Christmas Eve Eve

I honestly can't believe that Christmas Eve is tomorrow! So crazy! It still really doesn't feel like Christmas but not really in a bad way. It's just without Mom and Richard here and with the Egberts in Australia things are...different.

Speaking of the Egberts and Australia, I face-timed with them on Saturday evening (their Sunday morning). They are having a blast and of course Clover and Eva are enjoying each other's company. I've been loving all the pictures and can't wait for more. When we were facetiming, Maggie said, "Muir, look at this!" And then she panned over to a hand and I looked and I said, "Holy shit! Clover has Kristyn's exact hands!" (Side note - Kristyn has really distinct hands and it was actually something I had wondered about...if Clover had inherited them...pretty hands by the way!) Anyway - it was funny.

So my plans today: I've done my exercising already (abs and elliptical) and I just finished breakfast. After I finish here, I'll do some cleaning (we did a major clean on Saturday but I left the bathrooms and laundry for today) before I need to get ready to head out and get a pedicure, go to the bank and do a quick stop at the grocery. Once I get home it will be a whirlwind of cooking. I'll do my brownies for tomorrow's dinner and start whipping up some French cakes (I made the batter last night). I won't make the brunswick stew until tomorrow but I did make the broth last night and I got the chicken all ready. I will cook the hanky panky concoction today so all that will be left for tomorrow is making the stew and the crab mean dip. Should be pretty easy and low key.

I'm starting to think about packing for the Dominican. I'll probably start laying out my clothes and make sure I'm not going overboard. Pretty much I'll be living in bathing suits, coverups and dresses so not much else will be needed. I think the biggest decision will be what to wear for travel days. It's supposed to be warm here over the next several days so at least I won't have to take a coat or wear something bulky leaving Cincinnati. (Christmas day is going to be in the 60s!)

And that's about all I've got. Time to get a move on. Happy Monday! Later!

7 1/2 Hours

That's how much longer I have to work until I'm on vacation! Woot! Which means, I'm going to make this short so I can get into work early so I can leave early. I'll work through lunch and hope to leave around 1:30 or 2:00.

In other news, I made another batch of French cakes last night and did so well in only eating 2! And I only messed up the very first batch (two cakes) so the boys got a little treat as well. OF course the didn't want to leave my side. In fact, at one point, Boo so wanted some attention from his momma (or maybe he just wanted another French cake) and jumped up on my lap as I sat at the stove top. And then he didn't know what to do. It was funny. I love him.

Speaking of which, I woke up in the middle of the night and started getting nervous about leaving them when we go to Punta Cana. I hate leaving my babies! And I start thinking about the worst scenarios that could happen with them when I'm gone and then I can't sleep! It's terrible. However, I managed last night to stop thinking that way and went back to sleep.

Maggie and I messaged each other back and forth last night. She said it's 100 degrees in Sydney right now...yowza! She didn't have a hard time adjusting to the time change at all. (I told her that I heard the big issue is usually returning home.) She also said Clover and Eva are loving each other's company and having a great time. So happy for them.

Tonight I'll heat up some soup and make grilled cheeses for dinner...yum! Saturday I'll do a major clean and then Jim and I are going somewhere delicious for dinner. Not sure where.

And that's all I've got. I'm heading out now so I can get my vacay started! Happy Friday. Later!

Touchdown!

The Egberts made it Down Under. Not without a little drama, however. Apparently Maggie left her wallet on her first flight (did I mention that yesterday?) but at least it wasn't her passport. Anyway - Maggie messaged me around 6:00 or so and said they were tired but made it. I'm now expecting LOTS of pics and updates on FB!

And BTW - Maggie's mistake with her wallet is only going to make me a basket case, making sure I don't do something that stupid like that when Jim and I head to the Dominican. Speaking of which, it looks like the weather should be okay when we fly out. Temps should be above normal so at least we'll get out of Cincy without having to dodge a snow storm. Who knows about our return trip which lays over in Newark...ugh!

School news: It's the last day for kids today with only one exam so most kids will be GONE by 10:00! Woot! I have done a really good job in getting my list checked off and have only 2 IEPs to write and the chapter questions to prepare for the next book we'll read in LA when we return. I would expect that most of this can get done today which sort of sucks because then what am I going to do tomorrow?! However, I have PLENTY to do in terms of preparing my Biology class for 2nd semester so I won't be sitting there twiddling my thumbs.

Yesterday as I was sitting talking to the paras in my room getting ready for the day to start, one of the students I have from the MH classroom in my Biology class came in to give me a gift. This is the kid who looks like one of those really tall dancing men they have at car washes or whatever. He's autistic and reminds of a dancing flamingo with his long legs and how he prances around...especially when he's nervous. Anyway, he comes in, prances over to my desk, throws a note and box of chocolates at me, rambles on saying something like, "HereyougoMrs.Hankethanksforbeingmyteacher!" (he's a really fast mumbly talker) and then hightails it right back out the door. The funny thing about this is, he was going to be coming right back into my room for his exam. So the sealed note that he threw at me wrote to me, I picked it up and said to the paras I was hanging with, "Guaranteed, this is all about trains!" Sure enough, the note wasn't a thank you or a Merry Christmas or a Happy New Year. Nope, it was all about the Union Pacific Railroad and a some train that he's currently obsessed with. Love that kid.

Okay well, Morning Joe is on which means it's time for me to head up and finish my routine. Jim's going to his Christmas Party today and then heading to Clifton to hang with his brother which means tonight I'll be eating leftovers and hanging with my pups and making French cakes. Happy Thursday! Later!

Not There Yet

I talked to Maggie yesterday around 10:00 and they were going to head to the airport around 1:00 for the 4PM flight. She sent me a text at almost 9:00 last night to say they had landed in LA. They're flight Down Under wasn't for another 4 hours and they won't get in until around 3:00 today (9:00 AM Australia time). Maggie said at the end of their flight to LA, Eva commented that the flight was long. HAHA! That girl hadn't seen anything yet. Their plan was to try and stay up for a while so that they could sleep for the 2nd half of their 15 hour flight so when they arrived in the morning, they would be ready to go. We'll see how that goes. 

In school news, today will be exams 5 and 6 of 7 (tomorrow is the last exam). I have classes both those bells so I'll be with kids all day. However, their exams won't take long at all so most likely we'll watch a movie or just chill. I'll be working to get shit DONE! I've gotten 1/2 my list complete and so I'm well on my way to being ready for the new semester in January. Here's what I have left: 2 IEPs to continue, completing and printing my next chapter for Bio (and maybe getting the one after that done as well), complete my progress reports (which I'll do today), print and mail them, get chapter questions ready for our next novel in LA (The Help). I also need to complete typing out instructions for Madison when she stays here with the pups but I started that yesterday. That's about it. I've done well organizing my time so far. Lets hope I don't get distracted! 

I made a dinner that SUCKED last night. It was a one pan honey mustard chicken with red potatoes and green beans. I don't know what happened but the chicken was gross. It was rubbery and yuck! I didn't eat mine but Jim ate his (I don't know why). The sauce was good but the green beans weren't soft enough for my taste. Oh well...you can't win them all. 

Oh, I went and got my Botox yesterday so once I get my pedicure (which I hope to do this weekend) I'll be all ready for the Dominican. 

Yesterday after my Botox and exercise I wanted so badly to drink but I didn't! I was quite proud of myself! I'm trying REALLY hard to buckle down this last week before vacation! 

Okay - well, it's time to get going. Happy Wednesday! Later!

Bon Voyage!

Maggie, Charlie and Eva leave today for a 2 week excursion to Australia!!! (And a short trip to New Zealand.) Maggie has been a bit stressed about the trip - flying first to LA and from there a 15-hour plane ride to Australia - as you can imagine. I keep telling her this is a trip of a lifetime and the end of the trip is Kristyn and Clover! (And Dan...but she's seen him recently) and she'll sleep much of the time, hopefully. I will miss them a TON over Christmas but thankfully, I have a little trip of my own to keep my spirits up. Who knows when I'll talk to her what with the time change (Australia is 14 hours ahead) but at least I spoke to her yesterday and face timed with Eva. Have a great trip!!! Take lots of pictures! Post on FB and/or Instagram. (Maggie, be a better travel logger and DO THIS FOR ONCE!!!)

Which leads me to mention that it just doesn't feel like Christmas time. I'm sure part of this has to do with not having the Egberts scheduled to come in over the holiday and much of our normal traditions being different but it's more than that. Not that it's bad...I'm not bummed or anything...it's just things are different.

School went well yesterday. I worked with a few kids during the 1st period exam and then gave my history exam. A couple kids failed miserably but I bumped their exam grade to passing. As I've said before, exams are stupid. Today is 3rd bell exam (LA) and 4th which is my planning period but I'll have a couple kids coming to take their Geometry exam with me. I got a ton of shit done yesterday (managed to check a couple things off my list) and I'm well on my way to getting all my "jobs" done by end of day Friday.

Headed after school for some Botox! Woot! Can't wait to freeze this face a little bit! I haven't been able to look in the mirror for a couple weeks without cringing. Ugh!

And that's all I've got. Happy Tuesday! Almost there. Happy and safe travels Egberts. Let me know, somehow, when you land (messenger? cause you know Mom's going to want to know!) K -  Later!

