if they strike, the painting companies will fold and give in because they can't afford to lose the business so that's something. We'll see. And if they strike, the guy who is supposed to help with the backyard will be able to crank that out with Jim. 

My meetings yesterday went fine. Actually, one of them we ended up not really having because the parent decided she didn't know if she wants her daughter going to the career center. Gee, thanks for making me do all that paperwork for nothing! Well, there's still the chance she might go...I'll know Friday...I'll just have to have a "phone conference" for our meeting because I don't have the time to figure all that out at this point. 

My part time kid had a melt down yesterday (not in my class, thankfully). I don't know what caused him to lose it but apparently when he was taken for a walk by my colleague, he just talked and talked and talked and spewed all the shit that was occupying his mind. It's like he's got all this shit circling around in his brain and it builds up until he finally blows his top and has to vomit it all out. Sort of a cleansing. The problem with this is as teachers we don't have the time or ability to just up and leave our classrooms to give this kids the time he needs. I ended up, tactfully emailing that issue home. The parents (rather grandparent who is really the only one who responds) are understanding and get it.

Okay well, time to get a move on. Happy Wednesday! Later!

GOT

I still haven't finished watching this weeks episode of Game of Thrones so no one better ruin it for me. I was just too busy yesterday to get it all watched. I've watched half and I've got it on now but I'll need to finish it after school. I will say this: It's the first time in the history of the show that Daenerys did something that made me not like her. Ugh! I dread the end.

So yeah, yesterday I came home all ready to mow the lawn. Jim had fixed and cleaned the lawn mower Sunday so I was excited to finally get the front yard cut. It was a disaster. And then I go to start it and it wouldn't start. So pissed! I ended up borrowing the neighbors mower and managed to get things mowed but I wasn't happy about it and now I have to buy a new mower. So annoying.

After that was done, I then had to get dinner going and then it was time for Lester and then it was time for the Wheel and then bed. And I just didn't feel like watching TV when I went to bed...I read instead. So there you go.

Today is going to be busy, busy, busy. I have three IEP meetings. One at 8:40, one at 9:35 and one at 12:40. I'm hoping to hurry through them...we'll see how that goes. Sometimes people can be long winded which is annoying. Once today is over, however, I can finally say I'm DONE with IEPs for the year. Of course I have final paperwork for seniors to finish up and final progress reports of the year but I'm partially done with all of that anyway.

And that's all I've got. I need to get to school so I can make sure all my paperwork is in place for the meetings today so I'm off. Happy Tuesday. Weather should be good until Thursday which is a nice change.

K - later!

Three Weeks From Today...

...I'll be on summer vacay! I'll also be in PIB! I'll hopefully still be sleeping! Woot!

Weekend Recap: Friday was just a nice, relaxing Friday evening. I made dinner and had a lovely bath and that's that. Actually, I went and had a cocktail (or two) with my next door neighbor which then brought out a couple other neighbors but it wasn't an all evening hang out. Saturday Jim and I went to Walmart where we both stocked up on shirts (I got a bunch of tanks and lounge/workout shorts) and then lunch at the Chicken Joint (Silver Spring House). We got home and Jim napped while I read and hung out. Later that evening we headed to downtown Loveland where we met up with Doug and Lauren for a couple cocktails. The first Saturday of the month, Loveland has an open container thing going so that you can walk, bar to bar with cocktails and what not. Afterward, Jim and I had dinner at Paxton's. Yesterday we took the boys on a lovely walk. Scout was a champ on our 4 miles. From there I waited for the clouds to clear so I could lay outside...which I did and it was so nice.

Ooh, Jim fixed the lawnmower! Woot! This means that when I get home today I'll be able to FINALLY cut the front yard. It's a disaster. Sorry neighbors.

This week at school: Tomorrow will suck because I have 3 meetings. One full IEP and two amendments for kids going to the career center. Once that's over, it's all downhill. Other than that, nothing is going on at school. It's "jeans week" in appreciation of teachers. Of course I didn't know this until after I was dressed. Not that I care about jeans by the way...I usually wear jeans anyway.

And that's all I've got. Jim's out early today which means I'll stay home a little later than usual...give the boys as much time as possible.

K - gotta finish my routine. Happy Monday. Later!

Mental Illness

Man, yesterday was a doozie in terms of my part time kid. I know he's had many different diagnoses but the one that seems to be most detrimental to his psyche is depression and mental illness in general. I don't know if he's bipolar or what but holy shizz...that kid is all over the place.

I knew going into this week, we could have some problems because one of the main teacher's he connects with was going to be absent Wednesday - Friday. I had a plan in place, however, and things were going pretty well, especially yesterday. Apparently when he got to school he did great and worked on the online math course he's got...even taking a "knowledge check", on which he scored a 27/30. Going to his next class, he was having a good time during some down time with the other kids (it's a class that's in my room when I have my plan period). And then 4th period started and my kid just shut down. He put on his coat and sort up zipped it up with his face inside. I let him chill like that to see what he would do. Within a few minutes, he got up and said he would work better in a room by himself. I told him that wouldn't be possible. He asked if he could go to the library to work and I told him he needed to stay in the classroom. I had already told the kids they could listen to their ear buds while they worked) He then asked if he could go get his ear phones. He came back and sat at his desk but didn't do much work on the study guide he was supposed to be doing (except wht you see pictured). Eventually, he got up, and handed it to me then walked out of the room.

