I'm procrastinating.
I procrastinated last night and went to a football game.
(Which was really like going to a school function as the children stalked by to "see Mrs. Reina"...yes, teachers do go outside of the school building!)
I'm procrastinating by writing this blog - because, "I need to keep writing!"
I SHOULD be doing lots of chores and yard work and school work - and inputting 33 giant names & numbers in a new typing program (which is going to take forever!) But I don't want to. I want to sit here with my blankey perfectly propped in such a way I can suck my tongue (yes, I'm nearly 30 years old - I have a blankey and I use it - you got a problem with that??) and my Radio from Hell filling the background. Well, actually I want to be curled up in my bed sleeping - but Art's gone to work, and I can't sleep without him. so...

It's been a long week in the Reina Household. We had Art's cousin and his girlfriend come to visit from Spain. They have been traveling the west coast seeing the sights and came through to spend a few days with us. Here's a few things I learned while they were here:

• I can understand Spanish - I am not so good at the speaking part.
• Spaniards like to stay up WAY past my bedtime.
• My husband is so very much like his family - such a bunch of goofs!

We had a great time seeing the valley and the canyons, eating good food, laughing, and laughing some more.










However, I still had to teach. That sucks. But somebody has to bring home the bacon! And man has it been a long week! and year! already! To give you an idea of my school week...imagine with me here... Picture that page in the back of the book "A Cat in the Hat" where he's standing on a ball balancing arms full of books and cakes and umbrellas and boats and fish...
Only we all know I'm not that coordinated....so take that clever balancing act and start wobbling and rolling it about the room, as I holler and shriek as I grapple to hang on. All while trying to keep the cake upright (can't let things come crashing to a big mess) and the fish in the bowl (certainly can't let anyone get sloshed about...No Child Left Behind) and the milk on the plate and rake in hand (don't ignore the home just because you have miles of schoolwork).... And that's how I feel every day - sloshing - teetering - balancing - juggling - surviving...
so yeah, School's Great!

Friends....

I have to teach RS tomorrow and it usually takes me a little time and a bit of reading and then I quickly have an idea to take me through. But, for some reason, this lesson has been hard to plan for. The topic, essentially, is Friends.
I've got friends! I have great, wonderful friends. Most of them are related to me, and few survive the days with me, and a couple just shower me with licks. I was lucky enough to meet my best friends the day I was born, and spend all 29 years of my life hanging out with them - from Barbies to Backpacks, Thrift Town to Kick the Can... my sisters, and my cousins, have all been there. I recently found a picture of Jamie, Heidi, Belinda and I dressed up in sweats with fabric tied all around our heads, arms, etc. While I don't know what we were doing with fabric, I do know the caption on the picture was right "Best Friends". I spent a lot of my childhood passing up play dates, missing birthday parties, and avoiding friend sleepovers because I always had my sisters and cousins to play with, celebrate, and sleep-over (especially with Jamie's ability to spontaneously cry). I think this hurt me a bit in Jr. High when we were all in our "too cool" stage (Jamie is very familiar with mine). I didn't know how to make friends well and only gathered a select few that I ever really connected with. And of those few, I'm still friends with most.
As an adult, I still choose family over 'friends' often because they double as both. And although we rarely play Barbies (yes, that's rarely - you can't just leave Barbies naked!!) my family will always be the core of my friend group. I am also lucky enough to be married to my best friend. I never realized that my husband really would be a BEST friend, but we giggle like school girls, and have inside jokes, we can spontaneously start laughing with a single hand gesture, we listen and talk for hours (the joys of no children...).
It's been interesting in the last few years as life has become more crowded with things to do and my time to hang out with my sisters and cousins has grown slim, I have learned to make 'other' friends. I have the funnest girls at school who get me giggling every day, and accept my inner nerdiness. I've come to appreciate having friends who understand my profession and don't mind ranting over kids, and talking about curriculum as we hike up the mountainside.
So, I guess that's my problem, I have great friends. All around me, and so how do I make that a lesson? "Friends are awesome, let me tell you how great mine are!" I don't think that will work. I'll think of something, going to have to. But just wanted to let you all know that I'm thinking of you, and I am grateful to have had all sorts of friends in my life.

ummm...

It's late. I'm never up this late. It's at least an hour past my bedtime. But, I'm waiting for Art, who is still working. He's been there since 6 AM - that's16 hours, and he has to go back at 6 AM tomorrow. A few of the guys are working all night, mine better not be one of those guys.
I miss him. I'm not so good at being alone, and while the dogs give excellent love, they do not provide excellent conversation. (Ok, I actual converse with the dogs alot, in my own voice, and my impression of what I think my dogs would sound like if they could speak. It's a little ... um... crazy person, but I spend a lot of time with my dogs! And you can't look at Rudy in the eye and not know that he's got something to say!...) Anyhow, I thought I would use these moments to blog about my pathetic loneliness and inability to stay up past nine... on second thought, maybe I should write about school.

