Evening Ladies,
Well I survived today. Hubby was very loving and nice to me all day long. Last night I didn't talk to him for bout an hour and that drove him nuts. Then he was all lovely dovely and wouldn't leave me alone, hugging and kissing all over my face. I felt like I was being licked by a dog at times. Finally I told him fine I know you are sorry and I accept your apology now leave me the h*ll alone. The visit with my parents and sister went well. They left to go to the hotel for the evening. So I am playing on the computer for a change. The kiddies had it all day long. I went to Curves this morning and got remeasured and weighed. I stayed the same weight, but I lost 1/4 inch in my bust and 1 1/4 inches in my waist. Plus my body fat went down .40% in seven days. So I was happy. Plus the girl changed my weigh in day to the 5th of each month, so I would not have to get weighed and measured during that time of the month. Summer I hope your eye appointment went well. I am thinking about you. Ginny I hope your sonogram goes well on Monday. So what kind of books do you like to read? I love romance, fiction and John Grisham novels. I am reading his new one right now. It was a great book. Well I better go and check my email. Talk to you all later. Have a great Sunday!
Kerry

Hey all....sorry that I've been MIA......things at school are horrid... and things here at home are horrid as well..... my dh blew up and began ranting and raving over EVERY thing he could think of....He actually packed his suitcase, told the children goodbye....and then ended up not leaving......I've cried my eyes out since yesterday morning.....Most of this is over the house and the housework that has been ignored by me while I've been doing my report cards and taking the kids to their functions and stuff...I'm sorry to air my laundry and leave....I just don't want him to see me on the computer if I can help it.... If I disappear....know that I will survive and will miss you horribly (He has already told me that he will take the computer when he goes.)

He has NO idea of the bullshit that I put up with day in and day out at work. He doesn't have an ounce of compassion for how exhausted / stressed I am. Things are only going to get worse at school...they are extending our days after spring break to make up for the hurricane.... so I've got to fight to maintain .......
spring break is coming...so I will be able to spend the days fixing the house issues...I hope. what fun. I can't believe I"m posting this...but...I need you guys to know what is up ...so....I'll check in when and if I can.....

Robyn, please check your email. I sent it to the new address you gave me. Nevermind, it was just returned to me unknown address. Okay, I will PM you.

Ginny, how's it hangin' girl?

Kerry, glad things are better on the homefront. Don't you love how guys act like total jerks then when we call them on it, they backtrack and overdo being nice. Why can't they just be nice all the time and leave out the drama? I bend over backwards to keep peace in my home.

Well, my eyes are just fine. Apparently if my retina didn't detach during the last 5 weeks, the likelihood of it happening now is pretty small. I still have to watch out for symptoms since it could happen, but the doctor thinks I am out of the woods. My vision hasn't changed, so except for tightening up my frames, I didn't need to make any changes to my glasses and just paid my copay. I was sure that I would need new glasses and contacts.

We bought a thermopedic bed a few weeks ago, and while shopping for a new headboard, came upon a beautiful country style dining room set for only $750! The same set in Pottery Barn is over $2000! So, we may be getting it today. My DH saw a beautiful patio dining set in Crate & Barrel that I have been wanting but figured we couldn't afford. He says we can, so who knows? We may be getting that too. (One of these days I will stop spending money.) We just love to decorate and put a lot of time into remodelling our house. The next project is to wallpaper the dining room.

My friend had us over for dinner and margaritas last night. My plans to go to church today, on Palm Sunday, went down the toilet between being hung over and losing an hour because of the time change. Oh well.

I guess I'd better get myself together.

Robyn, don't forget to check your PM.

