Just when I thought she couldn't lose any more of my respect...

If you've been keeping up with my regular rantings related to my lovely principal, then you already know how very, very little faith I have in her. Let's just say that every time I hear something else, I am just further convinced that I made the right decision in not returning next year.

Case in point. First of all, ever since I returned the declined renewal of a contract for next year, she has ceased friendliness and mere conversation with me. She talks to me only when absolutely necessary (which is rare) and only in brief, to-the-point intervals.

Next point. I had gotten wind that they were going to be starting a summer school program this year, and I thought, "hey, even though I can't stand the woman I work for, maybe I could tolerate her for a few extra months, just to make ends meet for the summer." So I casually asked her what the plan was for summer school and if she needed anyone. Mind you, this was the FIRST DAY that the summer school idea had been announced to staff. In fact, some didn't even know about it yet. And she blatanly told me that "a bunch of people" had already asked her and she couldn't give "everyone" a job for the summer. Funny. How could "a bunch of people" have even asked her yet? Oh well. Their loss.

Third and most head-shaking point. Today, I was talking with the special ed teacher and she's very good friends with the lady in the business office at school. I guess the week before Spring Break, the business office lady (I'll call her Sally for the sake of giving her a name, but not her real one) had pneumonia. Sally and her husband were down bad with it, and were cooped up at home. Well, The Witch (yes, that's my name for my principal in this story) calls Sally and asks her to fax The Witch's college-aged son the school credit card number (normally used for school purchases, obviously), because he is on vacation and doesn't have any money. Here's what's wrong with this: first of all, this is the school's money, not the principal's money. Secondly, he's in college, and should be a big boy. THIRDLY, AND THE MOST BOTHERSOME PART, Sally is not only sicker than a dog and in bed, but her fax machine is up a hill at their house (they were staying in a motor home far down on their property, while their house was being remodeled). So, poor Sally's husband dragged himself out of bed, pneumonia and all, and hiked up (in the snow, no less) and faxed the credit card number to The Witch's son. THEN, after Spring Break, everyone returns to work, and The Witch gives Sally a piece of paper. "What is this?" Sally asks. "You need to call the credit card company, because they didn't use the school credit card for my son's purchase, they used his". That's weird, Sally thinks. "I thought he didn't have any money with him," Sally says with obviously much confusion. "Oh, he did. But I didn't want him to use his money," The Witch says. She goes on to say that Sally needs to do this, because when she asked her to fax the credit card number, she was only asking her "a small favor" and that after all she had done for Sally, she should be willing to do whatever she asked. Apparently, Sally told her where to stick that piece of paper and stormed off. If this story made sense to you (and hopefully it did. I've got Mason running a toy car over the kitchen floor and it's a bit distracting. But at least he's playing without being mad I'm on here), then you can see how shady and manipulative and kanniving The Witch--err, I mean my principal is. Sometimes I'm speechless when I see or hear the antics that go on at my work. I can't wait to get out of there.

Oh yeah, and regarding my last blog, Chris Daughtry disappointed me last night. He sang Creed's "What If" and it wasn't that good. I hope he stays though, and gets a chance to redeem himself.

So that's my life.

It's American Idol night!!

I am not ashamed. I am an avid American Idol fan. It's entertaining. It's funny. It's sad. It's mysterious. It's adventurous. It's a non-stop thrill ride. Okay, maybe it's not all of those things, but it still helps pass Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. Tuesdays are always interesting, since it's the night that finalists perform. They always have a theme--like country, or Stevie Wonder or the 60's. This week's though, is a bit weak. The theme is "Music from the 21st century". That's lame. It's just too generic. That could be any style of music. So, it could be anything. I don't know. Last week was a 50's theme, which was good and bad. Most were just cheesy imitations of the original. But Chris Daughtry (my favorite by far) did a rendition of Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line", which was amazing. Apparently it was modeled more after Live's current version of it, but either way, I dug it. I hope he lives up to his reputation this week, because I would love to see him win. There was a southern belle that won last year (Carrie Underwood), and there's been an R&B Luther Vandross-esque guy (Ruben Studdard) and everyone knows Kelly Clarkson. I'd just like to see someone with a little rock and authentic style win for a change. No more of this pop crap. I just hope the majority of voters feel the way that I do, since I don't actually vote. (See, I'm not that insane...plus, once we tried and couldn't get through and gave up)

I'm not dedicated enough to go to the official American Idol website and start a fan blog there, so this is where I'm doing it. If you were expecting something wittier or more interesting, I guess you came to the wrong place and lost minutes of your life that you can't get back. Sorry about that. That's the gamble you take with my blog.

