DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can totally relate to the overwhelming week. What with the field trip, literacy night, doctors appointments (DD's asthma, my allergist), I didn't even have time to follow up on my sister who was injured last week.

Get a load of this. On Tuesday, while at the doctor for DD's asthma, DH got a call on his cell from my sister. She fell down the stairs, got hurt, but was okay. She called again while I was at the pharmacy. By the time I got DD comfortable and to bed, I tried calling back, but she was in bed. Wednesday was literacy night & I was at school from 8am to 7:30pm. I didn't call. Thursday was extremely hectic, and again I didn't call. Well by Friday, after the allergist, I remembered that my sister had fallen down the stairs, and I called. MY SISTER FRACTURED HER SKULL!!! She also got cut up (all infected now) and VERY BRUISED UP!!! Okay, I feel like sh*t. She is always there for me when it hits the fan, and I really feel like I totally let her down.

Well, DD made a card for her, I bought a plant for her, and we visited her today. She has two black eyes. She has to use crutches. She is all bandaged and bruised up. AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't know if DH's message wasn't accurate or if she was drugged on pain meds and had trouble communicating. I guess I will never know.

Hi Summer and Robyn:
Robyn just do it! You deserve a little something after all the stuff you have put up with this past school year. Put a little sunshine in your life.
Summer you will get there honey. I know how depressing it can be battling with the same 5 pounds. You are going to break through your little plateu and succeed.
Oh what a weekend this has been. Last night I came home from work to take the kiddies and the DH to McDonald's for dinner. I was good and got their new Fiesta Salad. Then for dessert I tried thier apple wedges. Then it was off to the ball field for the twins' game. They lost to a team that the first two games they played they were mercy ruled. So the boys were pretty upset about losing the game. We made them feel a little bit better by taking them to Dairy Queen. Then today I woke up early so I could go work out at Curves. I came home long enough to get a shower and it was out the door again. This time to Wal-mart to get the last minute items for my trip and to get my bike out of lay away. Came home packed my overnight bag and then took a nap. Then went to my mother-in-law's for dinner. Then it was off to two different sporting goods stores to look for batting gloves that would fit the boys. Then back over to my mother-in-laws to drop the kids off to spend the night with her. Thought cool I will be able to spend a few hours with my DH before I have to leave in the morning on my fieldtrip. The first 30 minutes together was nice. Then he started to throw a fit about I left clothes in the dryer and the washing machine. Oh my God what a major crisis we had. Mind you I did 4 loads of laundry last night and two loads today. But that wasn't good enough because I forget to get the last two loads completely finished. But when he does laundry, he can make it as far as getting them into the washer,washing them and then putting them in the dryer to dry. He never folds them. But I am not allowed to let the clothes sit for a day or two in the basket after they are washed. Live is just not so fair for us women at times. LOL So I got angry and hollered back at him and now I wouldn't speak to him. What a nice way to end my 31st birthday! Well I better get some sleep my ride is coming at 6:15 in the morning. Then we are going to be off on our fieldtrip at 7 when we meet all the students and other adults that are going. Have a great day tomorrow. Hopefully I will be in a better mood when I check back with you on Tuesday.
Kerry

Kerry... happy 31st. Sorry to hear that your husband was a butthead. It runs in the species! I hope that you have a wonderful field trip! (((good trip kharma hugs))) I hope that you return home with at least a few brain cells left!

Summer... I'm so sorry to hear that your sister was so seriously hurt. I'm also so sorry that your week was so crazy that you didn't get to talk/be with her sooner! I'm also hopeful, for your husbands sake!, that the message was given to you as it was given to him. I hope that she is recooperating and doing well! (((hugs))) for her and you as well....STOP beating yourself up over this! ...try! I'm sure that she understands...

gotta run!
the Mermaid

Hi Ladies,
I made it! The fieldtrip was fun. But by the last 6 hours of the trip I was looking forward to it being over soon. The kids were great for the most part. We just had a few who tested the limit one too many times. Boy did we do a lot of walking and more walking. We did so much walking that my legs hurt this morning when I got up to go to work. I came home after school today and took an hour nap. It felt great to get some sleep without wondering if the phone was going to ring and what the problem on the other end would be.
Summer how is your sister doing? I am so sorry to hear that her fall was that serious. I hope you got to spend sometime with her over the weekend. I will keep you both in my thoughts and prayers.
Robyn I hope this week is going better for you. School will be wounding down shortly and let's hope you can enjoy a much needed break.
Well I need to run to the store before my meeting.
Have a great evening.
Kerry

Hi Kerry. Don't you just hate field trips?! In my district, it is the only way most of the kids see anything different than city streets. So, we are kind of obligated to make sure they get some new experiences to add to their "backpacks." I'm glad you survived.

