HELP I HAVE A MAJOR CASE OF THE MUNCHIES TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!I am at this don't give a crap who cares if I'm fat mood. I'm going to try and excercise while dinner is cooking. But, who knows. It's been a horrid week at school. It was off to such a beautiful start..........
Yesterday, we had severe weather. The power kept blinking off and on, and I had finally just started my lesson, when all the power went out. Ok, so this is with my wild and crazy group of second period maniacs. Atleast my coteacher, was with me. So, we couldn't use the calculators, too dark to see the board. I opened all the blinds, still too dark. We had to sit there........Then, an assistant principal said Ok guys, get your kids into tornado drill mode NOW. So, I moved all the stuff away from the interior wall, made all the kids get on the floor hands over heads, butts up in the air. This was not attractive. We had to stay like this for over an hour.............I wanted to take my yardstick and start beating butts, that were sticking up. Ok, so finally we get to go back to our seats, still no power. Our lunchtime had come and gone...........Still no power, no phone, nothing. I called my hubby at home to find out what the deal was with the weather. Apparently a funnel cloud touched down somewhere. We had to keep these kids for four hours! All of them complaining cause there was no lunch, and asking me when they were going to eat. I WAS HUNGRY TOO. But, the funny thing was, I had been in the same room with them, with no outside contact. I said" Should I pull out my crystal ball, and see when we are going to eat???? I don't know either. I wish I did. They finally dismissed at 1:15. It was terrible. My coteacher and I at one point said we should just use my cell phone and order pizza, and charge it to the superintendent who can never make a decision about anything..................Maybe, I'll stock up on snacks, since Tornado season is around the corner, and the lights blink off where I work if a bird flies by....
Ginny: Hope your headache is gone. Still snow hogging I see. Durn, can't you be a pal?
Mouse: Yes, I am absolutely interested in your thoughts.
Paisley: Gosh, hope your feeling better. My huby has been sick out of work for three days. I told him if I got sick, it was ON!
Robin: Do we need to send in the troops?????????????
I'll be back later.
Pam

Okay... wow... tornado mode, Pam. You definitely deserve to be stressed about that. And yea, I think Ginny needs to share the snow too. At least enough for a couple of 2 hour delays? PLEASE? The less time I have to spend with that woman the better!
Spring break isn't until March 22nd or somethign: Good Friday. And there is a strong possibility we're going to lose 3 days (Wed/Thur/Fri) of the following week because of the snow days.... and believe me, the staff won't be happy but the kids will be horrible. They really don't get the concept of "missed school for snow, must make up time". And it especially doesn't help when the local news reports that the local school systems have "X days" before they have to "make-up"... when reality is that they have the ability to build days into their calendar that we don't have because of our summer session and going more days (we're classed as a 10 month program).
So... TAland...
Last year, my TA was demoted because of NCLB. She was ranked as a TA-II, which I think is an exempt status: she could earn comp time, and didn't get overtime. She became a TA-I. The rules for a TA-I are different, and our administration made a huge deal out of many of them... including, but not limited to TA-I's not being alone with kids in the classroom (they later said for extended periods of time), and not being allowed to swipe their ID badges to clock in before 7:30 (because they would wind up with overtime pay) and a must to clock out no later than 3:30. She was pretty bitter over a lot of that, because she typically comes in early as I do. Last year, they only allowed her one prep period/break, and it was in the afternoon. She had to teach or support periods 1-5. That's a lot without a break. She was assigned to provide support to the hospitality industry area during 1st period, and did all of the teaching of that group. She complained about it, but I think she really liked it.
Then, at the end of last year, she received a letter from human resources that said her pay was going to be frozen because they had paid her that whole year as a TA-II, even though she was a TA-I. That really hit the fan. She started threatening to come in exactly at 7:30, not do an ounce of anything extra, use her sick leave and comp time. She also dug her heels in even farther with NCLB... she won't even take the PRAXIS exam, which she could probably pass. I've offered to write her letters of recommendation or help with a resume so she could find another position within the hospital that runs our program... we've had other people leave for the same reason... but she hasn't done so. Everytime I've had to elave the classroom this year, she's given me nasty looks or made comments. Last year, she started taking time off whenever I had to be out of the room. Not always, but just often enough that it was noticeable, and a lot this year. Since summer session, she's taken 2 whole weeks off... the last time in December, and she had known I was taking that Friday off too. My supervisor told me I had to find coverage or tell her she needed to come in or I couldn't have the time off. We don't have substitutes in our school, so other staff have to cover for us.
In any case, this round started because of a disagreement over how to present materials, and I think its a combination of her being bitter over the way she was demoted and her pay frozen... and also her belief that I can't teach the hospitality unit as well as she can. She may be right: I teach something similar for the Red Cross, but that is a quick and dirty 4 hour class. And she's taught it in at least one class or another for at least 3 years (this year, 1 period last year, and the 1 year she was in the hospitality area). I think that my disagreeing with her was a huge blow to her ego, and she took it that I was saying she wasn't good enough or as good as me because I am a certified teacher. Add in that I told her that I've been told that the state won't ALLOW me (never mind REQUIRING ME!) to become highly qualified becuase I don't teach a core subject. Imagine: she's required to do so, but the teacher in her room isn't????
So. That's my take on it. It makes sense.

