Thursday, August 21, 2008

My husband...

This is a special post...just for my hubby. Nik is the most wonderful man I have ever known and probably will ever know. He has changed my life in the most wonderful ways. I don't know what I'd do without you! I love you, Nik!

You are a great husband, wonderful dad and overall, fantastic man.

Oh yeah, and thanks for letting me give into my cravings...I know it's not exactly the best food, but for some reason, it makes me feel SO good! :-*

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Struggling...

I just got off the phone with a parent of one of my students from last year. What a wonderful student she is! I will truly miss her next year (well, in a few weeks, anyway) when she isn't in my class. I've been struggling with an issue I've had since the end of the year where she was put on the wrong team (6th grade has two teams--purple and white) by a computer error. You would think that the people in charge would listen to my explanation and fix the problem, but they WILL NOT BUDGE. No matter what I say or do, they just repeat their stance...that they don't change the team a student is placed on unless there is a safety issue. Great. I think your policy is wonderful! Good for you! It really does help teachers and parents understand that we know what we are doing. HOWEVER...this was a computer error! I'm not asking you to change her team because she needs to be with her friends or because I don't like her teachers...I"m asking you to change her team because the computer put her on the opposite team that I asked her to be put on....the team that her parents and I chose for her.

Sorry to vent here, but I needed to get it out. I wish I could help her more and get her on the right team...but no one is listening!

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Five facts about Michael Phelps' 5 gold medals...

1) If Michael Phelps were a country (Phelpsylvania, perhaps), he'd be tied for third overall in gold medals won.
2) In the total medal count, Phelps would be tied for 12th overall with the Netherlands.
3) India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nigeria, Egypt, Mexico and Bangladesh (appx. combined population = 2.1 billion) have earned a total of four Olympic medals in Beijing. Phelps (appx. population = 1) has five.
4) Phelps has won five of the eight gold medals awarded in the men's swimming competition.
5) Excluding the United States and Australia, the rest of the world has earned a total of five golds in the men's and women's swimming competition. Phelps -- well, you get the picture.

I stole this from yahoo, but I still love it!

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

I HAD to post this...

This was posted on my birth board (a group of women I talk to online that are all due in October with babies).  It's hilarious and VERY true.  I hope you aren't offended but...I HAD to post this.

Dear Non-Pregnant Person,
I hope you find these guidelines helpful in your interactions with
pregnant women as failing to follow them may result in serious physical
harm. If you are thinking, surely she doesn't mean me- then you should
probably read this twice.
1) The appropriate response to a couple telling you they are having a
baby is "Congratulations!" with enthusiasm. Any other response makes you an ####
2) Through the wonders of science, we now know that babies are made ONLY
by the mother and father- not grandparents. Unless the baby is in your
uterus or you are the man that helped put it there, you may not ever use
the phrase "my baby".
3) On the same note, unless you made the baby as defined in #2, the
pregnancy, birth and raising of the child are not about you. You do not
have input. No one wants to hear your opinion unless they ask for it.
4) The body of a pregnant women should be treated the same as any other
body. You would not randomly touch someone's stomach if they were not
pregnant, nor would you inquire into the condition of their uterus,
cervix or how they plan to use their breasts. Pregnancy does not remove
all traces of privacy from a woman.
5) Likewise, no women wants to hear comments on her weight- ever. A
pregnant woman does not find it flattering that you think she is about
is pop, must be having twins, looks swollen or has gained weight in her
face. Telling her she looks too small only makes her worry that she is
somehow starving her baby. Making such comments invite her to critique
your physical appearance and you may not act offended. The only
acceptable comment on appearance is "You look fabulous!".
6) By the time we are 20-30 years old, most of us have picked up on the
fact that the summer is hot. We are hot every summer when we are not
pregnant. We don't need you to point out that we will be miserably hot
before the baby comes.
7) There is a reason that tickets to L&D are not yet sold on
Ticketmaster. Childbirth is actually not a public event. It may sound
crazy, but some women really do not relish the idea of their mother, MIL
or a host of other family members seeing their bare butt and genitals.
Also, some people simply feel like the birth of their child is a private
and emotional moment to be shared only by the parents.
8) Like everything else is life, unless you receive an invitation, you
are NOT invited. This includes doctor appointments, ultrasounds, labor,
delivery, the hospital and the parents home. You do not decide if you
will be there for the birth or if you will move in with the new parents
to "help out". If your assistance is desired, rest assured that you will
be asked for it.
9) If you are asked to help after the birth, this means you should clean
up the house, help with cooking meals, and generally stay out of the
way. Holding the baby more than the parents, interfering with
breastfeeding and sleeping schedules and making a woman who is still
leaking fluid from multiple locations lift a finger in housework is not
helping.
10) The only people entitled to time with the baby are the parents.
Whether they choose to have you at the hospital for the birth or ask for
you to wait three weeks to visit, appreciate that you are are being
given the privilege of seeing their child. Complaining or showing
disappointment only encourages the parents to include you less.