I followed my student out and we talked until it was time for him to leave. A lot of what he was telling me was about his past schools and how they treated him and how angry he was. I tried to  talk to him about the importance of looking at the present rather than focusing on the past and that people here really want him to succeed and do well. That kid, however, goes from one topic to the next so quickly that it gives you whiplash. By the time I had said that, he was on to the next subject which was that he's mad because he doesn't have any friends and never has anything to do. In the next second he started talking about his mother's friend who has cancer, is homeless and needs $2500 for treatment. And through all this, he was sweating profusely. His hair was soaked as was his shirt (and the school is COLD).

I asked him what had set him off today and he said he didn't know. Although he did say initially that something had crossed his mind, made him really depressed suddenly and mad but he couldn't really voice what it was. When the time came for him to leave, I immediately went back and emailed his family (including the pics of his study guide). It's such a sad situation because on the one hand, this kid wants badly to have a life and be accepted and go to school with his peers but he can barely make it through a partial day. I can't even fathom what we're going to do with him next year. There's no way he can go full time.  Day by day I guess. At least it's Friday and at least this year is almost over.

It's raining cats and dogs here. Today should be a normal day at school. And that's all I've got! Happy Friday all. Later!

Sore Feet

My feet really hurt today from my workout yesterday. Not like I did something different (elliptical) but I think my posture wasn't great and it caused my feet to be positioned wrong. I'll take a break from that machine for a day and get my feet back to feeling good.

Jim and I are trying to figure out which brewery to go to this weekend. It's been a couple weeks since we've been to one (due to out of towners or Jim working) and we're anxious to try a new one. The stipulation this weekend is I want to go afterward to the Pub in Hyde Park to have some fish and chips along with some fried pickles. It's been forever and a day since I've had fish and chips and there are none better than the Pub's. Problem is, what brewery do we go to? I had thought about Madtree but we've been there so...maybe Bad Tom Smith Brewery!? We'll see.

So yesterday, Jim worked a full day and then had to go out again around 6:00 to complete a job for someone down in the city. This meant that we needed to eat a little earlier than usual. When I got home, I immediately got going on my food prep (made my turkey burgers and cucumber/tomato salad). From there I set the table and changed into workout clothes. I was going to get immediately on the elliptical but looking outside, I saw how long parts of the grass was in the backyard. So, I high-tailed it out there to get some mowing done. I got the major long parts cut when suddenly, the mower just sort of slowed down. It was like it was just idling. Like the choke or whatever it's called got adjusted and so I couldn't finish mowing. I'm hoping that's all it is and we can reset the "rev"...otherwise we'll need to buy a new mower. Just what I don't want to do!

Normal day at school today. I can't tell you how much I can't wait for seniors to be done. If they aren't going stir crazy with their senioritis, they're driving me nuts (Dezi). That kid can't finish soon enough. I don't know what's up with him but yesterday was a doozie...he laid hands on another kid and I had to give him a good talking to. I'm still so confused as to what his dad is thinking, allowing him to graduate and no longer receive needed services to prepare him better for post-secondary. Oh well...you can only do so much.

Okay - time to get a move on. Happy Thursday! So happy tomorrow is Friday! 21 days until summer break! Later!

Jim Update

All is fine. I'll start with that first just so it's not a soap opera post where you wait and wait and read and read just to find out things are staying the course. Here's what's up:

As previously stated, from Jim's latest scan it was seen that there are two nodules on his lungs that have increased in size. All the other spots on his lungs have either stayed the same or reduced in size. There has been no spreading anywhere else in his body and he's asymptomatic. I was concerned this time around so I went to the appointment with Jim yesterday. The doc contemplated doing something different for a second but said the increase in size was really very minuscule so for now - for these next three months - we will continue as is. He did say that if he were to change anything, he would switch up meds rather than increase dosage or frequency (we'd go to the same meds basically that a different company makes). So that's that and YAY! We'll see what happens in three months (Julyish).

Oh, and bonus: When we went to the lab (it's a huge room in the office where all the chemo and what not is administered...there are about 50 recliners and always about 10 nurses running around) for Jim's blood draw, we sat down and one of our regular nurses came up to take Jim's blood and he looked at me and said, "You look..." and then he nodded and I said thanks and then he said, "How much have you lost?" I haven't been there since November, I think. It's nice to hear those things and I just keep thinking that it isn't noticeable so random things like that boost my motivation.

After our appointment we went to DeSha's for dinner. I had a salad and Jim had fish and chips. Sometimes it's a crap shoot but it was really good last night. Especially the happy hour wine I splurged on!

And that's about all I've got. Not much up at school. Same old same old. Just trying to get through to the rest of the year. After next Tuesday, it will all be smooth sailing. (I have three meetings on the 7th; 2 IEP amendment meetings and 1 IEP meeting for a student going to the career center. All paperwork is complete though so that's good.)

Okay - happy Wednesday. Later!