Wrap it Up- February 2015

What a crazy month where we were only in school for 12 days.  It was a productive month on my end, even with having the boys home for large parts of all most all snow days.  What happened this snowy month?
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-Four books read
-Summer camps planned by week with deposits on ones that have the potential to sell out
-Summer camp binder created after attending the area summer camp fair and picking up lots of brochures for future summer ideas when the boys are older
- Lots of work spent on the AP Capstone Diploma launch and area outreach to our feeder middle schools to populate our first classes this fall
- Planned both an adult surprise party for Bill as well as a family party for his 40th birthday
-Settled up travel arrangements for the AP Gov't reading in Salt Lake City
-Mini freeze ahead session and a freezer inventory completed/updated
-Bill convinced the boys to do a toy purge by showing them some put back Hex bug tracks (yes, they still love Hexbugs when I know they have gone the way of the obsolete toy genre)
-spent many a very cold days outside playing in the snow with the boys with no injuries for all concerned
-Finished up Season 3 of Homeland and all of the Ken Burns Roosevelt series, as well as clearing out past 60 minutes, fall Good Wife episodes, and Frontlines that have been hanging around all fall
- Managed to return to my pre-injury status with working out and a goal of 10,000 steps per day. I've joined some friends at work in a workweek contest via my Fitbit.  Since being  home during the day I managed to get in some classes I don't normally get to do including two barre classes and a 30/30 cardio/core class.

The biggest accomplishment was the over 40 pages of writing for my National Board Renewal.  I finished rough, but edited versions for 3 of 4 entries, planned out what evidences including video tape teaching components to use, letters of recommendation needed, and in general a plan to finish and submit by the May deadline. This is a huge, huge accomplishment for me to be this far along on 2/28 given on 2/1, I hadn't even paid the renewal fee yet or taped one class.

As much as a schedule-driven person like myself is, I also took full advantage of lazy mornings where no one was awake before 7 am and I found myself getting on average 7-8 hours of sleep on the snow days.  As much as I'm ready to be back to work and get on with finishing up this school year, I also relish the days that I spent just leading a much more relaxed existence for our family (even high-energy Ian who had several late delayed/early pick up days at daycare when regular public school was closed, I praise you Ms. Pam and Ms. Amy for contributing to my sanity)

Happy almost spring....

What happens when you conspire with spouses and children to plan 40th birthday parties

Wednesday we got a respite from the weather and while Ben was still out of school, Ian went in on a delayed schedule.  Perfect, given by nightfall local weather was a game of which forecaster would get it right with predictions from 4 inches to a foot a snow.  When I had asked Bill what he wanted to do for his birthday back in December he said maybe go to dinner.  I asked again after having a house full of people for my party and he again said I don't know, a typical "Not on my radar, so not thinking about it answer."  So I started thinking if I was to plan something what would he want?  I consulted two groups:  1. the spouses of some of his guy friends 2. Ben and Ian (obviously this was now going to be two separate celebrations.)

What was the result?

Party one on Saturday nightbefore his birthday at a local Brazilian steak house that he loves but I have a really hard time justifying the cost given how little meat I can eat.  I invited five other couple friends and conspired with their spouses believing that is anyone was going to make it out of the house with childcare arranged on a Saturday night, it would be because the wives that would make it happen.  I arranged with my friend Eileen to make a cake in Bill's favorite Dr. Who theme.  Of course there were issues including Ian smashing his hand into the cake just as she opened the box to show me the finished product.  With some strategically placed candles, all was good.

Issue 2 was that our drop in child care we've been using since our babysitter graduated from high school was full.  As in at 5 pm they were full, like never ever seen them this full.  I can only guess a week of being home with snow led to some cabin-feverish parents.  Luckily we quickly called their other location who could only take 3 more children and got the boys secured before starting to think that they boys would be joining us.  We had a great night, minus the very little I ate and Bill was actually surprised.

On his actual birthday, the 25th, we met him after work at Dave and Busters for dinner and video games.  This would have been what the boys planned for Party 2 (or basically for themselves.) Bill had requested that instead of more cake that I get doughnuts from the newly opened, and sinfully good "Duck Donuts" in Cary.

Given that snow predictions were for a up to a foot, we totally got a full dozen.  And yes, that is bacon covered maple goodness.  We came home to open presents, eat doughnuts and watch the snow round 2 start.

*the handwriting on the card kills me and begs of V boy sweetness

What does it take to educate children in NC?

Obviously not SNOW!  In the annals of denial I was completely NOT thinking that we would miss as many days in 2015 as we did in 2014 due to weather.  When I got to school on Monday I joked that I hadn't seen my students since Thanksgiving.  I had "heard" that we might have a slight chance for some freezing rain on Tuesday, but absolutely didn't think it would stick.  Again, the whole denial thing. Alas, I got when I got up Tuesday for work, was completely ready and was about to get in the car, I see that school is now on a 2 hour delay.  The delay quickly turns into a full on cancellation, making for snow day 5.

Luckily I didn't drive to school like many of my colleagues did only to have to turn around, luckily our Principal allowed teachers to finish up before closing the building.  I had a awful night of insomnia so I literally laid down in my work clothes and went back to sleep after waking Bill to tell him about the delay. By around 10 am, large puffy flakes were coming down and sticking. Forecasting changed from a a possibility of freezing rain to expected 1 inch accumulation.  Since the boys were home we spent time outside playing in the snow while Bill went in to get a few hours of work done in the office.
 

