I've been told by my students that I'm about as old as their moms...

And I've come to terms with that, because a) I am 30 afterall and I have been teaching for awhile. It was bound to happen eventually and b) I realize a lot of their mothers were very YOUNG mothers.

That being said, I didn't realize I would have a STUDENT that was a mom. Well, two instances (that are very different). I have recently come in contact with a former student on myspace. She was one of my students my first year teaching. I taught 6th grade in Virginia. I had one student in particular that I had a good repoire with and I even had her at the house a few times (a total Taboo, I know. But she had a crappy homelife, and I already told you it was my first year) and she looked at me more as a friend than a teacher. Anyways, her and I have been chatting for about a year now, and I know that she is 18 and should have graduated last May (that was weird enough for me), but she struggled a bit and was trying to finish up this year. Well, then about a month ago, I see new pictures posted on her page of a new baby. Her baby!! She had a little girl recently. I mean, I know she's 18, so she's a big girl and all, but that freaked me out a bit. I'm happy for her, it just makes me feel old.

Second story. I had a 7th grader last year that I talked quite a bit with. She was trying to make good decisions and do the right thing. Well, then the beginning of this school rolls around and I hear rumor that she's pregnant. As an 8th grader. It was later confirmed, so I start a dialogue with her and long story short, Grandma wasn't really taking good care of this girl and she hadn't been to the OB yet, even though she was 5 months pregnant already!! Some teachers and the school nurse took her under our wings and made sure she started taking care of herself (I even gave her some of my maternity clothes). She came by and showed me UltraSound pictures to declare it was going to a boy. This is a mixed emotion moment. I am glad she is sharing this part of her life with me and that she feels safe with me, but I did not in any way condone the decisions she had made. Well, she disappeared a few months ago, with rumors flying she had gone to Mexico. I knew if that was true, she wouldn't finish school and that would be it for her. Today in the teacher's lounge, a few teachers were wondering about this girl and trying to guess if she'd had the baby yet. Then, not but an hour later, I'm in my classroom and the Asst. Principal calls and says this girl is visiting and has specifically requested to see me and she has the baby with her. I go down to the office and see her. The baby boy is precious of course (more hair than Grace has now!!), but what a weird feeling. I was happy to hear she was local and planned to return to school in the Fall. I talked to her about the delivery and then had to get back to class. I congratulated her (what else do you say?) and told her to come by any time. I want to be there for her, but I have no training whatsoever in this sort of thing. I know God will give you the words and the heart for what is needed.

It's just further reason I can't teach high school.

Coffee Drinks and Scantrons

I survived GINORMOUS testing. Well, we have a Field Test on Monday (a trial test--doesn't count), but we made it through this week. And me and the girls (3 of the other female 7th grade teachers) went out for caffeine pretty much everyday this week except today. It was just needed. It's not just the stress of reading the instructions to a T, and it isn't just the worry that the kids won't follow the directions and it isn't even the worry that they won't finish in time or if they'll score like we want, but it's also about the craziness that ensues after testing. After the kids have been restrained to their chairs for 2 hours and expected to actually THINK that whole time, they apparently have some built up energy or stress or whatever it is and they have to let it out!! They are hyper in the halls, in the bathrooms and of course in the classroom. They are at each other's throats and ready to jump off the balcony. There were numerous fights and ASDs written and kids farmed out to other classes.

Phew. Thank you Lord, it is over. Because I've run out of spending money for frappucinos...

On to Week 2

We had two days of GINORMOUS TESTING last week. We all made it. The kids were stressed a bit and moaned and groaned but they made it. And so did the teachers. Now, we're off to Week 2. Tuesday and Wednesday are Reading and Math Parts 2 and 3. Yippee. At least we have a system now, right? Riiiight...

I survived Day One

Well, the first day of BIG FAT STANDARDIZED TESTS is over. Apparently there were 6 fights after testing though. Pent up stress? Who knows? But they did the writing portion today and as I glanced around the room, it seemed most of them at least made coherent thoughts. That's something...

We'll see how tomorrow goes!

Take a deep breath...

BIG HUMUNGO STATE TESTS START TOMORROW!!


I'm as nervous and stressed out as the kids.


Breathe...

Just breathe...

A Time of Firsts

Okay, let's get it out of the way: I have been bad about writing. There, I said it. Moving on...

To explain the title, you would have to have a crystal ball that could view my past month or so. We've had a lot of Firsts around here. Let's see if I can remember all of them, in order.

This is the FIRST time we've lived a good distance from Ms. Cindy and her family. They lost their home through foreclosure about a month ago, and had to move to a subdivision on the other side of our town. It was bittersweet, as we want the best for them and they are saving money on rent, but we will sure miss having them nearby.

