b.o.r.i.n.g

I totally never thought I'd say this, but my days at school have been quite boring. I'm not going to lie, I thought I would have material coming out of my ears with the hooligans I am hanging out with. I thought I wouldn't be able to remember all the funny things going on over there. Sadly, this week has been pretty low key.

Minus the conversation about w e e d. And, the bazooka. Oh and dad cheating on mom.

But seriously, those really pale in comparison to the last time I worked in this school. I mean, we're talking bruises and some serious WWF wrestling moves.

I'm sure it's just the honeymoon phase and they'll be back to "normal" soon. Until then, I'm going to enjoy the fact that they aren't providing me any drama for the blog. Makes your life boring, but mine so much better.

First Day

Today was the first day of school.

Now, I'm sure I've told you.. but please remember I work with children who are a little (okay, a lot..) misunderstood and have a hard time keeping their emotions/behavior in check. From all the stories at this school, I should have plenty of blogging material this school year. Except for today! The kiddos were great. Everything went smoothly.

That should have been my first sign that something was going to go wrong. Fast-forward to dinner. I was making dinner when I smelled this horrible burning smell. I ran into the kitchen to see a piece of paper (recipe) that had moved onto the burner and was on fire! Crap! I got it put out, crisis averted. Well, then I poured the milk in and stirred around. I happened to notice something on the spoon. A white clump. No.. not curdled milk, right? Wrong. The stinking milk was disgusting. Chunky. It still had one more day before it expired.

Then.. I remembered, it was the same milk I had for breakfast. Sick.

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down...

Okay, since I'm a teacher.. and all of us teachers are a rare breed... I'm used to playing the thumbs up/down game. You know, you give a positive part of your day and a not-so-positive part of the day. Since I can't really think of anything witty (the back-to-school tiredness has kicked in!) I'll fall back on the up/down.

So for the downer.. ucky training today that caused me to think (approximately 97,648 times..) "I have better things to do with my time than sitting here listening to x,y, and z!" BUT I did get a good lunch and there was a teacher's store right next to our lunch spot so I got the little footprints I needed for my floor.

The up? Well... I found just the cutest dog in the neighborhood (no we didn't keep him, Mom!) and he belongs to the cutest family in the neighborhood with the cutest Mommy in the cutest house (the Victorian ones, Mom!). Seriously, this little guy was just a gem! He walked up to us while I was taking Big Dog and Little Dog for a walk, joined our walk, and came all the way home with us. He didn't have an address on his tag, just a phone number. He walked with us the whole way without a leash and just walked right into the house when we did! He was seriously cute. So I called up cute Mommy and told her I'd walk him to her house because she had three kids eating dinner. After babysitting for three children for 5 years, I know just how hectic any time of day can be.. let alone dinner. So I hopped over there with him, with a leash on just in case he ran into the street, and met cute Mommy and family.

Just because she was so cute, I told her we'd dog sit anytime she needed someone. I suppose it wasn't just her cuteness, but also the cute dog and the fact that he got along so well with my hooligans.

And... hubby's taking me out to dinner tonight. So I don't have to cook. How nice of him!

Four Things...

A) Four places I go over and over: work, home, Michigan, outside with the dogs
B) Four people who e-mail me regularly: The Cuz, my Mom, my principal, and Hubby
C) Four of my favorite places to eat: Chipotle (YUM!), Olive Garden, Taco Bell, and home.
D) Four places I would rather be right now: Aruba, Michigan, in bed, and anywhere warm!
E) Four people I think will respond: Sara, Ashley, Jess?, and that's the only people I know who read this and blog!
F) Four TV shows I watch over and over: America's Next Top Model, Jon & Kate Plus 8, Sex & the City, and CSI

Bargain shopping

Okay, I'll be the first to admit-- I'm a bit of a clothes snob. My mother made me this way. We shop because we like it, not because we have to. We go to the trendy stores. We love name brands. We're brats like that.

However, once you get married and start living on your own... sometimes things have to change. So I've started shopping around a bit. Grab a cute Target shirt here, a pair of Payless Shoes there, a little Old Navy on top, and throw in a Gap or two just to round it out.

I've met my match. Feline's Basement! LOVE it. I normally hate bargain stores. They never have my size, I can't find the color I like, and most of all-- I actually have to look for things. The instant gratification part of me hates it, but the bargain shopper in me loves finding a good deal!

So far I've purchased a dress, pair of dress pants, two pairs of dress capris, a pair of shoes, and a top and I've been pleased with what I've gotten. The dress fit like a gem. The capris were a size smaller than I normally wear (woo hoo!) and the pants were half off and I didn't even know it! I'm not particularly impressed with their shoe section, but that's okay because DSW is in the same complex and I can use the exercise to walk the 100 yards to it.

Anyone else out there know of any places to find a good bargain?

And... for dinner tonight? Vegetable lasagna. DELISH. And the bonus? The recipe actually is doubled, so you instantly make an extra pan of it and freeze it. That means two dinners with the hassle of one. If you haven't gotten "Taste of Home" or "Simple and Delicious", you don't know what you're missing. The magazines are full of recipes that are quick and easy and we LOVE everything we've made from it. Plus, they are like $10 for a year. Go do it. Now.

Dun, dun, dun...

Tomorrow is the day teachers all across the state are dreading. Back to school day. There's little to be excited about. Summer has come to an end.

However, I'm not going to lie... I'm a little excited. I know Ashley is going to give me crap about this (and rightfully so!) but it'll be nice to get back into the swing of things and get back into a groove. All summer life has been relaxed and I've enjoyed it, don't get me wrong. But I haven't had a routine. I live for routines!

On the other hand... I won't have afternoons to myself, I won't be able to go out for lunch, and I'll have to start grad classes. So, I guess it's a bit of a double-edged sword.

Wish me luck on my first day at a new school!

Babies...

I swear everyone around me either has a baby or has a baby on the way. Weird that we're getting so old. Every time my phone rings or I get an email, I swear it includes the words "We're expecting!" Seriously, folks... I'm going to be P-O-O-R paying for all of those baby presents on top of all the wedding gifts we're buying. Oh well, at least they are baby presents for other babies and not our own!

On a side note, I'm starting to get a little anxious for school to start. For those of you who don't know, I will be working in a classroom that has all children with emotional impairments who were not successful in a regular school. I will definitely be good for a few stories this school year. You know, complete with f*bombs, hitting, kicking, screaming, biting, etc. While I'm totally looking forward to the challenge, I'm so nervous for another school year to start. I've been through this twice before. It's not that I'm not prepared (I've worked three days in my classroom this week!) but I just get so nervous for the first day of school. And, in the past.. being a special education teacher who just pulls kids, I haven't had to bring my A-game on the first day of school. We didn't pull kids the first week. So I had a week to put my feet in the water and get used to it. This year? Not so much.

But... I have a week of vacation with my hubby, the dogs, my parents, hubby's parents, and their two dogs, and my sister-in-law and her boyfriend. That's eight adults and four dogs. Camping. For a week. I'm going to be tired out after this.

Oh! I just remembered, to add to my anxiety-- I will be busy for the next four weekends. Unless hubby can find someone to take my place on the NY trip. Talk about stress!