Knives Out

Yesterday Jim and I went to see Knives Out, which we completely enjoyed. It was a good mystery but also really funny. I loves me some Daniel Craig! Here's the annoying thing about the movie, however: It was meant to start at 2:15. As we all know, this really means the time when previews start. I remember when I worked at the movie theater and for a movie, you got 3 trailers for upcoming films. And that's it. Today? There were probably 5 trailers but then 10 advertisements for whatever. Literally, the movie started at 2:42. That's RIDICULOUS! Who do I bitch to about that?! All of you I guess.

Snowmeggedon sort of hit. We probably have 3 inches on our deck but it looks like the rain washed away a lot of what would have been on the roads. We don't have a delay or anything (which is a bummer) but I'm fine with that since it's exam week and it looks like tomorrow may be a doozie in the morning with ice and colder temps causing some freezing on the roads. Hate ice.

Jimmy's doing much better, in case you're wondering. He's back to himself. There were a couple of dicey days there with him feeling worn down and weird (he described it as feeling like he had the flu without the fever) but all is well now. Thank God...I hate it when he's feeling puny...he isn't a great patient and I'm not a good nurse.

So as I mentioned, we have a week of exams. Each day we have two exams and then kids are technically done by 12:45 and can leave if they have a ride. It makes for a very quiet building and allows me to get a shit ton done. Today is 1st and 2nd bells so I have my study hall (with at least one kid coming to take her Geometry) and then my history exam. I'm hoping to crank out an IEP today and make some major headway on my progress reports. My goal is to get the three IEPs I have in January completed before break along with all my copying for classes to begin 3rd quarter. If I can do that, I'll be so happy and stress free! Which means I can stress about other stuff.

And just to keep you in the know: 9 days until Punta Cana!!! Woot!

Happy Monday! Later!

Two Weeks!

Two weeks from today, I will be at the airport! I can't believe we're that close! So excited!

Jim news: Jim had his blood drawn and all is well there. He talked to/saw a nurse yesterday and due to the rash, they've taken him off his meds for 3 weeks (normally it's 2 weeks but because we're headed to DR, they said to wait until we're back). I can't say I'm unhappy about him not being on his meds as we prepare for vacation because I really don't want to have something happen dealing with side effects when we're out of the country. And maybe he'll be feeling really good rather than completely fatigued like he's been. Not that it would matter because I don't plan on going on any crazy excursions. I'll be by the pool or on the beach sipping drinks for the majority of my time.

And I've made it to the Friday before exams! I can't tell you how happy that makes me. I'm so over teaching right now and trying to LEARN these kids! Today will be last minute reviews but nothing major. I do have a mandatory 7:00 AM meeting with the assistant superintendent (BORING). Probably has to do with the levy that didn't pass...we'll see.

Jim worked late last night and didn't get home until 10...poor guy. However, we have new windows going in in the basement so he's able to hang at home until around 1:00. From there, he'll go to Deerfield (close to home) and only have to put in about 4 hours. I think I'll have him bring take out home for dinner. Maybe he'll clean a little while he's just hanging around.

Did I mention that my new Ray Bans came? I love them! Picture me...on the beach in one of my new bikinis wearing my new sunglasses, sipping something frozen...soaking in the sun! Ah...the life!

K - sorry for rubbing it in...I'm just so excited.

Well, I guess I'll go finish my toilette and head to work. Happy Friday! WOOT!!! I get to have a beer after work. Oh, speaking of which: I told you all before about my new fave beer (Taft's Christmas brew - Santa's Bribe)? Well, it's GONE from Kroger! Every time I've gone the last 3 visits it hasn't been stocked. Twice there was just an empty spot where it was supposed to be but yesterday they filled it with some swill! UGH! I hope they get more because I'm down to my last 18!

K - I'm out...Later!

Dummy!

My new word that I've been overusing for a while is "dummy". It's bad, I know and I need to stop using it.  I've never used it on a student but Jimmy gets it a lot (sorry Jimmy). However, seems that the "dummy" on Tuesday was me. I'm a dummy for not insisting that Jim get his blood drawn at the doc visit to check his levels because of COURSE the day after his visit, he starts showing symptoms. He woke up with a rash on his chest (which is very common with these meds) and then complained that his eyes (around them) were yellowish. This is what concerns me the most because of the liver issues he's had in the past. I never really saw his eyes yesterday until he got home and I can say that the whites of his eyes kind of looked like they had a yellowish tinge...maybe? I'm not sure. And of COURSE the doc nor the NP called us back though they INSISTED that if messaged on Mychart, one of them would get RIGHT back to Jim ASAP. Not a good way to start this whole new doc shit! We'll see what happens today. I want Jim to call and ask for a blood draw to check out his liver levels. Hopefully he will follow through.

Got my hair done yesterday. I had called on Tuesday and there wasn't anything available until after the holidays (ugh!) but they put me on a cancellation list. I got a call at school that Kim had a 5:00 open. Woot! Of course that meant that the boys had to eat early and have very little time out of their cages before I had to leave again and of course Jim worked late. And then I didn't get home until 7:00 and Jim was bringing home Chipotle and we didn't eat until 7:30 and UGH! It was an OFF day all day!

Hopefully today will be better than yesterday (I was a bit of a stress ball with worrying about Jim) and I think I MAY have taken it out on the kids?! Sorry kids. I'll try to be nicer today. Just need to think about where I'll be in less than three weeks!

Okay well, I'm going to blow out my hair today so I need to get a move on. Happy Thursday! Ooh, tomorrow's Friday! I want to go see a movie this weekend (Knives Out!) but we'll see. K - Later!

New Doctor

So Jim (and I) met with his new doctor yesterday and the verdict is...I really liked him! His name is Dr. Flora (Daniel...not to be confused with his older brother Doug Flora who's also an oncologist but now in administration as he heads the new Cancer Center being built at St. E's). Anyway, Jim's doctor and why I liked him: He's young, he's excited about what he's doing, he's completely focused on melanoma (only sees melanoma patients) and he knew a LOT about Jim's history. He had obviously read his file and understood the details and history of what we'd been through. He sat with us for about an hour talking about everything and it allowed me to breathe a sigh of relief. Jim will see him again just after the holidays (January 7th...not sure I'll be able to go to that appointment...IEP and day after we start back...if he's "healthy" I won't worry about it) and then have another PET scan 4 weeks after that. That will be after Jim's been on his new meds for about 8 weeks or so...fingers crossed.

Yesterday was a good day. I managed to get some laundry done, exercise, and run some errands before I had to head to St. E's. My IEP meeting was also good and that's my last one before next year so now I can focus on the rest of this week and exams. YAY!

It's going to be frigid today! Jim's already been instructed to have a fire set to light for me this afternoon.

And that's about all I've got to talk about. I have some papers to correct at school and my IEP paperwork to complete so I'd best get a move on. Happy Wednesday! Later!

A Day Off - Sort Of

I've taken the day off for Jim's doc appointment but I do have a 7:15 IEP meeting so I'll head in for that and then hit the road. I need to go to Aldi as well but they don't open until 9:00 so I'll have to putz around until I can head over. From there, I'll go home, exercise and then run a couple errands. No big whoop.

I came down this morning after showering and Jim was tuned into Love Actually instead of the news. Love it! That boy knows what I like (and thankfully he likes it too).

What else? Truly I have nothing to talk about. I'm so boring. Sorry!

I've got a nice little collection of wine from my advent calendar. I'm finding that I'm really not a rose fan. I don't MIND the sparkling kind but it's just not my fave. I've only tried one of the whites but had a couple of the reds. Yesterday's wine was a red blend which I look forward to tasting...but that will have to wait for the weekend because I'm trying my best to drop a few pounds between now and Punta Cana!

Did I mention that my neighbors across the way have gone totally vegetarian? When we got together on Sunday for a game of cards, I mentioned that we all needed to go out to dinner (it's been weeks) and this coming Saturday was put on the table. But then they looked at each other and said in a you're-not-going-to-like-this tone, "We've gone totally vegetarian." I said, "Okay...that's your call...then you choose the restaurant. No skin off my nose." Why would I give a shit? I mean, Lauren was already vegan (she ate cheese and fish) and Doug had pretty much gone that route too because of his cholesterol so this isn't some make or break thing for our friendship. Weirdos.

Okay well, I'd best move on and get my shit together so I can do some last minute prep work before my meeting (copies and a cup of joe!). Happy Tuesday! Tonight for dinner I'm making a soup that looks rather delicious - Instant POot Creamy Chicken with Sun-dried Tomatoes. Mmmm! Later!

Weekend Recap

Or as I said out loud: Reekend Wecap. 

It was a good weekend. Friday Jim worked late (got home around 9:00) so I just had leftovers, watched some shows, took a bath and hit the hay before Jim ever got home. Saturday we did our normal morning routine: breakfast, dog walks, cleaning and then we headed out to shop a bit. We went to TJ Maxx for luggage, purchased that and high tailed it out. Place was a madhouse and I had NO desire to fight the Christmas shopping crowd. From there we went to lunch at a new place right there - Currito. If you have a Currito near you, go. It's delicious! Their concept is "Greens Grains and Smoothies". I got a chicken teriyaki bowl...yum! And from there we headed to Little Miami Brewery. I was excited to try their Christmas beer - Prancer which has hints of gingerbread. It wasn't my favorite. However, their Opera Cream Stout was amazing. I only had a half pint of that, however because it was 7.5% Yowza! Saturday night we went out to dinner for Mexican and then went to bed.