We had our FIRST bad experience getting pictures done at Sears. We've gone there since Mason was a baby, and have found the pictures to be overall cute and worth spending more than we should. But at the beginning of Spring Break (2 weeks ago), we took the kiddos and wanted to get pictures of both of them and some of just Gracie. It started out stressful and continued to be breeding anxiety for all of us. The photographer would snap a picture and Grace would crawl away to eat the camera stand or fuzz or something. She'd snap again and Mason would be picking his nose. Great. So, after waiting to view the proofs, we realized none of them were worthwhile. We walked out of there snapping at each other and feeling bummed. We decided to take a different approach. We went to a nearby park the next day and snapped a billion pictures (okay, more like 200) and made our own collage's.

Mason had his FIRST visit to the dentist. There's a local pediatric dentist office here that is supercool: cartoons, video games, balloons, you name it. Mason had a good time and now has a positive mindset of having people look in his mouth. Wish I had had that!!

Grace sat in the big girl carseat that faces forward for the FIRST time. She is so elated to see her brother and be able to see where she's going instead of where she's been!

Both of the kids had their FIRST visit to a real zoo. Mason went to the local zoo, but that's not much to write home about (would you really write home about a zoo visit?). We went to the big city zoo and Mason got a big kick out of it: mostly because his cousin Morgan went with us, but also because he saw animals that he's only seen in books. (Like a giant eagle that looked like it could pick up a school bus!)

While at the zoo, Grace her FIRST ride on a carousel. She looked hesitant, but seemed to enjoy riding with Grandma.

Lastly, and the most unbelievable for us, was Grace's FIRST birthday. Later on the same day as the zoo, we met friends and family at a park near Nana and Papa's and had a great time. Grace was blessed with loads of gifts (including her FIRST doll) and we were blessed with the love of wonderful people. Of course Grandma made the cake and it was tasty.

Phew! I think that's it. Hopefully this makes up for my absence. I promise this won't be the LAST entry...

Almost. Done. With. 3rd Quarter.

Will write after tomorrow. Bear with me. I should have a lot to say. If I can remember anything. My brain is turning to mush...

The hardest thing I've ever had to do was be a parent

My daughter is sick. I hate when my kids are sick. I especially hate it when they're babies and sick. You feel helpless. She's been sniffly and such for about a week, and a few days ago, came down with a nasty sounding cough. I knew it wasn't just a cold. After being up with her most of the night, we decided that this morning we should take her to the Emergency Room. I stayed home with Mason and Hubby went. After some tests and chest x-rays, they think she might have pneumonia. That's hearbreaking. I think they're sending him with antibiotics and I am thankful that God gave me the feeling it was something serious enough to go to the ER. Please have her in your prayers...

My new favorites

Here are some recent shots from around our house.

There's never a dull moment... Mason and our kitty Charlie, just relaxin'

Mason attempting to give our baby on the move a kiss...


Mason took this picture of Max. I thought it was funny.


Grace and Daddy's feet. Too cute.

Oh man...

I found this on Facebook, but I just had to share it here, too.

http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/

Cake Wrecks. Cake misspellings, freaky cakes, and just plain hilarious flubs. Like this one, for example. I'm guessing the person called up and said, "I want a Graduation cake that has 2008 on it. Oh, and I want sprinkles." Ta Da...

Kids...aren't they funny?

What I said to Grace today: "No, no, Gracie! We don't eat light bulbs!!" (after trying to take apart her big brother's monkey nightlight.)

A conversation I had with Mason on the way home from school today:
"Mason, when we get home, I need you to let Max out."
"Yeah, Max goes outside, but the kitty can't go outside."
"Why do you think the kitty shouldn't go outside?"
"Because she'll get dirty!"
"That's right. And what else might happen?"
"A dinosaur could eat her. Then we'd have to throw toys at it!"


:) Never a dull moment...

Huh?

**Just as a side note, I really do think that the slogan or motto or whatever for middle school should be something like, "Huh?" or "What?" or "What's going on?" or even "I don't get it." But that's another rant for another day...

Here's the rundown of why my last blog entry was at Christmastime: work and home. That's it. Those are my reasons. Work consumes me from about 7-3. Then home gobbles up the rest. I have an almost 10 month old (on Wednesday!!) daughter that battled furiously with teething for the past month or so (and still only has the bottom two chompers), a now 4 year old that is high energy and needs careful attention at times and a house that constantly needs cleaning. Oh and a Hubby that would appreciate a little facetime every once in awhile. All I can say is, how very glad and blessed I am that I have 3, count 'em 3, students as T.A.s this year that help me tremendously. In fact, there are days that I sit at my desk after school and try to drum up things to do. So, thank God I RARELY bring work home. Usually just essays (and I'm already dreading the Research/Persuasive one that I'm needing to cover this Quarter).

