Christmas Traditions and an Untraditional Family

You know I haven't been swept up by the Christmas spirit this year. Only because the time has gone by so fast that in my mind it should still be November! But there are some traditions that we keep that serve as a reminder to me that yes indeed Christmas is here. We always decorate sugar cookies. My mom rolls out the dough and cuts and bakes the cookies. Ange and I decorate with frosting made from confectioners sugar and sprinkles. We've done this since I was a baby. Ange and I always argue about who decorates better (for the record its me!) I have pics on mom's camera and I'll post them sooner or later.

I also gave a talk in Church yesterday at our Christmas sacrament meeting. It went pretty well if I do say so myself. :)

Since my dad's accident a new tradition has popped up. A few of his old cronies stop by and visit around this time, also some of the kids he coached call too. This is my favorite new tradition. You see I don't come from a big family, but I have this HUGE family of old football and wrestling coaches and their wives. And since my dad's accident that family has extended to alot of the guys my dad coached in football and wrestling back in the day too. I will get to see them all in a few weeks when they put on a fundraising golf tournament for him. They really are a bunch of great guys and of course they all remember me when I was a baby and used to crawl off with their car keys! I have really been blessed with my untraditional family and I always look forward to seeing them, and hearing them tell old war stories with my dad each year! So Merry Christmas to you and your families both the traditional and the non-traditional! :)

The Countdown is on 7 Days to go!!!

If you looked at the date of this post and did the math I am sure you thought to yourself "Hey what the heck is Sarah talking about?!? there are 11 days till Christmas!" And you would be right. However that's not what I am counting down to. I am counting down to Dec 21. Why you ask? Because that is the day that the kids have their Christmas party and then LEAVE at 12:15 for 2 whole weeks!!! (Insert cheer here). You know I really do love my class, but I am looking forward to my winter break like nobody's business! Next week we are mostly doing "Holiday" activities and learning more about Hanukkah and Kwanza. There is actually very little teaching planned. Why you ask again? Because the chances of me getting those kids to sit still all at once for more than 10 min at a time next week are slim to none!! This week we made Christmas poinsettias and ornaments made out of Cinnamon and applesauce (2 cups of cinnamon, 1 cup of applesauce and cookie cutters are all you need, oh and straws to make a whole in the ornament for the ribbon) and we started to make "stained glass" out of transparency paper and sharpies. You know I got craftier when I joined the Church, but this just takes things to a whole new level! I am tired! Tired of telling the kids not to eat the cinnamon dough mixture while we are making the ornaments, tired of telling them 50 times they can only make 1 stained glass picture, tired of making the boys go sit down when they make farting noises and complain that the cinnamon dough looks like poop, tired of making them rewrite their Christmas traditions paper OVER and OVER and OVER again b/c they don't follow my directions the first 4 times, tired of telling them that we do not have teacher pe today 3 times a week, tired of breaking up skirmishs over someone cutting in line or taking too long at the water fountain.......I could go on and ON
But then they all sing along with my Bing Crosby Christmas CD and I fall in love with them again.
PS Did you know that Disney has an AM radio station? And who are the Jonas Brothers?

Night In Bethlehem

Soo they do this awesome thing at my church in Tampa called night in Bethlehem. You start out in a kind of market place where you can learn about writing Hebrew, play with a dradle, get some food etc. Then a trumpeter calls you for the start of the show. The show is the Nativity and its very well done and then you end up at the church for hot chocolate and cookies! It was fabulous! It was a reminder to me of what the Christmas season is supposed to be about. And I had a great time with my friends as well. I highly reccomend stopping by and seeing it. Its free but they accept canned goods as "taxes". Yes I am starting to be a social butterfly again! Who knows maybe in 2008 I will even date! (but don't hold your breath!) :)

PS Here is the info if anyone wants to go!

A Night in Bethlehem: Sing with shepherds and angels during the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' live nativity tonight, Saturday and Sunday starting at 6:30 p.m. and repeating every half hour until 9 at the church, 7851 Lutz-Lake Fern Road in Lutz. Call (813) 995-2345

Jesus Loves You but I am His Favorite! :)

That is actually a t-shirt slogan I saw in a catalogue. I wanted to buy the shirt buy my mom pointed out that it wasn't very Christlike. But lemme tell you why I am His favorite! :)

So there I was....
I decided to go to one of the local beauty schools to get a facial. Why? Because it only costs $20 and I am worth it! :) I actually got a marvelous girl who was also a massage therapist! Guess who got a 15 min neck and shoulder massage while my mask was drying? Oh that would be me! It was AMAZING! I have not been that relaxed.......EVER! I told the girl that if I were a guy I would propose to her! Turns out she is married so I just gave her a generous tip and I have an appointment with her again in 2 weeks! :) Pretty sure that was my tender mercy from the Lord! No I am not kidding! :) And I am now exfoliating and moisturizing on a regular basis! Who knew? :)

It's beginning to look alot like..............Kwanza?!?

