Oh...darn.... were my Christmas present foods supposed to be healthy?! LOL
I've spent the day messing in my kitchen...yet again.... today I've made two different types of dipped pretzels (1 kind with toffee chunks!) and a big batch of some very tasty junk called "white trash" as it is made in a white trash bag... VERY unhealthy! So...
in the last two days, I've made nearly 5 pounds of peanut brittle, a batch of chocolate cookies, dipped pretzels and white trash. I've also made 3 more bracelets to add to my total AND I went shopping from 5pm until 2 am....

I'm exhausted.... and most definately SICK of the smell of chocolate! I haven't eaten too much... I can't get it to my lips as the smell is killing me right now! LOL I've got to get the stuff packaged to give and then I'm done!

Tomorrow I have to finish cleaning the living room once and for all until Christmas! I also have to wrap the gifts for my kiddos! (THAT will take a while...but not nearly as long as usual since I have nearly 10 kids less!) We also have BoyScouts tomorrow night. Yippeee... Tomorrow at school, my kiddos and I are making and baking Gingerbread men..thank gosh they don't contain chocolate! We will begin to package our gifts to our families. Other than that....a regular day at school.

I'm exhausted and the week hasn't started yet!

It is beginning to snow. Perhaps a 2 hour delay would be nice! EXCEPT...with this new district they expect teachers there on time.... no matter what the ice is like! Nice, compassionate, huh?! Save the kiddos...but teachers need to be there on time!

Enough babble from me for now.... laundry and all that junk in the kitchen need my attention.

Oh Ginny, the bigger beads in the bracelet are a marbled white and pinkish purple....they are some of my favorite beads! You bead as well? Big projects? What do you make?!

gotta run...........or iron..NOT! LOL
take care..
meee

Evening,
Just time to drop in and say hi. Had a very busy weekend. Have to go back to work tomorrow just to rest. LOL Yesterday was up and out the door at 7:15 to go workout. Home long enough to get a shower and change clothes. Went to sdd's basketball. Then went Christmas shopping with my dh from 11 am until 11 pm. We got all the shopping done for the kids. Now all we have to do is get something for my parents, grandma, mil and my sister's birthday. Got home at 1:30 am and hid the stuff. Today got up at 8 since my dh was suppose to help his friend get the gym ready for today's games. Only to find out that his friend was going to the gym around 10:30. I was so mad since I had to get up to get him up and moving. I went to church and then it was off to the ball game. Then went grocery shopping. YIPPPPPEEEE!!! Decided that I didn't do enough this weekend so I did laundry this evening and wrapped Christmas presents. So I think I have done enough stuff this weekend to last me an entire week. Didn't get a lot of excerise like I had wanted to do this weekend. Oh well tomorrow is a new day.
I will read everyone's post tomorrow and reply. Take care and enjoy your last few days of school with your kiddos. Off on a fieldtrip tomorrow if we have school. IT is very cold here. It snowed a little bit this morning. We are to get more tonight.
Well I am off to bed. Talk to you all later.
Kerry

Glad that you got a 2 hour delay. I had to go and stay outside in 7 degree weather doing bus duty from 7:50 until 8:20. I was frozen even through my layered clothing.
Then we went on a cold bus to the movies to see Polar Express. That is an awesome movie. My kids were really great. Then we got back to school at 1:30. We ate lunch and then watched another movie. So today was a good day!
How was everyone else's days? Well I better go and get ready to take my kiddos to their next activities. Then I will be off to Curves around 6 to workout. Check in with you all later.
Take care,
Kerry

Well hello all! I find myself having a little time because we had a snow day today. I did try to post on Wednesday when I returned from my trip, but I kept getting kicked off by AOL, and after 45 minutes of fighting with my computer, I gave up.

