God has a way of forcing us to slow down...forcing those around us to leave us alone...forcing us to breathe...this time it is my darling little girl getting a bad cold with a high fever that did it. Yesterday around 1130am, the nurse called my school and told me to come and get my very sick child. I was worried about her, but I actually felt a sense of relief because nothing else would have stopped this crazy pace I've been on. There is no such thing as a sick day or mental health day for teachers in my building...not when we have a principal who wins an annual award for "Perfect Attendance." Apparently she has never gotten sick; her children have never gotten sick; she has never needed to attend a funeral...yada yada yada.

So, I will proceed to tell you everything that has kept me from you, and then I will attempt to respond to what all of you have been going through.

On Monday the editor of the CEA Advisor (Connecticut Education Association), a professional periodical, came to photograph me interacting with my students. Then I was interviewed for an hour. I will be featured in their January issue in an article about funding for preschool! How cool is that?!

"Everything Christmas" has been launched. Teachers are going nuts with the door decorating contest...everyone is trying to one-up each other. The ornaments are almost all done. Everyone is practicing their songs for the pageant. The tree lights have been restrung to look better. The permission slips to see "The Polar Express" have been passed out. Santa hats are on hold since we haven't been able to find child sizes. Imagine that...adult sizes only!!! There is still much to do, but at least we are on our way. This is pretty fun except for the Scrooges and Grinches who can't quit complaining.

I was all ready for my observation which was supposed to take place today. Well who knows when it will occur now.

I have planned my Sunday School lesson for Sunday, but haven't done the involved prep work yet.

I need to read an extremely looooong document called a "Self Study" written by the school I will be assessing next week. The validation process has to be based on their "Self Study," so I practically have to memorize it. I hate boring paperwork like this. I would much rather be at school refereeing all of the bickering between those who are filled with the holiday spirit and those who want to ruin everyone's fun.

My Christmas letter has yet to be written.

My friend and her family are moving to England after Christmas. But, we won't have time for a proper "Goodbye" because the moving van is arriving on Monday and then they are off to be with extended family till they need to be at the airport. I am so sad that they are leaving. My friend and her husband are such nice, down-to-earth people. And their daughters are so sweet. Their oldest is a good friend of my DD's. The only thing that makes this bearable is that they deserve to have this utterly amazing experience, and I want them to enjoy every bit of it. In fact, I wish I was going along!

There is a lot of stuff at DD's school. The nutty Brownie leader, Little Mrs. Suzie Homemaker, continues to email me daily to try to add to the weight on my shoulders with miniscule crap. She can go take a flying leap.

My aide has been in school but constantly on the phone because of the latest family drama. Her boyfriend's grandmother died (you'd think her own mother died by her hysterical behavior) and she has been totally feeding into all of it. The funeral is tomorrow, so she gets a three-day weekend.

I know there is more, but you get the gist of it. I really needed today to catch my breath.

My eating? HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!!!!! At this point, my only goal is to maintain through the holidays.

I'll be back to post my responses to your posts.

Wow do I have a lot of catching up to do.

Mousie, the WOW CD sounds good. I like Amy Grant, in fact, her two Christmas CD's are outstanding. There is another CD called, "My Upmost For His Highest" which is excellent. I agree with Robyn's sentiment that you need to find a place where you will be happier. I know that you are there for the kids. But at some point you need to take care of yourself and do what is best for you. Those slogans gave me a great lol !

Kerry, you sound about as busy as me. Congratulations on the weight loss! You should be very proud because this has got to be the most difficult time of year to lose weight let alone not gain any. KEEP IT GOING!!!

Ginny, it appears that you have been almost as MIA as me these days. Just think, before we know it, we will get our much deserved break.

Robyn, your posts continue to be so entertaining. You are so cool. I'm glad you got some time at the salon. I'm in need of something, but I'm afraid to walk in there for fear that whatever they are going to do with my new darkish roots will cost me an arm and a leg. As if I actually had time to go anyway!!! Good thing I'm tall. I just can't let anybody see the top of my head!!!