Summer

Robyn I know what you are going through girlfriend. My DH doesn't comprehend what being a teacher involves. So I will say my prayers that you make it through this difficult time at home too. My DH has been laid off for 2 years and has the opportunity to go back to work. I am encouraging him to do it and then he wouldn't have all this extra time to dream up **** for us to fight about. Especially housework and doing my fair share of the chores around the house. So I feel your pain gal. Hang in there.
Summer I am glad to hear that your appointment went well. I was worried about it yesterday. Did you have a nice time at your friends house for dinner?
Ginny I hope your dr. appointment goes well tomorrow. I will be thinking about you.
Well I need to go and get ready for bed. I can't believe my weekend is over already. Talk to you later.
Have a great week.
Kerry

With all the crap going on here....I nearly forgot...I have an interview this morning ...in the county where I live BUT for 3rd grade. I'm afraid of 3rd grade....

thanks for the support.... I feel like a walking soap opera...

Good morning!
I can't believe that here it is my week off and I will get little done. Oh well......

Robyn- hang in there, your Dh sounds a bit like mine. Give him 15 minutes of doing what you do........and then lots of wine (and he will whine!)\

Summer- sometime we need to take a day off. Glad the eye dr appt went well. Hope your day is a good one.

Kerry-I can't imagine what you must face with Dh off work for that long. They do pick on us when they are bored......hang in there.

Hugs to all of you (sounds like everyone needs one!)
Off to do my WW tape and then my abbreiated run. See ya later.
Ginny

Well, I was a good girl this morning. In spite of daylight savings time, I was up early to ride the bike for 30 minutes I ate well most of the day except for picking at last night's leftovers when I got home from school. I am sooooo ravenous when I get home. I haven't worked out a good way to handle it yet that actually works.

I had a great time at my friend's Saturday night. I had a bunch of margaritas, and we laughed a lot. Now, I just need to make a few more friends like them. I have eliminated some toxic relationships from my life over the past couple of years without replacing them. I have one other really good friend, but she is impossibly busy...they just built a house with a gigantic mortgage, so she works 3 jobs. Anyway, I am in the process of making new friendships. I plan on having a very busy (socially) and fun summer.

At school, we are scheduled for a "learning walk" on Thursday. Three administrators are on the team. Well, I've been chosen to be on the school learning walk team to check out everyone else's classrooms to make sure that they are ready. I am honored to be chosen, but here again, I'm concerned about the reaction of the veteran teachers. I will just have to be myself and try hard not to seem like a "know it all" so that I don't piss people off.

My DD is having trouble with her gym teacher. DD who is very athletic, hates gym and the teacher. DD comes home sore every day she has gym. She cries on those days, and doesn't want to go to school when she has gym. Tomorrow, DH is going to schedule a meeting to find out what is going on. I hate to make waves, because this woman will be DD's gym teacher for the next 6 years, but I cannot ignore my child's tears.

Robyn, I hope the interview went well, and that you are doing okay.
Ginny, let us know how things go at the dr.
Kerry, thanks for worrying about me.

You all take care, and be well!

Summer

Well Ladies I made it through the school day with no problems with students or staff. In fact, at the end of the day my boss asked me to do him a favor and than he thanked me afterwards. I am not use to that. So he must have felt bad about the stess level I was under in March. But I am glad that the week started off great. I went to Curves tonight and worked out. I was sweating by the third machine I was on. So I looked really good going into Wally World to get apples,milk and laundry soap. Oh well thank god I didn't run into anyone I knew. LOL
So Robyn how did your interview go today? I hope things are looking up for you.
Ginny how did you appointment go?
Summer I hope your peers aren't too hard on you during this learning walks.
Well I must close for now and go to bed. I worn my self out today being so postive. LOL. Have a great Tuesday! It is the big weigh in day for TOPS! Wish me luck.
Kerry

Just a short hello- Dr appointment went well, and they found nothing on the sono. (Guess they just had to keep the sonomachine busy yesterday!)

Kerry- glad your day went so well. Nice to feel that maybe your boss understands what you are going thru.