What I wanted to tell you all was what an amazing experience I had. I was treated like a VIP. I was greeted with a gift basket and a table filled with food and a poinsettia. I did my interviews and observations, and wrote up my report of commendations and recommendations. I recommended the preschool for accreditation. In the process, I met some interesting administrators and teachers from Maine and Mass. We shared delicious food and stories in the elegant Crowne Plaza Hotel. It was great for my career and for my confidence.

While I was gone, I got two new students. Since I do all my own registrations, I was pretty pissed. I never would have let a new child start this week. I would have waited till January. But, since I wasn't there to stop it from happening, I had to deal with the new kids who weren't signed up for the field trip or on the list for gifts from Santa. Not to mention the fact that they couldn't possibly learn the songs for the pageant between now and Wednesday. Now when they miss out on what every other kid will enjoy, how will they feel? They shouldn't have started till January!!!

Saturday night, we saw the Boston Pops at the Bridgeport Arena. We had a table for 10. It was beautiful and really kicked off Christmas for me.

My asthmatic bronchitis is still bothering me. I am so tired of coughing and wheezing. I may need to get on a stronger asthma medication.

I lost the "decorate a door" contest at school to someone who no doubt out-did me. She did a gingerbread house on her door with REAL CANDY. I am happy for her. The competition made everyone work really hard to decorate resulting in a very Christmasy school. Today we were supposed to go on a field trip to see "The Polar Express." It looks like we may be going tomorrow instead, but I have no way of notifying my PM class. Tomorrow morning is going to be a crazy, hectic mess. The holiday pageant is Wednesday which I still have a lot to prepare for. Thursday is our Christmas party and the day Santa will come with presents for each child.

Now I will go back and read your posts. I'll be back.

Ginny, thanks for the Christmas card! I'm sorry this is a blue time for you. Maybe you can make some happy Christmas memories to replace the painful one of your father's death. November used to be very difficult for me because of my mother's death. But, then my DD was born in November and made it the most joyful month of the year for me. Good luck with the new truck. I know how it feels for money to be tight...I'm living it too. And my DH seems to want to spend too. I'm trying really hard to focus on things that do not have anything to do with money.

Kerry, how funny that we had the same plans for today! Too bad that mine didn't happen. You sound very busy with everything. You also sound more organized for Christmas than me!

Robyn, A belated HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!! It sounds like you had a wonderful time. I spent the weekend and today baking as well. We made and decorated sugar cookies and chocolate chip. I had my DD's friend over today. Her mom drives DD to school, and I cover snow days. I had dreaded it because she is a high maintenance child, but she ended up keeping DD busy today. And, aside from decorating cookies with them and giving them lunch, they pretty much left me alone. I can't believe you don't get the two hour delay as well as the kids. Just wait till a teacher has a serious accident, then we will see what happens. Years ago, our music teacher was almost killed trying to get to work on time in icey conditions. He raised holy **** once he got out of the hospital.

Mousie, do you make No Pudge Brownies? Their recipe is with yogurt. I like to make them with Stoneyfield Farms chocolate yogurt and then mix in semi-sweet morsels. Congrats on being hired as a life guard!!!

In another week, I will be around all of the time, so I will try to be more in the loop!

I surely hope that January gives me more time.

G'evening all. It was COLD COLD COLD COLD today! It was negative something this morning: weatherbug was going insane telling me the windchill was 65538 or something because it couldn't handle the temperatures! The actual temp was 8 degrees. And WE WERE ON TIME! The southern counties and lots of their government offices and such were delayed, eastern shore schools were closed because of high wind warnings.
So, I had parked in the garage last night... smart... and was able to get the car started without any problems and wrapped up like a snowperson to go to work. Our parking lot was so icey: I had to use my walking stick to get in the building safely.
Then the automatic door the kids come in for some buses got stuck OPEN... I had to muscle it shut, to many cheers from staff doing hall duty and students.
I gave over the brownies... No, Summer, they aren't No Pudge, they're ordinary Betty Crocker, low-fat mix. I just modify accordingly.
I'm sure there was something else that I was going to say, but I just can't remember what it was... I think it has something to do with your trip, Summer... glad it went so well.