So, I apologize to my avid readers. I have disappointed yet again. But at least I'm consistent, right? You can rely on me to write more often during breaks like Summer, Fall Break and Christmas and not so much the rest of the time. But hey, Spring Break is not too far away, so you have that to look forward to (which brings me back to my comment on the essay assignment. That has to be done and graded before then. Dang it!)

So, I leave with you some pictures of my kiddos being themselves. Enjoy! See you in March!!

P.S. GO CARDS!! :) SUPER BOWL TIME, BABY!!

MerrryHappyChristmasBirthday!!!

Whew. The Holidays are over. It's my favorite time of year. Until it's over. Let me paint a picture of why:

Christmas Eve, my Hubby's parents came in. We got their plethora of presents unloaded and then got ready for dinner and church.

Isn't she so cute?? (The was my dress, by the way)

Mason was slated to sing and and all that with the other kids during church service. He practiced and practiced. We got there and he did stand on the stage, I'll give him that. But he only clapped for 1/2 of one song and then just stood there the rest of the time, staring blankly and playing with his shirt. Oh well, maybe next year. He still looked cute.

Christmas morning, we woke up and gave the kiddos the presents from us (and Hubby and I exchanged gifts). Mason got a WordWorld building blocks set and some Bob the Builder underwear and Cars coloring stuff and Grace got a inflatable penguin weebly thing (you hit it and never falls over). Then, we got ready for Hubby's family--cooking and setting up. They arrived (sisters and kids), and we ate a ham dinner. Then opened presents. Grace and Mason were of course well taken care of. (but of course Grace was far more interested in the paper and boxes)


The whirlwind subsided by early evening and his parents stayed the night. The next day, we celebrated Mason's 4th birthday!!

(Oh please, Mommy! Can I open my presents now??)

He got Cars toys, the completion of the Veggietales movies (he had 3 left) and an I-Spy Wall-E book (Grace's gift was eating the wrapping paper).

Then, we took him to Peter Piper for lunch, which he of course loved.

We had a mega cupcake...

(he's licking the candle)

(Yum!!!)

..and he enjoyed it!!

The grandparents went home, and we cleaned up for Round Two. The next morning, my parents and aunt and uncle and other aunt came. (my sister and brother-n-law and kids were supposed
to come too, but that's another story). We had yet another ham dinner and opened presents.

Sigh. And that was it. They left that afternoon and Christmas and Mason's birthday were officially over. Yesterday, we took down the Christmas lights, tree, decorations, signs, etc. Like I said, it's my favorite time of year and until I come down from the high. Now, I'm ready for Spring!! What? Winter just started??? Hmmmm...

Santa's coming!!! I know him!!

It's down to days now. Grace's First Christmas. Mason's 4th Birthday.

Am I ready? Sure...

Merry Christmas, all!!

Disappointment has a flavor, and it's pepperoni and cheese

You know how when you remember things from your past, they seem a bit glorified, and you wonder if you relived them, if it would feel the same? Like Fraggle Rock for instance. I LOVED that show as a kid. I watched it every week. My favorite character was Red. And recently, we found Fraggle Rock DVD at Target and I was so excited. I couldn't wait to recapture that strand of my childhood. We got it home, I opened it up and put it in, anxious for that nostalgic feeling. And at first, it flooded back. The theme song brought me back to when I was a little girl with waist-length curls and my Cabbage Patch named Brenda. But then the theme song was over and the episode began. And sadly, within 5 minutes or so, the nostalgia seeped out and it was replaced by drastic disappointment. It was boring, to be honest. And of course, incredibly cheesy. Don't get me wrong, cheesy can be awesome and it really did define television from the 80's, but there's a line. And Fraggle Rock crossed it, went down another street and took a detour. I was sad.

This leads me to the title of my blog. We were out and about today, and we happened to be in Kmart (because it has been really difficult to find Mason a winter coat--the toddler ones are often too small and the big boy ones are ginormous!!), and inside is a Little Caesar's (the only one left around here). To give a little background, Rob and I met at a Little Caesar's in 1995, so we both have memories of the scent of garlic and pizza dough. So, we decided to give this one a go. It had been years since we'd eaten there. We ordered Baby Pans and Crazy Bread. I have to admit, I was a tad bit excited. I remembered fondly the Crazy Bread I used to make myself back in the day, dripping with garlicky goodness and warm and oh-so-tasty. But when our order came out, the first frustration was that the Crazy Bread was raw--and I don't mean, "oh, it's a little undercooked", I mean, when you tried to take a bite, it came apart like melted cheese. Sick. So, we took it back. And the pizza was weird. It didn't taste bad, it just looked strange. It was like they had folded dough over and squished into a square. So, after we got our new order of bread and choked down the peculiar pizza, we looked at each other with a bit of remorse. Gone are the fond memories of Little Caesar's. Or at least the chance of renewing those memories.

