What's that called?

What's that called when you hear someone in your class has lice and all of a sudden any time your head itches you are convinced you have lice?

Or when someone in your class has strep (or someone in your child's class has strep) and now you swear that your throat is killing you?


What's that called?

Summer's Ending...

So I've traded in my pool bag for my work bag.

Of course - working only 9 hours a week - my pool bag is still going to see some action for the next few weeks...

How's your end-of-the-summer going?

Words to Live By

A few weeks ago I read this quote on one of my favorite blogs and absolutely fell in love with it:


“Let everything happen to you – the beauty, the terror. Just keep going, no feeling is final.” ~Rilke


Jennifer, over at Playgroups are No Place for Children, mentioned that she might even tattoo those words onto herself. I love it.


This morning I think I heard a quote I'd be willing to have tattooed on me, if I didn't remember how much it hurts to get a tattoo.


I was talking with a friend at work, just about things... and she told me the story of how on the day she was diagnosed with breast cancer she was on her way home and passed by a water treatment facitility that always has sayings and quotes on a sign in front of the building. The day she was diagnosed with breast cancer that sign read,


"Worry is a misuse of your imagination."

How awesome is that? Oh - and she's been cancer free for years! I don't know how many... I sort of lost count after the first one... but she's doing absolutely great and continues to be an inspiration to me both for my work life and home life.

And so it ends....

I walked into work this morning and right into a hallway filled with parents waiting to register their children for my preschool program.

It was beyond flattering to see so many familiar faces, especially after all the BS they've been through to get their children into this preschool program.

Registration started at 8am. People were lined up outside the school as early as 4am. Seriously.

I love it.

Some people didn't want this program anymore. But guess what - the parents do and the parents worked their butts off to make this happen.

And it happened.

Awesome.

Almost Over

So this week, this week I have no control over, is almost over.


My mom did stellar in her surgery. She's home now with a sore throat. The tumor appears to be benign, but we'll know for sure in a few weeks.


I totally had a panic attack on my way to my kickboxing class - only because I didn't hear from my sister after my sister actually saw my mom after surgery. Sure, my sister talked to me after the surgery and told me that Mom was in the recovery room and the doctor was pleased with how it went... but still, I guess I needed to hear that my sister had actually seen Mom and talked to her. Anyway, this little panic attack, and the fact that I couldn't get a hold of my sister, caused me to be one of those people that carries their cell phones out of the locker room and upstairs at the gym. I hate those people. At least, I hate that they can't be away from their phone for an hour. But yeah, I was one of them, and at our first break for water during class I checked my phone and had to call my sister back. But let me tell you, I was able to focus so much better in class after talking to my sister.


I called her after class was finished and she was quick to point out that we all have our own addictions. Mine just happens to be working out. Which, if I had to pick an addiction to have, well, this one's not that bad. I remember when I was waiting for our flight to take off for Florida during a Winter Storm Watch, I kept telling Mike, "I just want to go running." I actually did do some yoga poses in the airport while waiting.


In the meantime, I've been watching my friend's 3 month old baby girl. I started this week and will be watching "Baby Rayna" until the end of the school year on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The biggest difference from having your own baby and watching someone else's is this: With my own babies after trying to get them to sleep and learning that really, they just wanted to sleep in my arms, I'd get frustrated. I'd wonder when I could ever lay them down. With this baby I realized I find it flattering that she prefers my arms. And I know, I won't be holding her all night long, all day long, for the rest of my life. Just until 4 o'clock or so. I sort of wish I would have been more flattered that my own babies wanted me to hold them all the time and less frustrated. If my memory serves me, I did enjoy that more with Liam, but with Quinn, my first, I really thought that would never end. I couldn't imagine ever sleeping through the night again. And now I know. This Baby Rayna goes home, we have dinner, play, and I put the boys in their beds and know, that most likely, it'll be quiet in our house until morning. Gosh, I love my sleep. Oh? And also? There's quite a few things I miss about the baby stage, but so far, this babysitting gig has not caused me to want a third child. Not. at. all.


And tomorrow is registration for my preschool program. I call it mine, even though I don't actually own it. Well, I "own" it, but not legally or anything. So, I'm planning on wearing my "K-Prep Rocks" shirt a parent gave me a few years ago. Cheezy, I know, but funny at the same time, right?