Can my pregnant girls relate? I especially relate to number 2, 3 and 5!

Monday, August 11, 2008

Classroom Post!

I figured since the name of my blog is "Life as Mom, Wife and Teacher" that maybe I should update you all on the "teacher" part?  I have just under three weeks of summer vacation left, and believe it or not, I've been working in my classroom since July.  


I rearranged my room...wait, no, NIK rearranged my room, so I've just been tweaking how things are going to work with this new set-up. I LOVE the way it came out and I am SO thankful to have such a wonderful husband who let's me change my mind 10 ten times before I like it.  :-)

Here are my bulletin boards (well, some of my bulletin boards are actually just bulletin board paper on the wall, but I need my room to be balanced.

This BB (oh yeah, I threw in the BB for Bulletin Board shortcut!) is for my job chart.  I call it something else, because 5th graders think they are too old for jobs, but still, we need them and having it on display makes it so much easier for me to keep track of...I'll finish this by the end of the week and you can compare pictures! (Believe it or not, this was actually VERY hard for me to do pregnant...I'm never doing it again).



...and this is my every changing "Math Vocabulary" BB. I make the kids write out the words we'll use in each unit so that they have a "cheat sheet" to look at during class, plus, it's a great way to introduce each unit.



...and this is the whole board and BBs on the side. (You can see Dougie playing with his car on the desks.)


Moooooore Bulletin Boards (My FYI Board for calendars, specials, announcements, etc. and my BB for displaying student work, which is already for their first poem called "I am...")  





...and the back of the room. 



Phew! I still have so much more to do, but at least my room is organized! I'm waiting on one more order to come in from WBMason and I'll be able to really get working on stuff for the kids. Homework folders, name tags, class lists, circle notebooks...man! But, I'm having a good time and I do actually enjoy getting ready for the kids to come.

Time for lunch and then maybe a nap!

A Baby Shopping Spree!

Saturday morning started off with Elaine calling us to ask us what kind of car seat we wanted for baby #2 and then just a few hours later she showed up with the car seat AND a new breastpump.  I love her, she spoils me so! (I didn't take a picture of the breastpump, I think it's great, but there's no need to share it!) So here's the new car seat!  It will fit all the old bases we have from Dougie (Dougie's car seat was ruined by the water in our basement).



Sunday morning, since it was raining (AGAIN!), Nik, Dougie and I went out to shop for baby #2, we were insprired by Elaine's shopping spree and spent about $300.00 (even bought some Christmas presents!) The next picture is the car seat again, but this time with a "Bundleme" installed.  Since this baby is going to be born in late fall, I wanted something that would stay put and keep baby warm!



We bought new sheets for the crib (even though the baby wont use the crib for a few weeks after it's born).  We decided not to use a bumper this time (mostly since it was a pain in the a** to change the sheets) so there is no extravagant crib shots, just a new sheet!


Target was having a sale on bouncy seats.  I had planned on picking up a used one at The Children's Orchard, but this one was the same price and it was new!  It vibrates and bounces, nothing special, but exactly what I wanted! I'd never seen this one before.  I like the colors a lot and it is light, so I can bring it up and down the stairs very easily.



