Forgotten and Outgrown

Have you ever gone looking for something and run across a toy that your youngest child would have loved to play with about 6 months ago, but now seems to old for? I have, and it makes me sad.

We're gonna make America skinny again, one slap at a time.

Slap Chop has the most entertaining infomercial I have ever seen. Vince has so many one-liners worth repeating, it's slightly overwhelming. Enjoy!

Large Personal Space

Sarah has a large personal space. Anyone who knows Sarah well understands and respects that. The last thing Sarah wants to do is spend any time with a "close talker", if you know what I mean.

Sarah was in science class a few weeks ago when something horrifying happened. She was turned in her swivel chair, typing away, while the parapro sat cutting out laminating at the desk, facing the students. This is when a student (let's call her "H"), snuck around the desk, ignoring the parapro competent of answering a question, and poked Sarah in the back of her right arm. Dear. God.

Preventing explosion, Sarah took a deep breath and slowly turned around. "H" was standing there, smiling and posing as if to appear cute, and misunderstood the turnaround as a cue to begin talking.

"Mrs. Spencer, I was wondering if we needed to do all of the diagram or just..." I believe she stopped talking because "H" saw Sarah's face. No one pokes Sarah and gets away with it.

"H" will not be poking Sarah again. Ever.

What to Blog About?

What should I blog about tonight? I know that when I started this blog, way back when, Amy emailed me a list of topics that I could possibly blog about, but I can't find it. Plus, it is all probably pretty irrelevant now. Or maybe not. I can't remember what was on the list.

Speaking of remembering stuff, why is it that I am able to remember who gave Grace, Robby, or Lily a baby toy or outfit and for what reason, but I can't remember why I go into the basement? Why is it that Rob can remember obscure sports facts, actors in movies we've only seen once, and the name of every "oldies" alternative band and every one of their songs and I can't remember what I wore to school the day before? It's sad when I have to look in the hamper in the morning and check.

I digress. What should I blog about? No one is really interested in what I do day to day. I would love to blog about my students at school and the lack of maturity, but I do want to keep my job in this economic crisis. Maybe once in awhile I could, but I can't be specific. I could make lists. I'm really darn good at lists (much to Rob's chagrin), but I don't think people would appreciate my lists as much as I would hope. I could blog about TV, but so many people are doing that already. Has anyone read Nikki Stafford's blog? I really like her writing, and she writes mostly about TV, including some shows that I watch like Lost, The Office, and Friday Night Lights. I highly recommend her blog. Actually, I visited that site just now and read the last couple entries. I forgot I was blogging. Oops.

So, if anyone would like to email me and give me suggestions of what I should blog about, I would be grateful. Plus, then I could postpone writing sub plans and working on stuff for school as long as humanly possible.

The Epic Music War

Rob and I are on a mildly competitive music war with our children.

Rob has been playing Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero World Tour in the evenings "occasionally". Lily has taken to dragging a chair over to the drum set, picking up the drumsticks, and letting loose. When she is not drumming, she is grabbing a microphone and singing "la la" into it. Robby likes to play the drums, but tends to get excited and speed up until he is at least two times faster than the beat. Grace likes to play the drums and the guitar, of which she is really pretty good on both. (Guitar Hero 2 has a beginner level that allows beginners to play on just the beat and not worry about the colors.) Because of all the rock they are playing, one can sometimes hear someone (typically Robby) singing "Livin' on a Prayer" and "Beat It". It used to be "I Am the Greatest Man Who Ever Lived" before Christmas. Pretty cute.

In addition to the rock influence, I am trying to expose the kids to other types of music. For example, on the way to and from school this past week, we experienced a '70s flashback, a showtunes extravaganza (Wicked, A Chorus Line, The Sound of Music, etc.), a High School Musical 3 concert, and a swashbuckling array of pirate tunes. It's great when Lily is wiggling in her seat to the music while sucking her thumb. Robby has been choreographing various routines for the various genres of music. Grace belts out a tune until someone looks at her in the mirror or from across the seat. Then it is whisper-singing.

I hope that our kids have my love of most every kind of music, but Rob's ability to remember song titles and lyrics. That would be awesome. If they could carry a tune, that would be even better.

6 More Wake-ups!

Only 6 more wake-ups until school is out for Christmas break! Yippee! Our break is cram-packed with fun, but there should be some time to relax. I hope to go outside to play with the kids, maybe to go sledding or build a snowman. We'll see, though, because I am not so keen on getting cold right now. It's so hard to warm up.

Speaking of being cold, Rob and I splurged on ourselves and got a heated mattress pad for our bed. It is so nice. I would highly recommend one, even if it does make getting out of bed in the morning incredibly difficult.

So besides going outside, I hope to take the kids to see The Tale of Despereaux, not get out of my PJs for at least one day, get some picture frames hung, and clear my Recorded TV list. That sounds like a pretty good To-Do list, doesn't it?