My hands are so cold I can barely type. This is evidently NOT Tahiti.

It certainly was good to hear from you Summer! Sounds like your time away was better than just OK! I would also be crazy over having not 1 but 2 new kiddos appear days away from the BIGGEST EVENT short of the last day of school.

So I've spent the day (minus 2 hours, of course!) baking gingerbread cookies with the kiddos....in a toaster oven. 2 at a time... oy! Anywhooo... so I've baked, dipped, wrapped, etc... now it is time for me to make sure that all gifts get where they are going tomorrow. 7th grade son pulls out (against his will) Civics and Biology ...both subjects have a test tomorrow. Review, review, review. Study, study, study. ARGH! Anyway...so as he is putting away that junk, he pulls out a math sheet that has a drawing of some very cute snowmen around it. He says, and I quote here...(.and PLEASE remember that his IEP is double digits thick!) "Mom, I know that you've got a lot to do, but if YOU would color this for me, I'll get extra credit." (Okey...now what do I do? He does NOT color...IEP.... he has not been offered any extra credit that HE can do....only this... he has an A in math....BUT banking extra credit is smart. SOOOO, I just finished my coloring homework...and I'm a bit ticked! 7th grade? coloring? anddddddddddd what about something that fits into the KIDs IEP for extra credit?! WHAT THE HECK Did he get out of my coloring other than the extra 10 points? Okey...it didn't KILL me...but that isn't my point at all!) Fair, Equal, and appropriate! WHEN?

Well....all that being said.... I've been studying for Civics and Biology and freakin coloring since dinner.........I've got to get back to getting all the junk in the right spots for delivery tomorrow.

The kids are getting a tad CRAZYYYYY! And I'm not too far behind!
I'm FREEZING in case you missed that announcement!

(((hugs))) to all my friends!
meee

Glad to have you back Summer! I hope that you are able to go on your field trip tomorrow. The movie is wonderful. Sounds like you were treated like a queen on your trip. That is great that you had such a wonderful time. Hope all goes well with your Chirstmas program. By the way, we are not that organized for Chirstmas. We still don't have our tree up and decorated yet. My dh wanted to put it up last night and I told him that I didn't have time to do that. I wanted to do it when the kids were here and have them help. Maybe we can do it tomorrow evening before their ball game. I just got their gifts wrapped last night since they were not here lurking around.
Mouse I am with you about going to work today. A couple of the districts around us were on two hour delays, but not us. So what did you end up doing with the brownies? Did you cut them into squares and put them in baggies or cut off the dryed out edges? Those brownies sound good that way. I might have to try it sometime.
Ginny how are you doing gal? Did you have school today? Hope you were able to find a few minutes to relax and gear up for the coming days this week with all the little hyper kiddos. Congrats on your weight loss. I don't think I mentioned that to you in my previous posts. I have my WI tomorrow evening. We had eaten out 4 times this weekend and I am hoping that it doesn't catch up with me.
Robyn, sorry to hear that you are so cold. One of the janitior's at school turned off the heater on Friday and so it was not turned back on until 6 this morning when the head janitor came into work. I was so glad to go home at the end of the day to warm up You are a brave lady making gingerbread cookies in a toaster oven. How long did it take to bake? My kids would not be able to stand to wait so long. How many cookies did you bake with your kiddos?
I got some very sad news this evening. My mom told me that our next door neighbor found out that she has lung cancer and she is coming home from FLA. to die. That it probably will not be very long. This hurts so bad because she had fought and won brain cancer, a brain tumor, breast cancer and some other form of cancer. Please keep her and her family in your thoughts and prayers.
Well I think I am going to go to bed. It was a fun day, but very long. Talk to you all tomorrow. Only two more days until vacation.
Take care,
Kerry