That is the title of a book that you can buy to read your kids at a very low price of $1.99 if you are a teacher. Does anybody know what Kwanza looks like?

Let's see how far we've come!

Sooo my headache didn't get any better and I ended up missing out on Dave's bash. I felt like such a bum so I decided to write him a 30th birthday toast to make up for it. It's pretty good if I do say so myself. I emailed it to him, but there is something wrong with his server so I am posting it on here instead. Dave and I have been friends for 10 years now, which for me is about 5 lifetimes. We've both come along way in the last 10 years and I couldn't ask for a better friend to be by my side on this crazy roller coaster I call life :)

I'll never forget the first time I met Dave. I burst into his apartment in the Lake Claire dorms looking for his roomate, and there he was moving in. I very brightly introduced myself and welcomed him to the neighborhood and he's been a little bit in love with me ever since! :) That was 10 years ago!!! I've watched you grow from being a silly obnoxious pain in the butt who wore nothing but baggy shorts,basketball jerseys and rolled in his mamma's honda to a fine young man who is still silly and sometimes obnoxious but has a better ride :)But seriously you've grown into a smart, successful man who knows what he wants out of life and goes out and gets it.

Ten years is a long time, on the drive to Ft. Lauderdale I wast hinking about some of the events in my life that you've been therefor and here are a few that stuck out to me.

My 21st birthday bash and you even brought a friend for me to make out with! :)
When I tried to drive home drunk you were the one who took my keys got me home and then yelled at me the next day for being so stupid (ironic isn't it?)
When I had only 1 day to move all my stuff out of my apartment into storage and I wasn't going to make it you came and helped me finish moving.
When I decided to convert and become a mormon
When I decided to serve a mission and give my farewell talk before I left for nevada. my family was so mad at me for leaving that they wouldn't come hear me talk. But you drove 4 hours and sat in a christian church for the first time and stood in my family's place.
When I was at the lowest point on my mission and didn't think I would make it, you were the one who told me that I wasn't a quitter and that I was strong enough to make it. Even though you didn't agree with what I was doing you were still there supporting me and cheering me on.
When I decided to move to Utah you were the one who told me that I was running away from home for the wrong reasons and that I would be back(and you were right too).
When I decided to move back to florida and become a teacher you welcomed me with opened arms and only told me "I told you so!" about a thousand times! :)
When I was in love with the wrong boy I called you up crying you listened and comforted me and then calmly explained that obviously he was gay and I shouldn't have anything to do with him.
When I still didn't listen you yelled at me which didn't help at all! But your example of what a loving friendship should be like did, and I walked away.
When that same boy broke my heart you were the one who told me I needed to quit feeling sorry for myself and get back in the saddle again (and you are right about that too)

When I need a shoulder to cry on, a person to laugh so hard I cry with, someone who will wrestle with me and doesn't let me win, someone who is always there to support me but not afraid to stand up to me and tell me when I am doing something stupid, someone I can be my true noholds barred and no walls up self with, someone who knows and understands my family and the relationship I have with them and knows what it means to me. You've seen the good and the bad and the ugly in my life and at the end of the day your still standing by my side cheering me on or kicking my butt, whatever needs to be done at the time. You have no idea what that means to me! Everyone wants to be around when I bring the party with me, but its always surprising how many people take off when things aren't so great. You have been there for the highs and the lows and your friendship is something that I truly cherish. I can honestly say I would not be the person that I've become these last 10 years if it wasn't for your love and friendship. So raise a glass of johnny and coke (minus the johnny for me) to a young man who is smart, talented, classy(sometimes), successful and is always striving to be a better person and live life to the fullest! To Dave, I hope the next 10 years are as much fun as these last 10 have been.
Cheers!