This Week

This week on Tuesday my mom will be having a surgery on her thyroid. There's a lump, or something on there. The doctors are planning on taking it off, sending it down to the pathology department to have it tested for cancer, and if it is cancer - taking out the entire thyroid. Seems to be a pretty common thing - having your thyroid removed. As a matter of fact - a friend of mine's mom just had her's removed. And everything went well. I'm worried though. The last surgery my mom had a few months ago (totally unrelated) went a little longer because her blood pressure dropped while they were operating. So, I'm really hoping for a smooth surgery this time. That's Tuesday.

**News Flash**
While we were in Disney World - many outraged parents showed up at the February Board Meeting and the School Board voted once again on the preschool program I teach. This time to keep the program - with some changes. (Basically, instead of working 3 whole days I'd work 5 half days - still, perfectly balanced with my home life and awesome.)
**News Flash Over**


So, this Friday is registration for that preschool program. Except in order to have a program next year at least 16 children need to register for MWF mornings and 10 for Tues/Thurs mornings. And - these parents - who have already gone through quite a bit regarding this program - are being asked to pay the entire year's tuition 30 days after registration. That's $1100 or $1600 the school wants to collect upfront. That's a lot of cash. I'm really hoping that enough parents can manage that. I really do love teaching preschool - I love the school I'm in - and of course, I love that balance.

Always Thinking...

So, of course... I'm still thinking about next year. I've sort of made up my mind of what I'd like to see happen, but really have no control. There are so many things up in the air right now - things I have no control over. It seems I may have to wait until March or possibly April or maybe even August to know what I'll be doing next school year.

There's so many other things I have to think about in my own life that this "mess at work" doesn't seem so bad. Quinn's revisit with his foot doctor is at the end of February. My mom is having a biopsy done on a mass found on her thyroid next week.

And then, there's so many things happening in other families that I know, that all of the above doesn't seem bad at all.

I truly am blessed with what I have. And I truly believe that whatever happens next year will work out just as it is supposed to work out. I just wish it would be settled sooner.

I must say that through all of this mess - the thing I look forward to the most is a good run. Outside. In the cold. Who am I?

Decisions

Ah.

So, this could be a very long story. A long story involving budget cuts, the State not paying programs they've promised to pay, school board meetings, meetings with superintendents, revised plans, and oh so many other things. My school year has not been an easy one.

But I'll keep it short.

Sort of.

The 3 day/week preschool program I've taught for the past 8 years has been eliminated by the school board.

I need to decide if I want to work full-time or stay home and watch other people's babies for a few years.

If this was two years earlier - easy decision to stay home. If this was two years in the future - easy decision to work full-time.

But it's now. Liam will be three. Quinn will be starting kindergarten. I was really looking forward to being able to continue to be involved in his school.

Sounds like I should stay home...

Except, with things the way they are with Illinois schools, things are not going to be getting better any time soon, especially when it comes to early childhood programs (State not paying their bills). And, I have a little seniority at my district, which means if I stay full-time I won't be at the bottom of the chain, and trust me, at the bottom of the chain is a crappy place to be. If I am able to get a full time job I should take it now while I can.

And then... what if Mike loses his job? He swears this is impossible and his company continues to make profits year after year, but still. Where would we be if he did lose his job? Me watching babies... no insurance, no steady income...

Sounds like I should work...

Except today I was able to go into Quinn's classroom and watch his teacher lead twenty 5-year-olds in a make-shift band. It was awesome.

See. Totally not an easy decision - one that I know moms all over the world make all the time. And one that I know some moms don't have the luxury to even think about.

Also - I won't even go into how important I believe this program is. And how many parents are outraged by the decision the school board made. And how it literally makes me sick to my stomach to think about the things this school board may be willing to cut.

Stressed

I woke up this morning, after yet another funky dream, feeling nauseous, hot, cold, sore throat, headache, and just all around crappy.

I don't want to go into too much details, but I've found myself in the position to need to defend the preschool program I've taught for the past 8 years.

