Tomorrow

Six weeks ago, my husband died. That's not very long, but it feels like years, and each day he feels further and further away. I'm struggling with high anxiety, which is really uncomfortable for someone who usually doesn't have strong anxious feelings. I would say I'm handling it okay, thanks to a lot of self-talk, and not in danger of losing control or anything, but physiologically, my body is feeling very tense and anxious.

Writing has long been a form of therapy for me. Sometimes here on my blog, and sometimes kept to myself. A lot of my writing therapy lately has taken place in a journal; however, this one feels like it should be here.

He died on Tuesday, November 2, after four weeks in the hospital. I was off work for those four weeks and haven't been back to work yet (I did work half days for one week when we thought he was improving). Tomorrow, I will return to the classroom.

The teacher side of me has been ready to be back for a while. I miss my students and just being where my own kids are during the day. Plus, I think my body needs routine again and a reason to get out of bed besides just feeding my kids.

However, the mom/other side of me is anxious about going back. It means I'm officially a single, full-time working mom having to juggle it all on my own. And in a time of year that is very busy - two of my kids and several other family members have birthdays in December. It's a joyful busy, but it's a lot for me this year when I'm grieving and anxious and now returning to work.

 I know I have a village of supporters, and so many willing helpers, but it's not the same as having my husband here to help manage life. The dinner grind, the bed times, the laundry, the dishes, the appointments, the after-school activities, the sick days/quarantines, the discipline, the therapies for ALL of us, the groceries- they all fall on me. And I can manage those things pretty easily when I'm not working. But to add working full time, and especially teaching, which requires so much work outside of school hours, is a lot. I know I CAN do it, but it's not ideal, that's for sure.

I had several people ask why I don't just stay home through Christmas break, and the truth is, for my own peace of mind over Christmas break, I have to go back earlier. I know I won't go in to school over break. Every year, I tell myself I will, and I never do; this year won't be any different. In previous years, I've had Dave here to cover the kids so I can work in my classroom, but I didn't go - because I want to enjoy the time with my family. So I need those days before break to be ready for after break, if that makes sense. I learned after returning from my maternity leave with Alden to never come back just a few days before a break. It is chaotic and there is no time to prepare for after the break. And I learned after my maternity leave with Leland to not come back on a Monday. It's just too much mentally. The first couple days I felt lost and a whole week was too much. It's better, in my opinion, to ease into it. So I will be back three days this week, and three days (well, 2.5) next week to ease back into things and prepare for the new year.

I'm trying to take it easy on myself and allow some time to adjust. I am so looking forward to seeing my kinder babies again and getting reacquainted, and this time of year is so much fun. But I would be lying if I said I wasn't overwhelmed. I keep reminding myself of the advice I tell my students every single day: I can do hard things. It's hard and may feel impossible, but I CAN do hard things.

Fear is a Liar

A little over a week ago, I accepted a kindergarten teaching position in another district. In some ways, this was a crazy, sudden change, and in other ways, it was perfectly timed after years of patience. 

In my nine years at GTA, I have gone back and forth with wanting to leave. It’s not that I was unhappy, but I wasn’t as happy as I knew I could be. Dave gently encouraged me often over the last few years to see what else was out there, but I wasn’t ready. After interviewing in another district several years ago, and not getting the job, I was afraid to try again. And the longer I stayed at GTA, the more comfortable I felt and the harder it became to even imagine leaving. At this point, I'm pretty picky about where I would want to work and where I would send my kids. I didn't have the greatest middle/high school experience in a large district, and I want my kids to graduate from a smaller district with a strong sense of community.

This summer, a few things changed that made me finally decide to try. I applied for a kindergarten position in another district, but my application was well past the deadline (again, because of fear) and I knew I probably wouldn’t get it. I was right. Actually, a friend of mine got that job, and when I heard about it, I was a little jealous. Happy for her, but upset with myself for not trying harder or applying earlier. 

Around that time, another friend told me about a third grade position in her district. Initially, I wasn’t ecstatic about third grade. Not because third grade isn’t amazing - because it totally is! But my brain was in kindergarten and I couldn’t imagine switching to third grade in such a short amount of time. But I decided to not let fear take over yet again, and I applied. 

