Ok, all you snow lovers out there......from what I hear from my students, you must wear your pj's inside out, flush the toilet 3X and put a silver spoon under your pillow.
That guarantees a snow day. Be back later......
Ginny

Update on the stove/dishwasher......both arrived. Dh put the stove in (no fool, he wanted to eat!) and hopefully the dishwasher will go in tonite.
Mouse I am so glad you liked the Herrs factory. Great isn't it?
Hi to Kerry (good to hear from you, I was starting to worry), Summer, Robyn, Pam, Paisley. Gotta go, have a busy day.
Ginny

They just closed all the schools in the state today. I think we would have done well going in on time and dismissing early, because as of now the only snow on the ground is in the southern part of the state. And so, it looks like I'll have to go to the stupid field trip tomorrow unless we get the full 5 inches, plus the extra they are promising overnight. We have a winter storm warning again because of a storm coming from the midwest that will allegedly combine with this one so we may wind up with 5 inches by 5:00 pm today, and then another 1-3 inches by dawn Friday.
I do hope that we don't have to RESCHEDULE the trip!! :shudder:
My supervisor has approved the trip to the Herrs factory, but we're having lift-van issues again. Its only available on Fridays, and there is only ONE Friday in April and May that we can use it... which just happens to be the same day as the awards assembly AND the start of Passover. I'm willing to give up part of my religious holiday, and even getting my mother to drive out to the Herrs plant to pick me up so I can go with the kids ON THE VAN... and then she'd have to take me to Baltimore or at least drop me at the Light Rail station in Hunt Valley so I could go back down here.
And he's being completely inflexible about the kids missing part of the awards assembly. Most of the kids are certificate students anyway, so they'll likely be with us for 7 years... if they miss one awards assembly, I fail to see how important it is! Especially since the awards are just absolutely stupid! Seriously: they're handmade many times, and don't look professional, and the awards themselves. I've seen awards for 'Best Sense of Humor' and 'Most Improved Communication", the latter going to a child who uses a voice-output device. But she doesn't use her VOCA to talk, she uses it to beat herself with, and her idea of communication is to grab for any part of you and pinch! The awards are more like summer camp awards than high school.
And the honor roll awards are ludicrous as well, since the certificate students also get magna and summa cum laude. What a joke! And I have kids regularly getting highest honors who can't add or subtract without a calculator, and can't read anywhere near grade level, but have A's and B's in core academic subjects. We have very few kids who don't get honor roll certificates. I just cannot imagine how an entire school of kids with disabilities can get honor roll each and every quarter! It really cheapens the honor, IMO. I fought to include my kids in the awards ceremonies at my inner city school, but not every child in my class received an honor roll certificate! They were graded based on their IEPs, and then the guidance office and I converted those scores (4-mastered, 3-making progress, 2-making limited progress, 1-no progress made) to letter grades (4-A, 3-B/C 2-D, 1-F).
Okay, whatever. I guess he's saying that, again, those kids cannot go on the field trip. The one to the Union school for tomorrow was one that these kids couldn't go on either because none of them can get into the school nor will any of them understand what is going on during the tour... and we didn't have room for them to go.
So... I was thinking about going to the gym now, because the roads aren't too bad yet... but I bet by the time I finished swimming, it'd be bad. I think my mother would kill me if I went out right now.
:mouse:

Well, today was a hopelessly messed up day......early closure. At least my district was a bit prudent, and we just closed an hour early to avoid any hazardous driving. It ended up being a good call- as it just began snowing hard and I have been home an hour. Several districts closed at 10:30.....without a flake in sight. But a strange day it has been.

Mouse-I hope that somehow you can come up with a good date for the trip to Herrs. Can't imagine a better trip for kids......low tech, lots of visual and great eats after!!!!!
Aren't the fresh chips wonderful? And we had a good time in their store, seeing all the different flavors they make that we do not see in a local store. Yup, your awards ceremony sounds like something that can be missed......hope that works out for you.
Gotta go make dinner......oh, do I ever hope for a snow day tomorrow, but doubt it wil be. Probably be a 2 hour delay.