Good morning!!!!!
Summer- great to hear from you, and it sounds as though your trip was a success.
I won't be able to get personal this am...just up to my eyeballs with stuff to do and have to get ready to take the hyper kiddies in. Kerry, hope your WI was ok, you have been working out a lot so maybe it will all balance out. My WI is tonite.....and TOM just showed up so who knows!
We went to Ds's Christmas concert last nite, a pleasant evening. What we did not know until we got home was that Dd's bfriend had broken up with her- (we did suspect something) and there were probably several parents there who knew that already (her friends parents and former Bf's family). Stinks for her.......why do guys have such miserable timing????? So, Dh and I discussed the situation to death- I am here on 4 hours of sleep and a long day ahead. Oh, bother!
Guess I'd better go. Did get my WW video in this am......better that than stuffing my face.
See ya later!
Ginny

Kerry, I will keep your neighbor in prayer....how sad.

Evening...
Wow, Kerry, what timing for that kind of news. Not good.
Robyn: In a toaster? That sounds like what I used to do in the inner city! If it didn't fit in a microwave or couldn't be cooked on a single burner in a cast-iron skillet (that being the only skillet I'd let us use because it was too heavy to get knocked off the silly burner!), we didn't do it! Instead of cookies, we made rice pudding! Or we did no-bake cookies.
Summer: I'd be (wait, this does happen to me!) livid over new kids starting at that point, but it happens to me all the time. I've gotten new kids just show up in my classroom with no warning at all.
Ginny: Guys do suck a lot of the time.
As for me? I took a co-worker/friend home, got lost trying to find my way out of his neighborhood (he lives in a bad one in the city, and I made several wrong turns because of creepy creatures on the corner), so it took me more than an hour to get home, and because Ig ot lost I missed the gym. Oh well.
I was good at the bake sale: 1 of my own brownies, and then the Hanukkah Harry/Secret Santa party: some chips and spinach dip, and 2 small oatmeal cookies. Of course, now I don't want dinner! I hope I ate enough at the party to cover the meds. We'll see. A co-worker that works with the guy I had saw me as she was leaving and said that he LOVES the CD... I was worried because Amazon didn't include a gift receipt like they were supposed to, so I told him if he didn't like it or if it was one he already had to let me know and I'd try and get the gift receipt from Amazon so he could exchange it. I apologized to him and said that I didn't know much about that kind of music, so I hoped it was okay. And thanks to all of you who suggested, since it seems he really likes it.
I don't know what I got, though it turns out that I was right about who my person was... Ultimately, I didn't guess her though because she's friends with my TA and I asked my TA, but my TA managed to pull the wool over my eyes!
Tomorrow is an on-campus fun-day, and I'm in charge of quiet games, with my TA... which is right up my alley. I love playing Uno or dominos with the kids.
And the kids get pizza for lunch, and muffins/juice/doughnuts for breakfast. I wish they'd give them bagels and some fruit, but... the kids probably wouldn't eat it!
G'night, all... since I missed the gym, I think I'm going to treat myself to a nice long bath and finish one of my books.
I hope somebody gives me a gift certificate for books or music... my wish list at Amazon is growing again! I hope that doesn't sound greedy... I found a new musician that I like, she played the song on the Brooke Ellison movie and its really nice.

Mouse- yup guys do stink a lot of the time. I am glad that your gift worked out (the CD) and I do so hope that you got a gift card for Amazon,Barnes &Noble.....something like that. I am dangerous with books too! Sorry about missing the gym- this is going to be a tough week for all of us getting good eating in and workouts. Do the best you can!!!
As for me, I went to WW- and really blanked out with what I am wearing......the lady at the scale asked me (before I even got on!) if I had a t shirt under this heavy tunic sweater that I have on.....of course I do not.....so I weighed in at .8 heavier. When I got home, I jumped on our scale....sans the stupid sweater, and found that I had lost 1.5#. So, my true WI was crummy, but sort of a bogus reading.
Gotta go pick up Ds from practice, and then finish (PLEASE!) this darned shopping. I am so tired.........have a good nite
Ginny

Here I am, posting two days in a row...wooo hooo hooo!!!