Sunday we were meant to go to my friend Terri's for her annual tree-trimming holiday party (a brunch this year) but alas, she had to cancel because of illness. This is the first time in 18 or 19 years that she hasn't had the party. WOW! Jim and I have only missed two. It's the end of an era! Just kidding. So anyway - we ended up going to Shooters (of course) and then home for some football and a bit of cards with the neighbors.

This week will be relatively easy. I have an IEP tomorrow but I've also taken a sick day at work so that I can go to Jim's doctor's appointment with his new doc. My meeting is at 7:15 so after, I'll come home and do my thing until it's time to go. Other than that, we'll just be doing review stuff at school. Exciting, huh?

And that's all I"ve got. It's holiday dress up week at school. Today is PJ day. Now normally I wouldn't wear my PJs but I do have a nice long-sleeved reindeer shirt that I thought fit well and I'll wear my new slippers that Jim got me. It'll be a nice cozy day at work.

Okay - Happy Monday! Two weeks from now, I'll be on break! Woot! Later!

Two Weeks From Today

I'll be headed into school, yes, but it will be my work day which means NO KIDS! Woot! Which means, I'm running out of time to actually teach anything and get kids prepared for their semester exam. For my Biology, I'm all good. I've completed the final chapter of the semester and have the actual exam made. That's big time for me. I know what I'm doing with history (we're on the Roaring 20s chapter and I'll just make the exam from that chapter). However, LA is still up in the air. Not sure exactly what I'll test the kids on. Probably a little grammar, a little writing a little exam to be sure. Exams are stupid so I'll make it as easy as possible for these kids.

I did a yoga routine yesterday that was so invigorating. I'm totally into yoga again after a respite over the summer. I managed to keep up with the flow yesterday (it was quite fast) and ALMOST managed to get into splits. One leg or side of my body is certainly more limber and flexible than the other but I'm getting there. Practice, practice, practice. My hip had been feeling wonky lately and after yesterday it's all stretched out and good.

I slept pretty well last night...had to use my 4-7-8 breathing a couple times but the real issue, the reason I woke up in the middle of the night was that my left thumb was THROBBING. I don't know what I did to it but it HURTS. I must have jammed something under my nail and hit a nerve but I don't remember doing anything like that. Reminds me when I was a kid and used to bite my nails to the quick and I would wake up in the middle of the night with my fingers throbbing to all high hell. My solution back then (which I swear was a miracle remedy) was to eat a spoonful of sugar. I thought about doing that last night but just didn't have the gumption to get out of my warm bed. It still hurts a little this morning but not as badly as it did.

This weekend is going to be a relaxed one. Jim and I will most likely go out tonight for dinner (maybe Mexican...mmm...margarita!). I want to get down to Little Miami Brewery tomorrow and try their new beers (gingerbread!). We also need to get a couple pieces of luggage for our upcoming trip. Sunday is my friend Terri's Christmas get together (a brunch) which should be fun. Other than that, my weekend will be full of walks with my babies (supposed to be a beautiful weekend...in the 50s), hanging with my hubby and just thinking about Punta Cana (and hoping we get there without weather mishap).

Alright...time to get a move on. Happy FRIDAY!!! YAY!!! Later!

Finally!

You'll be happy to know, I finally slept well.  I think it had to do with the fact that I went to sleep to Harry Potter in the background. Oh, and I took some ibuprofen before going to sleep. Whew!

I had a dream, just before the alarm went off that I was on the handlebars of a bike that Maggie was riding. She also had a slew of other people she was toting and trying to peddle uphill. I kept thinking I would end up in the side of a car but she managed to keep us all safe. Wonder what that means?

My IEP went well yesterday. These were new parents to me (they moved into the district this past summer) and they're just so happy with the district. So that's good. (Coming from Mason.)

Before the meeting, however, (at 7:15 AM) the shit hit the fan in the main office when Lisa's wack-a-doo parent showed up to rant and rave to our administrators and our resource officer. It was pretty funny but also disturbing since she is obviously VERY mentally unstable (found out later from the secretary who has known the family for years that she is bipolar). Additionally, her poor son had to stand there and listen to his mother lose her shit and then be escorted off campus. Needless to say, trespassing charges have been filed and she's also no longer going to allowed in the building (this has happened before).

All that aside, however, the funniest part of the whole thing was she came into the building to rant about the fact that her SON!! (she ends every sentence with 2 exclamation point) was NOT to be carrying his book bag!! (He broke his toe and is in a cast.) She had brought a note and the doctor's orders were NOT being followed!! At this point, the admin said, "Are you talking about the book bag that he's carrying right now? The book bag that he was carrying when you escorted him into the building?" It was fucking hilarious! Her response to that question was, "And another thing! My son is being bullied and he is NOT a bunny rabbit!!" Man oh man, I could go on and on but it sort of feels wrong to find hilarity is some one's mental breakdown. Ugh! Her poor kid.

Okay well, I'd best get a move on. Happy Thursday! Later!

S+S By JA

I've been reading Sense and Sensibility lately by Jane Austen and can I just say it's SOOOOOO good!? I know I know the story (the Emma Thompson movie is one of my faves) but Austen's writing is so good. I'm loving Jimmy's birthday gift to me...a perfect way to end my day every night.

Speaking of which, I'm reading the set in the order they were written.

Last night was a HORRIBLE night of sleep for me. I awoke at 12:30 and laid there for about 3 hours feeling like I was getting sick. Every move I made produced a wave of nausea and I thought for sure I was getting some bug. That of course led me to start worrying about the fact that I have a 7:30 IEP meeting and would have to go into work and how would I get through if I was barfing every 5 minutes. And then I started thinking about having to get plans ready and what would I have the kids work on. Eventually I fell asleep and when I woke up (of course before the alarm went off) I didn't have that nauseous feeling. Thank GOD!!! 

And so, now I need to cut this short because I need to get to school a little earlier than I've been since I need to prepare for my IEP.

Happy Wednesday - at least we're half way through. Later!

Facts Of Life

I was just sitting here, eating my breakfast...Jim was in the recliner with the TV remote surfing channels. After about 60 seconds, I hear a laugh track and think, Huh...that doesn't sound like the news (which is what Jim normally tunes into in the morning). So I look up and Jim's watching The Facts of Life...and he's chuckling. Huh...that's new.

Yesterday was ROUGH! I was tired, yes, but the kids were WIPED OUT! First day back after an extended break is always hard but yesterday seemed to be the epitome. What's January 6th going to be like?

I woke up last night at 10:30 convinced there was an earthquake. There was this weird rumbling noise that actually vibrated the bed. I sat up and just sort of looked around and then all of a sudden it stopped. It didn't fade away but just STOPPED. I asked Jim about it this morning but he had no idea. The news said nothing but it was so weird. I've experienced a couple earthquakes before (just minor here in Ohio) and it felt like that. Oh well, I guess it was just a massive helicopter or something flying really low.

Another gray day here. Yesterday was nasty...just gray and rainy and yuck! Today is going to be like that too. Oh well.

Oh, I started my advent calendars for wine, beer and cheese. So far, here's what we have:
Day 1: Wine - Rose; Beer - German pilsner; Cheese - Red Leicester (like a cheddar)
Day 2: Wine - Sauvignon Blanc; Beer - Irish red; Cheese - Gouda

I haven't opened today's cache yet. And I've only tired the rose because I'm not drinking this week and the cheeses are such a small sample, Jim and I are going to save them up and make a tray to have as an app in a couple weeks.

And that's all I have for now. I need to get to work because I have to tweak my plans for LA today. Happy Tuesday. Later!

I Can Do It!

Three weeks...that's all I need to get through to take me to Winter Break and then Punta Cana! And really, it's just the next two weeks and then exam week which is nothing and a work day at the end of all that. I have taken a day off on the 10th for Jim's new doctor's appointment as well. I can definitely do this! Now, the big issue with the next couple weeks is what I'm doing in language arts class. Today we'll finish up the final episode of And Then There Were None and we'll do a compare/contrast thing with the book and movies but beyond who knows. The problem is whatever I do will be what I test the kid on so it can't be anything too involved. Maybe we'll just do a bunch of writing and their semester exam will be a writing piece that they have to edit. We'll see. I hate teaching writing! Kids can't write. They can barely speak correctly. And their spelling...don't even get me started. Ugh! Dread!

So it was a good week. I won't bore you with everything but the best part of it all was how much family time we had. There were lots of laughs and fun but it seemed to go by in a whirlwind. Then Saturday hit and it all just slowed down! Saturday and Sunday were perfect for Jim and me because we were able to just hang together, relax and do what we wanted. Saturday night we got to spend with Jim's cousins. We hadn't seen them in a couple years! I finally got my elliptical fixed and got back on that horse. Scout and I took a massively long walk yesterday which left him tuckered for the rest of the day. And then I got to watch football (a Bengals win! First of the season), sit by the tree with a roaring fire and count the hours until I could go snuggle in bed! A perfect week! Here are the highlights:

• Silver Spring House dinner
• Thanksgiving dinner (I think it tops all dinners from past years)
• Visit to Trip and Susan's new house (beautiful) 
• Fart walks! 
• Soup extravaganza at my house (thank you Maggie for making the corn chowder) 
• Having Mom and Richard for Thanksgiving
• My boys were so good! 

