I made it back to Portland this afternoon, but my poor husband got stuck in Phoenix all day because of a mechanical error with the plane and is now stuck in DC until tomorrow night because that is when the next flight to Munich takes off. I am really bummed out that he had to spend the whole day in the airport alone, but even more bummed out that I was waiting at my gate for an hour not knowing that he was still at the airport! His dad dropped us off this morning and his flight was supposed to take off just about an hour before mine. We waited at his terminal until it was time for him to board and then we said goodbye for another 3 months. Leaving him this time was not as bad as when I left Germany this summer, but we had such a great time together in Arizona that it's hard to go from that to being apart again. Thank goodness for my roomie and cute doggie who picked me up at the airport! When I got home I got a call from Mr. Sneaker saying that he was still in Phoenix (about 5 hours after I left him at the gate). As if his trip back to Germany wasn't long enough--that definitely makes for a LONG trip home. He will be ringing in the new year somewhere over the ocean.
My roomie and I met up with Jill for drinks tonight and then on the way home we made an impromptu trip to Trader Joes and Costco. I have a lot of stuff to get done tomorrow so it was nice to check those off the list without having to deal with the lines. I am glad I have a few days before I go back to school because there is always a lot to get done after traveling and being away from home. I definitely need to check in with my lesson plans and wrap my mind around being back in the classroom in just a few days. Hopefully tomorrow I will sit down and post about my goals for 2011 (one of which is to do more blogging!)
Bad Blogger
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
I feel like I have been such an absentee blogger recently. I used to navigate through my days thinking about what I could post about and so far this school year has kept me so busy I just have not had the time for much writing--aside from my papers and assignments for class. It makes me sad that blogging has taken a back seat, but despite my lack of posting, lots has been going on. I don't think that I have mentioned on here, but I am training for a half marathon with my roommate. The race is in April and I have never run anything longer than a 10K race before, but we have been busily gearing up. We do a long run every Sunday (followed by something warm and yummy from Starbucks) and I try to get in as many workouts as I can during the week. We actually have a whole group that we train with, which is fun because it makes training a little more social than boring. It has been tough to keep a workout schedule with having class two days (or sometimes 4 days a week), but I do my best.
Once I happily reunited with my cute husband last week, we decided to go for a run together since I was missing my long run with the group. Unfortunately, we just don't make good running buddies. My group consists of awesome people who are completely fine with running slowly--we call ourselves turtles and share the goal of just wanting to finish the race rather than focusing on keeping a particular pace or achieving a certain time. We plug away at our miles slow and steady. When I ran with hubs, he kept on encouraging me to run faster and push harder, which is great, but not what I am used to with my running group. Since I am away from the pack this week while spending my break in Arizona, I decided to kick my training up a notch. Despite the beautiful, warm weather, I have been doing my runs on the treadmill which helps me with my pacing. Usually I run at 6.0 on the treadmill which is a ten minute mile because that is a very comfortable pace.
Today, I rocked it out and definitely kicked it up a notch. I ran 7 miles in 60 minutes. My 5K time was 27:10, my 10K time was 52:58 and the overall time was just a hair over an hour. The whole time I was at 6.5 mph or faster. Since we are staying in Sun City which has a minimum age requirement and is the home to lots of elderly people, the treadmills at the gym actually max out at 8.0 mph which is a bit less than an 8 minute mile and I actually felt like I could run faster than that at certain points during the run. I am glad that I found the motivation to get in such a good run and now I know that I need to push myself more!
After our trip to the gym, Mr. Sneaker and I enjoyed a nice dinner with his parents and his grandma and we are now relaxing and watching Wall Street. We skyped with my brother, his wife, and our nieces earlier today and overall it was a great Christmas. Hubs gave me an adidas miCoach and some new running gear which helped with the motivation to get moving a little faster.
He also got me Uggs (yay!), but my favorite gift of all is spending time with him!