The principal decided against us going to the movie today. Instead, we will go tomorrow. It worked out better that way for me except that we will only have one hour in between the movie and the pageant, and we have to fit in two lunch waves. Somehow, we have to clean the cafeteria, set up the benches, and put the red bows at the end of each row. Like an idiot, I decided at 1:30pm that the kids needed Santa hats for the pageant. Since my pockets are nearly empty, I started making them. I just finished, and I know they will be excited to have them tomorrow. It will be a whirlwind of a day.

The administration tried to stick me with another student today. For Pete's sake, can't these people wait until after the holidays?! I lied and told them that I was full. Technically I am, but I have a child leaving this week. I didn't tell them that I will have an opening within days. Why can't people start their children in August. What is it about the last week of December that makes them think it is time to start school?!


Robyn, it really is weird that the teacher can't find an extra credit project for your son relevant to his IEP. Oh, and I'm coooooold too!!! It got up to a whopping 9 degrees today. At least the winds died down. I can't believe we didn't have a delay. The roads were an icey mess.

Mousie, have fun playing games with the kids tomorrow. I'm glad the CD choice worked out. Which one did you end up going with?

Kerry, I'm really sorry about your neighbor. I will pray that God relieves her pain and gives her a feeling of peace.

Ginny, just think, when you go for your next weigh-in without the bulk, the scale will look really great! Sorry about your DD's broken heart. It looks like she will be needing some extra TLC.

Try to enjoy our last two days of school for 2004. Enjoy the sweets, the music, the spirit of the holidays in all of those excited little faces. Remember how fortunate we truly are, no matter how stressed out we are, there is always somebody who has it worse. Feel a hug my friends.

Evening Ladies,
Sounds like we are all doing great. That must be because we see the end is in sight. I plan on not doing a whole lot over my break. Reading, catching up on my sleep, working out and visiting with family and friends.
We had our gift exchange in my room today. The kids loved the gifts they got. My Down syndrome little feller was so cute. He opened his present of puzzles and I told him to tell my only girl in my room thank you. He blew her two kisses. It was so cute. He then had me put his puzzles in his bookbag, so he wouldn't forget to take them home. Seeing the smiles of joy on their faces was the best gift I could have gotten this Christmas season.
I went to TOPS long enough to wi tonight and lost another 1 1/4. So I am now a whopping 203 3/4 pounds. I am getting closer to being 200 pounds. I know I can do it. I hope to reach that goal by the end of this year. Then I think my next goal will to be 175 by my birthday in May.
Summer, sounds like you are going to be very busy tomorrow. I hope all goes well for you. You will love Polar Express. We are going to the movies again tomorrow and to Pondersa with the 5th grade classes. So it is going to be a fun and easy day. Glad to hear that you got your hats made. How many did you have to make? So are you working you TA to death this holiday season?
Mouse, sounds like you had a wonderful day at school today. Bummer about not making it to the gym. I know how that feels. I love that me time and then feel guilty and lost without it. Glad to hear that your co-worker loved his CD. So what book did you finish? I have finally slowed down some with work and home life that I have been able to pick up a book and get interested in reading again. I hope to atleast finish one or two books over break. Enjoy your quiet games tomorrow.
Robyn, did you finally warm up any? I hope you were able to make it out of the house this morning with everybody taking the right stuff back to school. Sounds like it was a little hetic around your house last night. Just think that should being calming down here in a day or so.
Ginny, sorry to hear about your WI at WW. Too bad you didn't have a t-shirt on under your sweater. You will do better next week. Remember to wear that t-shirt. LOL Hope this didn't bum you out too much. Your next wi will be a bigger and better loss.
Well I better go and get ready for bed. My kids arrive in the morning at 8:15 and at 8:30 we are on the bus headed to the movies.
Talk to you all later.
Have a great Wednesday!!
Kerry