Under The Couch

Yesterday I lifted up the couch and had Josh fish out all of the lost toys, books, etc. that were hiding under there. I was looking for one thing in particular, although I wasn't expecting to find:

• 13 books
• 11 magnetic alphabet letters
• 4 Cheerios
• 3 tissues
  
• 1 play thermometer
• 1 liquid filled chew toy

And then I finally found what I lifted up the couch for:

• 1 Magna-doodle magnet

Joslynn was happy to have all of the magnet slots filled on her Magna-doodle.

Just Let Me Teach

Lately I have the feeling that everyone is out to sabotage anything slightly fun or interesting in my science curriculum. Don't worry, I'll catch you up.

It all started at the beginning of the year with our new room renovations. We've had lots of people snooping around (spying, I think) our classrooms and science storeroom. We have these heat lamps that we need for several labs. The purpose of the lamp is to heat up because the lamp represents our sun. We were told that these lamps are "illegal" because they get too hot.

"Are you kidding me?!?!"

Let me get this straight; a student can have an open flame on a Bunsen burner and be heating potentially toxic chemicals in questionable glassware, and they cannot use a heat lamp?

"They get too hot." Is what I was told.

Evidently a student burned themself on a lamp and now we are not allowed to use them. Please forgive me, but I just don't see the logic in taking a valuable tool away from so many children because one student got hurt! I'm not trying to be insensitive at all; I DO sympathize with any child who may have been hurt, although if we are going to start removing items from the school that hurt us, then here are some ideas I have on making our school a safer place...

We better get rid of all those scalpels in Life Science. "Here's your butter knife kids!" No no...we better just forget dissection, it's far too dangerous!

Uh-oh...Industrial Technology. We better eliminate all sharp objects; screwdrivers, saws, hammers and nails, and don't get me started on power tools! This is just a death trap! How can we allow this in our schools?

Yesterday I got a paper cut. I think we should ban all paper in schools; that would mean books too! Those are like a compilation of razor blades! We must ban all libraries as well! Not only are they sharp and dangerous, but it is also a fire hazard; let's face it, it is a giant room of kindling.

Oh, my goodness! I just realized that I am allowing my students to carry deadly weapons in my classroom! Oh-my, I've even handed them out before. Those sharp objects that you write with. What a catastrophe! We need to get rid of all of those writing utensils.

I kind of wish I could send this to those people who make some of these ridiculous decisions. Many of them are not teachers and never have been, nor will they ever be. It doesn't occur to them that there is so much more to teaching than a textbook. So for all those snoops, who sneak into my classroom and then tell me what I can and can't use, "Shut up and let me teach!"

Cooking Chaos

So, I've concluded that I am much funnier when I am pregnant and can make fun of myself because I tend to be much more absent minded, and do stupid things that I may not normally do. Yesterday afternoon I had one of those "moments."

Yesterday, I was cooking some carrots in my veggie steamer for Jackson so that I could just grind them up and give them to him, rather than doing the little babyfood jars. I filled the bottom of the steamer with extra water since I knew the carrots would take longer. I was busy running around entertaining a 2 year old and lost track of what was going on on the stove.

When I remembered, I thought, "Oh-no, the carrots!"

I didn't think much of it because I didn't forget about them for THAT long, but as I walked toward the stove I noticed that I couldn't hear the water boiling anymore. Instead, I heard a sizzling sound.

'Uh-oh!' was all I could muster as I lifted the lid on the steamer. I quickly replaced the lid when I smelled the sharp, burnt-to-a-crisp smell of the carrot juices charred to the bottom of the pot.

I quickly grabbed the steamer and headed for the garage; I did NOT want that smell in the house, nor did I want our smoke alarms going off for several minutes.

We live in a bi-level, so when I got down to the garage door I realized that I needed another hand to open the door because the pot has two short handles and requires both hands. In my chaotic rush to get the horrid smell outside, I stupidly set the pot on the rug in the foyer, then opened the door. As soon as I set the pot down, I mentally scolded myself for my moment of idiocy. When I grabbed the steamer to pick it up and transfer it outside to the fresh air, the bottom was stuck to the rug.

'Duh! It melted some of the carpet fibers!' I cringed a little, but didn't dwell on it for long.

'Oh, well, let's just get this thing outside,' I told myself. I set it out on the step and then went inside to check on the kids. Yep, still hungry.

'Maybe the carrots are still okay. I'll check.' I was thinking that maybe I could salvage this cooking catastrophe. Actually, they were okay! I don't know how they didn't absorb that nasty smell, but they were saved.

After about twenty minutes, once I had fed Jackson, and Joslynn wanted some too, I went to check on my steamer. (It's one of my favorite kitchen tools.) I was thinking and hoping to myself, 'Please don't be ruined, please don't be ruined.'

The bottom inside of the steamer was black like tar and the bottom of the pot was slightly fuzzy. 'How am I going to get this thing clean?' I asked myself. Well, it turns out that with a green scrubby pad, a plastic scraper and a LOT of elbow grease everything worked out just fine. The kids had their carrots, I got most of the smell outside in time and my steamer is okay to cook another day.

Stwaberwe Moothie

Tonight Joslynn and I shared a strawberry smoothie, although Joslynn's version "stwaberwe moothie" is much cuter. Here we are sharing the yummy stwaberwe goodness!

Easily Entertained

My children seem to be entertained fairly easy. The following are pictures of Joslynn being pulled in an empty diaper box with a dish towel through the handle hole. "Pull, pease!"



















She also loves to walk on the treadmill, do pull ups and hide under the sheets. I don't have pictures of any of those things yet. Maybe soon...

NUMB3RS

Recently, a friend of mine blogged about "numbers" and I was planning to do the same, but got sidetracked by the many things going on in life, but I am finally getting around to it. I now have new numbers to write about, (since I can't remember the other ones.)

• One: days of official "break" that I have left.
• Two: times I've worked out this week.
• Three: times I shoveled the driveway with the recent snow, number of loads of laundry I did today, and number of times that Joslynn has gone poopy in the potty over break.
  
• Four: hours I spent working at school on Monday, & number of pounds I lost in one night from being sick.
• Five: hours I spent helping my brother move into his new house on Wednesday.
  
• Six: days until Josh has to have surgery.
  
• Seven: times I threw up on Wednesday night.
• Eight: hours of sleep I got last night since I went to bed so early.
• Nine: number of steps we have from the foyer to the kitchen/living room. We count as we walk.
• 10++++++: hours I have spent planning astronomy curriculum while on break.
  

Starting Him Early

Josh is starting pretty early with the promotion of wrestling...

Isn't he darling?

Pretend

Joslynn slept in until 6:00 today! We're going to pretend that it really feels like 6:00 even though its just 5:00 in disguise because of daylight savings.

Kat Needs...

I hope I did this right...The ones for Kat were more interesting than the ones for Katherine.

Kat needs...

1. Money to feed her heinous gummy worm addiction.
2. A rest.
3. You!
4. Cookies.
   
5. To stop fooling around.
6. A keyboardist.
7. Coffee
8. Your body to tattoo for a world record.
9. To start posting again.
10. Your prayers.
    

The Negotiator

Josh has recently turned Joslynn on to hamburger pickles. Now, when she wants one, she goes to the frig and says, "Packle" in that adorable little voice. I can't stand them, and think that they stink and so I let her have one at a time. I tell her, "Only one." She responds with, "Two," as she puts out her fingers and counts. She's already negotiating to get what she wants...