I am going to be so sad when we leave AZ next week because we will be apart for another 3 months until spring break and it will be back to the grind. I am taking 4 courses again during Winter term and I need to get my act in gear and start writing my core paper which is the first major paper/presentation of the program. Somehow I managed to get all A's last term which is awesome but given how many times I got sick during the first few months of school, I know that busting my butt has really been taking its toll and stressing me out. It has been SO nice to just relax this past week. I finally finished The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest which I had to restart since it had been so long since I had picked it up and I also read The Hunger Games which I LOVED. We are actually reading it for book club this term, but I decided to read it in advance during break so that it would not be an additional part of my weekly work once my classes start. It is ridiculous how many books I brought with me, but having spare time to just read for pleasure is SO great that I wanted to take full advantage. And, being the total dork that I am, I brought one of my textbooks for next term so I can take a sneak peak and get ready for Winter Term.
Hopefully I will be better about posting because I miss it! Keep checking in!
Too cute
Yesterday I took a sick day to finish recovering from the yuck that was a second attack of strep throat that I was blessed with over the weekend. It felt really stressed to lose an entire weekend to being sick in bed this close to Christmas and my upcoming trip that I needed to take the day--enough said.
Today I was happy to be back with my kiddos although some terribly awful behaviors left me near tears and really frustrated. At one point today, the principal popped in, which she does often, in the midst of me attempting to dispel directions to a group of kids who were completely not listening to me--at all. I was really mortified and frustrated and near tears and sad and the list goes on. Thankfully she pops in often enough to know that I am a good teacher and that this incident was more due to my students completely losing all control than a lack of structure or teaching skills. I still internalize everything which resulted in me being so stressed and upset by said incident I could only stomach a piece of chocolate for lunch.
Anyway, enter my afternoon kiddos. They are the feelers, the artistic ones, the ones with personality...I heart my afternoon class. They asked me how my throat was and if I was feeling better...then my little friend Danny boy says to a student who was talking during morning work--"You have to listen to Mrs. Sneaker because she is really sick right here (and points to his neck). He didn't really know the exact specific location of where strep throat occurs, but he was very concerned about my throat.
Their behavior today was not stellar but if it wasn't for that class, I don't know how I would survive....I know for sure that the first day back after Winter break will be reminiscent of the first day of school for the morning class. I plan to reteach every routine and have those kiddos practice until they prove they actually do remember that there are rules in the classroom. This group can either be stellar or really awful and unfortunately, I missed their awesome behavior yesterday because they were great for Jill. Friday was not good and neither was today. I have been in really good contact with the parents of the three friends in particular who are really acting up and have had good conversations where I felt like we are on the same page and they are supporting my rules at home, yet the behavior in school still gets really bad. And when three are acting up at once, it makes it really hard to get much accomplished.
Winter break will be both much needed and appreciated! 3 more days until hubs!
Today I was happy to be back with my kiddos although some terribly awful behaviors left me near tears and really frustrated. At one point today, the principal popped in, which she does often, in the midst of me attempting to dispel directions to a group of kids who were completely not listening to me--at all. I was really mortified and frustrated and near tears and sad and the list goes on. Thankfully she pops in often enough to know that I am a good teacher and that this incident was more due to my students completely losing all control than a lack of structure or teaching skills. I still internalize everything which resulted in me being so stressed and upset by said incident I could only stomach a piece of chocolate for lunch.
Anyway, enter my afternoon kiddos. They are the feelers, the artistic ones, the ones with personality...I heart my afternoon class. They asked me how my throat was and if I was feeling better...then my little friend Danny boy says to a student who was talking during morning work--"You have to listen to Mrs. Sneaker because she is really sick right here (and points to his neck). He didn't really know the exact specific location of where strep throat occurs, but he was very concerned about my throat.
Their behavior today was not stellar but if it wasn't for that class, I don't know how I would survive....I know for sure that the first day back after Winter break will be reminiscent of the first day of school for the morning class. I plan to reteach every routine and have those kiddos practice until they prove they actually do remember that there are rules in the classroom. This group can either be stellar or really awful and unfortunately, I missed their awesome behavior yesterday because they were great for Jill. Friday was not good and neither was today. I have been in really good contact with the parents of the three friends in particular who are really acting up and have had good conversations where I felt like we are on the same page and they are supporting my rules at home, yet the behavior in school still gets really bad. And when three are acting up at once, it makes it really hard to get much accomplished.
Winter break will be both much needed and appreciated! 3 more days until hubs!