My sister is having a rough time of it. She is in a lot of pain. She needs to see the surgeon about one of her cuts which is too deep and very infected thanks to the hospital. Her neck is giving her a lot of pain, so it may not just be her skull which is fractured. More tests to come.

The big drama of the week is my DH. His diverticulitis has gotten much worse to the point of the doctors sending him to a surgeon because they fear his colon will burst. He is having colon surgery on June 9th. Please pray for him. A colostomy bag is a given for at least 2 weeks. We pray that it is temporary. This situation will change many things we have planned for June, but we will deal. My principal is being a total angel. She not only supported my need for a personal day the day of the surgery, she suggested that I take the rest of the week to be with him. My previous principal would never have done that for me.

Some of the work stress has lessened. There are the daily annoyances, but the major stressors are currently at bay. However, I'm having lots of diarrhea because of worrying about DH.

I began the week on program counting points, but I have been off and on since we got the bad news. I have not binged though.

Okay, I'm gonna go my friends. Thanks for caring!

Happy Birthday Kerry!!!

Hey ya'll! Checking in...after a very stressful day at school complete with me being the ONLY adult in sight as two 5th grade boys had a throw down...complete with bloody gapping eye wounds and one of the kids posturing and coming at me! GAWD I love my job! Oh before I forget....the lower eye lid was split and dripping blood everywhere...and SOMEHOW I was voted to take the place of the nurse who had gone home early without telling anyone or asking permission! I stopped the bleeding with wet cotton balls...the real supplies were locked up.

I've had it up to here...and it is Tuesday. My eating was great until 5 pm.

Kerry, tell me about the intensity of Curves. Also, what is the commitment?
Summer, Good gravy girl! When it rains it pours. Your sister and husband are in my prayers as are you! Hang in there! I'm sure that all of this will turn out okay!

Gotta run...it is nearly 1 a.m. and I've gotta get up at 5 ....geesh!
Robyn

Having trouble getting and staying on due to the weather...and the power is going off and on like crazy...so I'm not gonna say too much...yea..RIGHT,Robyn! :P Anywhooo...hope your Wednesday was better than mine. I was alone with my class from 8:45 until 4:10 with a 27 minute lunch thrown in for good measure! OH and it RAINED on and off MOST of the day. Complete with thunder....cause I have two girls who freak OUT with thunder....wouldn't want to miss that, ya know! When the secretary called down to get one who was going home early, I was so thrilled to hear another adult's voice that I was rather chatty with her on the intercom and begged her not to hang up! She thought I was kidding!

Anyway.
Tonight Thomas played baseball....a GREAT game...that was long, hard, played in pouring rain and lost by 1 point...but MANNNNNNN it was a wondeful game! My throat is sore from all the cheering and yelling!

Ya'll take care!
Hope you are both doing well!
(((hugs)))
Robyn....who hasn't done too badly with eating today! Yipeee!!!

Hi Robyn and Summer,
I hope today is going better for you. I had a lovely day on Wednesday. I had to send one student home by 9:30. Since he was throwing a fit and hit one student twice. I said that I didn't need that all day long. After he left, we started to pack up my classroom for the year. Then my aide had to leave at 12 and I was by myself from 12 until 1:15. Thank God I had no major mishaps. Then I had to stay afterschool till 6:30 for the afterschool program. I came home long enough to change clothes and go to the ball field. I got to watch Katilyn's game the last 10 minutes of it. So by the time I got home I couldn't even go workout at Curves since they closed at 8. So my DH and I took a walk around town. I was asleep by 10. So you know the school year is drawing to a close when I am in bed that early.
Sorry to hear about your DH Summer. When it rains it pours for you,girlfriend. Atleast you have a wonderful supportive boss who is willing to work with you. I will keep your family in my prayers.
Robyn I hope that you are having more adult contact today. Talk to you all later.
A group of ladies from the afterschool program are getting together and go out for dinner. Take care.
Kerry

WOW KERRY! Packing up for the year?! When do you get out of school? We don't get out until June 25th...and I am counting the weeks, not the days quite yet!