I will be preparing for the next few days for my trip. Then on the 13th I will be leaving. So I am disappearing again. I will let you all know how it goes when I get back in the middle of the week. I am such a big baby. I have never driven alone in Hartford before, so I'm worried about that. I have never stayed in a hotel alone, so that is freaking me out. And the work I will be doing, I've never done before. Do you see the pattern? I have major fear of the unknown! Please say a prayer for me that I have safe travel and that I am able to handle this intimidating task they are giving me.

The next time I post, it will be all overwith.

Summer, I am so glad to hear from you.......we all are! I was starting to get a wee bit worried and was considering sending something snail mail to let you know that we wer thinking of you and missing you. So good to hear that you have this in perspective with slowing down from a most hectic pace...... Try not to stress out about all that you must do...the Christmas letter, I am assuming that that goes in cards that you mail? You can either be brief......really brief......or send the cards out with a promise that the letter will arrive separately in January when things do slow down a wee bit.
Just an idea.... As far as weight loss goes, maintaining is not a bad goal at all! My WW leader last year told us that there are 3 options open.....letting the chips fall where they may (and probably gaining!), making an effort not to gain (which allows some slip ups and as long as you are honest with yourself is fine!) or trying to stay OP and lose. She recommended either of the last 2, and actually said that for her, maintaining her present weight was the how she was going to cope. That way she was not set up for failure,if she knew that holiday eating was going to be difficult. As far as Susie Homemaker goes, I think I would find great joy in deleting her emails....possibly before reading too! Who needs a creep like that. Your school sounds like such fun, with all the decorating. Enjoy it!

Robyn- thanks for the encouraging words, I needed them so badly. Felt a few tears well up when I read your post...you understand, and that was all I needed. I have been unable to tell anyone much about these accidents...my mother is up to her eyeballs with worry about my sister, whose husband lost his job- again. (about the 10th time). So she knows nothing about either Dd's or Dh's accident. And Dh being a very proud person, wants noone at work or around here to know (my work that is,guess cause we drive for a living). So I bear this alone. Thanks again.

Mouse- love those slogans.....how did all that go? And how did you fare with your shopping? And happy Hannukah. You getting any swimming time in?

Kerry- hope your day goes well. You must be so pleased with the weight loss, and have every reason to be! Keep up the good work.

Well, I have sunk a bit low this am, and am on the rebound now. My kids (who were expecting a sub driver this am, as I was to take Ds to the Dr) were happy to see me- and actually cheered for me at school while we were waiting for dismissal. That made me feel good.....I needed that. Dh took Ds to the Dr, and will be back soon. He is a bit sore, and achy from the accident, of course will not go to the Dr. Guess it is a guy thing. And I will be without a car today and tomorrow. Dd's car will not be ready until Friday afternoon. I just have to figure out how I am getting to work tomorow am, when Dd goes in with me. The rest of the time, I can walk or will have a vehicle available. (fortunately the bus garage is a wee bit over a mile from home). So I have belly ached....and it is not really worth bellyachin' over. We are all ok and that is all that matters. Funny, how yesterday, before the accident I read from Psalms a verse about trusting the Lord thru all our trials, and looking to him first to get us thru them. Did He have to test me on that reading so soon??????
Ok, nuff from me. Dh should be home soon. Thanks for listening to my babblings.
Hope everyone's Thursday is going well.
Ginny

OK Summer, you snuck in on me!! I will absolutely pray for you. There is nothing to be afraid of. Hartford is somewhat hectic (we looked at U Hartford last year for Dd) but not overwhelming. Bring lots of books or something that you like to read for the motel.
take advantage of the quiet time......see if the hotel has a nice pool /gym and take advantage of that too! Most of them have treadmills at the very least. Treat yourself well for those days you are gone, and it will go quickly. We will miss you.
See ya later.
Ginny