Summer-I know WW tells you to have a healthy portion controlled snack waiting for you when those end of the day hungries hit. Something that you can premeasure and have waiting for you to avoid the junk. Easier said than done, but it has worked for me at times. Sorry about Dd and the gym teacher. Hope that Dh can resolve that problem, I hate to see a childs positive interest crushed.

Robyn- how are you doing?

I am taking today a bit slow- tomorrow is a busy one. I need a quiet day (s!).
See ya later- have a great day.
Ginny

Well, this AM DH spoke to DD's classroom teacher about the gym teacher. She was surprised, but referred him to the principal. The principal was busy, so DH left a message with the secretary. Nobody has called us about an appointment. It cracks me up that nothing was resolved today. In my district, when a parent has a problem, the principal drops everything, has a meeting right then and there with the people involved, and 30 minutes later, the parent leaves with a smile on his/her face. Our administration is terrified of upsetting parents. Apparently DD's school isn't.

I did the learning walk this afternoon. It was quite an eye-opening experience. I felt rather awkward about the whole thing. I gave my advice and suggestions of what could be improved in each room, which was fine. Some of the rooms were definitely not up to par. It was hard to listen to the other team members make snide comments about the teachers who weren't doing a good job. I felt like I shouldn't be hearing these things...like it was none of my business. (I would be mortified if other teachers were saying such horrible things about me.) The weird part was having veteran teachers pull me aside asking for help and guidance. What kind of professional development have these teachers gotten over the years?! What kind of supervision have they had?! I think it is commonly thought that because someone has tenure, they are automatically a great teacher...well that apparently isn't the case. Thank God the entire thing is over. Tomorrow, I will be doing last minute preparations on my room and then on Thursday, the official team will be making its rounds. God help us all!

I was much better with my eating today. Ginny, you are right. Preparing snacks ahead of time is the answer. I'm really good about doing that with lunch and the after school program. I just have to do the same for the time before dinner. Congratulations on a negative sonogram!

Kerry, glad things are better at work.

Robyn, I'm here for you girl...take care of yourself!

Summer

A quick note to tell everyone hello.... thank you for your kind thoughts, messages, etc...

Dh seems to be calming down a bit.... he has unpacked... I'm exhausted from trying to fix all that is wrong with the house... next week is spring break...I will work my fanny off then ... I'm cried out... I'm scared to death...enough...

my #1 problem child was withdrawn from school today at 2:00. After one wild woman dance of celebration, reality set in. I've worked my A#$ to the bone with this kid since September. He came to me ...after 2 years of K...NOT reading...and today when he left he has passed a Reading Recovery level 10 book....NOW I know that THAT isn't gradelevel. BUT...if you could see this kid, experience his emotional turmoil, yadda yadda yadda....Level 10 is just short of a miracle...... EVERY second of EVERY day has been nothing but struggle....and there his momma goes waltzing out of the school with my hard work thrown into the backseat of her car taking him back to the exact same school that allowed him to rot for 2 years in kindy..........this is one of the ones that I've been throwing a fit over NOT getting more support for..... Guess they don't need to worry about him now.....sighhh...

Ahhhh, well.... He will live in my brain and heart forever.....I will forever wonder about how this kiddo turns out....and which jail he ends up in....perhaps he heard something that I said....perhaps he will remember me and what I tried to do..... Today as he walked out...down the hall...he yelled over his shoulder, "I love you, Mrs. Carey!"....
I know that he truly does. And I hope that he remembers that I loved him too! I tried soooooooo hard with him...... and his momma has the right to yank him out of my hands. Anyway....IF you work in South Carolina...BE WARNED! xxxx is on his way back and while I'm dancing...I miss the little bugger already! Ginny, just for the record, I went out to talk to his bus driver this afternoon....... She had written this kid up more than 15 times this year for his bus behavior.... We did a little tango right there in her aisle! She said that she will be able to keep at least one eye on the road now as she was petrified to have her back to this kid to drive! Sad, huh?!