Changes in Matter

While at Matt and Erin's house on Sunday, Robby and Grace got to choose 4 coins from the coin jar. Grace managed to lose only one on the way home. With the remaining three coins, she asked to buy something off of the snack cart at school lunch. We don't normally let her buy treats off this snack cart since she gets healthy, nutritious, satisfying lunches packed from home. However, Sarah relented just this once and let Grace use her change to buy something.

Rob picked up Robby and Lily that afternoon from daycare and then Grace from school. While on the step inside, Robby exclaimed, "Ewwww! What's that?!?"

Hanging up Lily's coat, Rob notices the drips of something and asks the kids if any of them had juice in their bags.

"Oh no," Grace moans and runs to put her lunch bag in sink. "I bought ice cream today, and I didn't have enough time to eat it. It melted."

Rob cleaned the melted ice cream out of Grace's lunch bag and explained changes in the states of matter to our little scientist.

My Wiki

I have made a wiki for use as my class website. Could someone please proofread this before it is linked to my name on the school website? I am still working on the Coming Up Next page, so that will be ready for viewing later this week or weekend. I would also appreciate it if you email me any suggestions, whether it is about the content or aesthetic nature of the site. Thanks!

Funniest Preview to a Preview I Have Ever Seen

Have you heard of the upcoming movie Bolt? Before the preview was shown at tonight's HSM 3 viewing, there was a special preview to the preview that I found hilarious. Here it is:

HSM 3

I took Grace to see HSM 3 in the movie theater this evening, and I have never had a better people watching experience. There were so many tweeny boppers there with their moms, dads, and friends. I'm really surprised that I didn't run into any of my students.

The movie itself was alright. Acting was more believable, singing was a bit stronger, and the overall theme was just as predictable as the first two HSMs. But I'm serious about the crowd. That's what made the movie. The clapping after each song... The cheering when Troy showed up at Stanford... The squealing when any close-ups of the boys were shown... OMG.

After observing this audience this evening, I solemnly predict that I only have 3 years, tops, to enjoy doing things with just Grace and have her enjoy doing things with just me. Most girls at the show were about 3rd to 6th grade and were there with their friends. They didn't even sit by their moms! I know, I know. It seems naive; all tweens are going to push away their moms at some point. I see it happen as a teacher. I'm just sad when I think that I have such limited time to spend with my little sweet pea before she pushes me away.

Constant Noise

Rob and I both appreciated this F Minus cartoon by Tony Carrillo this morning.

Robby is constant noise. Lord above. Constant. He doesn't stop, no matter how much we beg/plead/yell/weep. With toys, he has them battle and dive bomb each other. Without toys, his fingers argue, dive bomb, and zoom past imaginary buildings. He can sit still, but I am worried that in kindergarten, he will be the one the teachers talk about.

"Man, have you heard that Spencer kid? Holy crap! He doesn't shut up! He was reinacting some World War II battle with his crayons during writing workshop. There was buzzing, crashing, and some tiny voice shrieking for help. I'm worried. Do you think his parents know?"

Yes, we know.

Lament of a Rock Band 2 Widow

My children want to play along. I am humming it without knowing. Rob could barely sleep last night. I do like hearing the songs, most of which I enjoy. However, I would like some eye contact by my husband in the near future. :) I love you, Sweetie!

Answer the Damn Question!

Can Sarah Palin answer a question that is given to her? Really how hard is it to participate in a debate and answer the question. I can't wait to see Tina Fey just run with this on SNL this weekend.

You Wanna Piece of Me?!?

Grace dropped from the monkey bars after school on Wednesday and ended up with a distal radius ulna fracture, or a broken wrist. Oops! She had X-rays Wednesday evening and got her cast Friday morning. Grace even got to choose the color. She has been a very brave girl throughout the whole experience, which makes Rob and I very proud.

I blame McDonald's.

Every year when I see these signs throughout Ortonville, I weep for all of those huge children being sold.

I also call Amy to see if she wants to buy any.

I Love Science!

I suppose you've heard about the new Large Hadron Collider. Very cool. I am so excited about the possibility of new discoveries in astronomy, physics, atomic theory, etc. Even the idea of all these scientists working together to complete it is inspirational.

I don't understand it all very well, but I tried to explain what I did know to my students. Some even went home and impressed/confused their parents. This rap video, done by an MSU student, will help those not too science-literate understand a bit more. Check it out!

Sarah Talks Politics

Watching the conventions has been difficult for me. I think the hardest part has been trying to sleep after watching some speeches. How on Earth can these people believe this way? Have they not seen the U.S.? I mean the entire U.S., not just the suburban areas? I am just astonished, and frankly, a bit disappointed in many Americans and their blinders.

I get so frustrated. It's too bad that no one can hear my witty retorts to their hypocritical remarks. Except Rob. Sorry, Rob. I owe you.

Politics completely and utterly suck.