Ok, I made it thru today....and every nice thing I said about my kids earlier, well, it was a tough trip home. Had one little girl who brought her turtles on the bus (real live ones).....and no animals (other than the human ones) are allowed on the bus. So, even though they were contained in a plastic tank in a handled shopping bag, I radioed in to ask if I could bring the turtles home. I could hear them laughing in the office at my request and had to put up with all kinds of jabs from other drivers when I got back in. The kids themselves were loud....rowdy...the flashers little brother was obnoxious. A pity that he cannot sit with another student- he is such a show off/clown/ham that unless he sits with someone who he cannot impress or upstage he is a hazard. So the best situation I can come up with is that he sits with my daughter, who reads while on the bus or does her homework. I'd love to find a student for him to sit with, but no matter what he is a wacko. And if I was not sure that a wee bit of my irritation this afternoon had to do with Dh's accident and all the details of handling that, I would have written him up.
So now I have vented.......thanks for allowing me that. Better go be a mommy to my poor Dd who has been rather neglected the past 2 days.
See ya tomorrow. (when I should be able to post in the am.....I am carless until 5 pm)
Nighty, nite!
Ginny

Hi, all. I finished the Key West miles yesterday, but somebody snuck in ahead of my on the 7th and did like 7 miles in one day (according to the chart). So I am 5th. Big deal. I knew going in I wouldn't be in the top 3, because my friend and the supervisor for Saturday swimming was in it, and we're in the same age category. I stayed at the gym longer than I should have, and had other running around to do so I didn't get home till 8.
It was nasty again today, raining and icky, but I'd promised my mom those ribs, so I braved the rush hour traffic and rain to drive to Columbia to get them for her. I came home intending to eat dinner, get the cat and go to her house, but I'm so tired... I decided to get up like my normal work time and hit the road then.
I'll be off-line from tomorrow morning, then, until I get back Sunday night. I was going to take the computer because my friend (the one who got the Build A Bear) gave me a wireless card for Hanukkah last year, so I have been looking forward to trying it out. But I still don't have a battery.
I'm worried about my Imp being with my mom's cat all weekend, but my mom insists that I bring him. Imp is going to have the den/basement to himself, since it has a door that closes... but that seems so unfair: to lock the poor thing in a room. But we'll see if that works. My mom doesn't want Imp here by himself in case anything happens, but reality is that if there were a fire or something in the building and we had to evacuate, Imp would run under the futon or on top of a bookcase at the first loud noise, and I'd never get him.
Summer: WOWOWOWOWOWOW! I don't know what else I can say. Good luck!!

We've had lots of kids sick. By a miracle, I've had none of it. I think its the nearly daily chlorine dip. There is some kind of highly contagious, quick moving GI thing going through the hospital that runs our program: so any staff that stay out sick for nausea/vomiting/diarrhea have to be cleared by the infection control people before returning, and have to stay home a minimum of 48 hours after it stops. And they've extended that to the school.
Anyway: ALL, enjoy the weekend. Get some rest.