See ya later. Opps....Mouse I forgot.....because of the early dismissal I did not get to WW. I will be there Saturday morning and hopefully take care of matters for you.
Ginny

Evening Ladies,
We had a two hour delay today. I think it was a waste of time because my kids were awful the whole day. So I was glad to leave this afternoon. I had to deal with one behavior problem after another. So I am going to relax a few minutes before I go down to the gym for my sdd's all-star ball game. I just hope they don't get beat tonight. Regardless of what the outcome of their game is they play again on Saturday. So maybe this will cheer me up some. I am really hoping for a snow day tomorrow. Nuff babbling by me.
Ginny glad to hear that your new stove is in. Hope your dishwasher works this time. Glad to hear that you made it safely home this evening. I have been good about getting my walks in in the morning and I think of you my sister in sweat. :)
Mouse sounds like your boss is not being very cooperative about your fieldtrip. I would have to agree with you on the reward assembly. I think it would be better time spent if they went on the field trip. That sounds like a lot of fun. Plus yummy! :) So did you get to the gym okay today?
Hi to Pam, Robyn, Summer and Paisley and Elana. Hope all is well with you.
Talk to you later.
Kerry

Kerry,
Great to hear from you! So you had a snow issue today too? Gee, these darned half days/ late openings whatever just seem like such a huge waste of time and effort and the kids are always wacky with the break in routine. I hope you got a few minutes in to relax before the game. Hope sdd had a good game- played well of course a victory would sure be nice too! SO much easier to live with when they win, aren't they? Remember, wear the jammies inside out, put a silver spoon under your pillow and flush the toilet 3X. I have a bunch of kids on my bus that swear it works for a snow day.....good luck!

Well, the stove and the oven worked great........and now (minus the cussing, thank the Lord!) Dh is gettting the dishwasher in. I hope. We really did get a defective dishwasher the first time- this one has a relay switch that the other one did not have, according to Dh. Hopefully I will be smiling later.......and not swishing the suds.
Better go play cats cradle with Dd........have a great nite!

Ginny

So, did you think I fell off the face of the earth? I didn't, but my computer did. I have been having so many problems mostly with AOL. I have spent hours struggling to get online only to get kicked off repeatedly in the middle of all sorts of stuff. Well, after spending a couple of weeks researching the best bang for my buck, we decided to toss dial-up and go with our local cable company's online service. By combining our phone service with the online service, we actually saved money and were able to get rid of voice mail since we won't be tying up the line anymore. (As I type, I am so paranoid about getting kicked off AOL yet again.) So, in the long run, we are better off and should have less hassles.

I've been taking my graduate class for a few weeks. The work will be a pain in the a** but the material is all review. So, earning the 3 credits won't be about learning anything, just an expense and a nuisance. Apparently with so many people with bachelor's degrees returning to school to get their masters with certification, the graduate courses have been "watered down" to accomodate people with zero educational courses and experience. Well, since I am a buuuuusy person, I guess not being terribly challenged could end up in my favor.

I have a question for you. Since my email address will be changing, will it affect me accessing 3fatchicks? Will I have to come up with a new name? If anybody knows, I would appreciate the info.

I'm gonna go back now and try to catch up with you all. Let me hit "submit reply" before AOL sends me on my way!

Hi!
First of all and in case I get booted off, Summer, changing your email address and ISP should not bother this site at all. I am figuring that because I used to get to the site and post from work (when I was a technical writer) and can do so from Dm's computer.
So, it would appear to me that your screen name etc....should stay the same. We did the same thing changing from dialup to broadband (that is what it is called, right?).
One of the best things I did....and we saved some $$$$ in doing so also. Got rid of the extra phone line....you know the whole thing. And it is faster. Anyway, I am so glad to hear from you. Guess I was stating to worry, so many have not been here for a while. I was beginning to think that maybe I scared everyone away. Funny, that you mention about the watering down of education courses for a masters. When the HR director mentioned to me that he would rather hire me as a teacher than a bus driver, and briefly we went over what I would have to do to make the change and eventually become a teacher. Of course, I would have had to take a ton of teaching courses, having never taken a one while getting my BS. It was during that conversation that I realized that they must be watering down education courses at the masters level- same rationale that you mentioned. So then, how does someone, such as yourself manage to take anything that is meaningful (guess that is some of what Mouse has been facing)? Just a question to muse over. For me I decided for many different reasons that this was not the right thing to do- one of the biggies was that the closest college/university is well over an hour away, and a horrible drive. All windy bumpy country roads....no lights at night....what a mess. Well, I hope your course works out well for you and is just enough of a challenge so as not to be a sleeper, but not too tough either.