Christmas Fun
Since I am still sick in bed, of course I started my morning my reading blogs. I saw this on According to Ashley and wanted to borrow it. I love everything Christmas, so I really had fun answering these questions.....
Wrapping paper or gift bags? Mostly wrapping paper. One of my favorite things about the holiday is wrapping gifts.
Real tree or artificial? Our tree was always real when I was growing up. Ever since I married a Californian, we have had a fake tree.
When do you put up the tree? Usually right after Thanksgiving!
When do you take the tree down? Before New Year's
Do you like eggnog? Sometimes, but mostly no. I think just eggnog ice cream.
Favorite gift received as a child? Well let's see, I am pretty sure that my first Cabbage Patch doll was a Christmas gift and she is still in my bedroom at my parents' house. Florrie was one of those gifts that was very special and considering I still have her, I would say she was definitely a favorite.
Hardest person to buy for? My husband!
Do you have a nativity scene? Always did growing up. I have a small one of my own, but this year my holiday stuff is split between storage in Germany and storage in Portland so I don't have it up.
Mail or email Christmas cards? Usually I mail although this year I didn't send any out. I love to send a photo card, but since hubs and I have not gotten any good photos recently as a result of being apart, I may wait and send a New Year's Card after we see each other over Christmas.
Favorite Christmas movie? Love Actually, The Santa Clause Series
When do you start shopping for Christmas? Usually the day after Thanksgiving or sometimes sooner. This year I knew I wouldn't be going back East for Christmas so I did my holiday shopping for my family back in July when I was visiting and left the gifts there!
Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes.
Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Honey Baked Ham
Lights on the tree (colored or clear)? Clear
Favorite Christmas song? Carol of the Bells, especially the version from the Trans Siberian Orchestra. Awesome! Also a big fan of All I Want for Christmas is You (especially this year!)
Travel at Christmas or stay home? We always travel. Usually it's from Oregon to Connecticut where my family is. Last year it was from Germany to CT, and this year we are going to Arizona to be with my in-laws, so I will enjoy a very short flight for once, and hubs is flying out from Germany on Wednesday. Cross your fingers he gets out okay because they have a lot of snow!
Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Of course I can! Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donnor, Blitzen, and Rudolph!
Angel, star, or ribbon at the top of the tree? Star
Open present Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? My family tradition growing up was always to open on Christmas Day. Now that my brother and I are older and he has kids, we sometimes open each others' presents on Christmas Eve. My husband's family tradition is to open presents on Christmas Eve, so this year I will have a new experience!
Favorite children's Christmas song? I think all Christmas songs are for grownups too!
Most annoying thing about this time of year? Crowded stores or buying something and then seeing it on sale for less but not having the receipt or item with me to get a price adjustment
Favorite ornament theme or color? Every year since my birth, my mom has gotten me a dated Hallmark ornament, so I now have a collection of 29. It is so fun to look back at each year and remember why that particular ornament was chosen.
Turkey or ham on Christmas day? We do Ham usually on Christmas Eve, but my sister-in-law usually does beef on Christmas. A little Roast Beast like in the Grinch?
What do you want for Christmas this year? To be with my husband and to cherish every moment of those two weeks....and Uggs.
Does anyone in your family dress up as Santa? When I was little we used to have Christmas Eve at my Grandma's house and the men took turns dressing up as Santa. One year it was my dad and I remember kind of figuring it out, but my parents swore it wasn't him.
Age you discovered who Santa was? Can't remember. To me Santa represents the spirit of giving which I like to think is alive and well!
Egg nog, hot chocolate, or apple cider? Hot Chocolate, especially the way my roomie makes it with a little butterscotch schnapps!!
Traditional colors (red & green) or other colors? I love silver too, but yes red and green are the typical holiday colors for me.
Do you have any Christmas decorations on your roof? Nope.
How does Santa get into your house? Chimney or magic key? Good question.
Do you prefer gifts or gift cards? I like both. I love receiving a gift that someone picked out for me, but I also love getting the chance to shop after Christmas.
Favorite children's Christmas cartoon? Don't really have one. I do however, really enjoy Pee Wee Herman's Christmas Special...I know that sounds weird, but I do.
Wrapping paper or gift bags? Mostly wrapping paper. One of my favorite things about the holiday is wrapping gifts.