Thankyou to both of you for your encouragement and prayers for my family. I really appreciate it.

I don't know if either of you have schools in your district that have been directly affected (punished) by the "No Child Left Behind" law yet, but mine has just seen the first of it. My first school, Columbus School, didn't make the benchmark. Every single teacher (including tenured teachers) were laid off. Each of them has to reapply for their jobs. One of the teachers quit right on the spot. I think many will retire. I know these teachers, and most of them are wonderful. It is just that the neighborhood is beyond awful. It is an area known for crack houses, prostitution, homelessness, etc. The drug culture there is unbelievable. When I taught there, there was a crack house right across the street from my classroom (which was off the playground.) How can teachers be expected to teach children whose parents are either in jail, in the apartment getting high, out selling drugs, out killing each other, beating their children, not feeding their children...the list goes on and on. As teachers, we learned that before higher level needs could be worked on, the basics like food, shelter, and safety needed to be met. Teachers cannot fix these horrific social problems. God help us all.

I am soooooo grateful that I no longer work in that school. But I worry that some of those teachers could possibly "bump" those of us without tenure at other schools. I am so happy where I am. And, I have had my most successful so far in my young teaching career. I want to be given the chance to do even better next year. All I can do is put it in God's hands.

I have so much more to say, but I'm stressed and just plain pooped.

Take care my friends.

Hi Summer and Robyn,
My school year is over on May 28th. I have to come back on the 1st of June for Teacher Workday. Then I am done for the summer. Right now I don't have any big plans for the summer, other than relaxing and catching up on my reading.
Summer that is awful to hear about that school. You are so right about all the basic needs having to be met before you can teach your students. I spent my first 3 years teaching in an inner city school district. I was at the worst middle school in the city. I had several students who one or both of their parents were in prison, living with drugs in their homes even selling them. So I can relate with you whole heartly. Now I am in a county school system and love it. I just finished my 2nd year here. My first year out of college I was a fulltime sub for an educational service center. So I did my time in preschool, SBH and the altenative school. Now if I want to make it to 30 years I only have 24 more years to go. But the way, all the new laws that are going into effective, we will be buried alive in a mountain of paperwork before the end of next school year. LOL.
Nothing new and exciting here. My DH is having trouble with one of the other assistant coaches on his twins' ball team. I told him that this guy is a 25 year old kid who can not be the center of attention. I said let me talk to him and I bet I could set him straight, using my best teacher voice and stare. I just hope that this afternoon when we go to the ball game, this guy keeps his mouth shut. He is always yelling at the team and telling them what to do. My DH and the head coach are cousins and decided to take the boys to the DQ even if they lose the game to reward the boys for playing hard. This guy throw a fit right in front of the team and said that they were ruining the team by having an attitude like that. Talk about a big baby. This guy thinks he is a know it all and GOD's gift to women. Little does he know that he is not thought highly of in this town or by the female population. So wish me luck this afternoon to not cause a scence at the game.
I have been having a hard time drinking all my water lately. Plus I have been halfway watching what I eat. I wonder how much of it is that it is the end of the school year and I just have that I don't care attitude. I am going to have to shake myself out of this mood though.
Gotta run. Talk to you all later.
Kerry

Good Afternoon Ladies,
I hope everyone had a nice weekend. I got sunburned yesterday on the tops of my thighs at the ball game. I forgot to put on sunscreen and now have toasty thighs. LOL
The boys won their game. So we were all proud of them since it was the first win for them. The man who was being a big baby apologized to my DH and now things are back to normal for awhile.
I spent the afternoon picking up everyone's stuff that was thrown all over the house. Either put it away or pitched it for the trash man. Swept the floors and did some laundry. When my DH came home this afternoon, he even commented on how nice the house looked and thanked me. So I am still in shock. LOL.
I am hoping to work up the nerve later today to try out our new workout machine. It was my brother-in-law's and he sold it to us when he got a new one. So I am hoping that I will be able to use it.
Well I better go and make a list for the grocery store. Fun, fun. I think we might have to stop and eat dinner somewhere so I don't go in with an empty stomach and come home with an even emptier wallet. Have a great day tomorrow!
Take care,
Kerry

well.....here I am....with nothing to say...

