Please, Please, Please stop talking

You may think by that title that I am about to blog about my students, nope! Though they are getting a bit chatty this week! No this has to do with another part of my small world.

So on Wednesdays I get up super duper early (4:40 to be exact) and drag my weary self to the gym. Chris is kind enough to get kids up, dressed, fed (btw, he made blueberry pancakes this Wednesday, is he trying to make my life harder? because what did Jess ask for this morning on my watch, yep blueberry pancakes, not gonna happen) and out the door for school. I work out and get ready at the gym. Now for those that don't know me, I am not exactly what you would call a "morning person" but I am also not really a "night owl" either, I have decided I am a 10 to 2 person, that's when I am at my best.

When I was in high school my dad would drive me to school and he is a morning person. He would talk and ask me questions that I would grunt to in reply or roll my eyes silently(sorry dad, you deserved better) til finally I think I just said, "can we just not talk?" How rude of me.

Ok back to the gym, so part of the reason I like to go to the gym in the morning is that it is pretty peaceful and quiet, no one talks to me and I can work out while still half asleep and then get dressed and head to work. Well, there has been a major disruption to my peace. There are two chicas that just started coming to the gym on Wednesdays and are back in the locker room getting ready at the same time I am and people they will NOT STOP TALKING!! It was annoying last week, and they were back again yesterday. Ugh! I was finished with my shower when I heard them come in yakkity yakking. I could tell that they were headed to the showers so I started to plan out a little strategy, I thought, ok I will put on my make up while they are showering and then I can blow dry my hair when they are out so then I won't hear them talking. They were talking while they were in the showers, I could hear them all the way out by the lockers, ridiculous. Of course it continued without ceasing, I don't think they even take a breathe! The blow dryer just made them louder. I felt like I was in a sorority house. What makes this worse is that I can tell from their conversations that these two girls are, you guessed it teachers! Just what I want to listen to in my small time away from work!!!

My only hope is that it's January and they will forget their new year resolution to "work out" by February!

AHHHHHH Saturdays!!

I love Saturdays! I repeat I love Saturdays!! I love to sleep late, drink a cup of coffee slowly, read the paper (online), stay in my jammies, and get dressed in time to get the kids to the game of whatever sport they are playing. Jessica has a basketball game today. I try not to give in to the pressures of all the stuff I SHOULD be doing, like grading papers, writing lesson plans, catching up on the house work. That can wait til some other hectic day, right!!

Aw Man!!!!

Before Christmas I went to the doctor for my annual exam. You girls know how fun that is!! Anyway, as part of it they drew some blood to check my cholesterol. I called yesterday to get the results and dang it, my cholesterol is high!! How can that be?? I am not THAT old, I am not overweight, I don't eat fast food much, I like to run and try to make it to the gym some. I don't exactly have a sedentary desk job. What's the deal!!!

Hmmm could it be that I don't excercise with enough "regularity" or could it be that the food I do consume, though not "fast food" is still not exactly what we would call healthy. My diet would gross out even the modestly health conscious person. I could live on toast and cereal, maybe it's the butter I put on my toast! I know what it is: eggs, I love eggs for breakfast!

So yesterday I had to go to the grocery store to restock the pantry and fridge. Well if it wasn't the healthiest grocery trip to Walmart I have ever had!! Now that is no easy task, the people at Walmart looked at me really funny when I was stopped in the aisle actually reading a label!!! Gasp!

health+walmart=not exactly

But I managed to find some stuff to at least try to start eating healthier. I did all right yesterday til we went out for pizza for dinner! My pizza eating ability is known from here to Atlanta (I can hear the hearty laugh of our friend Gary in Atlanta right now if he were to read this!)

Ok so I am gonna try, I already had some sort of cereal called "Uncle Sam" for breakfast. It's supposedly full of fiber, flaxseed, oats etc. I think they just scrape the side of a tree into the box. The banana helped it down some. I kept thinking "how long til this tastes good to me?" I missed my Lucky Charms!

Well, you know I don't like to lose so I am thinking of it as a competition, how many points can I drop!!

Happy New Year! Happy New eating for me! I guess I gotta find a race to run in the spring, something to make me get up in the mornings and run!!

Merry Christmas!

I hope you are all enjoying a restful holiday season! I know I am! I finished work on Friday saying goodbye to 22 sweet children, praying they would have a safe and blessed Christmas. I look forward to seeing them in the new year! Now I am having a great time just being with my 2 favorite kids in the world, sleeping in, hanging out and playing. It's funny how quickly I can fall right back into lazy summer type habits! It's a gift.

We celebrated Christmas with my side of the family on Sunday night. It was a crazy blast. Lots of food and gifts wrapped in a blanket of noise and laughter, tied together with a ribbon of love. I had a "moment" as my children were giving their hugs goodbye to their grandparents and great grandmother. I was just standing at the door holding back silly tears, thinking how incredibly blessed my children are to have these people in their lives. They don't understand it now, but I hope one day they do.

I think they will.

Now my sweet man is off for a few days and we have some more celebrating to do, enjoying the season together, reflecting on the most incredible truth I have ever heard.

And the angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Merry Christmas

The Christmas Crazies

Yep, it arrived this week. You can feel it in the air, and hear it in the air. It's a different kind of advent and no I am NOT celebrating it.

It's the Christmas Crazies!!

The whole school has it and my class caught it this week.

There is only one cure: Christmas break! Oh please let it come quickly!

A WHOLE week off!!

Today starts our Thanksgiving break! We are pretty happy to all be off for a whole week. (Ok Chris has to work, but somebody has to!) I am thankful for so many things! Just about a week ago I was home and the kids were playing and Chris was home and I just looked around and thought what a blessed life I live!

Here is my top 10 list of things I am thankful for:

1. For a God that loves me unconditionally and offers me much needed grace everyday

2. A husband that loves me and spoils me and adores his children

3. A son that makes me laugh and loves his mama!

4. A daughter that has a heart of gold, and shows it to everyone she meets

5. A job working with 22 kids that I look forward to hanging with (on most days)

6. A church that has a humble pastor and a desire to serve others

7. A really cool mom and dad. My mom spent last weekend herding cattle! Who would have ever thought?!!

8. A sister that is my best friend.

9. A few close friends that actually seem to like to hang out with me, or they just fake it really well.

10. A week off to eat and eat and eat, and sleep and sleep and sleep!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

A President I can REALLY get behind!!!

I know the election for our country took place on Tuesday, but another election took place today in our little town of Sachse, in our little neighborhood, in our little school, in a little classroom on the 3rd grade hall and I think our big boy (and girl) politicians could learn a thing from the new class president of room 304. This president is as kind hearted as they come, but has a real gift for keeping everyone organized and in line. She is as honest as the day is long and has nothing to hide, she even tells on herself sometimes. She ran a positive campaign, with no smearing of the other candidates,

on a side note

that would have been kinda funny to have smear campaign on a 3rd grade level:

"have you seen Mary play dodgeball, is that what you want for president?"

or "Mary can't deliver the goods, see I brought extra dessert in my lunch for everyone."

or "Let's pull out report cards and see whose got the experience for the job"

Sorry that's my dark side coming through.

Anyway, I think room 304 has it down. They took a vote and everyone came out with smiles as they ran off to the swing set to play.