Hey everyone!
I am soooooooooooooo tired, disgusted, hungry. I just want junk food.
Something. It's not even time for my "tom". I don't know. I think I have discovered I must be a stress eater. I keep finding myself coming home and just wanted to snack, or drinking a pepsi. School sucks. The kids have just been wild this week. We heard the teachers in sixth grade complaining last year. I now know why. All these kids do is talk. We were trying to play a game today, and all they were doing is arguing. We had to stop. You have no more than asked them to be quiet, then they are talking again. It's ridiculous. It is annoying me to no end. I have tried positive rewards for the ones who can follow directions, I have given treats to the ones who have all their work turned in. BUT IT'S MAKING ME INSANE!!!!!!!!! :mad: :mad:
We have discovered that all the rooms on my side of the hall in the building I am in have mold on the floors. We thought maybe it was the tiles coming up and maybe glue, but a man who teaches Science says it is mold. He is a house inspector and says he knows what mold is. He has been sick a lot this year. Another man, has also been sick for four months. I have had sinus headaches almost daily. So, someone from the central office came in today, asking me if anyone in the classroom had been having health problems, I said well, kids are sick all the time, who's to say? I told him about my problems, then I asked him why, he said oh we're just checking some things. Then, he tried to tell me it wasn't mold, but glue. But, it's not sticky, and it's black, and there are little black dots, on the walls up near the ceiling. I don't know. So they are going to do some tests or something. I think my room is the worst, especially the closet which is a book room. The floor is almost totally covered and black, it's gross. We'll see what happens with that.
Mouse: Yes, your explanation does make sense. I can not blame her for being hostile, but still, it's not your fault. Hang in there. We've had a similar
problems in our county. In order to be a teacher's assistant, you have to have your bus license. Well, they decided with the budget being the way it was that the bus drivers would not be able to get overtime anymore. So, teacher assistants were either having to clock out, early, or leave and then come back, or blah blah blah. It's caused a lot of problems. Now, they are requiring them to go back to school. Some of these people have been assistants for many years. It's a mess. We were in an IEP meeting today, and the LEA said that with the NCLB, that it's going to really hurt us next year in the exceptional program. For example, the lady who works next to me is certified LD, and she will no longer be able to teach 7th grade math, unless she is a coteacher with a certified teacher. They are going to have to add more inclusion classes so that they don't lose so many exceptional teachers or mainstream more students. It should be interesting to see what changes occur for the next school year. By the way, I thought about you yesterday. I was reading First Magazine, and there was an article about PCOS. It was interesting.
Ginny; Hope you are doing ok. Oh, by the way, we're supposed to get our snow on Saturday, if they haven't already changed the forecast. I need some motivation....... I'm starting to get to that point in my diet that I want to quit....I'm seeing no results right now, and have gone backwards actually. I was doing so well, now nothing. It's getting harder and harder to stay on track, and it's becoming harder and harder to get myself to excercise. I don't want to quit, but I just don't know. Seems like I just can't be successful. I always do great until I get to March, then it's three birthdays in a row, and I just quit. I am going to keep on trying. But, I just don't seem to have the same enthusiasm I did a month ago. Other than adding a pepsi when I have gotten home the past two days, I haven't really changed anything else all that drastically. The scale is refusing to budge. I have gained a pound. I did excercise yesterday, and I am planning on excercising today, but I feel so stressed I just want to eat eat eat.
Talk to you all later.
Pam