Kickin' back

It's been a good weekend. Friday, I was in with 6th grade, as usual. And they were their usual selves--entertaining, but a bunch of whining drama queens. There was some drama with a group of kids over something stupid. They wanted me to help, but they ended up talking some, and later were chasing each other around at recess. Drama over. For now. Later, we went to a get together with church friends. It's always nice to get out, and have grown up conversation, while all the kiddos play at one of the mom's houses.

Yesterday, Mason and I went to Target in the morning, which is always an expense, but a good time. In the afternoon, we went to a birthday party for Mason's little girlfriend, who was turning 1. It was a bit crazy, because the house and backyard were full of people. Mason had a good time though, since there were tons of kids, ranging from his age to schoolage to chase around and watch. It sure wore him out, though. He crashed when we got home. Last night, we watched "Chicken Little", which was cute. It's just too bad it take us like 3 hours to watch a Disney movie. Mason decided that it would be a fun time to scream like he was being beaten with a spiked paddle, every time we tried to ignore him and watch the movie. Eventually, my husband just paused it and entertained our Howler Monkey on the floor until he went to bed.

This morning, we played hookie from church and went to Denny's for breakfast. We don't ever go out to breakfast, so it was nice. Mason enjoyed himself too, not eating the food, but seeing how far he could pitch pancakes, french toast, sausage and his little finger foods. We were just waiting for the lucky toss that landed a chunk of sausage into someone's drink. Luckily it never happened.

He's down for his nap (which he mostly only takes one a day now, by the way), but I think later we'll go to the mall. Daddy's birthday is a month away, and we need to do some shopping. I know the day will be over and I'll be at work again, but at least it was a pleasant weekend.

I can see clearly now, the snow is gone...

So having another Late Start day yesterday was a tad more than a little crazy. Along with the instanity that a change in schedule can inspire in students, I was also bombarded with a new job detail: crap for the Learn and Serve Grant, that I didn't know I needed to do, but is due next week. It's this huge financial summary of what service learning projects our school has been involved in, which translates to what we're doing with their money and if it was worth it to the grant people. Needless to say, very painful for my brain. I spent most of yesterday, bouncing between the business office (they have all the money info and stats of the school) and the 6th grade room, where I was typing up the report (one of a select few rooms that actually has a computer that can print). Aside from the 20 or so pages I copied off of pictures and examples of our service projects, I typed up a 5 page report. Fun. Yeah, not so much. Good thing I can B.S. my way through just about anything, in writing. I didn't know what the crap I was doing, but I think it turned out looking like I did, if I do say so myself. And did I mention that my principal should have told me MONTHS AGO that I needed to do this? Not a big surprise, right? I didn't think so either. But it still aggravates the peewadden(sp?) out of me. Grrrr...I was so glad when yesterday was over.

Today was much better. I turned in the report to the lady in the business office and I pray to God that it's approved and I don't have to fix anything else. I really don't want to see it ever again. Work in general was back to normal today. I tested my Resource kids (as always on Thursdays), and one kid got 100%. That's something, considering I've only seen them twice this week. The 3rd grade was normal--or as normal as 3rd grade gets. They wrote stories about their own imaginary dinosaur, and they got to share them with the class. That was pretty entertaining. My favorite was the Pugosaurus, from the girl that's absolutely obsessed with pug dogs. The drawing was the icing on the cake.

Well, I'm pretty congested and want to go to bed early tonight. Gotta have the energy to face thirty 11 year olds tomorrow. Nighty night.

P.S. Mason can say "puppy" and "kitty" now. But "puppy" comes out like "bubby" and let's just say "kitty" sounds more like a girl body part. Oh well. It's cute since it's little, right?

