yawn...and a meme

i'm a little tired.
last week wore me out.
apparently, the weekend was not long enough.
this week isn't too busy...yet.
it's only monday.
can't believe it's almost may.
and i also can't believe we've been married for almost a year.
how time flies...especially when you're having fun and loving life. :)
all is well.
that's all for now.
so i will leave you, my special (and few) readers, with a mindless meme. :)
happy week to you all.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Either/Or

james brown or marvin gaye? the marvin - of course. so many lovely memories of friends and groovin to 'let's get it on' at mel's. :)
chinese or indian takeout? indian - yum, yum yum!
fleece or knitted blanket? i love fleece - better coverage and it's oh so soft. :)
girls with makeup or without? depends - some people can go without - i like a little concealer for those 'problem' days. :/
costco or whole foods? costco - if only for the free family membership and their delicious lunch menu (i love the pizza, hot dogs and cheap sodas). also, my husband amusingly calls whole foods 'whole paycheck.
wildflowers or arrangements? wildflowers.
tradition or shakeups? tradition...i'm a traditional old lady at heart.
cello or trumpet? cello - i love the sound of strings.
watch-wearing or no? when i remember. i have a fun nike watch. but, i sometimes feel like my left side is too 'busy' with my wedding bands and the watch. weird...but true.
salt water or fresh (for swimming)? fresh - the taste of salt water makes me feel icky.
pants or shorts? pants - but my all-time favorite is capris (or 'sh-pants' (as in short pants) as my dad calls them. shorts are only for hot days when pants simply will not do.
chatspeak or absolutely NOT? not sure what 'chatspeak' is - does it mean 'lol' and things like that? i think i'm too old - i'm not a twelve anymore.
digital camera or old-school? digital - i love to be able to take as many pictures as i want and save/delete as i choose. and it helps me make sure my eyes are open - i am a notorious picture blinker. :(
wireless or plugged in? we have two laptops and i am so anal about not letting the battery die that i am 'plugged in' all the time. matt is trying to break me of the habit because it's bad for the laptop battery. i'm taking baby steps.
waltz or tango? tango - more fun? i have zero dance training =- but i think the tango could allow some room for creativity? i'll have to ask my mom which is more fun, seeing as she is an avid (and closeted) dancing with the stars fan.
brian williams or anderson cooper? anderson cooper - i remember when he was on the reality show 'the mole' a few years ago. i liked it, so i like him. :)
time or newsweek? um...entertainment weekly? :)
waterbed or mattress? mattress - particularly, our 'homemade' memory foam bed. my husband, the nerdy engineer, did a bunch of research and recreated a fancy pants memory foam bed.
cream and sugar or not? i like whatever is in girly starbucks mochas. so, yes - bring on the cream and sugar and whatever else they put in. :)
iTunes or something else? no iPod (and i the only one left without one?) so i get my music fix with the radio and my outdated cd collection.
scented candles or unscented? mildly scented - nothing too overwhelming or it can give me a headache.
prairie or mountain? mountains - especially on a sunny, summer day. :)
socks or barefoot? socks in winter, flip-flops in summer (so quasi barefoot) and barefoot inside only.
matt damon or ben affleck? i'll say matt damon - he's alright to look at and i like most of his movies.
wool or cotton? cotton - nice, comfy and easily cleaned in the washing machine.
willow tree or pine? pine - i love the smell of pine trees. :)
gerald ford or jimmy carter? jimmy carter - i admire his humanitarian and overseas work.
france or italy? italy - such a lovely (and delicious) place
electric or gas stove? i like gas...except for when i lived in a drafty old house and the pilot light went out every other day.
thrift store or outlet? outlet - thrift stores are fun and i've had some luck...but it gets a little frustrating when you can't find the right size.
japanese garden or english garden? english - i love all things english.
sophia loren or liz taylor? liz taylor - she (and the other stars of that hollywood era) fascinates me.