2 Jews and a Mormon are at a Bar.....

NO its not the beginning to a joke, its actually the beginning of my weekend in Ft. Lauderdale. I'm down here visiting my friend Dave for his 30th birthday bash. We meet up with some of his people at the Hard Rock Casino. He PROMISES me we will be home at midnight. And stupid me I fall for it! :) I always feel like where's waldo at these places. Its like which one of these people is not drinking smoking or gambling.....oh yeah that would be ME! But it was nice to just chill with some friends for awhile. And as payback for keeping me out late I locked Dave out of his house till he called me Princess! :) However it seems I am allergic to south florida and I've had a raging headache all day! Ugh does this stink! Tonight is the big party, I'm thinking I'll take my own car so I can get home at a decent time b/c I am getting up early on Sunday to go to Church! When I am good I am really good! But when I'm bad I'm even better! :)

Still putting the fun in dysFUNctional! :)

This is the china my mom and dad got when they got married. We still use it for the holidays. I plan on fighting my sister tooth and nail for this china after my parents have kicked the bucket! :)

Well I survived another crazy holiday with my family. I decided to be more pro-active with my mom about helping out with the preparations. A wise move on my part if I do say so myself since mom usually gets stressed and freaks out thereby stressing ME out. We had minimal stress and really no freak outs which was a nice change. My sister ditched us to hang with her hubby. So it was just mom, dad, me, grandma, my aunt, my lesbian cousin and 3 of her "friends". Ummm I was a little worried about all the strangers coming over. (mom referred to it as lesbian land) but they were all really nice girls (even the one dressed like a boy with a Mohawk)! And they were super nice to my dogs. :) For those of you who don't know I totally judge people by how they treat my dog (and guinea pig). So it worked out.

I had to swing by grandma's last week to pick up the food that she cooked 2 months ago and put in the freezer(she does this for every holiday). Most of it tasted like freezer, so I pitched in and made mashed potatoes and stuffing. We actually had so much food we forgot to put some of the dishes on the table!

Grandma was in rare form! She was in a fighting mood which is never good. She complained about EVERYTHING and tried to give my dog coffee!!!! Apparently her poodle used to love his morning cup of joe. Of course he developed a heart murmur later on in life and died, but hey what does the vet know? Apparently not as much as my grandmother. Some people have grandmas who bake and sew and talk about the good old days. Not me! Mine is mean, complains and threatens to put a bag over her head and kill herself (I keep telling her there are better ways to go, but she has a flare for drama). :) All in all a typical holiday at my house! :) I hope everyone else had a happy thanksgiving! One of these days I will take a pic with my new hairdo and post it, but not today! :)

Teaching on the fly

So I teach Relief Society at church once a month. I love teaching and its a nice change from 9 year olds. I always prepare my lesson about a week before....then I ponder and fine tune my lesson during the week until its just right. It was no exception this week. However about 5 min before the beginning of my lesson I realized that I had carefully pondered and prepared for the WRONG LESSON! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Luckily for me the lesson I should have been preparing for was about the Prophet Joseph Smith, a subject near and dear to my heart.
I personally believe that if you can move people emotionally when you teach or speak in public you are doing a good job. People will usually forget what you've said to them about 10 min after they walk out your door. But they'll never forget how you made them feel! And lets just say that there were very few dry eyes after I was finished with my lesson! Now I'd really like to take credit for this and pat myself on the back about just how fabulous a teacher I really am. And I am pretty fabulous if I do say so myself. However I'll give credit where its due. Thank You Heavenly Father!!! It really was a good lesson and I shared some very emotional things, but I can tell you right now I was being prompted the whole time. I guess sometimes Heavenly Father likes to remind me who is really in charge! :) I hear ya LOUD and CLEAR :)

The finer things in life!

So the weather has finally cooled down here in sunny Florida. And by cool I mean a low of 45 and highs around 75 or so. Its a nice change. I have to say its funny watching all the native Floridians in their leather jackets and boots like there was snow outside! :) My blood is still too thick from living in Utah and Reno. I am sure by next winter it will thin out and I too will be wearing long overcoats and gloves and hats. But for now its just light sweaters and long skirts. I have however carried one thing back with me from my snow days.....ELECTRIC BLANKETS! Now you all are thinking an electric blanket sounds crazier than a long coat in Florida. And you'd be right if I was sleeping underneath the blanket. However I put the electric blanket under my fitted sheet and presto! Its like a slice of pure HEAVEN crawling into bed! Its deee- lightful! And good for my sore muscles too! My friend Charlotte always tries to find something she is thankful for. I am thankful for electric blankets under my fitted sheets in the winter time!