So, these feelings of mine all revolved around speaking in front of a school board, as well as a room full of community members. Some who clearly support what I would be saying and others who are just there to make sure their taxes don't go up any more than they need to (and trust me I don't blame them.).

I did my research and was armed with 2 full pages of notes. All proving that most districts are offering more in regards to providing preschool - not less.

Still, even with a very well written "speech" I was nervous. Speaking in front of parents? I love it! Speaking in front of a school board? And community of tax payers? Not so much.

But I did it. And it felt good to be over with.

And all those feelings I woke up with are gone.

Except now, my back and shoulders hurt. I totally blame the stress of it all.

I'm glad all the extra budget board meetings are over with. I've been away from my boys too many nights attending meetings, taking notes, and talking with community members. I've skipped too many nice running days because of this.

With all this stress, though, I am happy to report the things I am craving the most: running, yoga, and kickboxing. It used to be I would crave ice cream or bread - but something has happened to me in the past, oh I don't know how many, maybe five? years.

Now that I've done pretty much all I could, I'm really hoping these funky dreams, or rather, nightmares, are over with. They only started after the first budget meeting when I decided I would need to speak.

There are people who have much more stressful jobs than I do. Much more stressful lives. And I really do feel for them. Seriously, how do you all handle your stress?

Now excuse me, a very long child's pose is calling my name...

The Plan - The Final Week - Six

Aha - the final week. If I wasn't so tired I go into this whole long thing about how proud I am and what I've learned. But I'm tired. It's been a long day. Heck, it's been a long week.

I ran 3.5 miles today! Woot. It felt good - it felt especially good because I wanted to stop at 3.25, but I just kept on going - and finished. (then we rushed home, fed the kids, showered and headed to my favorite pumpkin patch/apple orchard!)

And on the 24th - The Big Day - I only have to run 3.1 miles - so I know I can finish.

The best part about running is this:

On Friday I found out that the program that I teach is on the cutting board. Meaning, all three plans of budget cuts that our superintendent proposed to the school board had my preschool program cut. Nothing is official yet, but hearing that was not the way I wanted to start my weekend. To top it off as I was pulling into the gym after work I sent Mike a quick message letting him know about what time I'd be home and he texted me back letting me know that our fridge didn't appear to be working. Right. So off I went into the gym. And I ran 3 miles. It never felt so good to run. All the thoughts of what I'd do next year without my "perfect" job and all the thoughts of "oh my god we just got a new dishwasher - seriously - now a new fridge" were gone. It was me, my music, and my run. (Of course I did sort of freak out a bit on my way home when I finally stopped to think about what may or may not happen. Which is silly.)

On Tuesday I woke up and Mike told me our dishwasher was broken. Seriously. The new one he just installed was leaking water all over. He went to work, my kitchen was once again torn apart, and I took Quinn to school and headed to the gym. The plan said run 3 miles; I told myself I would only have to do 2 miles, since, you know, I was having a bad day. But you know what? I got to that 2 mile marker and thought, "What good would stopping here do you?" And so I ran 3 miles and it was great.

So anyway... here's my plan for the week.

Week 6
Monday - Rest.
Tuesday - Run 3 miles easy.
Wednesday - Run 2 miles easy. You will begin to taper after this workout. A taper is a gradual decrease in mileage. The purpose of the taper is to be sure that your muscles are well rested before you compete in the race.
Thursday - Rest or cross train.
Friday - Run 2 miles easy.
Saturday - Run 1 mile easy.
Sunday - Race Day. Have Fun!!

If you completed the workouts in this program, you will be able to easily finish your 5K. Keep you pace easy in your first race. Do not worry about your time. You can work on improving you speed in later races. Run at the same pace you were training at or if you are feeling good, just a little faster. Avoid the temptation to start out a lot faster than you have trained for. If you start out too fast, you will have a hard time finishing. Most importantly - HAVE FUN. If you would like to improve your performance, move on to the more advanced training programs.

Of course I know you're all just dying to know what I'm going to do next week, right? Now that I'm done running - what am I going to do?

You'll just have to wait and see, my friends, wait and see...

"My sister has an iphone. A pink one."

Her sister is seven years old.

A student of mine told me, "My sister got an iphone. A pink one."

