Ridiculous and Ridiculously Awesome

All of these things are ridiculous or ridiculously awesome. I won't say which is which.


Brittney Chamberlain, superstar

I don't know what Lexi was doing, but the other day her pants were starting to fall down, so she just pulled them down further and went walking into the parking lot at school with her little butt cheeks to the world.

I got this really weird rash-type thing on Labor Day for seemingly no reason, and when it didn't get better and in fact started to spread by this week, I went to the doctor. He stared at it all puzzled-like and had no idea what it was, so he just gave me a prescription for some oral steroids. And I wondered as I had it filled just exactly what this medication is usually used for. I mean, is it usually used for strange unidentifiable rash-type things? Because I always wonder if it's usually prescribed for acute gonorrhea or oozing toenail fungus or something and the pharmacist might be sorta looking at me askance while I'm not looking. Maybe I should have lifted my shirt and shown him the rash just to be sure he knew. Anyway, the steroids are done and the rash is almost faded. I hope it keeps going and stays gone. I said yesterday that I felt like punching someone and Sean started teasing me about my roid rage. Pffft. I feel like punching people all the time. Like that's anything new.

With my steroids, I was taking a total of 4 prescription meds last week. That's just too many for a relatively healthy person.

Sean's birthday was last week:







Lexi after her cake:


Thursday isn't a great day for a birthday party, but we had dinner at the Spring Chicken Inn, cake, presents, and lots of love for Sean.

I have a student teacher. I think that I demonstrate what not to do as often as what to do. I just don't feel like I've got things nailed down to where I should be showing anyone else how to do it. I have taught him how to make changes when you have a curve ball thrown at you and how to make adjustments to your teaching as you go. I just think back to my own student teaching and I get a little irritated. I had 4 different classes to plan for, and my cooperating teachers pretty much said, "Here are the teacher's editions (for English; I didn't have anything but the textbooks for the law and govt classes) and good luck to you!" I prepped it all by myself, and my English cooperating teacher wasn't even around most of the time. I made all my own copies, etc. I didn't have a desk. I carried my stuff around with me, and used the library for my prep time. My student teacher gets sooooo much more help from me than I ever got.

I wrote something on my blog last week about being annoyed by future teachers and parents talking to me about school stuff. I think I was imprecise in my wording. I'm not bugged by all people who I talk to about teaching and school. Just sometimes. For example, my student teacher will watch me teach a lesson, and I can tell that he thinks it looks pretty easy... and then he gets up there and tries it and it wasn't as easy as he thought. It's a different ballgame between watching and doing. It just is. Or when a friend will tell me, "I don't know why the teacher gives that assignment," or, "I don't know why the teacher can't just do XYZ," and I'm thinking... I know exactly why.

I do not understand why on earth there was any sort of controversy or issue about the president giving a Welcome Back speech to students. It's absolutely ridiculous, and anyone who has a problem with the president speaking to school children is ridiculous. I'll say it to their face. I don't even care. My school district is actually pretty progressive, apparently, because they're one of the few (maybe the only?) in Utah that didn't feel the need to send home letters and opt-out forms to parents. Seriously? But when they showed the speech at my school, they told the kids that anyone who didn't want to watch it could go to the cafeteria. So of course 2/3 of the school went to the cafeteria. Why on earth were they given an option? Since when do we ever give them an option? It's school. You do all kinds of stuff whether you want to or not. Parents can check kids out at any time, of course, but generally speaking kids aren't allowed to opt out of guest speakers, assemblies, videos, whatever else. One of my students came in and said, "I hate Obama. I'm not supporting him by watching the speech." I snapped back at her, "This isn't about supporting or not supporting President Obama. It's about listening to the president of your country speak." I felt bad because she knew I was pissed off, and I usually am able to keep my cool.

We went camping this weekend.

Lexi on the way up:











This is what Brittney thought of camping:



I had to buy her Dr. Pepper and M&Ms to bribe her to come. Courtney was working the graveyard shift, so she wasn't there.