FYI Part Two

Another Late Start day. It snowed off and on yesterday and now the roads are pretty icy. I got a call about a half hour ago that we are yet again delayed two hours. It makes sense. The trucks that are supposed to salt the roads are famous for being negligent to get the roads cleared before morning traffic starts. I'm looking out my window and I see a thin layer of snow and the sun already brightly peering over the horizon. This means that within a few hours that thin layer of snow will have disappeared. Just like it did two days ago. That's the way it works around here.

Speaking of work (a stretch, I know), I gave my official "no" response to the contract I was offered for next year. It's a little scary to jump without a safety net. I don't have anything lined up for next year and I'm already saying no to the job I have. I just know I DO NOT want to work for Crazy Double Standard Shady Lady next year. And I don't think my husband wants me to either. The stories I've told him (imagine what I've mentioned on here, but with more details and other incidents that I don't tell you!!) have convinced him that I would absolutely not be happy working under that lady next year. Anyways, I've gotten my name out there to the public schools, but now I wait. And I hate waiting.

But at least you all can look forward to interesting anectodes involving quirky and unruly students (and parents!) next school year, as opposed to just me whining about my boss.

FYI

So, we actually had a Late Start this morning. We started at 10 instead of 8, which was kind of nice. I guess it was because there was some snow on the ground and also because it was really foggy. You couldn't see but a few feet in front of you. Fun. It made the day go by so much faster. I didn't end up doing Resource today, because I'm normally done with my last group some time after 10. I stayed in the 3rd grade all day, which wasn't bad. The kids weren't the maniacs that I was expecting, knowing the weather outside. No recess at all, but they still behaved fairly normal. My husband is supposed to be flying until 9 tonight, so it's just Mason and I this evening. It's been awhile since that happened. I was used to it when he had two jobs, but I haven't had to deal with it in what seems like a long time. Speaking of which, Mason is apparently very pissed at the moment, that I'm not giving him what he wants. What that is, I don't know. Maybe he needs a bath to help him chill out. Got to go.

It's baaaack!!!

So, Mother Nature decided to throw another zinger our way. It's snowing again. Two days ago, it was almost 60 degrees. I had the heater off and the windows open. Yesterday it was darn cold but just windy. Today, it was cloudy this morning and quickly it turned to fast flowing snow. Gotta love it. It's starting to stick and the forecast says it's supposed to continue through tomorrow morning. Can we say "SNOW DAY?!" That would be awesome. We'll see it when it happens though, right?

Happy St. Pat's, everyone!!

Yes, I'm wearing green today, by the way. My grandfather was Irish, so I am always sure to honor the green and also I really don't enjoy being pinched...Did you know that St. Patrick's Day is celebrated because St. Patrick introduced Christianity to the Irish, by using the Shamrock. It has three sides, which he used as an example to explain the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Interesting, isn't it? Also, it is said that he chased the snakes out of Ireland, which is why Ireland no longer has snakes (the technical reason is because it is a country surrounded by water on all sides and snakes can't get to it). Just a little fun trivia for you...

The last couple of days have been productive. I told you my friend came to visit on Wednesday. That was fun. Yesterday was the first day Mason and I spent the ENTIRE day just the two of us since my Spring Break started. I'm used to it on the weekends, but it was a rather trying day yesterdat. He was fussy most of the day and I had cramps, a headache and was generally irritable. Needless to say, I was so relieved when my husband came home from work and helped me out. Today has been good though. We went to the grocery store, I made some cookies for a platoon I've "adopted" that's in Iraq, made a green cake (just for fun), went to the post office and took Mason to the little park nearby. He's been pretty calm, which in turn makes my day smoother. I guess he knew after yesterday that Mom needed a break. :)

So all I have left of my Spring Break is the weekend. That's good and bad. I'm never ready to return to work, but I am one that needs to stay busy. I'm not sure what I'm going to do Saturday and Sunday, but I'm sure I'll find something. I still have the stuff to take to Goodwill. And maybe the mall? That's always an option.

Here's hopin' you have the luck o' the Irish today!