Hi Robyn, Mouse, Ginny, and Summer,
The countdown is on for Christmas break. We only have 9 more days to go! Atleast for my school that is the case. But atleast the 20th is a fieldtrip and so is the 22nd. So I am happy about that.
I will be so happy when Saturday morning is over and done with. That is the day of my school's Breakfast with Santa. Since I am the chairperson for the committee that is putting it on, I have been under a lot of stress this past week. I called to order the food and the lady from our county office asked how I planned on paying for it. I said that I was told she would. So I had to go ask/beg my Title One coordinator to help me out of that bind. Then I went to Wal-mart last night to the film, candy canes and snow. I spent an hour looking for decorative photo cards for the kids pictures with Santa. Didn't find any so I don't know what we are going to do about sending the kids pictures home once we get them developed. I had to make sure that before I left school today, I got everything arranged for my committee members to set up the Santa room tomorrow afterschool, since I took the day off to go Christmas shopping with my dh. Saturday morning I have to be up and out the door by 6:30, so I can be at school and starting the food by 7. Thank God one of my friends offered to meet there to get stuff started. Then I have to stay at school until 11. Rush off to the high school to see my sdd's basketball. Then home for a little bit before we go off to another game for her at 4. Thank God that one is just down the street from our house. So it looks like I am going to have to use Sunday to regroup and pull myself together to make it through the next week. Hopefully the pace of next week will be a slower one. I have two Christmas parties next week. So that is a nice thing. Well enough about me babbling about my busy life.
Ginny, hope things are slowing down a little bit for you. Sorry to hear about your dh's accident. Look on the bright side you are an old pro at filling out the paperwork to get it fixed. Since your life has been hetic this week and you won't able to make it to your WW meeting, how about we do the mini-challenge again for next week? I loved your advice you gave Summer about your WW leader and also about delating the emails from Little Miss Susie Homemaker. Hope tomorrow is a better day for you!
Summer, you must be a bundle of nerves right now. Please don't let the fear of the unknown get to you. You will do just fine going to Hartford on your own. You should take some time and enjoy those few moments of Summer-time and relish them. Check out the hotel's gym and use the treadmill or take a swim. That is what I did when we went to see my family over Thanksgiving weekend. It helps you not feel so insecure and destress a little bit. I hope that your dd is feeling a little bit better. Glad that you were able to be there for her when she needed some TLC. Even though she is sick, atleast you had a day to relax and not be feeling so rushed by the holiday season. How is your SB going?
Mouse, hope your week is going better for you. Did you get your Key West miles in than? Here is a good story for you: You know that we are going on two fieldtrips the week of Christmas, right. Well I am only taking 6 of my 7 students. I have myself, my two TA's and a parent going as chaperones. Well one of my parents called me on Monday to ask if she could go along with us. I told her that I already had enough help. Well she got mad and hung up on me. I guess as soon as she hung up on me, she was calling the school back and talking with my principal. She said that her son gets sick when the lights go out and throws up. Mind you, when they have music class on the school stage and she shows them a movie and turns the lights out he is just fine. So my principal tells okay she can go. He never mentions anything to me about it. But I have two coworkers say something about it to me. I was upset because this lady can't come in for any meetings we have or request with her. The only time she comes in is for parties. I will have to be on my best behavior around her on the days of the fieldtrips. I though you would get a kick out that one! So how is your safety posters going?
Robyn, hope your week got better. I think I have had a few of those shortest, but longest days this week. I have worked on school stuff three nights this week at home until after 10. It was so nice to walk out the door tonight knowing that I had tomorrow off and just bring home my bookbag with the books I got from the bookmobile. I just hope that I can read them over the break. So what has your weather been like the last few days? We had some wicked winds on Tuesday. Knocked the power and phones out at school that afternoon.
Well I am better go and put my workout clothes on. I want to work out for a half hour. I think I am going to go read some of my trashy novel and ride my excerise bike for a few minutes and then tackle my dh's weight machine. Talk to you all later.
Have a wonderful Friday!
Take care,
Kerry

Good morning!!!!
Here I am stressed out sally....ok, I am pretty much ok. Walked home from work this am, and played a CD that I knew would make me cry- just had to let it out. So I do feel better.

Mouse- hope all goes well this weekend for you and Imp. I personally can't imagine RC moving around from home to home like that, but I did have one cat that I did that with and he was fine. Congrats on finishing the Key West miles!!!!! (5 th place sounds good to me~ you finished, and that is an accomplishment!) Glad you are staying healthy, the same sort of illnesses are floating around here in NY too. And take your own advice, try to get some rest this weekend...you have been stressed and up to your eyeballs too!!!!!!

Kerry- reading about your Saturday makes me out of breath! What a busy day. Sounds like fun too.....just so hectic. I hope that your afternoon games are enjoyable and that you can relax a wee bit while watching them. I enjoyed the story of the wacko mother who won't show up for conferences but insists on going on the field trip.
I have a good comrade for her......How about Summer's Suzy Homemaker......they would probably drive each other nuts! (I have a warped mind). Good for you with all the plans you have to work out today.....planning makes all the difference, taking the time out for you! You deserve it. Yup, I am up for a challenge for next week. Not sure which day I will get to WW next week. I decided to go ahead with getting my hair done (thanks Robyn!) and might scoot to WW right after I do that. I am rather close to the WW center then anyway.