Just a short hello......I am SO burned out. This week has been torture.
Pam- hang in there!!!!!!!!!Don't give up!!!!!!!Experiment, find some new foods- buy yourself a new cookbook (try going on ebay for some of the WW cookbooks- there are some really good ones, and easy to prepare)- buy yourself a diet magazine,the WW magazine is good and even good for a non weight watcher member. Most importantly dont give up!!!!!
As far as the mold goes, some simple bleach will answer the question. If those mysterious black spots almost seem to dissolve with bleach.....well! sure sounds like mold to me.
Sorry not to get personal with anyone.....I am so pooped, there is not enough tea in the world to keep me going. Nite.
Ginny

Mouse- you hang in there too....from my quick skim of your post, sounds as though this week has not let up for you either.
Ginny

Hey!
TGIF!!!!!!!!!! I am sooooooooooo glad it's Friday! I've been bad again today! It was my friends birthday, so............we had cake for lunch. Ok, so it was just a small piece, but it was quite delicious. :o Also, ate some hot fries. Ok, well I actually counted out the portion and shared half of them with the dog. However, I am getting ready to excercise shortly. So, I am just trying to do something right, since I've not been eating too right.
Ginny: I know what you mean about being pooped. The clock seemed to be going backwards there towards the end of the day. Hope you'll get some much needed rest this weekend.
Oh, by the way, the man from the county came back out to look at the classroom today. Never would say that it's mold, but............We're having our floors redone, and he is putting an air monitor in the rooms. HMMMMMMMM............Interesting.................. We shall see. I am quite happy about getting my floors done. They are gross.
Gonna go rest for a while. Talk to you later.
Pam

Pam- glad that they are looking at the unhealthy conditions in your room. Yup, very interesting.......let us know what the results are. Hope you got your workout in!

I am SO glad that this week is over. But this weekend is packed full also.....it never seems to end. I can't wait till spring break....Dh and Ds are going to Florida, leaving Dd and I home alone together for a week. We will have school 2 days (they are leaving 2 days early) but I don't care. No big meals....no fuss...no piggies to clean up after.
Am I selfish or what?I can actually maybe get something done then!!!!
BTW, now that skiing is over- thank goodness, I will settle down to a regular WW meeting, which I so desparately need. Wednesday nites it will be for me....cant wait.
I have lost some of my focus, and that is some of the reason.
Gotta go........Dm on the phone.
See ya later.
Ginny

Sorry I've been gone soooooo long. :( I finally have a high-speed connection to my computer. Dial-up had really gotten out of control for me. It got to the point of me only reading my email once a week and not even attempting to do anything else online like 3fatchicks, for instance. It took me an hour or more to get connected, and stay connected long enough to read and respond to a few pieces of mail. So, I would devote one day a week to it. I can't spend an hour a night just reading email let alone anything else. I can't tell you how many posts I typed in only to lose them to cyberspace. Finally my DH saw an ad for phone service and online service for the same price as what we pay for our phone alone. We jumped at it. Then it took forever to get the guy to come out and connect us. But it is done. :D AND I AM BACK!!! ;)

Soooo much has been going on. If I repeat anything from a few weeks ago, just ignore it since I can't remember the last time I posted.

