Things that I would rather be doing……

Right now, I am trying to get my class to clean up after an explosive art project  (Surrealism!!!!  It’s not just for crazy spanish guys anymore!!!!!)

With  less than a week until March Break, I am thinking of a number of things I would rather do than be here at work….

• Be at the Gulf of Mexico (Tampa Bay area).  I know that there might be beaches that you like better, but I love the Gulf around St. Pete’s Beach. It was our “cottage” for so many years and I just love the sound of the water, and the feel of the breeze on my face.  I love the sand, and will not let the van be vacuumed out during the winter.  Just thinking about sunset on the beach helps my heart-rate to go down.
• I would rather be at my mom’s kitchen table.  Having a cup of tea with her (usually while she is busy getting a yummy dinner ready) is the greatest!!!!  It’s like being a little kid, and having a best friend who knows you so well all at the same time.
• I would rather be sleeping outside. (not today in the mud of course) but on a very warm early summer day.  Sleeping on a blanket, in the park, under a tree is AMAZING!!!  The fresh air, the sounds of the people and birds.  The rustle of the leaves in the trees–all great.  (Camping–not good, naps–great!!!)
• I would rather be in Walt Disney World.  Of course–if you know me, you know that WDW will come up sooner or later.  Today, I would like to be sitting on the TTA –riding around Tomorrowland, or on Soarin’ or sitting across from the bathrooms near Norway (in Epcot) just people watching and waiting (with my schoolbread) for Illuminations to start.
• I would rather be at the Museum of Civilization in Ottawa.  That place ROCKS!!!!  And last March Break, we only got to see about a third of it.    It is so amazing.  If I lived in Ottawa, I would buy a membership to the museum.
• I would rather be doing anything silly with Megan. She has a laugh that is infectious.  You can’t help but be in a good mood when she wants you too!!!  Perhaps grocery shopping with Megan and JL??????
• I would love to be at Canelli’s with Violaine and Matt.  Good food, great friends!!!!
• I would like to be at the dentist IF, (and only if) they would rock the chair back, turn up the happy gas, and leave me alone for half an hour!!!!

So, there are a couple of ideas I had, which would be better than being at school.  I love my job, and my kids are a really great group, but I would like to be so many other places!!!!!!  Take me away!!!!!!

A beautiful Day

Its supposed to be a wonderful day and a great weekend.  I can’t decide what to do with myself!!!  I want to go outside!  We have a 10K walk coming up (not that its a marathon–but anything that will get us moving!) to raise money for MS research, and we need to “train”.  If my godsons can do the walk without crying, I sure want to!

We also have friends over for dinner tonight.  So I need to find enough tableroom for everybody.  Its so nice to be busy with friends and plans and a wonderful day ahead!!!!

Gotta run….blog later!!!!!

Hello…..Hello…..

I haven’t been blogging……

As a reader of this blog, you know this…

I can’t explain why not…its not the time…. its not other work to do…(although I do have tons of things to do, still)

I just haven’t felt like me……weird…. then who have I been????

I’m going to write some more–even if its just to hear my own voice.  I read back through my old blogs, laughing and crying, and I think I lost touch with who I am.

I become the things that need to get done, rather than a person doing those things.  And I need to reclaim myself.

Is it because the temperature is above freezing? and the sun is out?  Maybe I hibernated….. but I can’t ever let 6 months go without being ME!!!!!

Updates: School is good–new friends on staff (well old friends, new to this staff–things are working out great), still not working out–getting fatter by the day, Wearing more dresses to school (new staff/friends are fashionistas–feel the need to keep up), Jeremy and Phillip are good.  (And still causing me laughter and grief to be explored in subsequent blogs)

Its good to be back!!!!

A fun evening!!!

I had such a nice time last night.  Phillip, Megan and I were going to watch movies.  I made my suggestions (which are always Ocean’s 11, Cars, or any Harry Potter) but we has come to an agreement on a “George Clooney” night– O Brother Where are Thou, and the Ocean’s 11.

Well, I know I have a book (dated 2003) that is just a book of “lists of movies”  Top grossing Ninja movie, top disaster movie, and top movies from a variety of actors.  We started reading these lists, (Like Tom Hank’s movies) and you can’t help laughing thinking about scenes from various movies, or talking about ones you haven’t seen. 

There was also lists of Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor/Actress and Best Supporting Actor/Actress Oscar winners from every year from the 1930′s to 2002!  We had a hoot guessing the names of actors and films and talking and laughing!

