Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Graduation pictures


So here's my girlie girl with a friend of hers on graduation day.


Here she is with a group of her rowdy friends.



Here she is with her 2 best friends (who consequently do not speak to each other... it was somewhat awkward)

Right now she is being very mellow. She was sick the whole time we were in Disneyland, and Sunday she went to the Urgent Care and was sort of diagnosed with either strep or mono. She's been on antibiotics for 2 days now and is feeling better. When I was reading her the discharge instructions, and it said she shouldn't kiss anyone for 6 months, she snorted and said, "Yeah, right."
I've got my hands full, but I love her to death.

Monday, June 29, 2009

The schedule

6:20 alarm, shower, getting ready for summer school
7:10 drive to school
7:40 try (unsuccessfully) to get all the little details for the day tied up and ready
8:30 bring class of 21 eager learners into the classroom
8:40 try to get parents out of classroom
8:50 stop what I'm doing to greet Principal
9:00 realize I have one game to play and 40 minutes to fill
9:30 start lining kids up 10 minutes early
9:38 finally have all 21 quiet and ready to go out (after 3 injuries and several adjustments in line placement)
9:50 say for the 19th time, "I know you are hungry, you need to bring your own snack to summer school."
10:08 try to actually teach some language arts (I am NOT a rookie teacher, you would think I would know this was a mistake since not all routines have been established)
11:39 finish 3 groups of language arts (they were supposed to last 20 minutes each) and take class out for recess (5 boys are spending time on the wall)
11:50 read a sweet story while repeatedly ignoring a 2nd grader saying "This is really weird"
11:59 take class out for dismissal
12:32 pick my head up off my desk and try to focus on tomorrow's lesson plans
2:57 leave work to run errands
4:00 watch LOST rerun while making journals
7:47 turn off computer and make myself a much needed drink.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Back Home

Each year Mark and I trade off on choosing where we go on vacation. (We also go to our Cabo resort each year) This year it was my turn to choose, and about 13 months ago I booked 2 condos at the brand new, giant resort in Anaheim. My sister and her dh and 3 girls were all going with us. I have been looking forward to it for AGES. You see, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Disneyland. I can't hold still when we are approaching the gate. I get all wiggly and fidgety... you know, like a 4 year old trying to wait her turn to open a present or sit on Santa's lap. As soon as we enter the park, I am off. I pass people and wind through the crowd and drag my family from attraction to attraction from the minute the park opens until it is closed. I get my money's worth. I schedule dinner while we watch the parade,so we don't lose out on any time. I plan what order we will go to each ride so that no time is wasted walking from one "land" to another. I scream on every roller coaster and get super bad butterflies in line for Splash Mountain. I have (affectionately, I think) been referred to as a "park Nazi". Once, my nephew even fell asleep on the floor at the Haunted Mansion because he was so exhausted.
So on this vacation I convinced Mark to buy us all 5 day passes. (We got them for the price of 3 day passes, so it was a good deal). By the end of the week, I was OVER Disneyland. I rode Space Mountain so many times that the last time I didn't even feel the urge to scream. I didn't get butterflies in line for Splash Mountain, in fact, I didn't even clinch my legs around the seat in front of me to insure that I wouldn't be the first person to ever fly out of a log on the big drop. I left the park willingly on several days after only 4 or 5 hours of fun. I walked past rides with no line, and didn't urge everyone to take advantage of our luck and ride it. I never watched the "Celebrate" parade. It was really sad for me that my apparent love affair with Disneyland was at an end.
Then, on our last night there, we stood among thousands of people in a huge crowd and watched the fireworks show set to music and lines from Disney movies complete with a real live Tinkerbell flying back and forth in front of the castle.
And I got goosebumps. Twice.
I wonder how long it will be before I am ready to go back?

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Today


Today my little girl will graduate from 8th grade. This is the outfit she will be wearing. I am filled with pride/dread at her prospects in high school. One thing is for certain, though. She will not be hard to spot in the crowd!

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Random Sunday thoughts

1. I didn't take a shower today until 2:00 p.m.
2. I started reading the book A Wrinkle in Time
3. We are leaving for Disneyland on Saturday.
4. M (aka Sunshine) got a spray on tatoo at the Safe and Sober Night.
5. Pepper smelled like a dirty old lab today even though he just had a bath.
6. K is practicing walking in her new high heeled leopard print neon pumps for her graduation on Thursday.
7. I cleaned out my hovel upstairs this morning. The entire floor was covered with paper scraps and letter stickers and ribbon and corner rounders and scissors. It was a disaster!
8. I am making more typos than ever when typing lately. K's invitation proudly invites everyone to her "gradutation".

Saturday, June 13, 2009

I'm alive... just barely!

What a bad couple of weeks I have had. I have always been a pretty serious procrastinator, and this year was no exception. I waited until the last minute to do everything. I was actually stuffing Father's Day gifts into bags and laminating book covers at 9:00 on the last day of school! I think last year I was pretty bad,as well, but I had this really great parent helper who took a bunch of stuff home and did it all. This year I was locked up in my hovel upstairs every night working on memory books and class books and report cards and etc. Until late into the night. I was even dreaming about them! So, I am oficially declaring that I will complete my memory books in a timely manner next year. On a more positive note, my sweet (yet sassy) girl is graduating from the 8th grade on Thursday. We went over to the park like area near our house and took about 25 pictures of her to choose one to send on her 8th grade graduation invites. Which would you choose?


She chose the last one, and I think it came out pretty cute. She is such a pretty and photogenic girl. (I must admit I am a little biased.) I like the one with her phone showing just because that's how she always looks. You will rarely see her without it clutched in her hand.
Anyway, as I de-stress I hope to be a little more present here, on my blog, so I hope you'll join me.
Love, Nancy