Both of my teams won today. Chicago beat the Cowboys, and in Manning v. Manning, my Colts won. It's time to get ready for another week of work, and that for sure goes in the ridiculous column.

A Massive Bunch of Stuff

I love blogging. I wish I did it more often. I don't journal, I don't scrapbook, I don't have a good memory. So blogging is the only way I preserve any memories. Sometimes, quite often, I blog about dumb and boring stuff. But it's the one place where, if I write something down I will always know where to find it.

So, let's see. I had a birthday last month. It was very mellow and laid-back, just the way I like it. My family got me everything I wanted... nail polish, treats, Scentsy wax, an assortment of awesome scents for my Wallflowers, a watch to replace the one I lost, and other fun little goodies.



Sean and Josh went fishing with Dennis, Steve, Kaden, and Spencer. Josh absolutely loves his cousins Kaden and Spencer. I wish they could grow up across the street from each other. They get along so well.


This reminds me... Tomorrow is garbage day, so I need to sneak out to the freezer and toss those fish in the trash while Sean isn't looking.

Heather had her baby early at only 31 weeks. I'm so glad that she and little Jake are doing well. He's such a stinkin cute little peanut. Her whole pregnancy was just a crazy ride, from beginning to end.

Over Labor Day weekend, we went to Lava Hot Springs and stayed over in Pocatello for a few nights. It's a favorite family tradition. I hope we'll still be doing it when our kids have kids. This year the older girls wanted to go down the Portneuf River, so we rented a 4-seater tube. I stayed back at the pool complex with Josh and they took Lexi down, but she apparently screamed, "I want mommy!!" at top volume the whole way down, so they brought her back to me. Then Sean swapped me out and I went down with the girls while he played with the kids. This is the first year ever that no one went off the towers. Courtney and I are afraid of heights, Brittney was too exhausted after tubing (lots of walking and hauling a heavy tube up the river path), and Sean doesn't like doing it enough to go do it by himself.





School is going pretty well for everyone this year, I think. There have been a few rough spots, but overall nothing tragic. Brittney doesn't have lunch with her best friends, but she met a cute boy; Courtney got a parking ticket (of course! this is Weber!) but hasn't dropped out yet, Josh loves his teacher, which is always a big plus. I have scheduling issues with trying to get everyone and myself where we need to be, but I'm hoping to get that all ironed out a little better.

I have a student teacher this year. So far, so good. It's always a little amusing (and sometimes annoying, depending) to talk to people who are wanting to become teachers, or people who are just observing the classroom for whatever reason. Parents with kids in school. Whatever. From the outside looking in, you think all kinds of things... until you actually do it full-time, day-in and day-out. Then it's a whole new ballgame. My student teacher, bless his little heart, watched me marking papers with my trusty purple felt tip marker today. And he informed me (in a conversational way-- he's a super nice guy) that they teach them in their ed classes not to mark papers in pen, and not to use red. Because it makes the kids feel bad. (There was a fancier edu-speak way of saying it, but that's what it boiled down to.) So they tell them to use colored pencils. Two comments on that: 1)I can see that advice for elementary school, I guess. The sucky thing about secondary ed classes is that they are almost all taught by former elementary ed people, and much of what they do is geared toward elementary. They say it pertains, but honestly, it doesn't. So anyway, maybe in elementary the kids care about that kind of thing. But... 2)In high school, 50% of the kids won't even look at their paper when you hand it back. Perhaps glance at the score, and then it's in their binder, backpack, or garbage, never to be seen again. Of those who do look, I sincerely doubt they are thinking... Well, I got a 58% on my paper... but she wrote it all in pretty pastel pink colored pencil, so I don't feel bad at all! Or... Oh no, I got a 58% on my paper, and it's written in red! I wouldn't have felt too bad, but the red! Now I feel like a failure and will drop out of school and become a hobo. Whatever.