Her sister is seven years old.

Seven.

7

Seriously?

Seven.

And the crazy thing is, I believe it.

That is the type of community I work in.

What I Did and Didn't Do This Summer

So, it's official. With today's weather calling for a high of 83 and high humidity - summer is over.

For me anyway.

Tomorrow begins yet another school year. For some reason I'm really looking forward to this year - not sure why, maybe because I totally re-organized my kitchen play area and am hoping this helps with the clean-up efforts in there. Ah, the kitchen play area - always my least favorite area of my classroom...

Now the block area, oh those blocks, I could play there all day - and cleaning up in there? I love it.

Anyway, as my summer comes to a crashing halt I've been thinking about all those things in May I promised myself I'd get to in the summer.

See, as a teacher, every May I find myself putting things off "until summer". Cleaning the floors, washing windows, organzing pictures, etc. etc. Some things are things I would normally do during the school year, but in May my life is crazy enough with work stuff I feel justified putting things off for a few weeks.

Of course the normal stuff got done - the floors were cleaned, windows washed, etc. But the big projects I had hopes of finishing, or at least starting... well, that's another story.

I didn't organize my pictures, I didn't catch up on my scrapbooks, I didn't get the basement looking good, I didn't redo our bedroom window treatments (though I did my some drapes), I didn't organize our bathroom shelves, I didn't figure out a good system for keeping junk off the kitchen table, and I didn't clear all the junk out of the attic.

That being said, we did accomplish a lot this summer. (as a side note, why is it for the stuff that didn't get done I say "I didn't" and yet for the stuff that did get done, I'm planning on using "we". interesting. Of course, Mike helped with most of this...)

We did have a garage sale and then donated everything that didn't sell. That felt good.

We went green. We got ourselves a compost bin, clothesline dryer, and a new air conditioner to replace our 30+ year old one. Of course, that last one, we had no option - our old one broke.

I relaxed. Naps were late or missed. Bedtimes were almost always later than usual. Lunches and dinners were served outside.

I took the kids to the pool. A lot. Even if just for an hour - we'd go.

I napped. Almost every day.

I found a good summer workout schedule that I'm totally going to miss.

I hurt my neck and found a chiropractor I can trust.

We saw friends.

We saw family.

We vacationed.

We grilled. A lot.

We ate hotdogs over the fire. A lot.

All in all - I'd say it was a pretty good summer. Sure, maybe I didn't get all the productive stuff done, but I can honestly say for the first time in a long time, we really did enjoy our summer.

My Last Free Week

Well, it's happening again.

Summer is coming to an end.

Of course, the weather is just now starting to warm up, but besides that point.

School officially starts August 16th - which means next week I need to get my butt into my classroom to prepare for the upcoming school year.

Which puts this week as "the last free week."

Although I'd love to have grand plans for the week - here's what's going on:

Monday - doctor appointment for me (everything's fine - just want to have a mole removed)
Tuesday - swim lessons for the boys
Wednesday - doctor appointment for Quinn (school physical and had to get a referral for a second opinion for his feet)
Thursday - chiro appointment for me
Friday - chiro appointment for me

Now, this wouldn't be so bad if Quinn didn't catch a nasty cold over the weekend and if I didn't get that same nasty cold Monday and if Liam wasn't showing signs of the same nasty cold today. We could have easily gone to the doctor's almost every day this week and then gone and done something fun - like the zoo, the museum, or the pool. Oh! What a lovely week for the pool this would have been.

But alas, here we sit - running errands in the morning, getting home in time for lunch and naps and just trying to stay comfortable in the afternoon. Eating oatmeal, soup, and ice cream.

My last free week.

Maybe if I work really hard next week in my classroom I can take Friday off and we'll get a chance to go into the city.

That is, if everyone is feeling better.