Ok...enough...
The nearly forgotten interview went very well...or so I think....I had never been interviewed by the "firing squad" method before...remember I'm so old they hadn't invented the panel interview thing when I got my last job! LOL...anyway... I continue
to be amazed that I *do* in fact know my stuff! LOL I am uncertain IF I will take this job if it is offered...as it is a 3rd grade position...I've been thinking of taking 3rd and then killing off one of the first grade teachers once I'm in the building....think they will catch on???

Well....thanks again for your kindness and support.... what an emotional roller coaster I've been on....and I'm unsure when it or how it will end........Thanks tho!

preparing snacks ahead would have prevented my meltdown this afternoon.... I always do great UNTIL right before dinner....then it is EAT like a madwoman! NOT the solution!

I've typed enough....ya'll take care!
Meeeee

Hi Robyn, Summer and Ginny,
I had another great day at school today! This makes day number two. I am a little scared that all **** will break lose tomorrow and then it is going to be a long day. But I will just keep thinking positive thoughts and paste a smile on my face for all to see. I went to TOPS tonight and gained another 2 pounds. So I am really going to try very hard this week not to eat like a madwoman and to work out harder.
Glad to hear everything is going fine for everyone this week! I think we all earned the right to have a great week finally! LOL Well I need to go and finish reading THE LAST JUROR by John Grisham. It was due today at the library and I have to get it in the book drop before they open in the morning. Take care and have a wonderful day tomorrow.
Kerry

Today was picture day at school. I discovered that I fit in a pair of pants that I haven't fit in for a while! I have not lost enough to fit into the linen suit I was hoping to fit in by Easter, but since I am making progress, I'm not gonna sweat it. Instead, I will celebrate what I have accomplished.

Tomorrow is the official "Learning Walk." I am ready. I've spent weeks preparing, and I spent 2 hours after school straightening up the room. So, like it or not, this is it people! (After doing my own learning walk, compared to a couple of the other classrooms, I'm not too concerned.) The funny thing is that the teachers who really needed to spend time in their rooms today, skipped out at 3:30. Those of us who were already basically ready, stayed late. I guess it all comes down to commitment.

I can't wait for Friday. I really need a 3 day weekend. It will be super busy, but there will still be time for rest. That is just what I need. I wish I could afford to go to a spa...alone...for like 2 weeks! Yeh, that will happen! ****, even one overnight would probably do it for me. Maybe in the summer.

Hope you are all well. Just think, only one more day of school, then 3 days off!

Take care, Summer

Hi Ladies,
I made it through the week not being called into my principal's office and reamed out. Plus I was positive and stress free through out my week. I have a workshop to go tomorrow with 4 other coworkers. So it should be fun. Then it is home to pack and get ready to leave on Friday to go to my parents for the weekend. I have to come back on Sunday afternoon since I have to work on Monday. But atleast I am going to have a few days to rest and relax. Plus I am going to get to see my best friend. I have not seen her in about 4 months and I really miss her! Her father in law just passed away on Sunday and she has been the strong supportive one for everyone else. So I think I will pamper her a little bit that afternoon. Well I need to head off to bed since I have to leave to pick my coworkers up 6:30. So that means I have to get up at 5:30 so I can get my butt move and in gear. Have a great Thursday! Take care.
Kerry

Kerry, good for you...you had a better week, and you are getting out of "Dodge" for a couple of days.

The learning walk went well...really well. One of the administrators who heads up the Music Department for the district was my 8th grade music teacher, and one of my favorite teachers ever. It was so excited to see her, and I just couldn't control my emotions, so the whole observation ended up me telling her all my great memories, and her blushing and recalling the events I told her about. She remembered me too...I had won the music award that year. The other administrator just kept saying how cute my room was...how cute the student work was...how cute my students were! My principal didn't know what to say or do. Later she came back and told me that I made the Music teacher's day!

Well, I have to get dinner on.

In case I don't get a chance to say it, HAPPY EASTER TO EVERYONE!!!

Summer