almost there...for this week ;)

phew.
it's thursday.
afternoon.
my kiddos have been gone for a few hours.
and i'm 'done' for the week.
sure, i have to teach tomorrow.
but all of the other stuff - not related to educating 7 year olds - is done.
miraculously, i found 80 hours worth of evidence. so $500 is coming my way someday. :)
i finished my btsa (beginning teacher program in ca) action plan...only to find out last night that it is due in late-may. part of me fumed because i was stressing and working late to finish it. but, on the upside, at least i'm done. one less thing to worry about.
since this is only my first year, i did not anticipate how busy the spring would be. i kept thinking, "i have (6,5,4,3, etc) months left to squeeze in (social studies, science, review, p.e., etc) - i'll do it later." and here it is, mid-april, with only two months left, and my science and social studies curriculum have collected a good layer of dust. and p.e. - does recess count? oh yeah...and some of them still aren't the greatest readers, writers or mathematicians.
i'm working to realize that i cannot realistically expect every student that passes through my door to be proficient in absolutely everything. i can hope, but each kiddo is unique and at works at their own level/pace - all i can do is support them along the way. the perfectionist in me is raging...but i'm gently telling her to shut up. all i can do is keep trying and hope that they can master the basics and be successful second graders. time will tell...and i just hope it's not blatantly obvious which future second graders were in my class. :/
keep my kiddos in your thoughts/prayers these next two weeks. we have a two big tests coming up - one writing and one everything-language-arts - and they are already feeling the stress. i'm trying to be as stress-free - but they must be feeding off of it because some of these little kiddos have serious test anxiety. how sad that 7-year-olds have test anxiety - but sadly, it'll be there reality until graduation. (my thoughts on standardized testing and the weight/importance it's given in terms of a teacher's competence/ability is a topic for another blog.)

~~~~~~~~~

besides school - life is lovely.
the husband is sweet, supportive and reminds me to tell the perfectionist to shut up. :) our life is simple (dinner, netflix, snuggles, walks) - but it's going really great. we're nearing our one-year anniversary, which is crazy to think about because it's been a quick year. we're trying to figure out what to do. being that we are both so frugal (and every penny goes into the 'future house' account), we're having trouble justifying what to do. any suggestions of fun, but inexpensive ways, to mark this milestone? let me know. :)

hope you all have lovely fridays and weekends.

drowning in report cards

just wanted to come up for air and take a break from the all-consuming world of report cards.

egad...it feels like there is so much to do.

i had a lovely spring break (in idaho...blog with pics to come soon) and came back to school yesterday and had two days to get my act together and fill out report cards (eld and academic) for my kiddos.

the reports themselves are not too bad.

just a check here.

and a number (between 1 and 4) there.

but then comes the comment space -- where in a few short lines i get to explain how their kiddo is struggling to read/add/subtract/write/function in first grade. i wish i could do this all in person, but getting parents to come in and talk to me is like pulling teeth. and even when they are here, unless i have a translator, it's pretty useless. lots of gesturing and spanglish spoken by me and confused looks by parents.

so...hopefully my online-translated messages make some sense and parents will know where i'm coming from.

but the workload doesn't stop there.

in addition is a beginning teacher class tomorrow afternoon (complete with busy work...i mean, 'action plan') and a folder full of proof that i have dedicated 80-hours of my life to developing as a teacher. i wish that working in my room 'til all hours of the night counts...but there's no documentation. i'm scrounging around for any proof. maybe blogs about teaching can count...i'll have to ask. either way, i hope it comes together by friday so i can get the credit (and the $500 stipend). :)

alright...enough complaining from this teacher. :) it's time to get back to work.

hope you are all having restful and lovely weeks. i think mine will be magnificent come friday at about 2:20. i think i'll make it until then.

spc ~ body parts ~ feet :)

feet.
to be honest, they kind of gross me out. :/ but, at the same time, i have to say 'wow'.
these two heels, two arches and ten toes have carried me through so many places and phases.
together, we've enjoyed tall grass, squishy mud, plush carpet, european sidewalks, a specific church aisle and so much more. (by the by...they're not so fond of dusty garage floors (weird, huh?))
there were the days when the world felt heavy and my body was weary...but they helped me keep on keepin' on. and there were the days when i had an extra spring in my step...and they carried me long.
too often, i beat them up with uncomfortable (but adorable) shoes - sometimes sacrifices need to be made. :) so, in honor of my faithful travelling companions...i think i'm inspired to give my tootsies a little love. maybe some color...and some comfy shoes tomorrow. :)
happy tuesday, friends.