This week should be pretty normal. Jim's already off this morning...had to be downtown early which means the boys have to go in their cages extra early (I hate that) but Jim will be home early so it's okay. They're still recovering from the weekend too. I have an IEP meeting Wednesday but other than that, things should be easy. 

And that's all I've got. I'd best mosey. Happy Monday! Later!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I always like when my birthday falls on Thanksgiving. I mean, who wouldn't love having one of the best meals of the year on their birthday! Plus getting to spend the day with my favorite people isn't too bad either.

So my mom and Richard got here around 2:00 yesterday. Prior to that my day was a whirlwind of cleaning, chili making, and walking the boys. That was a struggle with the wind! I think I burnt twice the calories walking against the wind. Boo and Scout didn't quite know what to do. Boo walked by my side most of the way, looking up at me and I'm pretty sure he was saying, "I'm nervous...lets go home!" He wasn't a fan. Scout just whined the whole time we walked. At one point we walked by a neighborhood sign - you know the kind that hangs and swings a bit when the wind blows. Well it was swinging big time yesterday and making a squeaking noise and Scout must've thought it was a dog and when he heard it, he stopped in his tracks, looked around and started whining even louder.

Jim got home around 4:00 and we left to go to Silver Spring House a little while later. Dinner was good...home by 7:00 and bed around 9:00. Today we'll hang here for the morning. I've got an appetizer to make and Jim and I will walk the dogs. We'll leave for Raeburn around 12:30 or so. The day should be full of football, game (Sorry? Uno? Exploding Kittens?) and family.

Tomorrow we're going to head down to Trip and Susan's new house so Mom and R can see it (they'll be moving in on or around the 15th). We'll then come home and I'll make the other soup that we'll have tomorrow.

And that's all I've got. Happy Thanksgiving to all! Happy birthday to me. Now time to go get Jimmy up. Later!

Gettin' It Done!

Yesterday I came home and after exercising I cleaned the guest bedroom, got the bed made and then headed to the grocery to shop for my guests coming and Friday's get together. I was home by 6:15 and Jim was home by then. I directed him on things that needed to get done and after dinner, I finally sat down in front of the TV to relax. Oh and I made a pumpkin cinnamon bread that at least looks delicious. (I made the dough in the bread maker, rolled it out, filled it with goodness stuck it in the oven.)

Today I should be able to stay put getting things cleaned and prepped here in preparation for Mom and Richard and then Friday. Since I ran all my errands yesterday, I'm hoping I can focus on the house and not leave until we head out tonight for our annual Chicken Joint dinner.  I'll make the chili here in a bit and then do a ton of laundry and clean. I'd love to walk today but with all I have to do and the weather, I'm not sure that will get done. We'll see. If the rain moves out early enough I'll at least get each boy out for a mile or two. I've been very into doing yoga lately (managed to do warrior 3 without falling on my ass yesterday!) so that will probably be in my plans. Unfortunately I got an email from FedEx tracking that my elliptical part will now be delivered by end of day FRIDAY instead of today. That makes me sad! Oh well.

What else? School yesterday was the waste of time I thought it'd be but at least I got an IEP completed and some Biology chapters.

Oh get this: So my district had a bond on the ballot this past election day and unfortunately it didn't pass. We are a district that is already busting at the seams and are just continuing to grow and grow so this hurt. Something will have to be done to address the overcrowdedness and in fact, it looks like they'll put the levy back on the spring ballot. Anyway, a parent wrote into my principal (anonymously) expressing her disappointment that it didn't pass and her desire to do something to show her support for the teachers. So!!! She sent in 74, $50 Amazon gift cards ($3700), one for each teacher in the high school, that we could each use on our Amazon classroom wish list. (Yes, we have to use it for our classroom.) Isn't that amazing and so generous!?

Okay - I'd better get the chili on. Happy Wednesday! I may or may not post yesterday...just depends on my mood. If I don't post - Happy Thanksgiving early (and happy birthday to me). Oh!!! Happy birthday Aunt Kathleen! Hope your day is great! Later!

Something That Bothers Me

Nacho and Taco Flay

So I really like Bobby Flay. He's a good cook (from what I can see rather than taste); he seems nice (he has a lot of friends from what I can see although they are always against him on Beat Bobby Flay); he likes to drink (that's really all that matters right? who cares if you're nice); and he loves his animals (he has two cats). Now this is where we get to what bothers me. See, I follow Nacho Flay, Bobby Flay's cat on Instagram (he's a red just like Bobby...it's true what they say that you start looking like your animal. Do they really say that? Do I look scruffy and wiry like Scout? Or wiry and built like fire hydrant like Boo?). Anyway what bothers me is that Bobby constantly posts photos and videos of his two cats walking all over the counter; laying all over the counter. You know, the place where Bobby does all that cooking!? Ugh! It's just not sanitary. And believe me...I get it...it's HARD to keep your pets (cats...Boo and Scout don't usually get on the kitchen counters) off the counter but then you shoo them off. You invest in a squirt bottle! You don't celebrate their wiliness, their orneriness by having a photo shoot! Ugh Bobby!

Phew...I'm glad I got that off my chest.

In other news, school will be a waste today. Sophomores are going to the career center today and so I really can't teach any of my classes because more than half my students in my classes tend to be 10th graders. Or they're out of town already. Oh well...guess I'll get some shit done!

Wind is a-coming! This time tomorrow we'll be experiencing 50 mph gusts. Hate that but - knock on wood - at least the tree I've been most worried about was taken down. Of course there are other trees which could do damage so I'll just have to hunker down but I don't think I'll need to medicate myself. Once the 8:00 am hour comes, the rain should move out so that's good. And, bonus, Thanksgiving will be clear and cool.

Tonight I'll probably do my grocery shop after dinner. I'd just rather do that than try to fight the crowd on Wednesday morning. Plus, I have plenty to do around here Wednesday to get ready for my mom and Richard.

Oh, guess what? My elliptical busted again. A different part this time (the left pedal). I already bought a replacement part and it's on its way and should be here tomorrow! Woot! This means, however, that I can't elliptical today (I didn't yesterday either...did the recumbent instead) so I'll do some yoga but it just doesn't give me the same sense of accomplishment. Maybe I'll take Scout for a walk too.

Okay well, I've rambled on long enough. Happy Tuesday (my Friday?)! Later!

Short Week

It almost seems pointless at this point to even go to school until after the new year. Truly, every year when we hit Thanksgiving break, all I can see and focus on is what I'm going to be doing for the second semester. I have to remind myself over and over that I still have 2 1/2 weeks until exams start and still need to do some teaching. UGH!

My weekend was good. Saturday, Jim and I spent the morning at the vets. Just the annual checkup for these two boys (nearly $500 later). They squeezed us in so we ended up there for about 2 hours, which was fine. We had to dope them up the starting Friday night and by Saturday morning, once they'd had their second pill, Boo was so high, he could barely stand up. Scout, however, seems to metabolize drugs very quickly or he's got a drug problem I didn't know about and his tolerance is sky high. Regardless all went well but Scout started screaming with worry when Boo was being examined. He did NOT like to see his brother poked and prodded...it was kind of sweet. Or it would have been if I hadn't been holding the screaming and flailing little turkey. Realistically, the only thing I really wanted out of this visit (other than a clean bill of health) was to have their nails clipped and thankfully that got done. They were like razors and I didn't want to have people coming to my house getting gouged. Oh, and we also got them the year-long heart worm shot so that's something we won't have to think about! It was about $70 cheaper getting the shot rather than the pills. Who wouldn't do that?

After the vet, Jim and I went to Shooters for lunch then it was home to put up minimal Christmas decorations. We have the tree up and some lights but since I'll be taking things down the day after Christmas, I didn't want to go crazy. I never do though. The rest of the day was spent just hanging out, watching Harry Potter, sitting in front of the fire and loving on the boys. I made a delicious Roasted Garlic and Cauliflower soup for dinner.

Sunday Jim worked. He said he would be about 4 hours but we all know how that goes...with Jim. He ended up working 8 hours. But that's all overtime so I can't complain especially since he's off Thursday and Friday. And...I managed to get all my French cakes made so there you go. I also did yoga, abs and walked BOTH boys (separately)! I missed Jim and was sad he had to work but it's fine.

And that's all I've got. Time to get a move on. Jeans all week (two days)! Woot! I like not having to think too hard about what I'm wearing. Not that I ever do . Anyway - happy Monday! Later!

Christmas Weekend Plans

The first batch of French cakes has been made. I managed to finish the last night while waiting for Jim to get home. I'll attempt to make a second batch this weekend. Probably Sunday since Jim's working. I've finally figured out how NOT to waste the first 2 or 3 batches(figured out what to set the stove top on) and I've thus, wasted very little batter. This does not make Scout and Boo happy though because my mistakes end up their treats. I've yet to meet a dog that doesn't lost their minds over French cakes.

