Sigh

We have only been back in school for two weeks and 2 days, and we are already knee deep in germs here at our house.  Sammy came in and woke me up at 2:00 in the morning, sounding like a cross between a pack a day smoker and a barking seal.  He also had a fever, and raging case of the croup.  (Only 4 kids in his preschool class were well enough to come to school today!)  Jeff stayed home with him, which was nice for Jeff since he is a dealing with a nasty cold himself.

Evan has been falling asleep in the car on the way home from school everyday, as he also has a nasty cold.  So far, only Charlie and I are safe.  Fingers crossed.

I can't believe this is happening in August! I've said it before, and I'll say it again...my kids have the worst immune systems EVER.  And they certainly didn't get that from me! ~cough~

I'm off to stock up on orange juice and chicken noodle soup.

School Stuff

I have been away from this blog for way too long...but school this is year is making SO.DARN.TIRED!!!

I don't know if it is the added responsibility of having two in school this year, or if I was just way too lazy this summer, but every night has seen me ready for sleep by 9:00.

Charlie, for the most part, is loving Kindergarten.

Here he is with his new teacher this year.  I think he is learning a lot already!  He loves art class, library, and math, but was horrified to discover he has to go to music classes.  After he went to music the first time, he told me "Mom, can you believe this school wants to teach me how to sing?!!"  He is also not a fan of the After School Care program that he goes to for about half an hour after school until I can pick him up.  Hopefully as he gets used to the routine, this will get better.  Evan was a good big brother and went with him to After School Care the whole second week of school just so Charlie could feel more comfortable.  I love it when they love each other!!

My class is awesome this year!  They are already so well behaved and eager to learn that it has been fun to go to work everyday.  I also have a student teacher for the first time, and that has been so much fun!  She is already an outstanding teacher, and I am learning a lot from her.

Evan is not loving Junior High, which makes me sad, but when I think back on it, I don't know many people who do.  I can't think of one person who says "I would do anything to go back to Junior High!"  It is such an awkward stage of life.  I suppose it is something we all just have to get through.  Having him be a grump everyday after school has been a little tiring.

I became an Aunt again this week when my sister had her 4th...little Leo John.  It was exciting to meet him last night.  One of my favorite friends at school had her baby not even 24 hours after my sister, so it has been raining babies this week!  Unfortunately for Jeff, I now have some major baby fever.  Sadly, we are done adding to our family, so I am concentrating on my three awesome boys who keep me hopping...such as when Sammy threw a major fit before school yesterday when he didn't like the clothes I picked out for him for school pictures.  He told me "Mom, you just don't know ANYTHING about good clothes!"  Holy cow!  From my 4 year old BOY!  He is such a fashionista!!  I don't know what we'll do when he has to wear a uniform to school next year!

Back to Work

Today was Sammy's first day back to preschool.  (I can NOT believe this is his last year!  My baby is growing up way too fast!!)  I love, love, love that all of Sammy's back to school pictures have included his faithful stuffed best friend Lammie.  My Mom and Dad brought Lammie back with them from Ireland when Sammy was one.  Lammie has gone EVERYWHERE with us ever since.  Sammy has never been to school without him, he comes on vacation, and rides in the car.  If Sammy is there, so is Lammie.  I think one of the hardest parts of Kindergarten next year will be leaving Lammie behind.

Aspen loves to get in on a good picture too, and usually tries to shove his way in when I am posing the boys.  I love this dog.  He is the perfect addition to our family.

Work was okay.  5:30 came way too early on the alarm, that's for sure.  Charlie wasn't too impressed with the After School Care program, and he managed to loose his glasses by 10:30 in the morning.  After a hunt on the playground, we found them abandoned on a nearby bench.  It will be a miracle if those glasses make it to the first day of Kindergarten.

The worst part of the first day back to school is that you have to get up and do it all again the next day.  Somehow, day 2 is always worse.

I'm already looking forward to the weekend!

My Classroom

My awesome husband took Monday and Tuesday off from work so that I could go up to school for two days without the kids to put my classroom back together.  This task is the worst of the whole school year for many teachers.

At the end of every school year, you are required to take everything off the walls and pile the furniture into a ginormous pile at one end of the room.  Why?  Supposedly so that the custodial staff can clean carpets and do repairs.  All of this means that when I first enter my classroom at the beginning of the year, it looks like this:

Most people assume that teachers are given ample time to put their room together during the week teachers are back but students haven't yet returned to school.  WRONG WRONG WRONG!  That week is so packed full of meetings you can hardly remember your own name as you run around from one thing to another.  I always go up to school for two days the first week in August to get things started.

Lucky me...on Monday when I was there to move this furniture mess the outside temp was 105 degrees...AND THE AIR CONDITIONING WAS BROKEN AT SCHOOL.  Fun times!!  I knew since Jeff had taken the day off I couldn't give up and go home.  So, I shoved and pushed and hauled (and sweated my brains out) until the room looked like this:

Let me tell you...moving filing cabinets and a teachers desk are not easy.  I have no idea how I will do this job when I am 60.

I worked all day on Monday and Tuesday, and am so relieved that my classroom now looks like this:

The math calendar/class meeting area.

This is my desk area.  To the left is the desk my student teacher will use this semester

On the right (with the big table) is my small group area, where I will meet with reading and math groups.  On the left is our cozy book corner, where kids will spend time curled up with a good book.

This is a view of the front of the room.  The thing with the pink sheet over it is our computerized chalkboard called an ActivBoard.  I don't ever use chalk anymore!!

A view of the student desks.  I always have 30 kids in my room, so the desks take up a lot of space.  I am going to start the year with this horse shoe formation, but later I will group them into groups of 5 desks in a pod.