What a great way to spend an evening engaged with other people rather than just watching TV again.    Can’t  wait to NOT watch movies again.  If you want to have this much fun, go on AFI (The American Film Institute’s) website–they have good lists, like Greatest hero and greatest Villian or most romantic movie.  You will have a great time laughing, crying and acting out your favourite scenes!!!

A post about Friends

Its so nice to be blessed with friends.  When you are going through a trying time, just a smile or a kind word can mean so much!  Makeing a friend a cup of tea, sending a nice message on the blog or on facebook helps make you feel more real and more solid. 

I am trying to go about daily life (since there is no change in Grandma’s condition), but my mind starts wandering–sometimes on her and what she means to me, somtimes to how my own mom and family is feeling, sometimes to stupid things, like the fact that all my nice long nails are now broken, and they look like crap.  Then I feel bad for being worried about my nails when my Grandmother is dying.  (or is not dying–both are bad)

Thank you to the people who have shared a kind word, in person or over the computer.  Thanks for the offers of help–at school (J-taking my class so I could plan), and evryone else (M-I know you will be and do anything I need).  Its a blessing to be so cared for!  Thank you all so much, I will keep you up to date!

A new baby

My other friend Amanda (not the one who just got married), but another teacher-Amanda just had her second baby.  He is so tiny and perfect and cute.  We went to see him last night.  He’s big (for a baby) at 8 and a half pounds, but that’s still so small.  He has tons of blonde hair, and his skin is so soft.  I took photos of him, and his tiny perfect feet. 

Now, in my opinion, FEET ARE GROSS!!!!  They are weird and nasty.  (Mine personally included)– Toes are bent and crooked, dry skin, bumps, cracks YIKES.  But not new baby feet!!!!  These little puppies were absolutely perfect.  They are soft and smooth. 

It’s so weird to think that these tiny toes have never touched the earth yet.  Soon they will be dirty and grass-stained and running all over, (like Sam’s big brother John), but for now, we all can enjoy perfect baby feet!

ITS ALL OVER!!!!!!!!!!!

Summer!

Oh yeah, can you feel it??!!??

I am already starting to plan my days away, and then in late August, I wonder where the free time went. 

This year I am photographing my summer vacation.  (Which I usually do), but this time with a difference.  Usually I take photos of exceptional things (WDW, birthdays etc).  This year I am keeping a photolog of even the normal things.  If today’s plan is being lazy on the couch, then I will take a photo of it, just to have a record.

Now, I will not be photographing every moment (or each trip top the bathroom), but each visit with someone, or choice to see a movie, go to an event or just relax will be documented.  I have tried keeping a diary before–didn’t last two days.  But I’m thinking this might give a great record and I will remember a lot of little “gems” that happened this summer.  It will be fun to look back through the photos and have at least one photo from each day.  There will be photos of my garden, Phillip, Jeremy, baseball games, around the house, taking nan to the hospital, staying over at mom and dad’s, seeing friends, going to restaurants and shops.  It will be great!!!

Woo hoo, summer time!!!!

For a final week, it’s going to be busy!!!

I was hoping for a quiet end to the school year.  No such luck.  Starting in a few hours, I go really hard until Mon. June 29th.  This was an initial date, but now I’m thinking to July 4th, until I really have NO plans. Perhaps writing it all out will help me to remember it all.  (This is not unlike my use of shopping lists–Whenever I write a grocery list, it never makes it into the store, but remains on the kitchen table or in the car.  But, the act of writing it out helps me to centre and focus.  I find I don’t NEED the list, because I wrote it)

So, Saturday: Grocery shop, house clean, get dressed up, Jeremy’s formal piano recital, drop J off at Brad’s house, go to staff party

Sunday: GARDENING–we have 6 bags of mulch waiting for the rose garden to get weeded.  And the magic fairies let me down again.  SO we will have to do it.

Monday:  School mass, no one has talked about it (because there is so much going on at school), and despite the fact that choir is finished for this year, we still get to sing.  Hmmmm  I think “Its a small world” is an appropriate Processional song. hee hee  (I won’t do that–I’ll pick nice songs).  Monday evening is Grade 8 Graduation.  Woooo  (Said with just as much enthusiasm and energy as you’d expect) woooooo blaah

Tuesday: Outdoor play day for all the primary students.  I am watching stations 5 and6 (what ever that means) but its always a fun day.  Tuesday night is Jeremy Jujitsu in Bowmanville. 

Wednesday: my class has been invitied to SK graduation, because they are our reading buddies.  So we will have to find a time to make them cards or something.  But we are going morning and afternoon.

Thursday: clean out the classroom, send everything home, hand out report cards.  I like this day.