Other than that, the weekend will focus on getting Christmas up in the Hanke household. I actually don't plan on doing too terribly much because we'll have to take everything down the day after (since we're leaving for the Dominican on the 27th) and the less the better. I also want Jim to get the outdoor lights up but really only the tree he does on the house.

Oh, Saturday we're also taking the boys to the vet to have their annual appointment but more importantly, to get their nails clipped. They are crazy sharp right now and with all the people coming to my house over the next month, it's much needed. We'll have to drug them up tonight and in the morning, which I hate, but they'll be happier (and so will my backside!).

It's raining. Yuck.

School news: Oh, so get this. An email went out yesterday from my principal about our upcoming workday. Seems it is scheduled on January 3rd (I had no idea!). In a "liaison committee" meeting recently, the request was made to allow the teachers to decide if they wanted to come in on December 20th (Friday after exams complete and is technically the first day of break) or on January 3rd. A) It's a good thing this email went out because I never would have known about the 3rd and I wouldn't have shown up! B) Looks like I'll be coming in on December 20th since I'm scheduled to fly in on the 1/2/2020 LATE! Really we're scheduled to land at around midnight on the 3rd so going into school wouldn't work for me. It's cool though. I have plenty to do on the 20th. I'll have three IEPs scheduled right when we get back from winter break so I'll be able to crank those out on that day and get stuff ready for my classes in the new year. With two weeks off...I can't really complain!

Okay well, that's all I've got. Time to get a move on. Happy Friday! Later!

4-7-8

I know I've talked about this before but recently, with some of the stress I've been feeling regarding Jim's health (all is fine) I've been waking up in the middle of the night and then can't get back to sleep. I'll lay there thinking things and as it always happens at night, I let my mind go to bad places and I start freaking out. So, I reinstated my 4-7-8 breathing and it's helped tremendously. If you've never used this method, I find it really settles the mind, slows the heart rate and lulls the body in to a calmness that allows sleep to take over. (Through your nose, you take in a big breath, counting for 4 seconds. Then you hold it for 7 and slowly let it out for 8 seconds.) I usually do it about 4 times before falling asleep...I think. I usually notice at about round 3 that I'm losing count and falling asleep. Try it if you've got the night time racing mind syndrome.

My IEP meeting went well yesterday. I was done with the meeting before school started so that's good.

No new news or symptoms that Jim's complaining about. He came home from work yesterday in fine spirits and NOT falling asleep on his feet so that's good.

Got another couple dozen French cakes made last night. So hard NOT to eat those while making them.

What is Joe Scarborough wearing on Morning Joe? He looks like he's in a track suit. Now I have no problem with this but he's usually in a suit suit...Looks like he just came in from a run and didn't have time to change. Hmm...unusual.

Well, that's all I've got. Time to get a move on. Happy Thursday. Later!

The One Side Effect I Wish Jim Didn't Know About

One of the side effects that these meds cause is fatigue and I wish I could keep that out of Jim's mind. The mere mention of it I think makes Jim tired. However, I think that the fatigue he felt yesterday is real. He came home yesterday and just looked drained. By 7:00 he was snoring in the recliner and by 7:15 he was upstairs snuggling in bed. He slept solidly through the night as well and then woke up fresh as a daisy but with "stiff feet". That's actually another side effect that I wish I could have kept from him: Joint pain. These are top complaints of Jim's so he'd feel these things, (probably) without the meds. 

Maybe I should tell him that a side effect is general excitement and limberness! Sometimes Muwee just doesn't THINK! Just kidding...I understand the importance of Jim understanding and paying attention to how he feels.

Speaking of which, he's not had another bloody nose so that's good. I think I'll buy a humidifier for the bedroom to try and combat the dry winter weather. Can't hurt and it will help me too. 

I have an early IEP meeting this morning (7:15) so need to be quick here. Should be easy...senior who's been on my caseload since his freshman year and the mother likes me. 

What else? I did a meal in the instant pot last night that was basically a "wing it" meal. It was a recipe I had for mustard pork chops on the stove top but I turned it into a quicker meal (so I could start on my French cakes). They were DELICIOUS! Oh, and my French cakes are more than delicious. My goal is to get two batches made by the end of the weekend so I can give some away. I'm trying hard not to eat many but I did have two with my evening tea last night. God I love those things. 

Saturday will be a packed day. Christmas decorations, cleaning and the dogs have their annual appointments at the vet (and a nail clip!). Sunday Jim has to work...sad! 

Okay - time to move on. Happy Wednesday (ooh, half way through). Later!

Side Effects Already?

Not sure what this is but Jim woke up this morning, blew his nose and had a paper towel full of blood. This isn't something that usually happens to him and since the very first side effect listed on his med literature is "easy bleeding and bruising" I'm thinking it's the meds. He'll text the nurse practitioner this morning. I'm guessing she'll say As long as it has stopped don't worry about it  but my plan with these meds is to be overly vigilant and aware.

My room at school is stupid freezing. I wore my winter coat most of the day yesterday because it was so bad. And believe me, I've put in a maintenance report (two) but have gotten no fix. I'll put one in every day until they fix this shit. Literally my hands were purple yesterday.

School was good yesterday. I actually got a lot done and even got an IEP written and the draft sent to parents 2 weeks ahead of time! YAY!

Tonight when I finish all my after school stuff (exercise and dinner prep...feeding the dogs) I'll be making French cake batter. Yum!

Speaking of exercise, I finally got to use my elliptical since fixing it and (knock on wood) it's as good as new!

And that's all I have for today. We're supposed to have a fire drill this morning but I'm hoping it gets cancelled since there's rain in the forecast.

Happy Tuesday! Later!

Feeling These Nearly 49 Years

It was a TOUGH weekend with everything Jim and I did. As you can see from the picture, we finally managed to get all the wood that had been dumped in our front yard, split. The uncovered wood is what we split plus one section you can't see that's under the tarp. We didn't split the "small" pieces and will probably leave those to season and split next spring. Obviously, we're not in need of wood and probably won't be for 2 seasons.

For the most part, Jim and I did all the work (Doug came over and helped for about an hour on Saturday): I split and Jim stacked. My injuries are pretty minimal: Lots of bruises and a couple of cuts plus I'm very sore...especially my upper chest and armpits (being in a low seated positions for hours and lifting huge pieces of wood). I did think I broke my arm on the first day (pretty much in the 1st hour of working). My left forearm got caught between two pieces. It's still really sore but I think it's just a deep tissue bruise. Ibuprofen helps so that's good. Glad that's done! Needless to say, I was in bed and zonked out before 8:00 last night!

And now Jim and I can focus next weekend on Christmas! Can't wait!

Oh, Jim's appointment from Friday. Well, first, we were there for 2 1/2 hours. I wonder if the new doc will be the same? Anyway - Jim we got all the scoop about Jim's new meds and his most recent scans. No movement of the cancer from his lungs (brain is clear...that's my worst fear). His colon is still showing a wonky diverticulum but it's NOT diverticulits as Jim has no symptoms or issues so that's good. In terms of his meds: He started yesterday. The biggest issues with these meds are fatigue, rashes (we have to keep an eagle eye out for sudden skin changes) and minimal joint pain (which Jim already has). Jill, our nurse practitioner stated that these meds really haven't been as problematic for other patients when it comes to side effects. Jim is on a half dose now (which is 6 pills a day) and will, over the next 6 weeks increase to a full dose as long as he tolerates. In two weeks we should be scheduled to meet with the new doc. I'll keep you all updated.

The week at school should be pretty low key. I have an IEP meeting on Wednesday but that's it. I'm showing the movie Ten Little Indians in LA. Then, next week (I can't believe it!) is only 2 days long! Woot! I'm so excited.

Oh! And you'll be happy to know that my elliptical is fixed! The parts came on Saturday and after splitting, I replaced the left leg of the machine. (I ordered a right and left with the thought that eventually the right will wear out too but I didn't replace it yet.) I look forward to getting back on after school today!

And that's all I've got! Jim is already out (had to be downtown at 6:00) but will be home, hopefully around 2:30 today. Which means, I need to get the pups settled in and kenneled up...so I'd best mosey. Happy Monday! Later!

Holiday Beer!!!

I went to the store after school yesterday and on my list was Great Lakes Christmas Ale (one of my faves). Well, when I got to the beer department, they had a whole refrigerator display of Christmas/holiday beers! I mean...what was I going to do but buy a little of each!? So, I ended up with my GL Christmas Ale, some Shiner Holiday Cheer, Sierra Nevada's Celebration and then a new one - Taft's Santa's Bribe Christmas Cookie Ale!  I mean, could I be any happier!? It took everything in me NOT to have one of each last night. I did have a Taft's and it's my new favorite. It's flavored with cinnamon, ginger and vanilla and it is to DIE for! I feel like having one right now! But I won't! I can't wait to have one later and I'm going to have to stock up! And I'm going to have to head down to the actual brewery and try it on draft. So yummy.

Guess what!? My elliptical parts have shipped! They are scheduled to be delivered tomorrow! Awesome! Now I just have to hope that the parts I ordered actually work for my machine. They should though.

