No More Nervous Eye Twitches For Me

This time last year, I was as busy as a bee with the kids singing in the holiday program, the Christmas party, Santa's workshop (arts/crafts day). All the activity and constant noise contributed towards a kind of happy stress--the kids were super excited, and I was too.

It's been harder to get into that kind of a Christmas spirit at my new job. I don't have an actual classroom to decorate, no kids to constantly calm down/manage/supervise. No random student gifts to open....

Instead, I've been student-less these past two days. I have a policy of not pulling my kids out of their classrooms during parties/special activities (thankfully, the general ed teachers are in total agreement--or at least they pretend to be anyway). So I've had a lot of "free" time to catch up on paperwork, hold meetings, plan ahead and create materials. It's been such a bizarre change of pace. It's weird not feeling totally and completely drained and exhausted the Friday before a break.

I do miss that feeling of happy-stress, though. But when I start to look longingly at the classrooms full of excitement, chaos, and hyper-happy children, all I need to do is take one look at the teacher. Then I feel thankful that I don't look like I'm about to have a nervous breakdown.

His and Hers

Here's what I did this weekend:

Here's what Max did this weekend:

The difference is, by the end of it, I will be closer to being fat while he will be closer to getting his Masters'!

Waterproof

You know what's awesome about my new winter coat? It has a hood with kind of a visor on it to shield my glasses from the rain and snow. That came in handy today when I was standing in the parking lot of the mall, in the rain, calling home because I locked myself out of my car!

It Just Keeps Getting Better

What's better than one snow day?

Two snow days in a row!!!!!

Hope Pays Off

Never in my life have I ever felt so fondly toward ice...

SCHOOL IS CANCELED!!!!!

I Can't Help It

As it turns out, we're an optimistic bunch here at my school. There was a decent chance that today would be a snow day, and everyone (staff and students alike, but mainly staff) was reminding everyone else to sleep tonight with their pajamas on backwards and inside out. I don't know if that's just a Michigan superstition, or what?!? In any case, there was a lot of hope in the air yesterday... a good amount of it coming from me.

I'm sure Max will tell you that last night I was practically giddy with hope at having my first snow day ever. He, on the other hand, was completely intent on squashing said hope by saying such foreboding things like "I went a whole year without a snow day", and "don't get your hopes up!", and "you're not getting a snow day". What is it with pessimists that they have to bring everyone down to their level? Oops, did I say "pessimist"? I meant "realist".

In the end, it doesn't matter if you're an optimist or a pessimist/realist: either it's a snow day, or it isn't.

It wasn't.

Not only was it disappointing not to get that super-special phone call, but I had gotten up twenty-five minutes earlier than usual in anticipation of the snow I would have to scrape off of my car. You know, because I'm responsible and like to get to work on time. Imagine my dismay when I looked outside and there was NO SNOW. Instead, there was what looked like a very light dusting of the tiniest amount of powdered sugar on the ground. Disappointment became exhaustion in the blink of an eye.

Some of you would think that I have learned a valuable lesson about "not getting your hopes up", or "listening to your husband who's always right", or "commuting an hour each way to work". But those people would be wrong. Because, Sunday? Sunday night we're supposed to get freezing rain. And I'll be wearing my pajamas inside out and backwards all weekend long.

Snow Daze

Every night, I pray for a snow day. I check the weather before I go to bed, hunting for signs of any precipitation. I sleep lightly in the wee hours of the morning, waiting for a phone call that would deliver the glorious news.

But it doesn't happen.

This morning came close. One of the other districts next to ours closed today. But we still had to show up. I got really excited on my way to work, though, when I got a phone call... Even at 6:45 when I was halfway to school, I still had a glimmer of hope that I would be able to turn around and go home. But it wasn't to be... it was just one of the aides informing me that her young kids went to the school that was closed today and so she wouldn't be able to make it in!

Lucky.