My Brain

Last night I went to a Step Jam class. I'll admit, I haven't been going to any classes regularly, but have been to a few on Saturday or Sunday morning the past few months - and have been able to hold my own. I enjoy a class that challenges me, one that has me thinking, "what comes next?" But last night. Oh my god. For the first time, ever, the instructor had to stop the routine to go back and teach me how to do a "revolving door". Turns out, I should have been using both feet to turn backwards, not hopping on one foot around. I figured it out quickly, well, quickly after having to have her draw attention to the fact that I couldn't get it. Anyway... I did figure it out and was happy to realize why I kept ending up on the wrong foot during the combo. But, the entire class just kicked my ass. Mentally, not physically. I have been doing The Shred pretty religiously (like 6 out of 7 nights a week), so I'm not in as bad of shape as I thought. But, Holy Toledo, I could not think of what came next with all the combos. I was doing my best to keep up with the rest.





Every day on my way to work I think of a million and one things I need to get done. Then, every night at home I sit down with my fancy new paper to make a To-Do list for the week and this is all I can come up with.




I should probably add "put your shoes on" onto the Tuesday and Thursday, since last week I took Quinn to school, Liam to music class, and then dropped off some Creative Memories product - all in my slippers.


I went to an awesome conference a few weeks ago and was reminded of a lot of stuff I already believed to be true about young children, but have forgotten about after being in a public school for 7 years. I want to write about it here. I want to figure out what I can do at work to feel better about the experience I'm giving the 4 and 5 year olds in my class. I want to figure out how I can make it all work together - or what has to give. I want to, but I keep getting stuck.



My brain, it's just not working. And, unlike Christie, I cannot blame this on a lack of sleep.

Just a typical day at preschool...

Quotes from my preschoolers are always entertaining. Today was one of those days they just kept making me chuckle.

"Who keeps leaving their balls in our room? It's kind of rude."

"You put your stick in the wrong place."

and my personal favorite...

"It's okay, I'll just marry both of you!"

Our Halloween Day

I got home from work (where we had two really good parties!) around 3:30ish. And right away Quinn, Liam, and I headed out for some trick-or-treating while Mike stayed home and handed out candy.


After a few houses I thought we'd go drop off Liam and head out for more.
But first we needed to grab a few pictures of the boys. We got Liam to sit there by giving him chocolate.
Later we found out that Liam is, in fact, allergic, or sensitive to, chocolate - he now has a horrible diaper rash. After the pictures Quinn and I ditched Liam and went out for more CANDY! About an hour later we came home, I put Liam to bed, had some dinner, and Mike sat outside with Quinn waiting for more trick or treaters.
I could hear Mike telling the spooky stores and singing spooky songs. "Who has my golden arm? Who has my golden arm?" and "There was an old woman all skin and bones...."

All in all it was a great day - perfect weather, work wasn't too crazy - in fact - everything would have been perfect had I not felt like crap all day. I was feeling better (or doped up on pain medicine) after work, which is why I took the boys trick-or-treating. But then, I sat down while Quinn was outside and it hit me. My face hurts, my nose won't stop running, I keep sneezing, and of course the skin on my nose is all dried up from all the blowing. I called the doc. today, they sent in a prescription, but by the time I dragged myself to the pharmacy it was closed! Argh! Oh - but more good news - we went to some Halloween stores this morning looking for discounted costumes - and I got the best clown costume ever! So cute! I can't wait until next year!

Parenting is NOTHING like TEACHING

I knew this before I had kids.

Parents would stare at me in disbelief as I would go on and on about how well behaved their child is. As soon as I'd stop, one of them would say, "um, are you sure you're talking about our son/daughter? *insert name here?*" Of course I am! He/she is so good at school - always listens, follows directions, uses great manners. A stellar student!

I'd always explain that it's different. I can set up very clear boundaries and expectations and can keep those boundaries and expectations for the 2.5 hours their children are with me. It's easy. I'm good at it. At work.

Quinn's been going through some stage - that I hope is almost over. Just to give you a glimpse - we keep having to explain to him why it's okay for us, his parents, to take things away from him. His response, "But it's not okay to take things from people. I don't take things away from you. That's not nice." Today I had to have a conversation as I was tucking him into bed after a bed time routine that went sour. I won't go into the details but my conversation involved me saying things like, "having chocolate milk is a privilage and mommies and daddies are allowed to take away privilages from their children if they do not act nice" and "I know you're nice now, but since you decided to scream and kick and stomp your feet when daddy told you he already stirred it, you couldn't have your chocolate milk" and "you need to choose how you act and when you choose to kick and scream you lost the privilage of having chocolate milk" and some other things including the words, "parenting, acceptable, and decisions."