A typical coversation with the kids

Setting: I've just picked them up from lunch and we are headed back to class

Student #1: Do we have teacher PE today?
Me: NO! We have PE on Tuesdays and Thursdays today is NOT a tuesday or a thursday

Student #2: What days do we have teacher PE again?
ME: (sigh) Tuesdays and Thursdays
Student #2: So we don't have PE today?
ME: That's right because its not a Tuesday or a Thursday

Student #3 (raising his hand as we are still in line): Ms. S do we have....
ME (interrupting): "All right everyone stop where you are and give me 5. Listen up! we have teacher PE on TUESDAYS and THURSDAYS! Since today is not a TUESDAY or a THURSDAY please do not ask me again if we have PE because we don't! Let's move out!"

Student #4 (at the back of the line): Ms S do we have PE today?
ME: Are you kidding me? Did you not just hear what I said?!?
Student #4 just looks at me
ME: NO WE DON'T HAVE PE AND WE WILL NEVER HAVE PE AGAIN!

I have this conversation 3 days a week! (on monday's wednesdays and fridays)

I survived my first field trip!!

I will explain why I chose this particular picture in a moment..

So there we were....

The kids have been studying greek amphora's in art class and the art teacher thought it would be fun to take them to the Tampa Museum of Art for a field trip. So off we went! There were alot of greek statues with frontal nudity but the kids handled it really well. Until.... we got to this statue. All of a sudden I see 2 of my boys (incidentally the same 2 who told me the whizzpopper story) peeking around this statue of Neptune. I knew exactly what they were doing....checking out Neptune's WHIZZPOPPER! Of course I start laughing! And that's when they decided to look around to see if the teacher was watching them. And then we ALL started laughing :) And of course everyone had to check out Neptune's backside and that was the highlight of the tour! :) The docent talked NONSTOP! I mean seriously we got a 5 minute lecture on each peice of pottery! My kids are 9 years old! Just be quiet and let them look at the pretty pots and make their own connections! I wanted to stab myself in the eyeball so I can only imagine how the kids felt. Ahhh well we all survived and now you get to see Neptune's very well rounded whizzpopper! :) Enjoy!

Out of the mouths of babes.

Soooo there we were.....

We finished reading The Big Friendly Giant by Roald Dahl last week. The kids LOVED it! They did an awesome job on the AR reading test on it too. Well there is a part in the book where the BFG farts (in the book its called whizzpopping). Of course the kids thought it was funny, but they handled it rather well. However today after school 2 of my boys came up to me and said the following:
"Ms. S did you know that if you whizzpopp and you have a lighter you can set it on fire?"
Of course I am a grown up so what do I do? I start laughing hysterically! And then the other one chimes in "yeah if you go to youtube and type in fire farts you can see it on video" They are 9 years old and they are on youtube!!!! After I calmed down I told them not to try and light their own whizzpops b/c it could backfire and burn their bums. To which they replied "its not a bum its a whizzpopper"! Dang I love my job! :)

Wild and Crazy Hair Day!

So the kids got to have a wild and crazy hair day for selling a bazillion dollars worth of wrapping paper as a fundraiser. I thought you guys would enjoy the pics. Also here are some pics of my classroom including the WALL O'BULLETIN BOARDS which are a little bare b/c I am in the process of changing them.

Wild was definitely an appropriate word for the day. My brain is fried. I am about 1 crisis away from a mental breakdown. My co-workers are all going out and doing a little drinking, which would be a great idea if I was still a drinking woman :) Instead I am going to turn off my brain for the night, and relax tomorrow and probably go to the Temple!

Here's to a relaxing weekend! (Hang-over free)

Halloween Divas

So here are some pics of my dogs. If you can't tell they are dressed up as ladybugs. The little one is mine the other 2 belong to my parents. So cute! It wasn't easy getting all 3 of them to sit still AND look at the camera at the same time! But its fun to dress them up!

My kids at school have been BONKERS all week. Between Halloween, a full moon, and the change in temperature they just don't know what to do with themselves. I'm hoping that tomorrow they will all be crashed from too much sugar. But I doubt it. I myself have eaten way too much candy corn in the last few days and will be starting a no sugar regime tomorrow! I have to say that they are a fun class though. So much personality and such sweethearts! I hope they stay that way! Why do we get such attitudes when we turn into teenagers? Ahh well that's why I'm not in middle school! I hope everyone else had a great Halloween. Definitely post pics if you've got 'em! :)

Home Sweet Home!