I'm always such a goober. I swear. I wish I could be all classy and polished, you know? Like today, I wore this skirt that I love. It's just the right length and amount of flippy that it flies up all Marilyn Monroe white-dress-over-the-vent whenever a wind comes up. And somehow I only seem to wear it when it's windy. I've flashed a few people, I'm sure. Oh well. Just doing my part to give someone's day a little thrill, right? Today I let the door swing shut in Lexi's face because I was trying to grab my skirt before I flashed the school parking lot.

So, August goals. Let's see, shall we?
--I did not get caught up on birthdays. Not. at. all.
--I did get my hair cut and colored.
--I did not get a pedi. Don't look at my feet.
--I did not sign Josh up for swim lessons. Doing that this month or next.
--I probably swam in the backyard with the kids a total of one time after I made it a goal.
--Spend $200 less on groceries? Are you kidding me? Ha! Hahahahahahahaha! No.
--Did not develop a senior writing curriculum. Thought some thoughts about it in my head, though.
--I did finish my job list, though! Yay, me!

September goals:
--Lose 2 lbs.
--Save money on groceries!!
--Get caught up on all the crap I need to do for work

Women's Equality Day

Today is Women's Equality Day. It was just 90 years ago today that women got the right to vote! I remember when I was in high school and it was only 60-some years before that women had won the right to vote, and I was shocked that it was so recent. I really think so many young women today take for granted what was so hard fought for us. Anyway, I'll skip the feminist lecture, but I'm truly thankful for Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Lucy Burns, Alice Paul, and all the other feminists since then who have sacrificed and fought for me to enjoy the rights I do.

Josh and Lexi at the fair:




First day of school pics:




The girls look so thrilled to have mom take their pics. I had mine taken too, at school since it was picture day, but darnit I don't have one on my computer. I am so un-photogenic. How come other people sit down and get their pictures taken and just look like normal human beings... like the other teachers I was with. And then there is me... my face is all red and shiny (school is hotter than hell... no really, hell cannot be as hot as my classroom has been), my hair is flying around... Whatever. I have long ago decided that I provide a very worthwhile service to all who know me. I make everyone else feel better about themselves. So if you know me, you should respect my skills in this area and be grateful that I'm always hard at work making you look good with my incompetence and bad hair days.

Courtney is at work training to be a med tech. Sean took the other kids to visit grandpa and go to the store. Love the quiet time all to myself. I've been OD'ing on cheesy Nora Roberts romance novels lately. It's a terrible thing to admit. Every stinking one I read, I get mad and start telling Brittney all about how predictable it is... how stupid it is... but then I read another one.

I just got a call from the Corroon for mayor campaign inviting me to the Weber County Democrats picnic Saturday. Catered by Sam Granato. Ha! Put that in your juice box and suck it, Mike Lee supporters! Democrats know how to do it up right.

Back to School & Tired Already

School hasn't even started yet for them, and they're already tired. Poor Curtis looks like he was snoring.



I started back to work officially on Wednesday, and I know I'm tired. Brittney came with me to school on Thursday to help me put my room back together. We hit some stores to find stuff for my walls, because I was tired of my old artwork and stuff, and she spotted this one and since I love zombie stuff.... Had to have it.



So everyone but Lexi will be back to school tomorrow. Hope everyone has a good day. Sean always takes the first day of school off, so that cuts down on the craziness factor quite a bit.

I have a student teacher this year, and that will be... interesting. Very nervous about it right now. We'll see how it goes, and I could be pleasantly surprised, but I'm thinking it's going to be a rough haul.

We've been trying to pack in a few last summer things. Some fishing, boating, hoping for maybe one more camping trip in September, Lava Hot Springs is upcoming, did the drive-in last weekend... Brittney at the county fair:

First Grade and the Fat Fest

On Wednesday the first of us went back to school. Josh started first grade. I think it went OK. His comments on school are usually pretty nondescript. Mostly things like a blank stare followed by, "I don't know what we did today." Alrighty then. I hope it's a good year.