It's hard to be a parent sometimes, seriously.

Oh - and if you're looking for some Disney updates - I've got a few up and ready over here.

Reputations

We went and met Quinn's new teachers tonight and apparently his reputation preceeds him. His two teachers were so excited to have Quinn in their class. And it wasn't just the general, "Oh Hi! I'm so happy your in my class." It was the, "Oh, hi Quinn! You got so tall this summer!" And then later to me, "I'm so excited he's in my class. I was so happy when Miss. Amanda was telling us about him." And as a teacher I know you need to act happy to have each student in your class. But I also know that teachers talk. Luckily for Quinn he was a happy-go-lucky boy last year. Always following directions, always happy to be at school, always smiling. Just overall a very good boy. And so his new teachers know this and are thankful for this. Now besides just hoping that his good school behavior continues I've been thinking about my own school.

Since I'm the preschool teacher there I have NO idea about my students. No teachers to warn me about a certain stduent's behavior or to say, "you're going to love him!" And you know what? I think it's better that way.

I know it's important to communicate some information to the next year's teacher - but maybe I should try to tone it down so that when the students start the year their reputation (good or bad) doesn't preceed them.

Of course - today at work one of the K-teachers said to me, "Oh, (insert child's name here), a handful, hunh?" And then later, "Oh, (insert child's name here), is doing SO well!" For both of these children their reputation did not preceed them - the teacher just figured it out for herself. In only 5 school days.

The Thing I Love Most About Work

The thing I love most about work happens to also be the thing that bothers me most about work. You see, I'm so jealous of those people who can go to work and well, relax. But as a teacher - I go to work and pretty much work nonstop until I leave. I get to work and right away get busy setting things up for the day and answering parents' emails and/or talking with other teachers/therapists/etc. Then, the kids get there and I'm REALLY busy. I laughed today after the children had left because I saw an email from one of the mom's - as though I was going to be able to answer her while the kids where there!?! There's only one day a week where I get a "planning period" and that's on Friday - two half hour spots for library time. The rest of the time those kiddos are all mine! There's really no down time at work. But see, it's days like today that I love not having that down time. No time to think.

No time to think about Mike and all the blood tests and the 24 hour urine sample he had to collect this weekend (my bathroom smelled SO good. bleh.). No time to wonder what the hell is up with his mysterious symptoms. No time to think about this little guy. No time to think about whether or not Liam was eating his lunch. No time to think about Quinn's Chronic Whining Condition. No time to think about whether or not somebody left a comment on my last post. No time to think about how many people are reading this blog. No time to think. Until lunch.

I sat down and was asked, "So, how was your weekend?" And I lied. I couldn't not tell them the news of Henry. Because when I do stop to think - that is what I'm thinking about. I'm amazed at how heavily it weighs on my heart. But. I couldn't say, "oh, this person that I met online, her son is sick." That just sounds weird. At least to my friends at work. So instead I said, "Oh, one of my friend's way out in Portland just found out her son is sick and they're not sure what's wrong with him. But the worst part is I can't even give her a hug or see her to see if she's okay." And you know what? That last part is not a lie. I know that those of you reading this get that, right? (unless you're my family and you still don't get this whole blogging thing) You get how someone you've never met can really become a friend. A friend you care about just as much as you would had she lived right next door - perhaps even more. Because honestly, I know more about some of you than I do my own neighbor, or even some of my friends.

At times I find a lot of the "blogging business" downright stupid. (Sorry, but really, does it really matter how many comments, how many hits, etc - if all we're looking for is a connection or a place to air our dirty laundry and brag about all the good stuff?) But really, I love the friends I've made via this blog - some of which I've met, more of which I hope to meet someday. And I really love the support that people in this blogging world are so quick to offer. It's amazing. Truly amazing.

Overheard Friday After School in a Preschool Classroom

"Did I leave the alcohol over there in the kitchen area?"

"No - I don't see it." "Wait. Here it is."

"Good - do you see the cotton balls over there as well?"

**any guesses as to what we were about to do?**