Woo-hoo! Dad came home today! We've spent about 4 1/2 of the last 6 weeks at the hospital!!! Oh and that's when I transferred to my new school too (just for a little extra fun). What have I learned from all of this turmoil and chaos?

1. I hate hospitals!
2. I am freaking wonder woman!
3. Even if you are a natural your first year of teaching will be crazy!
4. My team mates rock!
5. I am freaking amazing!
6. I really hate hospitals!
7. God is good!!!

Ice Cream

So my very good friend Anne has this post on her blog and I thought I'd figure out what kind of ice cream flavor I am too :)



I'm pretty sure this is hilarious given that I don't drink coffee. Its actually true right now although its not true all of the time.

Things a Teacher Knows

Well I keep getting this email, its pretty cute so I thought I would make it a post and add my own comments :) Here goes:

1. You can hear 25 voices behind you and know exactly which one belongs to the child out of line.(Absolutely true
2. You get a secret thrill out of laminating something. (I'm not allowed to laminate at my school the media specialist does it for you)
3. You walk into a store and hear the words "It's Ms/Mr. _________" and> know you have been spotted. (so far this hasn't happened yet)
4. You have 25 people that accidentally call you Mom/Dad at one time or another. (this one hasn't happened either)
5. You can eat a multi-course meal in under twenty-five minutes. (sad but true)
6. You've trained yourself to go to the bathroom at two distinct times of the day: lunch and prep period . (also true)
7. You start saving other people's trash, because most likely, you can> use that toilet paper tube or plastic butter tub for something in the > classroom. (never have and hopefully never will)
8. You believe the teachers' lounge should be equipped with a margarita> machine. (only if I was a drinker which I am not
9. You want to slap the next person who says "Must be nice to work 7to 3 and have summers off."(7 - 3?!? yeah more like 6:30 - 4:30)
10. You believe chocolate is a food group. (acutally teaching makes me want to eat healthier b/c I need all the help I can get!)
11. You can tell if it's a full moon without ever looking outside. (Ok this one is absolutely 100% TRUE!)
12. You believe that unspeakable evils will befall you if anyone says "Boy, the kids sure are mellow today." (ha ha also true)
13. You feel the urge to talk to strange children and correct their behavior when you are out in public. (sometimes you don't even have to say anything you just give them the teacher stare)
14. You believe in aerial spraying of Ritalin. (more like more discipline at home)
15. You think caffeine should be available in intravenous form. (its true)
16. You spend more money on school stuff than you do on your own children. (I don't have kids but if I did this would probably be true)
17. You can't pass the school supply aisle without getting at least> five items! (how did they know?!?)
18. You ask your friends if the left hand turn he just made was a "good choice or a bad choice." 19. You find true beauty in a can full of perfectly sharpened pencils ( I HATE the sound of the pencil sharpener)
20. You are secretly addicted to hand sanitizer and finally, (actually I think hand sanitizer will breed the super germ that kills us all)
21. You understand instantaneously why a child behaves a certain way after meeting his or her parents. (give the person who wrote this a prize!)

Good things

Well its been a rough week! It started last Sunday. No one from my branch told me that we moved to the new building and by the way Church now starts at 11:00 am. So I missed Sacrament. Its always a bad week when I miss Sacrament but I had no idea how bad it was going to get. On Monday my principal informs me that she needs to observe me teaching this week (STRESSFUL) on Tuesday my dad went to the ER. On Wednesday they put him in the ICU because he was basically comatose. But that's not what this post is about :) On Thursday I had my observation and it went very well! And on Saturday my dad finally woke up and demanded endless shrimp from Red Lobster. Things are definitely getting better. But that's still not what this post is about! I just want to say thank you to all of my good friends who call and check up on me and who listen to my fears and who have been there through all the ups and downs of my crazy life! I honestly don't think I could have survived any of this without you and I feel so blessed to call so many wonderful people friends. Heavenly Father has been really good to me in so many different ways but especially in the friend department! So pat yourself on the back, or kiss your brain (that's what I tell my kids when they get an answer right) b/c you guys rock! :)