I didn’t hear anything for a week or two and I assumed I wouldn’t be called. I started setting up my classroom at GTA, ready to start another year. And I was perfectly content. I had the BEST teaching team, FANTASTIC students, and other co-workers who really felt like family. I wasn’t terribly sad to not receive a call, and figured I’d give it a shot next year. 

And then last Tuesday, while I was at a friend’s house for a play date, I got a call from my former principal (I had no idea she was a new principal in the district I had applied) asking if I wanted to interview for the third grade position at Crystal Lake Elementary. Heck yes, I did!

The next two days until my interview, I was incredibly nervous. Nervous to interview, nervous to not get the job, but also nervous to get it as well. One friend told me (because it was my former principal interviewing), “Oh, you’re totally going to get it.” But I knew I wouldn’t get the job just because she liked me. She wanted the best person for the job, and if it wasn't me, I wouldn't get it. And I was thankful for that - I do not ever want to get a job based on who I know. 

For those two days between that phone call and my interview, I prayed. Almost constantly. But I didn’t pray to “get the job.” I prayed for God’s will to be done. I prayed that I could do my best in my interview and if it was God’s plan for me to leave GTA, he would make it known to me. He knows the desires of my family, of my heart, and He knows what’s best for us. 

During my interview, I was still very nervous, but honestly, it’s the same anxiety I get in any social situation. I’m uncomfortable talking about myself, but I left feeling like I did my best and was 100% myself, so if they didn’t choose me, it really was because it wasn’t the best fit.

The next morning, I anxiously awaited the phone call. The longer the morning went on, the more sure I became that I didn’t get it. Then, finally at around 11am, my former principal called and said, “So here’s the thing...” And I was certain in that moment that they chose someone else. 

I won’t lie. My heart sank. I finally felt ready to move on and put myself out there, even though I was afraid, and I was disappointed that now wasn’t the time. But I also knew deep down that God has this all figured out. 

Yes, all of those thoughts filled my head before I even heard her continue. But moments later, she explained that just before my interview, a kindergarten position opened up at Lake Ann Elementary (another school in the same district as Crystal Lake, but much closer to home), and they thought I would be best suited for - and would prefer - that position. I was told that the principal from LAE wanted me to meet with him and the superintendent later that day. 

This time, I wasn't nervous. The principal already knew what I was about, since he sat in on my first interview. He already liked me, and this was just to say basically all the same things to the superintendent. Now, my prayer was that God would give me the wisdom to know whether or not to accept the position if offered. 

The superintendent did ask some of the same questions as the day before, but also asked some "What would you do..." questions. After about 30 minutes, and then salary negotiations, he offered me the position and I accepted.

The next few days were spent packing up my old classroom, setting up my new one (working until 11pm and getting very little sleep), returning/selling uniforms, completing paperwork/background checks/fingerprints, and participating in professional development in my new district..where I actually know a few people!

My classroom (most of it...the rest was in my van) packed up in Dave's trailer. Except for the tires...those are Dave's.

My classroom with all of my stuff AND the previous teacher's stuff. Way too much stuff!

Mostly organized and ready for Tuesday!

And word got around to all corners of social media.

I was equal parts uncomfortable and flattered about being talked about on facebook.
This is new for me. But the sweet comments filled my heart for sure.

Of course, I was excited, but I still had many unanswered questions, such as where would Olivia go to daycare, and what would we do for Alden since LAE doesn't have young 5 like we had planned for him this year. But one thing that was made abundantly clear to me throughout this process is that fear is a liar. For a long time, I was afraid to even try applying for another job. I was afraid to be myself in the interview process. I was afraid to trust God and His plan. When I finally stopped being afraid, everything came together. God's hand was in all of this, in all of the details, so I'm not going to let fear take over now. 

Yesterday, our pastor's son was preaching and he told the story of Peter walking on water. He talked about how Peter had to step down out of a boat - likely pretty far, not just out of a canoe - in the middle of a storm to get to Jesus. He was afraid, but he trusted Jesus and did what no human to this day has ever done. Am I afraid of this transition? A little, yeah. But I'm not going to live in fear.