Got my walk in this am....another on in an hour as I have to walk to work today. Its ok, I do love my walks, even if it is raining.
Gotta go, my time is cut a bit short today because I am hoofing it to and from work.
Dd's Christmas program is tonite......
Happy Friday Mouse, Summer, Kerry and Robyn!
Ginny

TGIF Greetings,
Well I got up this morning to beat it into the gym when they opened at 7. Put in a really good workout. Came home to get the banking stuff, ran to the bank and back home to get a shower and dressed for the day. Then it was off Christmas shopping. My dh drove me nuts today. He was very angry and moody for some reason. I wanted to clobber him several times in the stores. He rushed his mom and I through the stores and than would take his good old time at the sporting goods store. Mind you Christmas is only 14 days away and all we have for his kids is snow gloves, boots, 2 nerf footballs, a Wilson Pee Wee Football, and a soccer ball. We had to hurry home so that we could get the kids off the bus at 4. I wanted to go to Wal-mart and look at the Leap pad Cartridges and board games there but no we didn't have time. We got home at 2:30. Wal-mart is only 10-15 minutes from our house. It wouldn't have taken us that long to run in and look. But now we have to wait and go again next weekend when everyone will be out doing their last minute shopping. I can't handle alot of rude and stupid people when I am shopping. I wanted to get a couple gifts for other people besides the kids. But I was only able to get a fleece top for the one lady at school who I drew her name for the gift exchange. Now I just might sneak away on Sunday and go shopping by myself for a little while. I know that I really didn't waste a day off from work, but I just feel like I did. It must just be that it is that TOM and my emotions are screwed up right now. Well I better go, since my dh keeps coming over to the computer desk trying to read what I am typing. Talk to you all later when I have calmed down a little bit. Thanks for letting me vent.
By the way, Ginny thanks for the laugh about wacko mom meeting Susie Homemaker that would be a riot to watch.
Take care,
Kerry

Calm down Kerry.......and take solace in the fact that the same man lives in Southern Ohio and Orange County New York.....I think it is a first how one man can live in 2 states at exactly the same time and be a total crab in both places!!!!! (Lets lock them in a room with Susie Homemaker and the obesssive mom......who do you think would perish first???) Glad you got your work out in.......proud of you!!!!! I agree with you about the shopping, it is so much easier to do during the week. I wanted to do mine today and yesterday.....car stuff prevented that.
Hang in there.......gotta go!!!!!!! Smile!
Ginny

Thank you for the laugh. You are so very right about what you are saying. Would the room you are talking about be a rubber room or what? I am much calmer now. I think I was starting to get stressed out about the big Breakfast with Santa at school tomorrow morning. Tonight I went to McDonald's to get the boys their dinner and stopped at Subway to get my sdd and myself a sandwich. She kept saying that she wanted a BLT for dinner. So when we get there I asked her if she wanted her BLT on a deli bun or a sub bun. She said that she wanted the deli bun with turkey, lettuce and tomato on it. I asked her if she really knew what a BLT was and she swore up and down that it was the type of bread they use. I said no sweetie it is bacon lettuce and tomato. Well she just thought that was gross. So she got her deli turkey sandwich. Now I think that I am going to go put on my workout clothes and ride my bike for a little bit and read my trashy novel at the same time. Hope everyone is having a great start to the weekend.
Talk to you all later.
Kerry

Hi Kerry!
I know today is your busy day......Rubber room.......boxing ring.....whatever for our Dh's and the obsessive mom and Suzie! (too bad that Summer and Robyn are not here to add their comments ). Maybe Mouse also has a person to add to the ring.....
Anyway- glad you got your bike ride in. Wonderful way to get rid of the stress. Atilla here calmed down a bit, after a somewhat rocky start.
At least for now, things are quiet.
Better go......I hope to get a walk or something in. We are going to Inlaws today to celebrate FIL's bday later And that is a long story..........
See ya later....
Ginny