Ok, I did everything right......wore my jammies inside out...silver spoon under the pillow(ok,Dd did that one!! and the toilet flushing 3X) and no snow day. Just a 2 hour delayed opening. WHich is a pain. Which means that I'd better get going.....otherwise nothing will get done here and we will not eat dinner until midnite.
BTW, I did get my kickboxing in this am (thought of you Kerry!) and the dishwasher works!!!!!!!! :) Hi to everyone......have a great Friday.
Ginny

We had another snow day today. I haven't ventured out: I was going to, but then changed my mind. So, no silly field trip. I do hope he doesn't try to reschedule it! I'll have to go out tomorrow for a couple of reasons.... I finally talked to the reproductive endo yesterday late afternoon. She called around 3:30, and said she wasn't sure I'd be there, but she was going to hope because the schools near her was closed as well. :) She is going to change one of the pills for one month and then do bloodwork, so I have to go to the pharmacy and pick those up since I need to start them Sunday.
She's unable to get ahold of the medical endocrinologist who did the bloodwork in December. I have an appointment with that one in March, so we'll see what happens. How can anybody expect to get anything done when doctors can't talk to each other?!
When they did bloodwork in December, the medical endo did all kinds of tests for diabetes, and not one for insulin resistance. I don't have diabetes, and haven't had fasting blood sugar higher than 112 ever. Anything between 70 and 120 is fine, so I'm a bit mystified as to all those tests... unless she, like most people, assumed that because I'm so overweight I must be diabetic! I get so tired of preconceptions and misperceptions of people, really... And I'd like to know if all the other dietary changes I've made since the last insulin test have helped more. I was within 3 points of being normal. I hope so, between the exercise and even more strict dietary changes...
I also have swimming lessons tomorrow and would really like to go do the water aerobics class. Maybe since I didn't do anything today I can get myself out of bed!
I did mention that to her, but she's not sure what to do at the moment... she suggested doing slow increases in the spironolactone to see if I can sleep better without it (since it seems to be keeping me up at night). She also extracted a promise from me that I would let her know if I had problems with the new pills... She's starting to realize that I'm not very good at that.
Grad school: There is a reason I chose to attend Johns Hopkins, and not any of the state schools in Pennsylvania (where I was at the time). The master's of special education classes there were mostly filled with people who needed to make good on the requirements of their emergency certification. I saw the coursework from Shippensburg and Millersville Universities, and was very much not impressed. The summer that I started at Hopkins, one of the teachers was complaining about the amount of work he had for his state university class... He had one 5 page paper, and a project. Now, I admit I was taking a legal systems class, but I had a 3-5 page paper due EVERY CLASS!!! I wrote at least 10 papers for that class alone, and I took two classes that summer. The other one was on vocational assessment and that class had quizzes, a mid-term and final, plus we had to administer several different tests to various subjects, score and write reports.
One person in the legal systems class complained about the amount of work requried since it was a "summer" class (it met 2 nights per week for 6 weeks), and the instructor (who just happened to be the head of the state of Maryland's special education department!) replied to something along the lines of, "What did you expect? This is Johns Hopkins and we do have a reputation to uphold!"
That's not to say that all the classes are that good... I have some serious doubts as to why my current supervisor occasionally teachers a class on vocational assessment and education at Hopkins since he clearly knows nothing about it.

:mouse:

Tgif!
 