So today while I wait around for Jim's appointment I'll clean, do some yoga and make my menu for the week. If there's time, I'll also grocery shop. I need to get all this done so that tomorrow we can focus SOLELY on splitting wood. I'd like to get all that done tomorrow so we don't have to do anything but stack on Sunday. We'll see...sometimes my best laid plans get waylaid.


I made a delicious dinner last night (thanks to Anne and Maggie). It's was WW baked buffalo chicken tenders. I made my own skinny blue cheese sauce and it was so yummy. Plus I have leftovers for lunch today. Tonight we'll go out to dinner because I expect that we'll be at the doctor late. We're talking about going to Fireside Grill which is in Deerfield (his doc appointment is in Mason today). If it's too crowded there, we may just end up at Rusty Bucket...one of my faves. We'll see.

Okay well, time to do some yoga and then clean. Happy Friday! I'll update you all on Jim's health news. Later!

Late Evening Phone Calls From The Oncologist...

Last night I was heading to bed, getting my teeth brushed, wrangling the boys, setting the alarm and the phone rings. It's around 7:45 and I think Well, this is no one that knows me because they wouldn't call this "late"! So I ignore it. And then it rings again and I look at the phone number and it's a 608 area code and I think, "Freaking spam calls!" So I pick up the ringing phone and answer and right away hang up. The phone rings AGAIN! So I let the answering machine get it and realize...SHIT! It's Jim's oncologist. He left a message asking for Jim to call the office in the AM. Remember, Jim just got his PET scan yesterday. Oh, and by the way, Jim was working late last night so he wasn't home. I called him, told him what was going on and said, "Call Dr. Leming! Otherwise this girl isn't going to sleep!" So I hang up with Jim and I wait and I wait and I wait and I get nothing so I text him and say "Well?" and I get no response. So I wait and I wait and FINALLY! Jim calls me back. Apparently his scan showed something wonky on his colon. Now, Jim's had a weird colon for a while and he's had a colonoscopy to determine what was up and things were fine. There were a couple precancerous polyps that were removed but the doc said everything looked okay. And Dr. Leming, having been reminded of that, and knowing that Jim wasn't feverish and didn't have any symptoms was fine with just seeing us on Friday. But let me tell you even knowing that? A 7:45 phone call from your husband’s oncologist as you’re trying to go to bed does not make for a rest full night of sleep! UGH!

Thank the baby Jesus I'm off tomorrow.

Bad news: I wore my elliptical machine out. As I was ellipticalling yesterday, the "ride" suddenly got very wonky and bumpy so I jumped off and realized that the hard rubber "wheels" that the machine glides on were deteriorating...well, they had deteriorated! Ugh! Thankfully, I was at the end of my workout! Anyway, I went online and found a place that sells parts and I ordered a right and left leg for my machine. I'm hoping this will work and I won't have to go buy a new machine. I use the thing 4 times a week so it will be missed until I can get it fixed or replaced right away. It's always something!

The dogs ate another shoe of mine. Found that when I got home yesterday. Needless to say I haven't talked to them in about 12 hours. I chased them around the house with my shoe yelling at them so I'm pretty sure they get it (until the next shoe falls in their path). Boo didn't even sleep with me last night. I'll love on them before I leave today to let them know I forgive them but those boys! They better mind their P's and Q's because if one more shoe (that's the second one this week) gets eaten, their days are numbered! (Which is a joke! It's so hard to be mad at them!)

My IEP went well yesterday. I made a lot of changes (because the junior high is stupid) but they were all good changes (no behavior goal, no longer being alternately assessed, got rid of OT services) and afterward my administrator came to me and said, "Who the hell wrote that last IEP!? What were they thinking?!" Parents are happy though and the kid is doing so much better so that's all that counts.

Okay - time to get a move on. Jim's got his MRI this morning but shouldn't have to work late and then tomorrow is our doc appointment. I'm not looking forward to that. The future right now with Jim's health care is just so fucked up and it's causing me so much stress! I wake up every morning thinking about it (at 3:45!). Of course Jim's seems completely clueless but that's probably a good thing. I'd rather do all the worrying so his brain isn't preoccupied with it and can focus on healthy, healing thoughts!

K - happy Thursday (my Friday). Later!

Plans Foiled

Well I was going to be a total asshole today but then I found out it's World Kindness day so there you go! Guess I'll have to wait to be an asshole until tomorrow! Prepare yourselves. (And I can hear all of your thoughts right now! Things like, "What do you mean wait?" Rude!)

In other news, I probably had one of the funniest conversations yesterday in history class. Here's what went down: We were talking about WWI and the build up that started the war. When one of the facts in the PowerPoint stated that various countries throughout Europe were focused on building a strong army, one of my kids - let's call him Billy (who is autistic and hilarious), said, "Army...what's the opposite? Leggy? Leggy is the opposite of army right?!" All while pointing to his arm and the his leg. And then he just kept saying it over and over (like autistic kids do, which cracked me up and kept me from being able to move on: "Leggy, the opposite of army. A-R-M-Y the opposite of L-E-G-Y." (At this point, of course, I had to correct him and say, "Actually, it'd be L-E-G-G-Y but that's not a word (at least in the sense he meant) and it's not the opposite of ARMY and you need to stop now!" Literally, my history class is a comedy hour/episode of candid camera. I keep looking for the camera but haven't found it yet. Ridiculous.

I have a 7:15 IEP meeting today. It's for a 9th grader but I've had his brother, who's a 12th grader, on my caseload for 3 years so I know the parents well. These are the ones who are divorced and hate each other. The kid is fine but a tough bird because he has issues dealing with his emotions which of course are all over the place being A) a teenager and B) on the spectrum. Shouldn't be too bad though...I hope.

I'll head to Costco after school today. Jim has his PET scan at 9:15 so doesn't need to leave home until 8:30ish. He'll thus work late. Tomorrow he gets his MRI. 

And that's all I've got. I need to dry my hair since it's so cold out. Happy Wednesday! Later!
 

Break Needed!

Kids are driving me nuts! The worst of it is that I have a high number of sophomores this year and nearly all of them are taking Geometry. The problem with that is the Geometry classes are A) being taught mostly via a computer program which is SO bad for these kids and B) most of my kids are in a class that is a combo of two classes so there are about 50 kids in there. The kids hate it; the parents hate it; I hate it. These kids are getting lost in the shuffle and so I'm left CONSTANTLY trying to teach these kids. It takes nearly ALL of my time (and theirs). These kids are having to spend hours on their math homework each week and it just sucks.

Weather news: We got about 2 inches over the last 12 hours but most of it is just on the grassy areas and decks. Roads didn't really get anything worth a delay or closing but the temps are now falling so quickly that the worry is re-freezing. I'll leave as late as I can to allow traffic to take care of the roads for me. The cold, however, is the big story now. Literally we were in the 50s yesterday afternoon and now we're going to get down to 13 with wind chills in the single digits. I love me some winter and snow but this is a little early for me.

My dentist appointment went well yesterday. No teeth rotting out of my head and my doc told me once again that my oral hygiene is awesome! One less worry!

So I took off Friday for Jim's doc appointment and was sure I wouldn't get a sub but alas, I did! However, I might as well NOT have one because the woman who took it is pretty worthless. She can barely move and is a total slug. I know that's mean but seriously, she's nothing more (maybe less) that a warm body. I'll be sure to have movie day in all my classes so that the kids have less of a chance of getting in trouble.

And that's all I've got. Time to get a move on. Happy Tuesday! Later!

Change of Plans

As I mentioned last week, we got a massive delivery of wood from the guy who takes our trees down. The original plan was to stack it and then split it next spring. However, considering the amount that we have, we decided instead to split as much as we can and stack the rest. Which means, next weekend will be a splitting and stacking shit show. The one good thing about this, however, is that we won't have to deal with getting the splitter and returning it on time because our tree guy will rent his to us ($50) and pick up and deliver it. BONUS! So with all that, Jim and I had to make some room in the side yard. First we transferred the wood we had in one section of our stacks and then stacked all the small stuff that we'll save for next year. It was actually an easy job. Jim will also most likely build another rack for the wood we'll split next weekend. Wish me luck.

Other than that, the weekend was spent doing leaves, walking the pups, playing cards and yesterday we went to see Last Christmas (good by the way).

Friday I'll most likely have to take off because Jim's doc appointment was moved...I just don't know what time the appointment is yet. That will suck because I'm sure I won't get a sub but what can I do?

What else? Not much happening at work. I have an IEP Wednesday. We'll be finishing up the book in LA and then I'll test the kids and then we get to watch the movie! Woot! Starting WWI in history.

Okay - well, time to get a move on. I have a dentist's appointment after school today and Jim has to work late tonight. Snow is on the way...not sure how much we'll get but of course it will mostly stick overnight and the fear of slick roads will be foremost in my mind. Hate that!

Anyway - happy Monday! Later!

Oh My Aching Back

I don't know if I slept funny or if the yoga I did yesterday tweaked my back but YOWZA! It's a little tweaked. I'll pop some Advil here in a minute and hope it goes away.