Fun

Today was a lot of fun. My friend came from out of town with her two girls and we went to Peter Piper Pizza. It was Mason's first time (if you don't count my birthday when I was 6 months pregnant with him!) and he had a good time. He really loved the Kermit the Frog car ride. He didn't really want to get off of it. He alternated between the ride and trying to push other kids' strollers around. There were balloons, kids, music, games, food and lots and lots to look at. Of course my friend's girls are almost 3 and 5, so they appreciate Peter Piper more, but Mason still got a kick out of it. Afterwards, they came over and watched "Lady and the Tramp", while chasing the dog around and playing with Mason's toys. I think everyone had a good time. Oh yeah, and it was really good to see my friend.

Already seems like a distant memory...

Most of the snow is gone. It was fun and pretty while it lasted. There are still chunks here and there in shaded areas, but for the most part, all of what you see in this picture is bye-bye. So sad. It's still downright freezing outside, but the evidence that we had received quite a white downpour is diminishing. I guess it can't last forever, and it's pretty common here, to be around one day and completely gone the next. Ah well, even if that's the only one we get, it was worth it.

Today is the first official day of Spring Break. Ah, glorious time off. Already, I've cleaned out my closet and dresser drawers (making a stack for Goodwill) and given Mason a bath (among the normal morning routines of feeding him breakfast and entertaining him before his morning nap). Like I've said before, having a baby forces you to be out of bed so early that you become much more productive in your day. I sure miss sleeping in though...

Nothing else to say. I don't know what else I plan to do today, or better yet, the rest of the week. Tomorrow is my husband's day off, so I think after Mason's 15 month doc appt. (shots--eww!), we might catch a movie. Other than that, nothing planned. I don't know what to do with myself. I'm sure I'll figure it out.

SNOW DAY!!

Too bad it wasn't a school day, because we may just have had the day off. It snowed yesterday most of the day, and we woke up this morning to a dumping. I don't know the exact amount, but it was enough to play in. It kept snowing off and on today, so it was so pretty and so nice to feel like a real winter. We spent most of the day inside, watching "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" and staying warm. But, late this morning, we took Mason and the dog across the way to the park, where there was a nice pile of snow on the grass. We all had a good time. It was cute to see Mason toddle through the snow, trying to balance, even though he was extremely top heavy from the 47 layers of clothing I put on him. He also got a kick out of watching Max gallop through the piles, attacking snowballs. It was a good time. We also managed to trudge through the weather and go to McDonald's for lunch, just to get out of the house. I tell ya, if there was a blizzard and we were confined to our house for a week, I think we'd turn absolutely nutty, or at least I would. I don't mind spending most days inside, but I like the option of getting out. It's like when Mason was first born and I wasn't allowed to drive, it was too cold to take Mason on a walk, and it was RSV season, so I was afraid to take him anywhere. I just about got checked into a loony bin. I need fresh air. Our tiny apartment closes in on me sometimes and I have to go somewhere. Thank goodness Mason is getting older and much more portable. And we learned today that he loves the snow.

Was it Opposite Day and no one told me?

So, instead of my day starting okay at home and going downhill every minute after I arrive at work, it went the other way today. I went out to start my car (because it's chilly willy out there!), and when I came back in, the first thing I saw was dog doody. Nice. AND, my son was walking in it. REALLY NICE. So, I beat the dog, snatched off the shoe that was coated in dog poo-poo (thank the Lord he was wearing shoes) and proceeded to clean up the remnants. When I climbed over the baby gate to dump the feces in the bathroom, Mason had a breakdown--I guess from me walking away from him. This was all in the time I should have been packing up and heading out the door to work. Needless to say, I was a grump for a brief moment in time. I eventually had my lunch, son and his diaper bag ready to go. After getting to work, my nerves began to calm, and later in the day I ate lots of horrible-for-me snacks that were in the breakroom (brownies, donuts, nuts, red licorice and chocolate). So, it was all good.

Today and tomorrow are Parent Conferences. And being that I'm in two different grade levels, I was a boomerang for the ones today. I tried to sit in for as many as possible, but it's a little tricky. There are definitely some that are givens that I wanted to be at (the entertaining ones--the crazy parents, the out of control kids, ya know, the fun ones) and some that are pointless. There are some where you say, "Your child is doing fine. Here's their report card." Wow. It took the parent longer to drive there than it did to hear the report they already knew. Oh well. At least they care. It's the parent that you really want to see and talk to that seems like a ghost. They're the ones that you've never seen or even able to contact. There's disconnected phone numbers and no other contacts. And often that parent turns into the Concerned Parent, about a week before school's out for the year. "How come I didn't know my son/daughter was failing? This is the first I've heard of it!" Yeah, that's because you've been hiding in a dark hole for the past 9 months, hoping by some grace of God that your child will slide by with barely passing grades, so you don't have to confront the problem.