:o Hey!
Hope everyone had a great week. I have been so darn busy that I have not even had the opportunity to get online. I wish I would have because I definitely would have worn the Pj's inside out flushed the toilet three times, and put a silver spoon under my pillow. WE DIDN'T GET ANY SNOW! Oh well,
such is life.
Been so much going on this week. Peer evals, grade level meetings, meetings for the writing test blah blah blah! I have been so pooped.
I think I fell asleep at nine oclock last night. I'm usually quite a night owl.
One day this week, my friend called at 6:38 to get the number for the lady who is charge of subs. Gave her the number, she said I'm coming over to drop off lesson plans. I said ok. I still hadn't packed my lunch, my son's bookbag, brushed my teeth. RUnning way late and supposed to be out the door by 6:50 at the absolute latest. It takes me thirty minutes to get to work. In the meantime, I LOST MY KEYS........I searched the entire house couldn't find them, I was stomping around like a madwoman. She pulled up, I ran outside to get her plans, which she hadn't even written yet and said ok when you finish, just put them in my car. I checked to make sure my car was unlocked, it was. The keys were still in the ignition. So, back into the house, to finsih getting ready it's already 6:55. Fly out the door, my battery is dead. Apparently I left it turned on too! Had to wake up hubby to jump my car. He said somebody must have left the light on! Ok so I played dumb, but you gotta understand he is not a morning person. It has been like that everyday. I think I'm losing my mind!
Uniforms.......Ughhhhhhhhhh. I am so in favor of this uniform thing. But, gosh it's been a huge pain in the tail.I have to be the fashion monitor every morning and write the names down of anyone who is not in compliance and send it to the office. Our uniform is black, blue or tan kakhis, light blue, navy or white polo shirts. One day a girl had on black jeans. I said hon you can't wear those, they aren't kakhi. She said well my grandma and mom said I could. I didn't say anything and just wrote her name down. Well, her momma had a fit, threatened to call the papers, the news, the school board on me........Blah! She came in with her parents this morning, never did find out the outcome of that meeting. However, she still had on those pants. I asked a fellow teacher just to check her pants out so that I would know whether or not I was losing my mind. She says, yup they are jeans. In the meantime, the girl goes into the bathroom after my class and changes into blue jeans and a t shirt. Her teacher told her in front of the library staff, to go and change back to her regular clothes, she copped quite an attitude. SO, the girl, changes, but leaves her blue jeans on under her pants. She was turned into the principal and he was fuming since her mother had made such a big deal about the fact that they always make sure their daughter is in uniform before she comes to school. Apparently she has been changing all along. She is in Iss for the day. :D
Remember the gamblers I had earlier? They are back! One of them must have racked in the dough because he was seen stuffing a wad of money into his locker. I think since I have the drug dealers and gamblers in my room, shouldn't I be getting a cut? I think ten percent is fair for my trouble! Ok, so maybe not................Just a thought.
I know I've babbled long enough. Ginny : glad your appliances are all in. Hope they are working great. Mouse: Wish I had been on that trip to the Herr Factory. I'm gonna check out that site. However, I need to stay away, cause they are my downfall. Chips and Pepsi....Yummy!
Still haven't excercised, tried to cheat today and buy a three muskateer bar today at work. The machine not only ate my money, but smushed the candy bar and wouldn't let if fall. :dizzy: Guess that was a sign. I had gained like two pounds back this week. I'm attributing that to water because of tom, but I'm back down to 184.5 today. I am making a promise with myself to excercise! I have been reading a book that's great and I can't put it down........Do any of you read Patricia Cornwell? Maybe I'll hurry up and get it finished then I can excercise.
Talk to you later!
Pam

I had an AWFUL day. I will not bore you with the details......but I am still in disbelief that a coworker tried to rip off the front mirror of my bus (with his bus, BTW) because we had a disagreement about a situation. This guy is one of those "my way or the highway" types..... and has no respect for women. I really don't care what he thinks of me, I am just totally wrecked out at what an unsafe thing he did this afternoon and that he tried to dammage my bus. I have yet to figure out how to handle this....I am considering writing a "note to file" describing what happened this afternoon, just to put in my folder, just in case I ever have a more substantial problem with him. We are in a union, so talking to a supervisor about him might not be the way to go. One of the shop stewards totally hates this guys guts.....and I am sure would support me.
Anyone have any advice here??? I am miffed......

Pam, I had a chat with that candy machine.....the one that would not give in to your chocolate fix! Guess it was a sign.....nope I have never read Patricia Cornwell, but have a copy of The Last Precinct here. SOMEDAY I will find time to read it. Ha! and don't hold your breath. Which book are you reading? I have heard she is a great author.

Mouse- I am sure you would LOVE to sit all these MD's down together and bash their heads......make them look at all the test results they have collectively sent you for and screamed "please give me some answers!!!!!". I know that this kind of nonsense would never happen if it were thier family member......answers would be had asap.
Much luck with the change in meds/doses. Something has to work out for you!
Thanks for the insight on grad school. It really echoes what Summer said and what I suspected. And I knew you would be the one to straighten me out on the issue. :)

Off to load the dishwasher. Got 2 loads out of it.....so I guess my luck has changed.
And the oven did a fine job for dinner, although it has some features that will take me years to figure out. Have a great nite.
Ginny