I always check my emails in the morning and this morning I got one from the parent of one of my kids who has a meltdown every other day it seems. Yesterday, he had to do test corrections (to get a better grade on his shitty test...your welcome) and the paper he turned in was nearly illegible with no correct answers on it. So, I handed it back to him and told him (nicely) that he needed to rewrite it and make sure to get the answers correct so he could get the credit. I even showed him how to write it out. As he left me 6th period I asked if he had the materials he needed to do it and he assured me he did. Then his mom emailed me to say he didn't bring his binder so she just had him re-write the questions (legibly) and then he could get his answers done in GI this morning (which won't be possible because he has a test to complete). He told her if I made him re-write it again, he was going to have a meltdown. Should be a fun morning for me! TGIFF!

Jimmy has to work tomorrow. 😥 He told me it was either that or he work late tonight. I said, "Get as much done as you can today, before the carpet layers get there, so you'll have a shorter time tomorrow." Which means he'll probably have to work late today. Ugh! But...it's overtime and he's now on journeyman pay so YAY! He says it should only take a couple hours but last time he said that, it was 8 hours. Jim's bad at estimating time vs. job. Anyway, we had planned going to a movie tomorrow (Last Christmas) but that may get pushed to Sunday. We'll see. (Who wants to watch the Bengals, anyway?)

And that's all I've got. Time to finish my toilette. Oh, and BOO! We have advisory today. So stupid! The kids hate it, I hate it; I know other teachers hate it as well. Dumb. I mean every other Friday is way too often for this shite!

K - enough complaining...happy Friday. Later!

He Did It!

Because I know you're dying to know if Jim managed to get to Aldi in time for the advent calendars: Yes, he did! He got 2 wine, 1 beer (because there was a 1 per customer limit) and 2 cheese. They haven't gotten the dog treat one but that's okay. I'm just so excited! Alcohol makes me so happy! HAHA!

I have an IEP today at 12:15. I hate when I have IEPs that aren't in the morning. But it shouldn't be too much a pain in my ass. I don't know this parent but from our contact so far, she's happy with her sons progress and that's all that counts.

First snow of the season is coming today but it won't stick. Well, it won't stick on the streets. The temps are going to drop significantly today too and by the time I get home, we're supposed to have below freezing temps. Brrrr! Monday into Tuesday, they're saying we might get our first accumulating snow overnight. It's rare to have a snow day (dare I say it) in November...we'll see.

Oh, so yesterday I got home from work and was doing my exercise when Jim came home.  He said hello and I keep doing my thing. As I continued, the dogs started going ballistic...I called for Jim but he wasn't anywhere to be found. Seems our tree guys were over at our neighbors taking down a massive tree and saw Jim so came to talk. They had a massive amount of wood which he said he could dump in our yard to replace the wood they took when they took our last tree down. So now we have our wood replaced and a shit ton of work to do this weekend to find a place to stack it and then stack it. That's okay though...no complaints from this girl. It's enough wood for probably 2 year! Oh, and the tree guy also said that when we need to split it, he'll let us use his splitter for $50 (about $50 cheaper than what we normally get) and he'll deliver the splitter to us for the weekend! BAM! That's a man who knows how to treat a good customer! Plus we give him a lot of business with recommendations too.

Okay well, I gotta mosey. Happy Thursday! Later!

Wine Advent Calendar! What!?

I don't know if I can go to work today! I mean, to leave  the responsibility of running one of the most important errands of the YEAR to Jim is frightening. I'm going to be so worried! Why, you ask? What the eff am I talking about you ask? Well, I was clued in to wine advent calendars. Kroger's came out last week (and immediately sold out) and today is the day when the Aldi's Advent calendars come out. They have wine, beer, Barbie, dog treats and more. I mean WTF!? I'm pretty sure there's a limit (2 per) so I've told Jim to get two of the wine, beer and dog treats if he can (or more if that's possible). See, he's working right up by the closest Aldi to us so it's like kismet! You know I'll be tracking him all morning to make sure he made it because they apparently go like hotcakes. I think he should maybe camp out starting around 7:30 just to make sure. I've also instructed him to make sure he has a quarter in his pocket so he can get a cart lickity split and take out any mother effers that try to get in his way! This is IMPORTANT!!!

In election news: Kentucky!? You've made me proud! I'm so happy that the teacher-hating governor has gone DOWN! A ruby red state has blue (for the governors seat at least). What makes me especially happy about this is it's an embarrassment to trump and McConnell (who should be a little worried). The Loveland levy went down IN FLAMES! 78% voted against the levy as well they should have. Unfortunately, my school's levy also didn't succeed, although it only lost by a few hundred votes. I just think tax payers are sick of all these levies and so am I and how we fund schools should be fixed but there's just too much talk and not action. We'll see what happens next for Kings.

Today at school we're running on an hour-delay schedule because we're showing a movie to all the kids in school regarding anxiety (called Angst). Should be interesting. I hope it's good. I have a TON of kids with anxiety issues so I hope it's worthwhile for them.

Yesterday was a doozie of a day for me. I just felt like I was forever running around and getting nothing done. And pissing off kids. And snapping at them. I think I was just feeling the stress of Monday's appointment (the breakout on my face is sure a sign that I've internalized it) and I took it out on those around me. Oh well...today's a new day. And WINE ADVENT CALENDARS COME OUT TODAY!

Made a delicious instant pot meal last night: Red beans and rice. Jim had two big bowls (which I don't usually let him do but it wasn't unhealthy so what the hell).

Okay - time to move on. Happy Wednesday...we're getting our first snow tomorrow (no accumulation though). And even better Christmas commercials are in full swing! It makes me so happy!

K - I'm out. Later!

Medical Upheaval

The word to describe Jim's appointment yesterday is UGH! So first, in terms of his health, Jim is still doing pretty well. He's had that one lesion which has continually increased over the last 4 scans. And though the increase is minimal, the doctor does want to switch things up. So, Jim will be switching his meds from the current b-raf inhibitors to another pharmaceuticals b-rafs. This is, of course, causing me anxiety but more on that in a bit.

The biggest UGH of the appointment, however, is that Jim is going to have to switch doctors. His current doc (Leming) is leaving Christ and because he has a non-compete in his contract (even though he's given 35 years to them) he can't practice/be associated with another hospital for a year. His original plan was to join St. E's (that freaks me out enough as it is - more on that in a minute) and a Dr. Flora who is putting together a melanoma unit. Because that can't happen for a year, Leming will, in the meantime, work for the Cincinnati Cancer Institute or Center (?) as a consult or something. Oh, and his nurse practitioner is leaving with him.

So we were given three choices in what to do:

1. Stay where we are and see one of the other doctors in the office with Christ, none of whom are focused or experts in melanoma.
2. Go to trihealth and melanoma doctor there. The bad thing with this is he won't be as "willing" to consult with Jill and Leming when caring for Jim.
3. Go to Dr. Flora and St. E's with the understanding that Leming will be joining in a year and they are trying to build something special and innovative for melanoma patients. 

Obviously we are choosing #3 and we were assured by Jill that she is still just a phone call away (we have her personal cell number). Prior to heading out of Leming's care, Jim will have another set of scans (MRI) and another appointment. This will happen in the next two weeks so it's going to be a whirlwind. And though it sounds selfish because the most important thing is Jim's health, I did voice my worry about him on new meds with us going to Punta Cana. Jill assured us that he will start at the lowest dose and work from there. Yeah, I've heard that song and dance before but I guess the only thing we can do is see what happens. 

And that's the latest. I mean, other than losing Jimmy, I can't imagine what could be worse than losing your doctor in the middle of treatment when it's not your choice. But at least we won't be left totally on our own. Fingers crossed! 

Okay well, I've got to mosey. I'm going to try and vote before school so I need to hurry. Happy Tuesday! Later!

Good Thing

It's a good thing that I took today off for Jim's appointment because they called on Friday and left a message that our appointment was moved to 1:40. I mean...who just  moves an appointment without confirmation or an okay?! Stupid. But thankfully, it isn't a big deal. Oh, and now his appointment is with Jill (the nurse practitioner) rather than the doc. I like Jill, she's fine but with the last scan showing continued growth...I really wanted to see the doc. Oh well...we'll see what happens. Hopefully we'll find out as well what will happen with their move from Christ. Dreading that potential nightmare.

In weekend news - it was a good one. Friday I went to a friends house and hung out with about 5 ladies, drank wine, talked, drank wine, talked some more, drank more wine. Thankfully Jimmy was kind enough to be my driver and he picked me up at around 10:00. Saturday we did our normal stuff - cleaned, walked and then went to Little Miami with Doug and Lauren. I finally got to try their Pumpkin Maple Cookie beer and it didn't disappoint! So yummy! Afterward, we came back and played some cards but I could tell Jim was tired so we made it an early night.

Sunday was more walking and then Jim and I did some yard clean up out front. Unfortunately I busted the lawn mower (bent the blade when I accidentally went over a root) so now I have to go to Home Depot to try and replace it so I can hopefully get the mower working again so I can get the leaves in the backyard up before the rain hits tonight. Ugh! It wasn't a good day for me in the yard yesterday! With breaking the lawn mower and cutting myself several times I was a disaster.

New show on my list to watch, which I started this morning on the elliptical: Modern Love on Prime. Half hour shows with a different story each episode and I think they'll all tie together by the end...that's the gist I got reading about it. Really cute and good!