I am somewhat enjoying my grad class. I'm not learning anything, but I enjoy being around young people (I sound like I'm 100!) and talking with them. It makes me feel younger than my 40 years. I just turned in my first major paper which took me 9 hours to complete! AAAHHHH!!!! It has been so long since I had to do something like that, and it was a lot different before I had a husband and child to interrupt me. They'd better get used to it. I've got 9 more classes to go!

DD is enrolled for the next session of gymnastics beginning in a couple of weeks, and she has started her first cheerleading clinic which lasts for six weeks. She is a natural. Her cousin, who attends ASU, has a full scholarship for cheerleading. Who knew that it would be taken that seriously?! But, I guess it is considered a sport now, which it should given the skills necessary for some of those moves.

DH is trying to get a parttime job, but has had no luck so far. We are in the process of trying to refinance to a lower mortgage rate again and are waiting on the appraisal. Please pray that we get it.

My career is going very well. The early childhood department made me a mentor to a new preschool teacher at another school in the district. She used to teach 3rd grade and then taught head start for a couple of years. She is a nice person, but she is utterly clueless. I thought she was just going to observe my teaching, but I've had to teach her how to teach. She doesn't know how to write objectives. She knows very little. Apparently she is one of those teachers who became certified through a masters program. After seeing how so many teachers that go through these programs seem so underprepared to teach and how my graduate courses have been "watered down" to accomodate people seeking certification with a masters, I really have to wonder how this can be allowed to go on. This chick is making more money than me because she has 30 graduate credits (She didn't pass the comprehensive exam so she doesn't have her masters.) and is being paid as if she has her masters. I became certified the hard way, am better educated, am being paid less money, and have to train her how to be a teacher!!!!! :mad: How fair is that?! :rolleyes: But, it feels really good to be the teacher chosen to train her. My director told her that she was being trained by the best. That was pretty cool. And my supervisor called to apologize for not popping in all year only to tell me that I didn't really need her since I had become "my own guru!" So, I guess I shouldn't complain about the money. I should just be happy that I am successful, and I love my job. My poor DH hates his job and is underpaid. Going to work every day for him is just an obligation. Nobody should have to live like that. Then again, he is too lazy to go back to school and change that. God helps those who help themselves.

So, now on to my weight, diet, and exercise...
I've been on and off. I am making a stronger effort to eat healthier...more fiber, smaller portions, etc... I still give in occasionally to bad foods and bad habits. This endless winter doesn't help at all. We've had so many snow days, and there is something about the cold and lousy weather that forces me inside and makes me EAT CRAP. I always do better is the warmer weather. I can walk, play basketball with DD and DH, and just be generally more active outside. I haven't even been able to get to the gym much because the only days my schedule allows me to get there have been days when the driving conditions have been too dangerous. So, even though I am making an effort to eat healthier, I'm not doing well with the exercise end of things. I have been trying to exercise at home all winter, but it hasn't worked for me. I look forward to spring weather when even if it is raining outside, I can still drive to the gym. Right now we are buried under a ton of snow. I can't believe next week is spring and Palm Sunday!

The mother of my "first love" passed away this week. He is related to me through marriage, so we have seen each other periodically over the past several years. I loved his mom and always wished that she had been my mother-in-law. She was a wonderful person. Hospitality was one of her special gifts. She was a very vibrant and loving person. I haven't seen her in years, but I never stopped thinking about her. And, I couldn't help but compare her to my actual mother-in-law who is really lacking in affection and social skills, not to mention many other attributes. I never got over my first love. He is married with one child, just like me. We've both grown in different directions, but when I see him, my insides melt, and all the old feelings come back. It is so inappropriate, but I can't help it. He refuses to use my married name which infuriates my DH. It is pretty funny! :lol: Of course his wife can't stand me. Whatever. Anyway, his mother's funeral is taking place out of state and the memorial up north isn't until the end of April. I, of course, will be there with my DH to honor this woman that I loved like a mother and to support her family...the family I always wished to be fully mine. It is going to be very emotional. And, as superficial as this sounds, I am angry with myself that I am so fat. Even though my first love and I are married with children, I don't want him to see me like this. So, I guess I will have to go into "high gear." I feel ashamed to be even thinking about how I look when all that matters is that he lost his mom.

