Sunday, November 30, 2008

About me & my Christmas

Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends. Okay, here’s what you’re supposed to do, and try not to be a SCROOGE!!! Just copy this entire post and paste into your own blog. Change all the answers so that they apply to you.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?  Either as long as it’s pretty

2. Real tree or Artificial?  Love a real one because they smell so good, but use artificial for several reasons: the cat won’t climb it, it keeps one more tree in nature where it belongs, it’s less maintenance overall.

3. When do you put up the tree?  Day after Thanksgiving, not one second before.

4. When do you take the tree down? All holiday decor is put away but the start of the new year

5. Do you like eggnog? Yes, especially my dad’s homemade stuff.

6. Favorite gift received as a child?  pink and gray boombox!

7. Hardest person to buy for? Vince - Mike’s bro

8. Easiest person to buy for? Buy for? Not sure. Come up with amazing ideas for? Ya-yas and my mom

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Um, I’m not sure, but I wanted one last Christmas…I can’t remember. Oops.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? A handtowel that looked like something my grandma would use in her home.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Polar Express. Saw it for the first time last season. And Christmas Vacation by tradition since my mom watches it every Thanksgiving once the dishes are done :) Also The Snowman, which my sister-in-law introduced to my family a few years ago. So great!

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? When I decide what I’m going to buy and see it on sale.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I’m sure I have, but I can’t think of what it was.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Buckeyes (peanut butter balls), Russian teacakes, and my mom’s Cream Waffers. Mmmmm….
16. Lights on the tree? Um, DUH! And tinsel :)

17. Favorite Christmas song?  Hark! The Harold Angels Sing, Breathe of Heaven (Amy Grant), Sleigh Ride (instrumental with the horse whiny at the end), and lots more. I’m a music girl and there are some amazing tunes for this time of year!

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Travel to AZ every other Christmas. This year we are driving with the pets and staying for our whole break. 

19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer’s? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, Rudolph

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star for now, but we’re looking for a non-freaky looking angel.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Morning. I never understood the Eve thing. How can Santa deliver gifts?!

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year?  Wanting to buy and donate so much and not having enough money to do as much as my heart wants to.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? Ornament: My fuzzy dog with the eyeball falling off. And several others from my childhood. Theme: snowflakes Color: silver with blue

24. Favorite Christmas cartoon? The Claymation Special. What that doesn’t count? Ok, then the Garfield special where they all say “ooooohhhh” and pucker their lips when they lite the tree.

 25. When do you start listening to Christmas music?  Usually, the day after Thanksgiving. This year, when 93.9 LIT changed over.

26. What do you want for Christmas this year? A smooth trip to AZ, lots of time with my neice who should be here by then, and a fantasy style trip to Cali that Mike and I are taking while we’re in AZ.

27. Who is most likely to respond to this? Anyone who can’t come up with something to blog about on the day they read this :)

28. Who is least likely to respond to this? My mom, because she hasn’t started a blog.

Posted by Katherine at 17:01:01 | Permalink | No Comments »

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Happy Turkey Day!

 

Twas the night of thanksgiving, but I just couldn’t sleep
Tried counting backwards, I tried counting sheep.
The leftovers beckoned - the dark meat and white
But I fought the temptation with all of my might

Tossing and turning with anticipation
The thought of a snack became infatuation.
So, I raced to the kitchen, flung open the door
And gazed at the fridge, full of goodies galore.

I gobbled up turkey and buttered potatoes,
Pickles and carrots, beans and tomatoes.
I felt myself swelling so plump and so round,
‘Til all of a sudden, I rose off the ground.

I crashed through the ceiling, floating into the sky
With a mouthful of pudding and a handful of pie.
But, I managed to yell as I soared past the trees….
Happy eating to all; pass the cranberries, please.

May your stuffing be tasty, may your turkey be plump.
May your potatoes ‘n gravy have nary a lump,
May your yams be delicious, may your pies take the prize,
May your thanksgiving dinner stay off of your thighs.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Posted by Katherine at 17:12:43 | Permalink | Comments (1) »

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

You might be a school employee if…

YOU might be a school employee if:
 
… you believe the playground should be equipped with a Ritalin salt lick. 

… you want to slap the next person who says, ‘Must be nice to work 8 to 3:30 and have summers off.’ 


… it is difficult to name your own child because there’s no name you can come up with that doesn’t bring high blood pressure as it is uttered. 


… you can tell it’s a full moon or if it’s going to rain, snow, hail … anything!!! without ever looking outside. 

… you believe, ’shallow gene pool’ should have its own box on a report card. 

 

… you believe that unspeakable evils will befall you if anyone says, ‘Boy, the kids sure are mellow today.’ 

… when out in public, you feel the urge to snap your fingers at children you do not know and correct their behavior. 


…you have no social life between August and June. 

… you think people should have a government permit before being allowed to reproduce. 


… you wonder how some parents MANAGED to reproduce. 