*14 days of school left. That is 3 weeks. I *CAN* do this.

*My eating is better. My exercise is lugging junk around the classroom to pack up as well as lugging my kids portfolios and testing around..I don't think it counts. BUT...for now..that is all I have time for.

*There was a horrible accident here on Friday night...closed down the bridge that I use to get to school and most other civilized stuff...nothing in the press at all about it. Word is that it was a DEA agent chasing a suspect....crashed into more than one vehicle...it was prom night...I know for certain that it was at least 1 car load of prom kids...I was about the 7th car behind the accident....helicopters (2) airlifting people...3 other ambulances...trunk of the chased car spread "packets" of stuff all over the road ...road was closed for over 3 hours....and NOT A THING in any media...... We did not see it happen. We were there before the first emergency vehicle.... BUT there were volunteer EMT/FIRE on the scene.... the prom dressed kids got to me... I turned the car around and went home.

*Baseball yesterday was another heartbreak. The kids play so hard but always seem to 1 or 2 points behind. Yesterday a 9 year old hit the ball over the fence with the bases loaded...instant 4 runs. Oh he was on the other team...guess you figured that out!

*I can't get this house clean. Worked for hours yesterday and it was torn up again as soon as the kids returned home. ARGHH! I've got a mountain of laundry to do...and all they are going to do is WEAR them....and get them DIRTY again. There ought to be a law! Hehe!

*Hope your sunburn is better Kerry! Summer, hope your husband and sister are doing well!

I'm off to make more progress! School work is done! That is a good thing!

(((hugs)))
meeee

Hi Robyn and Summer,
Well I only have four days of school left. But I think they will be the four longest days of the school year. I have almost all of my room packed up since I am moving to another classroom next year. I have decided that I am going to get all my stuff done by May 28th. Come in for teacher workday on the 1st of June and try to enjoy myself that day with just little tasks. Then I am going to enjoy my summer. It has been so hot here that at times I don't feel like eating. Is that a bad thing?
Well I need to go. I will talk to you all later.
Take care today.
Kerry

Hi all. Kerry, Holy Cow! You will be out of school in 4 days!!! Good Lord Louise!!! Well, since our last day of school is June 25th, I have 22 days left. To me, it doesn't seem like a lot. I still have so much to do. We just began our month-long unit on the ocean, and we started graduation practice today. Tomorrow I am hosting a breakfast (with all the trimmings) for the parents. I need the parents to fill out a questionnaire for the state, and my supervisor suggested that we feed them so that they will be in a good mood when they fill them out! How obvious do you think the bribery will be?! Whatever. I just do as I'm told...especially in these days of NCLB, and people getting laid off for not meeting the benchmarks.

My sister is in bad shape. She may not be able to finish out the school year, and because she has a wonderful class (that hardly happens), she feels horrible about it.

My DH had some blips on his EKG, so he has to pass a stress test on Thursday before the surgeon will agree to do his surgery. Let me get this straight...the surgeon wants to operate so his colon won't burst, yet he hesitates because of an EKG which isn't perfect. I don't get that by the way. My DH exercises regularly and eats ten times healthier than I do. Maybe it is just his type A personality.

My dog appears to have injured himself. He is limping and yelping occasionally. So, I may be making a trip to the vet tomorrow.

I'd better not get sick. Who would take care of everyone else?!

I am gonna attempt a tag sale this weekend. My sister's Memorial Day picnic is obviously cancelled. And, I want to clear out the crap in my house before DH's surgery. We are also gonna try to get the pool up before the operation. Who knows how long his recovery will be? So, all the things that require his help need to get done before June 9th.

The diet was going great, but the weekend was too much fun, so I need to get back to work.

Take care all.