Real tree or artificial? Our tree was always real when I was growing up. Ever since I married a Californian, we have had a fake tree.
When do you put up the tree? Usually right after Thanksgiving!
When do you take the tree down? Before New Year's
Do you like eggnog? Sometimes, but mostly no. I think just eggnog ice cream.
Favorite gift received as a child? Well let's see, I am pretty sure that my first Cabbage Patch doll was a Christmas gift and she is still in my bedroom at my parents' house. Florrie was one of those gifts that was very special and considering I still have her, I would say she was definitely a favorite.
Hardest person to buy for? My husband!
Do you have a nativity scene? Always did growing up. I have a small one of my own, but this year my holiday stuff is split between storage in Germany and storage in Portland so I don't have it up.
Mail or email Christmas cards? Usually I mail although this year I didn't send any out. I love to send a photo card, but since hubs and I have not gotten any good photos recently as a result of being apart, I may wait and send a New Year's Card after we see each other over Christmas.
Favorite Christmas movie? Love Actually, The Santa Clause Series
When do you start shopping for Christmas? Usually the day after Thanksgiving or sometimes sooner. This year I knew I wouldn't be going back East for Christmas so I did my holiday shopping for my family back in July when I was visiting and left the gifts there!
Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes.
Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Honey Baked Ham
Lights on the tree (colored or clear)? Clear
Favorite Christmas song? Carol of the Bells, especially the version from the Trans Siberian Orchestra. Awesome! Also a big fan of All I Want for Christmas is You (especially this year!)
Travel at Christmas or stay home? We always travel. Usually it's from Oregon to Connecticut where my family is. Last year it was from Germany to CT, and this year we are going to Arizona to be with my in-laws, so I will enjoy a very short flight for once, and hubs is flying out from Germany on Wednesday. Cross your fingers he gets out okay because they have a lot of snow!
Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Of course I can! Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donnor, Blitzen, and Rudolph!
Angel, star, or ribbon at the top of the tree? Star
Open present Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? My family tradition growing up was always to open on Christmas Day. Now that my brother and I are older and he has kids, we sometimes open each others' presents on Christmas Eve. My husband's family tradition is to open presents on Christmas Eve, so this year I will have a new experience!
Favorite children's Christmas song? I think all Christmas songs are for grownups too!
Most annoying thing about this time of year? Crowded stores or buying something and then seeing it on sale for less but not having the receipt or item with me to get a price adjustment
Favorite ornament theme or color? Every year since my birth, my mom has gotten me a dated Hallmark ornament, so I now have a collection of 29. It is so fun to look back at each year and remember why that particular ornament was chosen.
Turkey or ham on Christmas day? We do Ham usually on Christmas Eve, but my sister-in-law usually does beef on Christmas. A little Roast Beast like in the Grinch?
What do you want for Christmas this year? To be with my husband and to cherish every moment of those two weeks....and Uggs.
Does anyone in your family dress up as Santa? When I was little we used to have Christmas Eve at my Grandma's house and the men took turns dressing up as Santa. One year it was my dad and I remember kind of figuring it out, but my parents swore it wasn't him.
Age you discovered who Santa was? Can't remember. To me Santa represents the spirit of giving which I like to think is alive and well!
Egg nog, hot chocolate, or apple cider? Hot Chocolate, especially the way my roomie makes it with a little butterscotch schnapps!!
Traditional colors (red & green) or other colors? I love silver too, but yes red and green are the typical holiday colors for me.
Do you have any Christmas decorations on your roof? Nope.
How does Santa get into your house? Chimney or magic key? Good question.
Do you prefer gifts or gift cards? I like both. I love receiving a gift that someone picked out for me, but I also love getting the chance to shop after Christmas.
Favorite children's Christmas cartoon? Don't really have one. I do however, really enjoy Pee Wee Herman's Christmas Special...I know that sounds weird, but I do.
It's back....
Yesterday afternoon I started having a sore throat and by late evening, I was having all the same symptoms of strep that I had last month. I went to the doctor this morning, and sure enough, my throat culture was positive. They put me on a different kind of medicine this time and also gave me Tylenol with Codeine which helps a lot. I can't believe I have gotten strep twice in the past month! Crazy. I had to cancel my hair appt which I made MONTHS ago because I am contagious and I just feel awful. I also have to miss our staff holiday party :0( Bummer.