I am not looking forward to waking up early again when I go back to work next week. My inner clock is adjusted to staying up late at night in the summer, and I always miss my night owl life when I go back. I've really enjoyed hanging out with my girls at night. I'm going to miss the 11:30 Smith's M&M runs, the midnight Denny's runs, and the 1:30 am Maverik and McDonald's runs to get treats and Monster for Courtney on the graveyard shift at work. Sitting on the bench outside her work in the middle of the night with the breeze blowing while Brittney runs through the sprinklers. It's been a non-stop fat fest and it's going to have to end because I can't continue to eat this way. But it's been tasty while it's lasted. Ah, summer nights. I will miss you mucho.

I have so much left on my list of things to do. And I keep adding more. Do I want to finish them? Hmmmm....

Three More

Wow. I'm on a roll. I'm in a bit of a rough frame of mind, so complaining is about all I'm good for at the moment. Three more things I have a grievance against:

* How did I get put in charge of everything when I'm so damned inept? You don't put the inmates in charge of the asylum, yet that's somehow what seems to have happened at my house. I'm forgetful, disorganized, and mildly crazy. And yet the running of a household is in my hands?

* The state of Texas. I have two children expressing an interest in moving there for different reasons. They have been informed that if they move there, we all move there. I'm not staying here if they're going there.

* Swimming with my kids in the backyard. Lauralee commented that she was impressed that I want to when I made it a goal for this month. I don't want to. I hate it. But they love it, and they aren't old enough to do it by themselves yet. Boo.

The Airing of the Grievances

I know it's not even close to Festivus,where part of the celebration involves the airing of the grievances, but I feel the need to complain. I won't follow the grievances by beating people with the Festivus stick or arm wrestling or feats of strength... or whatever the other Festivus traditions are. Anyway, on to the complaints.

1. Why? Why do we not have this anymore?




I was watching old Poison videos the other night in preparation for the Bret Michaels concert on Friday, and then I started watching old Van Halen videos from the David Lee Roth era. Man, 80s hair bands were AWESOME. The glam, the outfits, the make-up, the hair... love it. And, as I knew it would be, the Bret Michaels concert was fan-freaking-tastic. It's my favorite show I've seen in Wendover, and one of my favorites ever. So fun. They played all the favorite Poison songs. Bret Michaels is a total mimbo, a man-whore of the highest degree, but that man has some kind of charisma and you can't help but fall in love with him a little. He's just cool. He said during the concert that he's having heart surgery in January, and I told Sean afterward that all the Jack Daniels and weed throughout the years must have preserved him well or something, because I don't know how on earth you could go through all the medical problems he has and still be running around jumping and singing like that.

2. Moving classrooms sucks. Hard. I went in on Friday and moved most of my stuff over. Luckily I am only moving across the hall. So most of my stuff is out of my old room (everything except the mondo heavy textbooks and a small bookshelf full of books), but it's stacked everywhere possible in my new room. They just finished cleaning my carpets, so even the tables and chairs are still stacked and not set up. So I have my work cut out for me there. Now that I'm starting over in a new room, I feel like I want to get some new stuff, decorate, make it how I want it, go through and throw things away, reorganize, etc. But that's so overwhelming. It would require an outlay of time and money that I'm not willing to really put in right now. So I guess I'll just throw it all together last minute. What else do you do?

3. So yesterday I spent about 3.5 hours moving stuff back and forth, up and down, dragging, carrying. Then I went to a concert later that night and danced around and jumped up and down for over an hour. And this morning I stepped on the scale and I'd gained a pound. I realize that's no big deal, but come on. Really? Between my non-air conditioned classrooms and the super-hot concert hall, I lost at least 5 pounds in sweat alone.

4. Messes. Gah, messes everywhere! While I'm cleaning in one room, Josh and Lexi are in another one making a mess.

5. I hate heartbreak and I hate sadness. Courtney and Curtis are taking a break. Not sure how permanent it will be. I hate it, even though it's not my life and they know what's right for them. I've gotten attached to that boy. He feels like family to me by now. He's a good kid and he's growing into a good man, and I feel sad. And I HATE to feel sad.