Friday: Pioneer Play Day with the Gr threes, we do bobbing for apples, sack races and three legged races, egg and spoon race. Its like the church picnic in “Anne of Green Gables” only with out the singing or the ice cream. Students (finally) go home.   Friday night–Ju jitsu in Bowmanville

Saturday: Clean up because Jeremy is having a birthday party.  (Poor summer baby, never has people over, only get to go to WDW on his birthday and see Mickey Mouse–poor Jeremy).  Teenagers, food, drinks, movies, guitar hero, yikes.  Jeremy’s driving school

Sunday:  TEAM W is coming over!!!!!  Woo hooo ( or we are going there, not sure on the plans, but its us and them!!!!!!)  Jeremy’s driving school—******See I have just found a slight glitch in my busy week–Must confirm times of driving class and confer with Violaine– no prob, just needs to be checked!!

Monday:  STAFF MEETING 9AM, how horrible.   Plus side–Neil says its only and hour, Minus– a lot of our staff will not be joining us, Plus- I get to see the new staff that I’m looking   forward to having with us.  Plus or minus (not sure yet)  Get to meet the REST of the new staff.  Jeremy’s driving school Monday night, hoping to go to the Blue Jays game (we are not bad luck–this time they wont lose when we go)

Tuesday: Jeremy’s Driving school

Wednesday July 1: Canada Day.  Track (undecided yet), BBQ at mom and dad’s (yes a go)

Thursday:  Taking Nan to the hospital

Friday July 3rd; Jeremy going bye bye for 2 weeks–need to get him packed and organized.

Saturday and Sunday–NO PLANS!!!!

Boy I’m glad school is fininshed!!!  My job really gets in the way of my life sometimes!!!

Almost Summer

I can’t believe that the school year is almost over, and that summer vacation is right around the corner.  I am ready for a break, but without the opressive heat, the year doesn’t seem nearing an end, yet.  Usually by now, the students are melted puddles of goo, and unable to learn anything.

We, are actually still working.  I have them convinced that “Learning is not for report cards, Learning is for Life!!!” and so far, they are buying it!!!  We are starting our third Shakespeare story : Twelfth Night!  They are really happy about it and fighting  over the parts.  (You got to be Oberon, you can’t be Orsino now)  But they are fighting over Shakespeare!!!  I love it!!! 

I also want summer break to be here soon, because working is interfering with my other plans– I need to be out in the garden, out for bike rides (but my bike is broken, and riding too long hurts my “special places”) and doing exciting things.  We have planned: BBQ’s, going to Centre Island and riding around (anybody know how to fix a bike?), going to the big Toronto art show, marking EQAO, picnic’s and then going to FLORIDA!!!

why would anyone want to stay here in school????  Blah

worried about next year…..already

I have so many things going through my mind, I don’t know what to write about today.  I have the normal rants about the cool, un-summer like weather.  I have the “hurry up-end of school year” rant.  But even that is tempered by the fact that there are big changes at work coming for next year.  (Not for me personally– I will still teach the 2/3, and though I thought about asking for a change the risks (portables, weird kids, iep’s) out way the benefits (pretty good class, same room–’cause its full of crap, and a comfort level with the material).  But the school is changing.  We are losing 9 full time staff members, due to a redundancy bull-crap restructuring thing the board is doing.  I don’t understand everything, but I know that friends and co-workers are being treated unfairly–and not getting any communication about the process.  Some of these staff members were original teachers that were there on the Labour Day weekend, putting desks together and worring about if we could actually open Tuesday morning.   Others have joined in later years, but the impact of losing so many personalities all at once will be hard to understand and get used to at first.

But I am a generally “up” person, and I trust that my friends will learn to love another school in time.  Things are always changing, it just takes some time to re-adjust.  And I find I do adjust to things pretty quickly. 

Within my school, people are moving grades, and then there are the nine new faces that will join us.  Maybe good, maybe weird, you just never know! (I do know and have worked with 2 of the 9 and they are absolutely good AND weird!!!).  Also we have ANOTHER administration shift.  (I’m beginning to feel like the Defense Against the Dark Arts post at Hogwarts)  A quick re-cap of the admin:

• Year One  : Principal 1,  at Christmas Principal 1 becomes Superintendent, enter Principal 2
• Year 2:    Principal 2, Vice Principal 1
• Year 3: Principal 3 (First time principal) , Vice Principal 1
• Year 4(current year) Principal 3, Vice Principal 2 (brand new Vice Principal)
• SO, heading into year 5, we will be at Principal 3, VP 3

Wouldn’t you feel cursed???????

Ah well, perhaps I should get the Choir Concert ready for the end of THIS year, before I panic too much about NEXT year.