Why My Mom is Amazing

Sooooo here I am. Sitting in the hospital AGAIN with my dad. We had to go to the emergency room last night. My dad has a really bad infection, so bad that its making him incoherent and he hallucinates. But that is not what this post is about. This post is about my mom. I am pretty sure she is one of the most amazing women on this planet. When my dad fell off the roof 10 years ago and became a quadriplegic, the doctors told her that most of the time when this happens the wife ends up leaving the husband and not to feel bad if she decided to leave my dad. She basically told them all to take a leap and has been caring for my dad ever since. There isn't enough space on the Internet to list the sacrifices she's made to do this. Getting up at 4:30am every morning, washing, feeding and getting my dad dressed and undressed every single day to start. Spending the night with him at the hospital when he is sick to make sure nobody messes him up while he is here. Staying on top of all of his different medical conditions and medications and fighting insurance companies so my dad can get the best care possible are just a few of the things she does. And forget about vacations, my dad can't travel. They don't even go to the beach. She still teaches full time too. And she never complains, NEVER. She just loves my dad and that's what you do when you love someone. I'm pretty sure the love they have for each other is celestial and I feel privileged to have grown up around it. I've only seen them argue once in my entire life.....
PLUS even though she spends about 18 hours a day between work and my dad, she still finds the time to make sure I'm doing alright. And she is always doing little sweet thoughtful things for me too. So I'm writing all of this down to remember the next time she asks me to do something I don't feel like doing. Or when we don't agree about something, or when she is trying to get me to be more Christlike and I just don't feel like it :) Thanks Mom! You really are the best!

Bags I carry

Ok so since this is my first foray into the blogging world I decided to post 2 things in one night! :) Lucky YOU!
Sooo there I was attending a workshop on a Saturday to help me teach writing. It was actually a very good workshop and I got paid, and they gave us free stuff. But that's not the point of this post. So one of the instructors (there were 2) was modeling using specific details. She decided to write a piece called "The Bags I Carry". Now for those of you who know me well, you know that nobody has more bags than I do! Which is exactly what I was thinking when she started writing her piece. (Sometimes I am a red at heart). But I kind of liked the idea so I thought I would share with you some of the bags that I carry (especially since I just bought a new one today)

Bag #1 My brand new Vera Bradley tote in mod blue (bought it today):
I bought this bag because all of my other bags were not big enough to hold my laptop, teaching stuff and Vera Bradley lunch box. And by teaching stuff I mean: books, papers to grade: different colored pens b/c I don't grade with a red pen (I still like to be festive though), planning book, copies of stuff I found on the computer for my class etc. Previously I was carrying my purple LL Bean backpack to school, but I look like a kid when I do that and I am trying to at least ACT like a grown up most of the time. I was considering buying the Vera Bradley messenger bag, but about 1/2 the kids at my school are carrying the same bag in various colors and I feel the need to differentiate myself from Elementary Students. Hence the more grown up tote bag. So far so good....AND its reversible! Can it get any better? I submit that it can not!!!!!

Bag#2 My also brand new Vera Bradley laptop case in mod pink (also purchased today):
Bought this one because my laptop was getting scratched up being in my backpack with all my other stuff (see above)

Bag #3 Little Coach bag hobo style in brown, and purple and camel
bought these to carry when I am out and about and actually making an effort to look cute. most of the time I just carry my wallet and cell phone in my pocket b/c I am lazy.

Bag #4 Big Coach Bag in brown saddle and black hampton

also trying to look cute but thought since I am a grown up I should carry a bigger more grown up purse. by the way I should mention that I usually only buy coach leather not the fabric b/c I LOVE coach leather!

Bag #5 Louis Vuitton in any style
This is my imaginary purse that I would like to own but can't really afford. I refuse to buy knock offs. Go real or go home! :)

I have about 3 or 4 other Vera Bradley bags and 1 Kate Spade that I could mention but this post is getting a little long! :) Suffice it to say that I have an obsession with bags and purses! Some say it might be unhealthy but I think a girl has to have some obsessions. Keeps things fun! :)

Open For Business

Ok so I am in my second month of teaching 3rd grade. I am also at my second school, and its COMPLETELY different from my first school! We are talking total 180 here. So I am changing my behavior management plan. I've decided I'm going to start paying my kids! :) That's right they are going to get "bucks" that they can spend at our little classroom store (thank goodness for the dollar store!) Now the catch is that they have to pay me when they don't follow the rules! (insert evil laugh here) So the next time one of my little angels gets out of their seats without asking or shouts out an answer without raising their hand, or forgets their homework they have to give me their money :) I'm kind of curious to see if this works. I'll keep everyone posted. PS What the heck is a "webkinz" and are they expensive? My kids want them for our store.