Woo hoo! I'm sending good dishwasher vibes in your direction, Ginny, as well as good stove vibes.
Pam: Would you like some virtual brownies? They're healthy. I'm going to get my rear end up and make a sandwich for dinner (I'm afraid I had quite a bit of that salt and pepper popcorn during the day today!) and make some fruit crisp for dessert. The other suggestion, Pam, is the new Jello Sugar-Free pudding cups. Splenda, not NutraSweet/Aspartame. Or maybe some of the chocolate sugar free soda? I never liked chocolate soda, though. The pudding is good! So are the SlimFast frozen chocolate bars.
The MD thing? Well... I'm content with the reproductive endo, and I like the gastroenterologist (even though I don't talk with her very often, and haven't since December). They communicate with each other. But it doesn't seem that the endocrinology field is able to do this. The reproductive endocrinologist is always on the ball, calling me and adjusting and working... and remember, she's in Virginia so I'm 75 miles from her at least. She doesn't get paid for any of the time she spends with me on the phone. She only gets paid for the office visits. :shrug: I don't know. If I have PCOS (and they seem content to call it that), there are lots of questions still: Why don't I have any monthly cycle despite the birth control pills? Why don't I lose weight the way a lot of women do, and why did I gain so MUCH weight? Why does my testosterone level continue to go up? I was really severely insulin resistant when I started seeing the reproductive endo, but its gotten a lot better... but I'm still having great struggles losing weight. I actually have more symptoms of Cushings than I do of PCOS, but they've done three different cortisol tests: salviary, blood and 24-hour collection of other bodily fluids... and all of them were within the normal range, though the blood cortisol is still a bit high. That can be from stress.
:shrug: I don't know. I WISH my weight were just a case of not eating properly but despite my popcorn binge this afternoon, I've still had less than 2000 calories. If I'm going to binge on something, popcorn is a good choice!
:mouse:

Hey!
Hope everyone is having a great Saturday so far. As for me? Trying to get my house in order. The laundry monster managed to catch up with me this week. :( Vacuum cleaner belt just broke, so I guess that will have to wait til I go get one. Darn!
Mouse: Thanks for the virtual brownies, but didn't quite get it. I ate girl scout cookies instead! I am going to check out the Herr's potato chip site, but I really need to stay far far away from there.
Ginny: As far as the maniac who hit your bus..........I would definitely get that on file somewhere. If there were any witnesses, I would get statements from them as well. What a jerk! I just finished reading Blowfly. Getting ready to start Trace. Don't start with The Last Precinct. She uses the same characters in her books, and if you start at the beginning you will really get to know them. The first one is called Postmortem. I am quite a bookworm. I will read until the house crumbles and falls around me. I usually spend the summer reading and working in the yard. Can't wait for the weather to get warm so I can work in the yard. My fishpond looks disgusting. My pump is floating to the top. I live in the yard in the summer, and wait for rainy days to work inside. My husband says I have a serious gardening addiction, and it's true. But, I love it!
Summer: We changed from dial up to Cox Cable High Speed Internet. I love it. I still have the same instant messenger name, as on Aol. I just changed my email address. I will not go back to Aol, although we have had the hardest time cancelling Aol. It's ridiculous.
Kerry: Glad to see you back. I wish I had the gumption to get up and walk in the morning. I just have this love affair with my comforter and pillow I can't let go of. It's sad. I'm an evening walker.
Ok, this is the third time I've tried to send this message. So, we shall try again. Laundry calling...........
Pam

Yup, Mouse a popcorn binge should not be a problem with weight, at least not occasionally. I did get to WW this am, and was up 1.6#......bummer but I know that I have had way too much salt the past few days. I am going to work very hard this week to get the #'s off. I am sure that you have done so, but what does your online research about your health suggest? Have you ever tried the NIH web site (national institute of health)? I have read some articles and they suggested that it is one of the more reliable health web sites. And not commercially driven, so it might be objective. And I am probably way behind you here, you have most likely been all over the web yourself, trying to find answers.
Froze my bones today at a fund raiser for Ds's trip to Florida. Got to WW and did my kick box tape. Now wish I could take a nap.......but alas, have to make dinner.

See ya and have a great day!
Ginny

Pam, you snuck in on me!!! Thanks about the Patricia Cornwell books. I guess I will have to get the first one from the Library. My problem with reading is if I get into a really good book, all else goes to the dogs....sleep, housework....the book takes first priority. Can't get away with that too often. Sorry to hear about your vacuum. (must be contagious from my house to yours!!) Hope the housework did not overwhelm you. Take care.
Ginny