For all those PTA Mom's out there...Thank You!! Sincerely, we appreciate your love, energy, and creativity...However - don't plan Spirit Week on the 3rd week of school. And don't include Crazy Hair Day, and Backwards Day ...when we haven't even taught the kids to walk nicely forwards. It's been a crazy week, to say the least.
I am slowly gaining control over this bunch of kids. They are the most interesting group I have ever taught - and I've taught some interesting kids. There seems to be an all encompassing lack of self motivation.
(PS - It has just become apparent that the football game is over and Alta has won, as there is a significant amount of screaming and honking outside my window.)

umm. apparently I can't form sentences very well this late, as I have sat here with my fingers on the keyboard, but I am not typing anything....hmmm, maybe I'll just go sit on the porch and talk to Rudy while we watch the teenagers drive by and wait for Art.

I'll try for sentences again tomorrow.

Week 2...

I promise I won't post on a weekly basis.
No one - NO ONE - needs to read the 5th grade antics of my classroom on a regular basis.
BUT
I did survive.
Barely.
These kids - Wow.
They make Lacy look quiet.

Surviving the first week...

Ok. I survived.
It's been the longest, hardest, first week of school - ever.
But, we made it.

I was going to have pictures of my cute classroom when it's all clean and nice - I ran out of time.

My brain seems to only be functioning in short sentences.
That may not connect.
Or be complete.
Kind of like 5th graders at the beginning of the year.
Who can't remember how to make a cursive Q - and their name starts with Q.

Who can't quite get the concept of "First and last name, and date, on your paper every time!"
I get 'TR'. Literally, 2 letters. I know whose paper it is - but seriously is it so hard to write the 5 letters in your last name, and the date?? You could have a name like Musa Abdirahman, then your problem would be needing a second paper to get it all in.

I forget how much training it takes to get a classroom running smoothly, and with an AM and PM class (oh the complications of a split - we can't even afford a .5 teacher!!!) things have been difficult.

But I managed to get 33 students to spell Abdirahman and Claire, Clara, and Claira with the appropriate accompanying last names. We successfully played with mealworms (which I may kill over the weekend, as I am just now remembering they need a fresh piece of apple - this is why I have no class pet - except for Mo (who is a child)). We danced the Lethargian dance, and my new boy actually said "can we do it again?!" (new kids don't understand the William Penn way means we DANCE)

I learned the name of 80 5th graders and 20 4th graders - except those 3 or 4 refugees who have the most complicated names that start with K, but the first sound is a "b" sound - ???? - and they won't speak, can't speak in English - still struggling on those names.

So, we made it. And I'm not complaining - it was a good week. I'm proud we survived, but it was long and exhausting. But I can't complain about that either, I just sent Art out the door for his 12th straight day of working - he's already worked 60 hours this week, and will end it with 78. But he just keeps getting up and going, grateful for work, now THAT is surviving.

10 Things I've Learned....

1. Don't complain about long boring summers, or they disappear.
2. OCD organization can suck your life into a pit of labels and writing tiny numbers.
   
3. 15 year old boys don't have appropriate labeling handwriting - but they're very good at sorting, whether they like it or not.
   
4. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies don't freeze solid, and therefore defrost very quickly - in case of emergency
5. It's difficult to tastefully pack your crayons, markers, and coloring to get you through a 5 hour faculty meeting
6. Don't put names on things until the last possible second, the lists never stop changing!
7. Sometimes To-Do lists become To-Do novels.
8. Post-it sticky tabs are very expensive.
9. Penny deals are worth it.
10. I've worked 50-60 hours in the last 2 weeks getting ready to go back. I get paid starting today - classrooms don't come together in 12 hours - seriously people!

Vacation...Finally

This week we returned from our fabulous vacation to Glacier National Park. We stayed in an amazing barn in Kalispell, complete with indoor trampoline, swinging ropes, ping-pong, foos ball, horses, fishing, deer sightings from the kitchen window, down comforters, and a slightly precarious bathroom door. It was gorgeous! We spent 3 days driving and hiking (at a 3 year old pace) our way through Glacier. It was fun to hike some trails and get out of the crowds, also nice to ride the shuttle and not have to park! We took a day to go to Two Medicine and had a good foot soak, picnic, and fishing. It was 360 degrees of beauty - so much so that I have 417 pictures...hmm, hard to get all those posted. I am working on a movie, that should make it easier.