I guess the moral of this entry is this: some things are better left remembered than relived...

Holy is the Lord--Reading MP3 Tea Leaves

1.Put your iPod (or media player) on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!
4. Send to friends who may enjoy the quiz as well as the person you got the note from.

IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY? If Tomorrow Never Comes (Garth Brooks)

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY? This Love This Heart (Phil Collins)

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?Home (Daughtry)

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?Please Don't Go (Boyz II Men)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE? The Space Between (Dave Matthews Band)

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?I Wish it Would Rain Down (Phil Collins)

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU? Do Nothing Til You Hear From Me (Phil Collins)

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN? Beautiful Mess (Diamond Rio)

WHAT IS 2+2? Can you Feel It? (Jackson 5)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND? The Disease and the Cure (Kutless)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE? What You Are (Dave Matthews Band)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY? Hearts of the Innocent (Kutless)

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? Wherever We Go (Newsboys)

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE? Kit Kat Jam (Dave Matthews Band)

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU? Ants Marching (Dave Matthews Band)

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING? Dreaming While You Sleep (Genesis)

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL? Grey Street (Dave Matthews Band)

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST? Crawling (Linkin Park)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET? Louisiana Bayou (Dave Matthews Band)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS? The Rescue (Kutless)

WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN? When Its Love (Van Halen)

HOW WILL YOU DIE? Don't Cry (Seal)

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET? Guiding Me Home (Kutless)

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH? Give Me Words to Speak (Aaron Shust)

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY? The Dreaming Tree (Dave Matthews Band)

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED? I Do Not Belong (Kutless)

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST? All Alone (Kutless)

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU? Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Jason Castro)

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE? Overcoming Me (Kutless)

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW? Do the Neurotic (Genesis)

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS? Holy is the Lord (Chris Tomlin)

Am I crazy?

Wait...don't answer that. Let's just say for argument's sake, that the answer is "yes". Then, this next bit of information shouldn't be surprising...

Today was the schoolwide Spelling Bee. And I helped run it. Not too stressful, but it took up the first half of my day. I took just enough time to explain to the sub that was taking my class what needed to be done, and then I headed to the library around 7:15. Kids came down around 8, and by 8:30, we were beginning the real deal. One of my students came in 5th of 42! That's pretty good! I have to say, the words you're given in a Spelling Bee are purely luck of the draw, because you may get a word you've seen before, and you may get a word like whirligig, that is clearly uncommon. Anyways, the Bee ended around 9:45, and then we had to tear things down and get it looking like a library again. Then I dashed up to my room to talk to the sub and get settled. Then it was lunch at 10:17 (yes, we eat THAT early). Then, my 4th period kids came in. And about 10 minutes after being there, I actually walked them about a half of a mile down the road to the nearest elementary school, where they shared children's books that they had made (inspired by the If You Give a Moose a Muffin type of books), with a 3rd grade class. That actually went pretty well. The kids were a little hesitant to meet the 3rd graders ("What if they cry?" "What if they don't like my book?"), but overall, I think they were pretty proud of themselves. And in fact, the 3rd grade teacher said that this was the first time on particular student of hers had every smiled! That warmed my heart.

I'm taking my Period 1 kids tomorrow (actually pulling them out of their elective class because of scheduling conflicts), and my Period 5 kids Friday. I've taken pictures, and plan to put up a bulletin board somewhere (in my classroom or in the school somewhere else?), to brag about the project.

Toldja I was crazy...

Happy 400 posts, me!!!

I've blogged on here 400 times, since August 14, 2005. Holy Moly. And you know what's funny? My very first entry "My First Attempt" http://lionheadden.blogspot.com/2005/08/my-first-attempt.html was written when Mason was only 7 months old!! Now, he's turning 4 next month and GRACE is now 8 months old. Things have changed a teensy weensy bit since then...

Who needs toys?

when you've got...

your Daddy's shoes...

A laundry basket...

Your brother's sunglasses...

And an inventive Daddy that creates a sled out of a diaper box and the dog's leash,

and a SUPER AWESOME big brother who's willing to drag you around the kitchen in your sled!!

A little prayer

Please God, let this upcoming election go according to Your plan. Let voters see clearly and make good decisions that would most benefit this country and represent our beliefs. I pray that whatever You have planned is recieved positively. We don't know what is coming, but I want to be a witness, no matter what. If Your plan isn't my plan, let me see why. Let the voters do the right thing and get out there and vote!! There are changes in our future and it scares us. I pray that we are clear headed and bite our tongues when our views get heated. There's a lot at stake tomorrow and I just ask that You have Your hand in it. Amen.



P.S. I really don't think it should be Obama, but it's your call. :)