I was so happy that we went to Target first, they have some good deals!  I already had a boppy that I used with Dougie, but I wanted to get another one so I wouldn't have to lug it up and down the stairs all the time. I also washed and dried my old one.  The polka-dot one is my new one and the yellow one is my old one. I couldn't live without my boppies!



Then we picked out going home outfits!  My favorite part!  We decided to get a boy and a girl outfit, instead of going neutral.  We were drawn to the boy clothes (Does that mean this one is a boy or are we just used to buying boy things?) This is our "boy" outfit.  It says "Roar!" in the corner and comes with cute little booties. I love the animals on it and a matching hat!


This is our "girl" outfit.  Nik helped me find it, he knows me VERY well.  Of course, it's purple, my favorite color!  I love this outfit...tooooo cute! It says "Little girls are hugs, kisses, giggles and love".  I have to find some booties or socks that match and maybe a hat too.  Ooooh!  I'm getting excited! 10 more weeks!



And here's your Dougie shot.  He's playing "Kneebouncers" on Nik's computer. 



Happy Monday!  I'm off to work in my classroom for a few hours.  I've been up since 4:45, thank to the Thunderstorms and my hips! I'll probably take a nap when Dougie takes one this afternoon....I've got to take advantage of the last few weeks of summer vacation!

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Quick Update

Car Seat- Check!
Breast Pump- Check!

I love love love my mother in law. She has no idea the amount of stress she just took off me! Much love to Elaine!

Monday, August 4, 2008

Thoughts for a Monday

I went to school to work today and was able to put up fadeless bulletin board paper on two of my bulletin boards. I ran out of the border I was using and instead of taking off what I had already used I decided to put Dougie in the car and go back to the teacher store and see if they had more (they didn't). For some reason, the minute we walk into the teacher store, Dougie poops in his diaper. Man, this one was stinky too! I finished up my shopping quickly and went to the car to change his diaper. I had planned on going back to school, but my plans changed once I realized the wipes were missing from the diaper bag! Grr!

Off to Target we went. I bought a travel pack of wipes and our crisis was averted. However, being in Target made me think of a lot of things...even though I had a baby shower with Dougie and I have almost everything I need for baby, there are a lot of things I still need to buy. Here's a list, just to make me feel better.

-newborn pacifiers
-breast pads
-alcohol pads (for cleaning the belly button)
-another boppy (for upstairs)
-new sheets for the crib
-diapers
-sensitive wipes
-slippers (both Nik and I need some!)
-car seat
-winter cover for the car seat
-breast pump
-changing table pad
-BPA free bottles

And that's all I can think of right now! It makes me insanely stressed out that I need to get all these things AND get ready for school to start as well. When I break it down to 4 weeks until school starts and 6 weeks after the baby comes, it REALLY doesn't seem like 10 weeks is a long time! I've got to get cracking!

Sunday, August 3, 2008

WALL-E!!!

We decided it was time to try out the movies with Dougie this weekend. The weather was pretty crappy this morning, so we packed up the diaper bag (with milk and cookies for the movie and some for Rawson!) and we were off!

We told Dougie that we were going to see Ross at work and that we were going to watch a movie on a very big TV...he really had NO CLUE what we were talking about, but we went in, chatted with Ross and gave him his cookies and then headed to the theatre. We did it right, we got popcorn and LOTS of napkins, since the kid behind the counter smothered it in butter (Dougie didn't seem to mind!) We got to the theatre with enough time to get settled, we put Dougie in between us, only problem was, he didn't weigh enough to hold the seat down, it almost folded in on him! I remembered seeing booster seats in the hallway, so I went off on a mission to find one. It made it so much easier for him to see the screen and the chair didn't fold up on him anymore...great invention!

Once he was seated comfortably, it was like he knew exactly what to do...he sat there, eating popcorn out of a HUGE bad and never took his eyes off the screen. It was GREAT!

We made it almost an hour into the movie and Dougie seemed a little bit antsy. At one point he did turn to me and ask me to go home, but once the movie got going again, he was really into it. WALL-E was adorable. Very cute and worth a see. We'll definitely be buying it on DVD!