Okay that's all I've got. I'm going to go shower so I can go to the store and HD and then hopefully get home and do a bit of work in the yard before I head to Jim's doc appointment. Happy Monday! Later!

Early Morning Panic

There's been a piece of mail on the kitchen counter for the last few days, addressed to Jim, that he hadn't opened. So, this morning, I finally opened it and found it was the letter informing us that Jim's doctor is leaving Christ. UGH! We've known this day was coming but now that it's here (Nov. 22) panic is setting in a bit. We're going to see him on Monday and hopefully we'll find out where he's headed and we can follow him but what if we can't!? I'm sure the other oncologists in his group are fine but it's scary. I'll keep you updated.

Last night was painless in terms of Halloween and trick-or-treaters. We had the group in our circle come around 6:15 and that was it. I was in bed at my usual time.

Made a delicious beef and barley soup in the instant post last night. Jim loved it. And I got to have a couple glasses of wine last night. Yum! I had been waiting all week and it was well worth the wait.

I lost 3 pounds this week. I worked out really hard this week so I'm happy with that! I'm trying to stay around 140 and right now I'm at 141.

Today is my in-service. I'll be at my desk all day tweaking my Biology lessons. Since I don't have to be at school until 8:00 I got up and exercised...watched most of my show (GBBO) but still don't know who won...I'll watch when I get to work. I know it sounds weird but I'm trying to make it last since this will be the last show for 10 months.

Tonight I'm going out (I know! On a Friday!) to hang with some ladies (friends I met through Terri). Jim's sweet and driving me. We'll go to dinner before hand (The Pub) but I plan on being home relatively early. I told Jim to leave the house at 9:30 for a 10 o'clock pick up. I just don't want to be out late and I don't want to drink too much.

And that's all I've got. I'm going to hit it here in a few. Happy Friday! Later!

I'm About To Be Sad!

Tomorrow. Tomorrow around 6 AM I'm going to be so sad! You see, tomorrow is the finale of GBBO. How is it that episode 10 has come so quickly!? I'll get up in the morning  and watch while ellipticalling because I don't need to be at school until 8:00 and I'll be crying the whole way. A whole year! I'll have to wait a WHOLE YEAR before I get to see the NEXT season! Why can't they do two seasons in a year...like Survivor!? I'm going to call my friends Noel, Prue, Sandy and Paul and see what they can do for me! Because I might just DIE if I have to wait!

Speaking of which, I'm not onto the latest season of Handmaid's Tale (season 3). That's going to suck too when I finish because I watch that on the elliptical as well. Ugh! Hopefully Killing Eve will be coming back soon.

Jim just yelled out from the recliner, "I don't have any dogs in my lap! What the FUCK!?" See, how it works: I get up in the morning, go downstairs, get the boys breakfast while I get my coffee and do breakfast prep. I then go upstairs with the boys in tow and make the bed (my side because Jim's still on his side) while Scout rubs his face all over my pillow and Boo sticks the duck he has in his mouth in Jim's face while standing on top of him. I turn on the TV and head to the shower. Then, while I'm showering, Jim gets up, goes downstairs, gets the coffee I've brewed for him and sits in the recliner watching the news. When I come down from my shower to get breakfast, Jim is in his spot with at least 1 dog in his lap (usually Scout), sometimes both. Once I'm down, if Boo hasn't gotten his turn in Jimmy's lap, he will sit at Jim's feet and bark until Scout skedaddles and Boo takes his place. When breakfast is being eaten, they boys always head upstairs to camp out in bed. Every morning this is what we do. So I don't know why - since breakfast has been eaten - Jim is wondering where the boys are.

And that's about all I've got. Easy day today...hope yours is too. Happy Thursday! Later!

I Do! You Know Why?

So here's a phrase that's overused: "Know what I'm saying?" Jim loves (sarcasm) this phrase so much that if/when I say it, he answers with, "I do! You know why!? Cause you're speaking ENGLISH!" I try not to say it...if I can help it.

A word that I overuse is "Okay?" I was teaching one day and realized I was saying it every other word and I pointed it out to the kids and from that point on, we got NOTHING done because every time I said it (which was then every other OTHER word) we all hooted and howled and that's all anyone heard until the bell rang.

What phrase or word do you annoyingly say all the time. "I know"? "Like"? "Um"? "My bad"? (One of my kids says that every other sentence and I always answer with, "Well, it's not MY bad, that's for sure.") "No offense"? (I say that all the time but only after I call someone something rude, like - "Ya dummy! No offense!") That's another one I use a lot which I'm trying to eliminate "dummy". That's not a nice word and I got into the habit of calling Jimmy that (in a joking way...not seriously) but it got to be such a thing for me that one of these days, you know I'm going to say that to a kid.

Anyway (that's another one)...back to the present. Yesterday was productive. Aside from school/work, I came home yesterday and got some shit DONE! I did a lovely power yoga for strength (lots of holds...lots of planks) and then went out to the backyard to do leaves. Got that done and then came in and made a yummy dinner, which I've made before and find it's turning into a fave: Apricot Chicken in the IP. Spicy, slightly sweet (not overly) and delicious! And lite! From there I finally got to relax and then it was time for bed! The days go by so quickly this time of year with the leaves. Next week will be worse once the time changes and I only have a small window of daylight to work.

Today should be relatively easy. I have the transition chick from Warren County coming in to teach my LA classes and then nothing to do after school except for exercise. Dinner will be black bean/lentil soup...yummy!

I made the mistake of having Jim pick up candy for trick-or-treaters last night. Dummy! (Me, not Jim...well, okay Jim too.) We usually have a total of 16 kids (from our circle) who come by because our street is so far back and often dark. We legit (another annoying word) only need one bag but what did Jim come home with? A giant bag of lollipops (mainly for the kid  - the ONE kid - across the way who can't eat chocolate) and then one of those GIGANTIC bags of Hershey candy (that costs about $15!). Geez Jim! Who's going to eat that!? Cause we're not giving all that to the 16 kids! I'll hide it in the freezer and portion it out to Jim for his sweet treat at night. (Jim's a sugar addict and sugar is his enemy so don't give me shit for hiding it from him!)

Okay - time to get a move on. Happy, ooh! Wednesday! Two days of kids left before my in-service Friday and my long weekend. Later!

Halfway There...Until Thursday

I came home yesterday with lots to do: dinner prep before exercise, elliptical, feeding the dogs and then mowing/mulching the front yard leaves. All was well until Jim got home. He tried to wreck my plan by blowing leaves into piles. I had to yell at him twice to stop (well, once but that was after I sternly told him a first time to stop since I was MULCHING the leaves with the mower). He does this every year. I take care of the leaves. I have a system. My system is most efficient but every year he comes in and tries to do it his way...the wrong way. And I'm not just being a control freak here. We've done it his way before (let all the leaves fall and deal with them then or start to finish, can and dump) but we've found in the last 5-6 years that the best way of dealing is to mulch as much as possible and then when they get too thick, can and dump. Why can't he just let me be and do another job that's been on his list (for months) and leave me to do the leaves?!

In the end, I managed to get the front yard DONE (2 1/2 miles later) and today will be spent in the back yard. The leaves are a little thicker back there but I'm hoping that an extra day to dry out a little will make it easy mowing. Wednesday/Thursday will drop most of the rest of the leaves with the rain, storms and wind we're supposed to get. That's fine with me...hopefully we can take care of them this weekend.

In school news - I have a 7:30 IEP (just now remembered) but other than that - easy going for the day. Yesterday was rough! I was so tired. I nearly fell asleep at my desk which is unusual. Of course I went to bed early and then woke up at 4:30 ready to go. Oh well.

And that's all I've got. Time to get to work...happy Tuesday! Later!

The Recap

The weekend was good. Jim and I went to dinner on Friday with the neighbors (Pacific Kitchen)...we were home by 8:00 and Jim was in bed soon after since he had to work on Saturday at 6AM. Saturday was rainy so the boys didn't get a walk. Instead, I did some yoga, cleaned and then just waited around for Jim to get home. That happened around 1:30, we met for a late lunch at Shooters and then came home and just hung out. Sunday Scouty finally got his walk (I managed 5 miles but got a blister as a result)...it was a lovely morning...a little cloudy and windy but a perfect fall day. Jim and I headed downtown to Pins Mechanical for a little duck pin bowling then lunch at Yard House. When we got home, we blew the leaves off the deck and driveway and then played some cards with the neighbors until it was time to make dinner.

Jim proceeded to drink a LOT last night and I woke up this morning to find he hadn't closed up the house as he should have (left the door into the kitchen open all night long). Jerk.

The week should be pretty easy. I have a 4-day week with an in-service on Friday and then I took off next Monday for Jim's appointment. I have an IEP meeting tomorrow but the parent isn't coming which is fine (I've never met her in four years) and since the student is 18 she can sign for herself. Other than that, routine stuff.

I'll do my best this week to get leaves done. Today I'll work on the front yard, with the hope that the back will dry out a little. With the rain and wind Saturday, a lot of our leaves came down but we still have about half left. Thursday is supposed to have wind gusts of 40 mph so I would imagine a lot will happen then as well. It'll be a busy few weeks as we complete all the clean up.

And that's about all I have. Time to get a move on. Happy Monday...Later!