 

… you laugh uncontrollably when people refer to the staff room as the ‘lounge.’ 

… you encourage an obnoxious parent to check into charter schools or homeschooling and are willing to donate the U-HAUL boxes should they decided to move out of district. 

 

… you think caffeine should be available in intravenous form. 

… you can’t imagine how the ACLU could think that covering your students chair with Velcro and then requiring uniforms made out of the corresponding Velcro could ever be misunderstood by the public. 

 

… meeting a child’s parent instantly answers the question, ‘Why is this kid like this?’ 

… you would choose a mammogram over a parent conference. 

…  you think someone should invent antibacterial pencils and crayons … and desks and chairs, for that matter! 

 

… the words ‘I have college debt for this?’ have ever come out of your mouth. 

… you know how many days, minutes, and seconds are left in the school year!  (FYI: I know that it is 15 school days, or “get ups” as we call them at our house, until Christmas Break and we have learned that counting from break to break is the way to go, or it seems just too damn long until summer!)

Posted by Katherine at 20:28:33 | Permalink | No Comments »

Friday, November 21, 2008

In the spirit of giving thanks…

My post the other day was pretty somber. Lots of wallowing in recent grief. I woke the following morning in a new mood and was able to focus on the things that make my life good, no matter how silly or small they may seem to others. So, I’d like to balance my blog with a post about good things in my life at this moment. 
There are many things I know I am blessed to have in my life on a daily basis (not everyone does): a boyfriend who loves me even on days that I don’t love myself, adorable pets who can make me smile on the worst of days and who cuddle me until I feel a little better, my parents, brother & s-i-l, Yayas: the very best friends/sisters a girl could have, my job (and Mike’s -which are pretty stable), my health, etc….

But the stuff that’s made my life extra special in 2008:

~ Expecting my first neice in December
~ Rebilou (and Matador) expecting her first child (I get choked up with joy everytime this crosses my mind!)
~ My mom’s new job
~ My parents moving into a new home they adore
~ Mike’s family and how they include me
~ Mike getting his new job - we’re both successfully out of the ghetto district that was so draining.
~ Consistency in the daily goodness of my life
~ Reconnecting with friends online - specifically Erin and Gayle
~ Being able to get to AZ twice in October
~ Not having to turn the air conditioner on much this summer
~ My trip to Philmont in August
~ Free books from Scholastic
~ Being successful with Weight Watchers (if/when I stick to it)
~ Being an active participant in electing the first African-American president
~ Reviving my bog :)

What are you most thankful for this year?

Posted by Katherine at 15:51:17 | Permalink | Comments (4)

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Time for Twilight

I’m not talking about dusk. I’m talking about the new movie depicting the newly famous Stephanie Meyer books series. I read the series, all four books over 350 pages each, in a week and a half. I was hooked from book one and love how it made me feel like a 15 year old in love. It was silly how young I felt while reading them. And I still can’t get over how simple the writing is, yet how emotionally involved I became in each sentence.
It’s been a HUGE hit at the junior high. The girls are completely taken by the series and many of my students are on their second or third time reading through the series. Even many of my boys can be found carrying it from class to class. Even the lower readers, who struggle to keep up in school, are attempting this giant novel. I’m super proud of them. And thankful to Stephanie Meyer for giving children this high-interest series as motivation to read.
The movie comes out today, well, tomorrow technically. You know, mid-night show. And I’m generally pretty cynical about books being made into movies, but I am planning on seeing this one. I am going to go on Tuesday, when the super fans have already seen it and it is less likely to be sold out. I’m making it an “unofficial field trip” with my students. I told them when and where I’ll be to view it and invited them to come along if they are able. I did this once before (with my 4th graders and the opening of Shrek 2) and it was huge success, so I’m looking forward to it.
I’ll be looking for someone to discuss the pros and cons of the show with me come Wednesday morning!

Posted by Katherine at 15:45:07 | Permalink | No Comments »

Sadness this autumn season

I’ve been down. Just kind of blue for a while now.  Six to eight weeks or so. It started with regular stress from life - work is just not as fabulous as last year and that is a disappointment I’m still trying to get past.
And then, the overwhelming sadness of losing Judy, a best friend’s mother, took a lot out of me. I think I’m changed, took a step up on the “growing up” ladder with that one.
And on top of coping with my own loss and helping my friend through her loss, one of my students lost her big sister. A few weeks later another student in the building lost his 27 year old father to a heart attack. Not one week later, a 6th grade student in the district lost his father. And yet another student, who lost her father last school year, has been left in charge of her household while her mother underwent open heart surgery. I don’t know the three students who all lost dads. But to know that I am having such a challenging time getting past Judy’s death and to think about having to cope with such a thing at 12 or 13 years old? It’s mindblowing. The sadness overwhelms me. It’s just all too much. I don’t know how one heart is supposed manage all of this grief. It helps that I’m not alone in any one of these instances, but at the same time that means someone else is feeling down, too and that’s not good. In our town, everyone knows everyone, so it’s a community effort to get everybody on their feet and onto the path of healing. And I know we will, I feel like we are, but how long is this road? When do I get a break? When do these children who lost parents get a break? When will we feel truly happy again?