I made it through the day. The breakfast was nice and I was also able to do a little Christmas shopping at the craft show. The one lady there was selling Avon gift baskets for $5 or $6. They came with a shower gel, powder, lip balm and hand lotion or soap. So I didn't think that was a bad gift. So I bought four. One for my TOPS gift exchange, one to give along with the fleece sweatshirt to the lady at work, and one each to give to my wonderful aides in my room. I was able to come home and take a nap. But I woke up with a killer headache. It finally went away. Good thing since I had to go to my sdd's ball game. Which they got stomped on by the other team 40-1. The lost their morning game 33-3. So I think they still have a lot of practice time ahead of them. They seemed afaird of the ball, basically would throw the ball into the other team's hands, wouldn't pick a player and guard them. So they are going to have an interesting practice on Wednesday night.
Hope everyone else is having a great weekend. I think here in a little bit I am going to workout. I only got to ride the bike this morning for a half hour before I went to school. The road was awful lonely at 6:30 in the morning.
I will share a funny with you all before I go off line. My dh's one friend is the recreation board's director and he oversees the basketball games. After today's game he was picking on my dh about his ex-wife. Mind you the lady is very large person who seems to think she looks good in tight clothes. Then his friend made the comment that I looked totally different from my dh's first wife. My dh told him that I looked great and that here in a little bit I will looked even better when I reach my goal weight. It is kind of nice to be getting notice for the way my body is shaping up and curving out in all the right places. Instead of being looked at as a fat person. Mind you I am 31 and this guy is still a kid in my eyes, he is 23 or 24. So now I might know why I have noticed men checking me out more and staring. Silly me I thought I had a hole in my clothes,toliet paper sticking to my shoe or food sticking in my teeth.
Well I best be getting off here for now. Go get a workout in. Maybe that was why I felt crabby today and sounded like a b with my family.
Take care,
Kerry

Kerry- what a great boost to you with the comment Dh made!!!!! You have earned this...and have much, much to be proud of! Ok, and Dh gets the atta boy award for noticing how great his wife looks. Too bad about sdd's games- sounds as though they are in for some miserable practices. (been there done that with my Ds).
Other than that, it has been a bit quiet here for today....got my WW tape in so I feel pretty good for now.
Hope everyone is having a great weekend. See ya later!
Ginny

Evening Ladies,
Hope everyone had a wonderful day. I got up this morning and did 15 minutes on the gazelle and 15 minutes on the excerise bike. Then I got ready for and walked to church. Came home from church and spend the afternoon doing a couple loads of laundry, running to the store to get stuff for my lunches and dinners that I have to eat at school for the next 8 days. The countdown is on till Christmas break. Enjoyed a few small pieces with the kids and dh for dinner. Then went for a brisk two mile walk around town. Had to chuckle when I walked by the bank and saw that the temp. outside was 46 degrees. Then came home and done another 15 minutes on the gazelle. So I feel pretty good about my eating and excerise for the weekend. I am hoping to have a good loss on Tuesday night. I think since my dh's friend made that comment about me, that was just the boost I needed to keep pushing forward to reach my goal of being 200 or below by the end of the year.
Please say a prayer for the kids' stepdad. He is in the hospital with congestive heart failure and an enlarged heart. Their mom called this afternoon to say that she was going to the hospital with her new hubby because something was wrong with his chest. So we are keeping the kids over night and getting them ready to go to school tomorow. This man is a very large man and he has never watched his weight or felt that there was anything wrong with him. When I talked to the kids mom this evening, she said that he was being starved to death because he has only had some water and is on a liquid diet. I just hope this is a wake up call for both them weight wise and health wise. Well I best be getting ready to go to bed. It has been a very long weekend. Talk to you all later.
Take care and have a great week!
Kerry