Weekend

Greetings from a 60 degree day where almost all the snow has melted and two children are very sad.  Our weekend was filled with the usual Friday afternoon soccer conditioning at Next Level, dinner out with friends' family (son also taking lessons with Next Level) and an attempt to watch our Friday night date of a week's worth of Daily Shows didn't last into the first episode until I was snoring.

Saturday Ben's flag football was cancelled as there was still a good 1/2 inch of ice still on the local middle school field they practice/have their game.  Mom got in a double class workout with kickboxing and a strength class.  I also did a barre class while home over the last days.  Can I just say that everything hurt come Sunday am.  I'm about a month out from falling and my ankle is still tender in one place but finally this week I have felt almost 100%.

Saturday night I surprised Bill with a 40th birthday dinner out with a surprise party with 5 couple friends.  I had coordinated with the wives to make sure all had childcare and could meet up at one of Bill's favorite places to go, a local Brazilian steakhouse.

I had also coordinated to have a cake made featuring a Tardis from Dr. Who.  Wouldn't you guess that as soon as Eileen opened up the cake box, Ian planted his hand into blue icing.  Add to it that our childcare fell through as we were heading out the door and we scrambled to find drop in care.  All of this while trying not to give away that 10 other people were waiting on us to arrive and for Bill to be surprised.

All was saved and Bill was truly surprised and loved the cake.  Sunday was another normal day of heading to church, picking up groceries, including 16 lbs of marked down meat, hence a inpromtu ground beef o'rama while watching the Oscars, add extra long dog walking, booking all travel for Salt Lake AP Gov't reading in June, finishing a 2nd book from the week at home, a Y Guides meeting for Bill and Ben, and a playdate with a neighbor at our house for Ian and you almost have our weekend.

What didn't get done, the remainder of school work that sat untouched.  So let's start this week again and hope we can make it a full FIVE days!

Greetings from the great frozen South

Oh hi... it has been a while. So to let you in on what I've been up to since the start of the month, lots and lots of new semester fun.  Lots of good intentions to post have turned into early bedtimes and early mornings at school.  With a student teacher that needs some assistance plus the roll out of a major program I'm heading up at school... well I've been treading water.

But then we got an inch of ice on Monday night essentially shutting down all life in NC.  Add to it that school has been out for FOUR days and well, we are all a little punchy.  All has not been lost, as the ice lead to some awesome sledding for the boys and some cold mom standing outside making sure that the them of these ice days did not involve a Urgent Care visit.   This year mom was totally prepared with shovels, ice melt, and correctly sized snow pants for all concerned.

 *Note that Ben offered to break up the ice with a baseball bat.  Not a bad idea given it took mom and dad most of a day to scrape our driveway and sidewalks.

Ben convinced me that going down on our neighbor's skateboard was a primo idea.  *Note I let him once as we didn't have helmets with us. Our neighbor's daughter slid into the lake near our house while walking on the way home.  Mom went in after her and all was ok, but very scary and very, very cold.  Earlier this winter I saw a group of kids and their PARENT attempting to walk across a frozen section of lake. It was all I could do to roll down my window and scream, "didn't you ever see that Little House on the Prairie when even Pa Ingalls couldn't save the town's children from an icy death."

Come on, Parents... be a parent!

Poor Ian so badly wanted to make snow angels.  On Wednesday afternoon we had a crazy burst of white powder snow, perfect for a snowball fight, so it was kids vs adults (minus Bill, who was still at work.)

Speaking of work, our new Principal allowed us to log hours at home.  A first for me in the work at home revolution.  I've been grading lots of piled up work, but mostly I've been working on my National Boards renewal due in a couple of months.  The same process when I initially certified a decade ago, there were no children in the house (only that I was pregnant with Ben).

I planned out a YEAR IN ADVANCE how and when I would videotape and then write the supporting commentaries.  Needless to say, I'm amazed between traipsing around outside with the kids, cleaning up the kitchen a gazillion times, and hosting the 3rd grade posse that I found time to start planning writing the four entries, but I would say 28 pages later.  Yes... 28 pages of edited content and a serious timeline/plan for finishing established before the May 15th deadline, that I am secretly thanking these snow/ice days.

How did I spent last year's NINE snow days, might you ask?  Trying to avoid watching Air Bud with the boys and cursing the weather all the while applying for summer teacher workshops.  Since all of the traditional school make up days minus one are when I'm at the AP Gov't reading in Salt Lake City, I could care less when we make them up.

*Note that the joy of 3rd grade homework continued even with SNOW!  A week's worth of homework sent home on Monday.  I attempted to make it *fun* by convincing Ben we could curl up together and share a fire and blanket.  The family that does schoolwork together, stays together!

Almost Wordless Wednesday

Overhead last night while going over homework:

Ben:  I need a biography to use for our class wax museum

Mom: Do you want to use the "Kid President" book you like so much?

Ben:  I read the one about Roosevelt, the one that killed a bear, not the one during WWII

Mom: you mean Teddy not Franklin

Ben:  Yeah, my book said he was famous for saying, "speak softly and carry a big stick"
Does this mean I can take a stick to school from our yard  *or collection in the garage*

BUT not tell anyone why I have a stick at school

Mom: uh, no.  I think we need to look up more information about Teddy.  I think you would like him.  He was kinda crazy, like Ian and all those risky behaviors he has.  But in Teddy's case he used it for good and became the President

*Note this book is AWESOME!  Not only does it tell a factual biography from a selection of Presidents from childhood, each story tells how a character trait each President developed in childhood helped them in their presidency.

Who would have thought that Dwight Eisenhower's grandfatherly appearance really covered up a bad temper?

Check out this book, it is a must read for history nerds and non-nerd alike!