In other news, Mason's down with whatever junk I had recently. He's snotty and coughing and generally fussy. He is up 3,4,5 times a night, like an infant. He screams, whines, cries, and hollers to get your butt out of bed, to comfort him, hold him, rock him to sleep, and eventually give him a bottle so he'll go back to sleep. Good times. I'm hoping he gets better soon, because a friend from out of town wants to come up with her two girls on Wednesday for a visit. She hasn't seen Mason since the summer, when he wasn't even crawling. I really want to see them, but it would be no fun for all involved if he's still a sickling.

So, next week is Spring Break!! Yippee Freaking Skippee!! I am so glad to have a week off. Tomorrow will be busy, since it's an early day for the kids and then conferences. Then, my husband and I have volunteered to watch our babysitter's kids so they can go to conferences. Should be interesting. Then we're going to a thing with church friends. I doubt it will be Opposite Day again though, unfortunately. Or fortunately. Whatever.

Finally, it feels like winter!

It is a tad bit nippy out there today. The sky is overcast and it is definitely thick jacket weather. It's kinda nice, since we've had such an extremely mild winter. Don't get me wrong, I look forward to spring/beginning of summer when we can have the windows open and enjoy the warm fresh air, not needing the heater on at all and before we need the air conditioner. But, I would really like to see some real snow before the winter's over.

Yeah, I haven't written in a week. Get over it. Between STILL being sick, chasing after Mason (aka our little monkey that's into EVERYTHING and has recently taken to climbing onto the couch, baby gate, you name it) and dealing with a crazy week at work, I've been tired and lazy. My first issue is just frustrating. I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. I take vitamins. I drink water. I get enough rest. Yet, I can't seem to kick the bug altogether. I have a few days where I feel normal and pretty good and then I wake up and I'm all snotty and coughing again. I'm still convinced I have some kind of allergies.

Mason's just being a toddler. He's into everything. He hates the word no. He can't tell you what he wants and gets really pissed about that. He'll want you to hold him and cuddle him one minute and let him run out into the street alone the next minute. He walks (even runs) everywhere, but doesn't really want to go the direction you lead him. He spent Thursday and Friday while I was at work, at a different babysitter. Our regular went to Disneyland with her husband and 4 kids. I was scrambling to find him a sitter and one was highly recommended. She watches a bunch of the school's kids, so she could be trusted. He absolutely LOVED it there. On Thursday (his very first day with her and these kids, mind you), he didn't want to leave. He was out in her backyard playing with some pushtoys and ran away from me. I guess that's a good thing, huh? I will for sure keep her in mind if ever I'm stranded again.

And work, well, what can I say? It's typical. And in all actuality, it wasn't that bad this week. That may have had something to do with the fact that the principal and vice were at some training in Sacramento all week. Which I find kind of humorous. Most schools are a bit chaotic and in a bit of an uproar if the administrators are out of the building, but I honestly think things went smoother than normal. I wasn't sent to some random classroom to cover, and there wasn't a single day that I came home fuming. Gee, ya think it's just coincidence?

Yesterday was an Early Release (kids got out at noon), which went superfast. The 6th graders were of course as expected very hyped up. At one point, I was in the middle of my writing lesson and this kid starts saying, "Three hours forty nine minutes till the end of the day." He counted down another two minutes before I snapped. Good gracious, it wasn't like it was the last day of school or even Christmas Break, for Pete's sake! They also weren't served lunch--just a snack. It consisted of chips, carrots and oranges. They went bonkers. No matter the age, I think kids just don't do well when their schedule changes or something different is happening. But oh well, we got through it and most of them actually finished my writing assignment.

Well, I may try to lay down, since Mason's down for his morning nap. He was an early riser this morning, and heck, I don't feel like doing anything else.