Posted by Katherine at 00:26:53 | Permalink | No Comments »

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

I was tagged!

I was tagged by Amanda……

1. Clothes Shop
Mostly Target & Old Navy, but I’d love to be able to afford Ann Taylor Loft, Banana Republic more regularly.


2. Furniture Shop
Uh, where’s the sale?

3. Sweet
My pets, Mike, pets cuddling with Mike…..and baked goods and ice cream :)

4. City
Chi-town baby! And Cornfield, USA

5. Drink
good ol’ H2O

6. Music
Rock, but not the screaming about death kind

7. TV Series
Currently: Samantha Who, Ghost Hunters, Grey’s Anatomy, One Tree Hill, Jon & Kate Plus 8

8. Film
Romantic Comedies, Thrillers


9. Workout
elliptical, Wii Fit, Tae-bo, and hopefully after Christmas - Jillian’s (from Biggest Loser) Workout on Wii Fit

10. Pastries
Ewe. I like baked goods, but not pastries. They’re easy to pass up.

11. Coffee
Starbuck’s Latte. Vanilla, hazelnut, peppermint, or pumpkin spice. Non-fat, no whip, no foam.

Tagging: ATpanda, African Kelli, Geggie

Posted by Katherine at 23:51:41 | Permalink | Comments (1) »

Monday, November 17, 2008

Em-Bear-Assing

Oh. My. Goodness. Did you happend to catch the Bears/Packers game?
Mike and I skipped our normal Sunday routine and changed it up by heading to different sports bar this week. We were invited to a special viewing party hosted by ESPN and couldn’t pass on free buffet and drinks and the chance for Mike to chat it up with Jurko (an ESPN radio host).
The event itself was great. The game? A disaster!
It wasn’t just bad. It passed into another realm - embarassing. My eyes grew wide with shock at some horrible plays, or even worse plays that were supposed to be good but the ball was dropped or someone tripped. It was horrible.
And then, whew, then, the clip of Rex Grossman warming up to go in for the last part of the 4th quarter and he pulled back to toss the ball and dropped it behind his head! I couldn’t help but laugh. And at the same time, I felt mortified for him that it was aired on TV. Oy. It was a bad, bad game. The network that we were watching didn’t even finish airing the game with the score 30-some to just under ten. Ugh. It was ugly. I would love for the team that was here when I first moved to Chicago to show up, just one Sunday….soon!

Posted by Katherine at 23:30:35 | Permalink | No Comments »

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Equal Opportunity

A six month break is all we get?! You’ve got to be kidding me! It’s already started snowing here in the mid-west. The last time it snowed it was mid-April. I remember specifically, because I was shocked that we had snow for Jen’s birthday which was always celebrated at the lake in the sun of an AZ April. The cool weather didn’t leave then, it was still chilly in the house into the beginning of  June! JUNE! I was excited when I realized it meant a nice, mild summer. And it was delivered. We had the air on for a total of 4 weeks - two, two week stints. That part was nice….until now.
I wasn’t prepared for the rest of the seasons to get jipped out of their fair share of time! There are four seasons, that means we should experience each quarterly, or for three months a piece. So what math class did the Almighty go to that taught 1/4 as 1/2!? Seriously, Jesus with his carpentary skills, MUST have knowledge enough to divide the year equally. This is ridiculous. Simply ridiculous. If there were some place to send a complaint letter I certainly would have already penned and enveloped that sucker by now. I was actually pissed that it snowed. Pissed that my gorgeous autumn is gone so soon and that we only have reprieve from slick surfaces and bulky clothing for 6 super short months. I’m very unsatisfied and will lodge my complaint in my daily prayers. Hopefully, someone will be listening…huh-humm….and tack the request for seasonal equality onto whatever other miracles are on the agenda for the day.
Brrrr….
Posted by Katherine at 23:14:45 | Permalink | Comments (1) »

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Nothing interesting

I’ve got nothing interesting today. Nothin’.
I hate blogging when I have nothing to share, but I committed to NaBloPoMo and I will blog. I thought about waiting until the day is over and maybe something fun/interesting would pop up, but I’m sure that then I will run out of time to actually post.
Today is a typical day for us. We slept in, but not like teens because well, we’re not. And we’ve both checked email and we’re about to start chores. Some laundry has already been started. Now I’ve got to sort out the mail from the week and deal with what needs to be dealt with and toss what is trash. One of us needs to finish loading the dishwasher with the last two days of dishes and run it. We have to trim the dog up and bathe her - this is a joint effort. And we should probably vacuum and dust. This evening, we’re headed out to meet some friends for dinner.
See, I told you, a pretty simple, typical day.

What’s a typical weekend day look like at your house?

Posted by Katherine at 15:27:09 | Permalink | No Comments »