Just Sayin

If the ACT, SAT, GRE, or PPST had been made only of typing word verifications...I would not have a Bachelor's or Master's degree. Probably not even a high school diploma.

I am really lousy at those things!

Weekend's End

It's day three of a three-day weekend. It's 6:00 p.m.
Bummer.

Really, I only have four more days of work. Then a nice, eight week break. Whew.

The weekend was thrilling, what with the marathon of laundry and mopping of tile floors.

We did suffer the loss of our PC. The one we bought when we got married. Our first big purchase together. As it approached its seventh birthday, it decided to crap out. With no warning.

Today we shopped around, comparing prices and GB and RAM. We ended up with a low end from WoolMort, a step up from the dinosaur we had been using. It has a shiny new wide screen monitor, which is quite lovely.

We were also able to take the hard drive from the dinosaur and put it in a case that turns it into an external hard drive, thanks to a geek squad member at Bast Buuy. It worked, thus salvaging '08 pictures that had yet to be backed up.

My home is filled with tiny bottles of personal hygiene supplies, in preparation for our trip to the beach. We leave Saturday. A trip like that should be nothing but exciting. I'm a much more anxious traveler with kids, especially since we'll also be with my parents/siblings/etc. It's rough to be the baby in the family, they are all seasoned parents/travelers/etc. I am a novice, a position I am not comfortable in. I'm fussing over packing, flight itineraries, airport security, etc.

Other than that, all is peachy. The hot dogs are grilling, the beans are baking, I'm sipping a Red Stripe. Life is grand.

I can't help but feel that summer is here. It's Memorial Day. Folks back home went to the family plots today and placed flowers, praying for those gone before us. Something I miss now that I've transplanted to the city. One thing I will say ~ I'm the granddaughter of two WWII vets. The daughter of two baby boomers. Of that I am proud. I am proud to be a citizen of this nation. Of this state.

Four more days of school and then we are leaving on a jet plane.
We'll be back again.

Summer is just around the next turn.
I am so pleased.

Cheers!

The Talk

Today I taught a group of 12 teenagers with special needs about how the endocrine system tells the reproductive system to wake up around the age of 12. And that's how you start to mature.

I got through a chapter using the words penis, vagina, testicles, and puberty without giggling once. I even gave the 'mom' look to a few who couldn't help it.

I take this as a sign that perhaps I am finally a grown up.
Maybe.

And how was your day?

Even in the City

The kids can run in and out the back door, feeling the freedom that I did as a child. With the security of a fenced backyard, gates they cannot open, and windows on the back of the house that let me watch what they are doing, I feel good about letting them feel that way. Of being wild. Free. There is enough dirt and fresh air for them to have some real fun.

The lilacs and flowering trees in neighboring yards and our own fill the air with scents of spring. The floral notes fill the air.

People actually fly hot air ballons - hot air balloons! - as a hobby. They take off from a nearby lake and fly right over our yard. "Mommy! Hey Mommy! Come look! Bawoon! Hey! Whoa!!!" Mason could not have been more pleased.

Dreaming of Sun and Sand

We're going to the beach!

In less than four weeks (three weeks from Saturday) we are flying out to a sunny beach in Florida to CELEBRATE with my family. My nephew has completed chemotherapy and has beat leukemia. There is no doubt - he has beaten the beast for good. So his finish line? The family spending a week at a beach house. 8 adults/9 kids.

So we're flying. Hubs and I haven't flown for seven years. Definitely haven't flown with kids. Aren't even sure how. We all have a seat on the plane (no lap sitting) and the kids will have car seats. We'll bring an umbrella stroller for Little Man.

But I'd still take any advice, tips, lessons learned. I'm just not sure what I even need to know. I want it to be relaxing and a true vacation. But the thought of a four-year old and a two-year old in the airport and then at the beach is not all that relaxing to me.

Help. Please!

Kill Joy

"I remember being this busy last year. I remember being stressed. I'm not sure why I don't remember feeling so very tired," said Melanie to a co-worker this morning. Then, "I laid right on the carpet, face down, last night while I waited for the computer to turn on."

It's that time of year again.
The only thing I can think to write about is to whine about my job.

My great job.
My job that fulfills my need to extend my hand to folks with disabilities. My need to do paperwork (why do I love paperwork so? I just don't know). My need to handle office supplies. I really love sticky notes. I have an unhealthy affection for Sharpies. Also ink pens. Paper clips. My love of an office. Any office.

I have this fantastic career that pays well, in my opinion. Many people disagree. I don't. I work 194 days a year. I make a decent "hourly" wage. I make more than a big percentage of the population.

It provides what we need. Coupled with the Hubs' salary.
We could be richer. We could be poorer.

Then, why oh why, do I feel the need to whine about how tired, stressed, over-extended, burnt out, used and abused I am.

Oh poor, poor middle class teacher lady.

It will pass. The whining. It really will.

Lovely summer posts coming soon.

Four more weeks!
Summer lovin', comin' to a blog near you!

Also - the recent spring weather (that came just two days ago) has my heart filled with joy. I smell spring in the air. Finally. I smile when I leave the school building. I feel the sunshine and it brightens my being. Yet, I can only think of the whining.
It will pass.