I think I may take a sick day on Monday just to give my body enough time to really recover. I have had kids absent here and there, but it seems like I am picking up illnesses from them left and right! I feel like this last week before Arizona is going to fly by and I don't want to risk being under the weather when I finally get to see Mr. Sneaker again!
At least since I am not really up for doing anything besides lying in bed, I can get some reading done. I have a stack of about 15 books that I need/want to read!
I think I may take a sick day on Monday just to give my body enough time to really recover. I have had kids absent here and there, but it seems like I am picking up illnesses from them left and right! I feel like this last week before Arizona is going to fly by and I don't want to risk being under the weather when I finally get to see Mr. Sneaker again!
At least since I am not really up for doing anything besides lying in bed, I can get some reading done. I have a stack of about 15 books that I need/want to read!
Success!
Today was the meeting that I planned for the Latino families in my two classes. I had moms and dads from 7 different families come and they stayed just about an hour talking with me. At first, it was a little awkward. I didn't plan an agenda and I didn't want to do a presentation or just talk to them. I wanted to hear from them and get them talking and sharing with me about what is going well and what I might be able to do to make their experience better. By the end of the hour, they were conversing and sharing and I thought it went really well. I don't know exactly how I sounded trying to pull it off in Spanish, but I was able to understand what they were saying and they said that when I communicate with them in Spanish, they are able to understand me (so I must be making some kind of sense!).
I tried to express to them why I wanted to have this meeting and basically it's because I want to make sure that I am supporting their having equal access to information about our Kindergarten program and I want them to feel comfortable enough with me to volunteer in the classroom, ask me questions when things don't make sense, or offer feedback/ideas/suggestions.
We talked about a lot of different things during the hour and I really hope that they felt it was worth their time and a positive experience. Luckily two families were there that I have gotten to know a bit better through working with them on the PASS team, so I felt very supported and encouraged by them. All three of those parents are completely bilingual, so I felt better knowing that if I got stuck in trying to say something, I could ask for help.
I talked a bit about the literacy bags and had two parents ask me for permission slips which they signed and turned in. So far I have a little over half of each class signed up to participate, which is good, however I was hoping to get everyone involved. I decided to go the permission slip route because I want to make sure that families are taking responsibility since the items cost a LOT of money (which I thankfully got through donations) and in order to keep this process going all year, everybody needs to do their share of caring for the materials and returning them on time. I don't want to send bags home and never see them again. I have talked to my students each day this week about the importance of bringing a permission slip because if they don't, I won't send a bag home with them on Friday. I am guessing that some kids are going to get upset when they don't get one, but that is how it has to be.
I am exhausted after feeling a bit stressed over the parent meeting, so it's time for a little relaxation! Only one week until hubs is back in the US and 9 days until I see him!
I tried to express to them why I wanted to have this meeting and basically it's because I want to make sure that I am supporting their having equal access to information about our Kindergarten program and I want them to feel comfortable enough with me to volunteer in the classroom, ask me questions when things don't make sense, or offer feedback/ideas/suggestions.
We talked about a lot of different things during the hour and I really hope that they felt it was worth their time and a positive experience. Luckily two families were there that I have gotten to know a bit better through working with them on the PASS team, so I felt very supported and encouraged by them. All three of those parents are completely bilingual, so I felt better knowing that if I got stuck in trying to say something, I could ask for help.
I talked a bit about the literacy bags and had two parents ask me for permission slips which they signed and turned in. So far I have a little over half of each class signed up to participate, which is good, however I was hoping to get everyone involved. I decided to go the permission slip route because I want to make sure that families are taking responsibility since the items cost a LOT of money (which I thankfully got through donations) and in order to keep this process going all year, everybody needs to do their share of caring for the materials and returning them on time. I don't want to send bags home and never see them again. I have talked to my students each day this week about the importance of bringing a permission slip because if they don't, I won't send a bag home with them on Friday. I am guessing that some kids are going to get upset when they don't get one, but that is how it has to be.
I am exhausted after feeling a bit stressed over the parent meeting, so it's time for a little relaxation! Only one week until hubs is back in the US and 9 days until I see him!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)