Their our Alot off Typo's!!!

It is a very good thing that I did not hear about the Typo Hunt Across America. I would have gladly participated, most likely resulting in probabtion just like my idols Jeff Deck and Benjamin Herson of the Typo Eradication Advancement League (TEAL).

Due to the new laws in Michigan, I would have to notify my personnel department at school if I was convicted of any crime. However, would they be upset since as a language arts teacher, I would have been fixing public typos?

See http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/08/22/sign.vandals.ap/index.html for the whole story.

It's a Success!

We had our garage sale this past weekend. Amy, Alicia, Addy, and Madison came down to help and try to sell some stuff that hadn't sold in their garage sale last weekend. We were going to have just one mammoth garage sale this past weekend at Amy and Lisa's, but we decided that we had way too much crap to haul up. It would have taken several trips in the van, which would have had us spending whatever we made on gas. So Amy and Lisa had their own earlier.

Rob and I had been purging our house, as I had mentioned on my previous blog entry. No, Mom, we didn't sell any of the Polish pottery. We just sold the things we haven't used in over a year and did not ever anticipate using again. So, yes, we did sell the baby stuff. It was bittersweet, and I was all emotional at times. Poor Alicia had to witness both Amy and me tearing up throughout the weekend, especially when we had to pack up. Then, on my way to drop the remaining items off at St. Vincent's and the Salvation Army, I was very emotional. *sigh* I just need to rememeber that it is all just stuff. It wasn't doing me any good. It was just taking up space. (Besides, I kept a few things that I couldn't bear to part with that no one else would find nearly as precious as I do.)

Speaking of space, we filled (and I mean filled) six 6-foot tables and a large table made from sawhorses and a piece of paneling from our basement. We also had items filling a 5-shelf system, a garment rack, and lots of stuff lining the driveway (out to almost the end on the right and out about halfway on the left). Lots of stuff. And as Amy said, I priced it to move. I did not want to make more than one trip to donate the remaining items.

Business as a whole was pretty slow. We didn't have anyone buy anything on Saturday until around 10:30, and we had opened at 8:00. I was worried, but while Rob and I left to test drive our new car, Amy sold her little heart out. Apparently, she could have had a promising career in retail, too. In the end, we made quite a bundle, and Amy made almost enough to cover her dumbness. :)

Here's hoping that I don't stay too attached to "stuff", that I can have a garage sale again next summer, and that I don't have nearly that much stuff again to sell.

Just a Quick Stop, Then We're Off!

Some people stay in hotels over the summer. We seem to visit our house like a hotel instead. We are home for an astonishing 68 hours before leaving again, this time for Tennessee. The only problem is, no maid comes in to make the beds, empty the trash, clean the bathroom, etc. Although we aren't really home that much to mess it up.

Amy's blog is right. The worst thing about vacation is the thinking about everything that has to be done when you get back. Now granted, we don't have to haul our camping stuff downstairs. That sure does make it easier. But we tend to still bring in several loads of crap, from laundry to dirty dishes to purchases made while on vacation. It seems to get deposited by the front door, making a nice "gate" to keep Lily away from the stairs. However, it is a not-so-pleasant reminder of what still needs to be done.

Luckily, Rob and I, in between Rockband, surfing the Internet, NCAA Football '09, lounging on carpeting and comfy couches, and Wii, have managed to unpack and put away everything, do all the laundry, put it away, and pack for this next trip. Makes me tired just thinking about it.

That's the thing, though. I don't get overwhelmed about laundry, dishes, or cleaning when I am camping. It's not that we don't do it. The camper still gets cleaned and swept. The outside mat gets swept. Toys and books get put away. Dishes are done and put away before we go to bed each night.

I think it is that we take only what we need. Anything extra is scrutinized as to whether or not it is worth the extra space to store it. When Rob and I come home, we see everything that needs to be done and all the crap we have accumulated and don't need. It's nice to have some of the stuff, but why have so much that we barely use a couple of times each year?

Some things are important to me, and I love my collections. But as I look around, I realize that I don't need or want quite a bit of what I have. How do I go about purging the unnecessary to unearth the things most important and dear to me? The garage sale is a good start, but I need more. I need to find a good charity that would appreciate the crap I like, but don't need.

Coming back from our long vacation is like seeing my house through refreshed eyes. Do I really need to redo the kitchen soon? No, it is functional right now. Not ideal or beautiful, but it works for us. Do I need to redo my bathrooms? Yes. Crappy sinks and floor=crabby Sarah. Do I need to fix my landscaping? Yes, both in the front yard and in the backyard. I enjoy being outside during the summer, but not when I embarass myself with my backyard. Ugh. Damn weeds. Do I need to repaint my "sunset" bedroom? Eventually, but I am not up there too much during the school year anyway. By being gone so long in the summer, I have a chance to think about what really bothers me about our house and what would just be nice to do. The nice-to-do can wait.