Reading Level Censorship

Something I really struggle with in my job is the dual roles of teacher and librarian.  As a teacher, I want to guide students toward books they will be able to comprehend and that will help to gradually build their reading level.  As a librarian, I want them to feel free to check out and enjoy any book they'd like, regardless of the level.  It's very difficult to find a balance.

EGGS!

Guess what we found in Castle No Cock today?

Not The Right Time To Be Sleepy

I wasn't tired at bedtime.  I was wide awake an hour before my alarm went off.  But now, as the kids come through the door, I'm sooooo sleepy.

Vocal Chord Issues?

The specialist thinks AL is having vocal chord issues. Yet another specialist appointment and more tests to come. Are we getting closer to fixing this?

Are You Kidding Me?

AL's having an attack at the specialist's office.

Specialist

Nate's taking AL to an allergy/asthma specialist in Atlanta today.  Hopefully we'll have some answers soon.

Cold Hallways and Bathrooms

In an effort to save money, the hallways and bathrooms of the school are not heated.  While this makes complete sense, it is not very fun in practice.  I need to put on my coat and gloves just to walk down the hall.  Even worse are the bathrooms.  Who wants to pull down their pants in a room where the temperature is below 50*?

Amazing Carpet Cleaner

So there were still a few pink spots on my carpet from the NYE Koolaid Incident. After a bit of internet research, I decided to try this: soapy water (made with Dawn) applied liberally to the stain, place a towel over it, and then hold a hot iron on top until it stops steaming. No more pink stains!

Crocheting During Meetings

I brought my crocheting to our super boring meeting this morning.  Keeping my hands busy helps to keep me from making snarky comments to my neighbors.  Too bad I ran out of yarn half way through...

Restraint Training

This morning, I got to be a part of physical restraint training!  I learned how to free myself from a wrist hold, how to "guide" a student to a prostrate position on the floor, and even how to get out of a choke hold from behind.  If only all teacher work days could be this fun...

Red Cabbage

We made the most delicious fish tacos again tonight. In order to eat the fish (aka meat), AL had to eat the slaw (vegetable) that goes with it. Her other option was a cheese quesadilla. She chose to try the fish tacos, but is currently still sitting at the table trying to "choke down" the red cabbage slaw. Too bad she already picked asparagus as her "never have to eat it" food. I bet she's not going to be happy when she finds out I've been on the hunt for a good recipe to use up the other 3/4 of that head of red cabbage.

2012 Resolutions

1) Go for more walks (ideally a 2 mile walk, 3 times a week)
2) Drink more water (2 glasses at each meal)
3) Kick my sweets addiction (I do not need something sweet every day!)

Red Kool-Aid

The most exciting part of our New Year's Eve celebrations- having not one but TWO full glasses of red Kool-Aid spilled on the (white) carpet within 5 minutes. Besides feeling incredibly silly scrubbing the carpet while 8 friends watched, it all turned out ok thanks to the amazing powers of baking soda and vinegar.

In Retrospect

In the last year, we had NA leave to be adopted, my brother lived with us for the summer, and went to the ER 5 times with AL. Nate did a summer internship at a church and we paid off all our debt. We caught chickens, built a coop, and planted a garden. We went to Colorado, Florida, and North Carolina and a whole bunch of our friends had babies. Oh, and I kept my New Year's resolution of trying one new recipe a week.

AL's Hair- Take 2

Made an appointment for AL to get her hair done this morning. I'll drop her off, run errands, and pick her up when she's done. Here's hoping it goes much more smoothly this time!

Unpacking

As much as I love packing, I loathe unpacking.  Not only do I feel completely overwhelmed by the stuff to put away, but the reality of all the stuff I forgot about over vacation comes crashing down on me.  Good thing I have the weekend to get myself together before heading back to school on Monday.

Christmas in the ER

AL had another breathing attack.  Thankfully it only lasted 30 minutes (previously, they've lasted 5-8 hours) but because we were in a different hospital, we were there about 4 hours.  She's resting at home now- still no better idea of what's going on.  Best part of the evening- when they gave AL "something to help her relax" and it made her very, very silly for about 20 minutes (think David After the Dentist).

Christmas Eve

Really wonderful Christmas eve service followed by some amazing Christmas presents (new board games, books, a framed family picture so good it made my mom cry, a home brewing kit for Nate, and my sister crocheted beards for the whole family- just to name a few) and an overwhelming spread of food.  Tomorrow- pancakes, Christmas morning service, the Dr Who Christmas special, and probably a lot of board games.

Christmas Eve

Monkey bread for breakfast, Chinese for lunch, and our traditional smorgasbord for dinner.  Christmas eve is all about eating!

Everyone's Coming!

In addition to our super successful shopping trip yesterday, we had a really fun dinner with the family plus our good friends Dani and Ryan.  My only plays today include watching Elf, going on a walk with my dad, and waiting for the rest of the family to arrive (Brian should be here soon and Laura and Chris should be here late tonight!).

Davis' and Open Door

We arrived safely at my folks' house.  Enjoy dinner, a card game, and a movie last night.  Plan for today:  shopping with Mom and AL at Davis's and a couple hours volunteering at the Open Door (food pantry/soup kitchen where my mom works).

Stocking Day!

On the last morning in our own house before Christmas, we open our stockings. This morning, I'm also making from-scratch cinnamon rolls. Yay, Stocking Day!

Christmas Presents

I am seriously so excited about giving our Christmas presents this year! 4 more days until giving to my family, 6 days until Nate's family!

Neck Pillow

I have a neck pillow in the car that I love. The problem is, so does AL (NA did too, for that matter). I whipped this one up for AL by tracing mine so we'll be ready for our Christmas travels. Now I'm in a sewing mood!

Weird Like That

I like packing. So much so that I had to make myself not pack until tonight. And even still- we're not leaving until Wednesday.