Read the signs

So my mom is conducting interviews for a medical study that deals with people suffering from heart burn. She asks pretty routine questions, mostly about when symptoms occur and their severity. Last week she met a woman who teaches in a year-round school. When asked how often her syptoms are present this woman answered that she feels the worst right around the time she goes back on track, and feel great when she goes off track.

There was no light bulb going on over this woman's head at all when it came to realizing that her profession may be a major cause of her ailment. So, not all teachers are that bright I guess! (but we knew that, right Annie? :)

Small Pleasure

If Annie can be excited over her new bed...

Yesterday I had a 14-hour day away from home, so I was past tired. I was not excited about waking up a few times since Josh likes to say hello occasionnaly at night.

My boy slept the whole night, letting me also sleep all night for the first time in 2 months!

Yipee for sleep.

Daily Battles

So I expect complete selfishness and disregard for anyone else's feelings from the little personalities I work with. I cannot, however, believe that there are some grown-ups that live their life with this very thinking. (okay, I can because I sometimes see it from one very specific person every day) How does one deal with a person like this on a regular basis, especially when it is you who is being victimized? Is there really any statement or comment that can be made to a person like this that will ever change their thinking? The sad thing is that this person has reproduced and is probably molding these little spawns to act eactly the same way: nature vs. nurture... with nurture beating nature.

Josh's 1st Camping Trip

Every year Dan and I (and anyone else who joins us) go up to Jackson, WY over the 4th of July because they have the BEST fireworks ever! This was a good chance for us to take Josh and see if he really is one of us - you know, crazy people who sleep on the hard ground for fun.

We camp on BLM land and usually have to create our own camp site. Dan digs us a fire pit, and we go and find our own "bathrooms." This is us and our tent. (in case anyone who looks at this has never been camping!)

Josh slept great, all bundled up. He especially liked listening to all the coyotes sing him to sleep both nights!

I'm not sure what Dan is doing... maybe doing the avoid-the-mosquito-dance!

This was the sad ending to this year's trip. I am totally car-jinxed, especially in Jackson. (ask me later) We had just made it to our 1/2 way point on the way home (Lava Hot Springs) when our engine decided it was done. Have you ever seen a 4-runner on a trailer? Probably not, so look hard 'cause it will never happen again!

Big Baby!

Yesterday Josh met a fellow 6-month-old who was big enough to eat smaller 6-month-olds for breakfast. He was hanging over all sides of his car seat and we though he was atleast 11 months old. He could, however, sit up on his own. Josh came away a bit jealous of the sitting thing, but figured that this kid probably couldn't get both legs behind his head and almost both feet in his mouth. 'Cause that's what the ladies really dig!

Okay, here we go...

I know I can't get fired from anything by telling this story, but can I get kicked out of the ward? I don't know, but this neighbor of mine should be separated from all people under the age of 18. (the rest of us "adults" will have to deal with him) This same neighbor who sprays off his house at all hours of the day, whines about all of our weeds, has a wife who we have all learned how to avoid, has ADD/crazy children, and preaches to go to "drinking parties" to be a good missionary has now trumped all before-told stories.

Our scouts went camping last week. This group is made up mostly of 12-year-olds = children. This neighbor of mine (any good ideas for nicknames?) is one scout leader and who knows where any other adult was during all of this. I guess the first night or morning as he was changing clothes, to complete nakedness, did it IN FRONT of all the boys OUTSIDE OF HIS TENT and stated, "we're all adults here."

No. They were not adults, hence having adult leaders assigned to scouts.

So, since boys can be silly and probably didn't know how else to process what happened with their "trusted" leader, they proceeded to tease him about it. I don't know how they teased or what they said, but come on, they are children. To respond to the teasing of children, this leader/neighbor yelled "Just shut the Hell up." (specifically to our Bishop's son)

As one who works with children, there is NO excuse to talk to somebody else's child that way EVER. The yelling didn't surprise me since Dan and I constantly hear him shouting at his own 1 & 3 year-old children. (and wife, but that's a whole other story)

So how do I feel about having him as a neighbor? Does he even know how inappropriate his actions were? Will he ever be allowed to be with teens and children in our ward again? Will his wife defend him or not?

Stay tuned to this same bat-channel to find out.

Dead Animals

So I was looking around my living room today as I stretched, (yep, going to the gym again!) and I spotted my brother's giant alligator head on one of my shelves. I borrowed this head when he came home from Florida to show my kindergarteners. (According to him, buying alligator heads is quite the touristy thing to do these days.) So I was just remembering their reactions. These are 5-6 year olds and I really thought I would have a few tears out of apprehension. I try not to be too sadistic in my classroom.

As the alligator head, one that is as big as their heads, was being passed around I did hear a few comments about the cool teeth and eyes. (both of which were replaced with fake materials) But instead of the reality of holding a real alligator's head hitting them, I mostly heard, "GROSS, there is a spider web in the neck!" They were all worried about a tiny cobweb inside the neck cavity of a dead alligator's head. Go figure.