Well, I guess that is all I have to post for now. It is great to be back. I've missed all of you!!!

Summer,
So glad you are back!!!! And it sounds as though we will see a wee bit more of you now, congrats on the internet connection.... But with you in school at nite, that will keep you busy. How sad about your first loves mom. My heart goes out to you.

Sorry to be short....strange weekend. I did get to a WW meeting yesterday and stay for the meeting, which felt SO good. Needed a kick in the butt.
Gotta go.......see ya later!
Ginny

Yes, Ginny, I am hoping to be around a lot more often. That is great that you were able to get to a WW meeting. DD is sick, so I don't know if I will be able to get to the gym today. Hopefully.

Summer,
I hope Dd is feeling better!!!! And that it passes quickly. I still am hearing of a lot of strep and other sickness out there from my students. (BTW, my Dd is complaining of a sore throat.......). Sorry you can't get to the gym. Perhaps you were able to sneak in a short walk or at least get some sun. Today in NY it was sunny.....cold and snowy yet, but at least sunny!

I am excited- this is the first day in a long time that I was actually "in control" and stayed OP. Got a short 15 min walk in too. Oh, I hope I can stick to this.
Gotta go- enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Ginny

my sister sent me this........a new excercise routine
 

New exercise routine...

You might want to take it easy at first, then do it faster as you become more proficient. It may be too strenuous for some.

Always consult your doctor before starting any exercise program!

SCROLL DOWN...

































NOW SCROLL UP.. .

That's enough for the first day. Great job.
Have some chocolate.

Gin, you crack me up!!! :rofl:

Ok, who had thier chocolate??!!!!! :)
So far so good for me today.....been behaving myself eating. Got in 15 minutes on the gazelle, and a 15 minute walk a bit later. But now off to my messy house.
And the other big mess for this week, my luxury vehicle is due for state inspection this week, so I have to clean the bugger. Got the ceiling done last week.....now the windows,floors, seats....oh, I hate DOT but love the clean bus afterward.
Have a good day.
Ginny

I HATE AOL!!! :mad: They are such a pain in the *ss. They refuse to be cancelled. Somebody told me they have been trying to cancel them for months unsuccessfully. It is kind of like "Hotel California," you can join, but you can never leave. I cancelled over the phone last week. Today I received a letter stating that I agreed to receive a month's free and then continue to pay my monthly membership fee. What, are they nuts?! I clearly remember the conversation, and at no point did I agree to such a thing. :mad: I've been on hold with them for 45 minutes trying to cancel this account, and you know what? I bet they will never pick up this line. They are probably hoping that I will get tired of holding on. They s*ck. :p

So, anyway, did everybody except Ginny get scared off by my return? I showered today...what gives?! :?:

Guess who decided to skip school today? You guessed right, my irresponsible aide. She is up to a whopping 15 days absent from school. I spoke with my previously very proactive principal today who suddenly doesn't want to "make waves." Supposedly, my aide just started a new attendance cycle in January. So, she is no longer on probation. She is no longer in danger of suspension. She gets to start the new year with a clean slate. And, since she has only missed four days in 2005, she is not in trouble. They forget the 11 days in the fall and who knows how many days from last spring...about 10 or so. How nice for her. She basically can do whatever the f*ck she wants and nothing will happen to her. :p

DD had cheerleading tonite. It was so fun to watch her.

Well, I guess it is time for me to chill and wait another 30 or so minutes for AOL to pick up the phone.