For this next week, Alden and Olivia will go to Dawn's, our daycare for the last three (or four?) years. It's quite a drive, but I have extra time in the mornings now (my reporting time is an hour later than it was at GTA), and Dave will pick them up. The next week, Olivia will start her new daycare, which is about 5 minutes from my new school. Alden will go with her for that week, and hopefully start preschool at my school the following week. There is a lengthy application process (because it's GSRP), which we're in the middle of, so hopefully he is accepted soon and can start with the rest of the class on September 17. And Leland will be in first grade just down the hall from me. He can't wait! He got a sweet note from his teacher in the mail and he actually knows someone in the other first grade class - so far, he's not nervous at all. He is looking forward to eating in the cafeteria and visiting the school library - two things we didn't have at GTA.

Right now, we're taking this day by day. We're not worrying, not being controlled by fear. I have complete faith that it will all work out the way it is supposed to.

Leaving GTA was insanely hard to do. It was my first teaching job (at the elementary level); essentially, I became a teacher there. I had all three of my babies in my nine years there; I became a mom there! My boys had their first school experiences there. My teaching team the last three years has been absolutely amazing. Some of my best friends are there. And my students and families - my goodness, it was almost impossible to leave them! They have become like family. GTA was comfortable; it was home. But that doesn't mean that's where I was meant to stay. Sometimes we have to leave what's comfortable in order to find where we're supposed to be.

My new position is going to be a great blessing to our family. It is 10 minutes from home (15-20 with daycare drop off), instead of 30 (50 with daycare drop off), and it is an hour shorter work day (I'm happily giving up half-day Fridays for more time with my family the rest of the week). Instead of my day being 7:00-5:45 from the time I leave home to the time I return, it will be about 8:15-4:30. It's a significant salary increase, which we may not see as much of this year due to paying for preschool for Alden, but there is an actual pay scale which gives us security in knowing I will get a raise each year, and how much that will be.

Tomorrow, we officially start our new adventure at Lake Ann Elementary. We are all looking forward to this change, and anxiously awaiting news about preschool. But fearful, we are not. God's got this!

Fear is a liar, and it's running out of breath!

New Adventure

Life has been a little bit hectic lately and I don't think I've ever mentioned (on the blog) the plan for next school year.

I currently teach a multi-age classroom of first, second, and third graders. Yes, all at the same time. Yes, it works (and I totally love it). Our school is set up to have 1st-3rd graders together, and 4th-6th graders together. But next year, we are changing our grade level configurations to 1st/2nd, 3rd/4th, and 5th/6th.

Several weeks ago, we were given our assignments for next year. I was assigned 3rd/4th. I was nervous because I feel like the younger grades are where I shine as a teacher. But I was excited to have most of my students for another two years (meaning my current 2nd and 3rd graders would have me for a total of four years). I seriously have the most amazing students, so having them for four years would be a dream. And my team teacher, who is new this year, but is the best teammate ever, would also be teaching 3rd/4th, so that helped ease my nerves.

This happens daily. I also hear "grandma quite often.

Then a couple of weeks ago, my superintendent approached me and said that our Kindergarten enrollment was higher than anticipated and they needed to open another Kinder class. She said they were going to move me to Kinder because I have expressed interest in that in the past and I'm "huggy and lovey and nurturing." So, just like that, I was no longer going to teach 3rd/4th.

I feel much more comfortable teaching Kindergarten than 3rd/4th. I used to teach preschool before working at GTA, so it's not really a huge stretch for me. Just very different from 3rd/4th.

I'm still sort of getting used to the idea. I'm thinking about all the things I won't need next year: chapter books, certain games, encyclopedias, etc., and thinking of all the things I will need: more/new picture books (most of mine have been well-loved over the years - I could use LOTS of new ones), different manipulatives, etc.

A few weeks ago, I helped with a Kindergarten event and was able to meet some of the upcoming Kindergarten students. This week, I have another one. I'm excited to see all those sweet faces!

It's a big change, but I'm excited about it. I am still so sad to say goodbye to my current students, but they all said they would come visit and have lunch with me. And I will really miss my current teaching partner, but we have decided that our classes can be reading buddies next year.

About 2.5 weeks until I am no longer a "lower elementary teacher" and officially a Kindergarten teacher!

Little Chickies

Three weeks ago, we placed 27 chicken eggs in an incubator in my classroom. We hoped and hoped that they were fertilized eggs (there's no way to know until they've been in the 'bator for a few days).

After seven days, we candled them (put them over a special flashlight) to see if anything was happening inside. Most of them appeared to be doing something so we remained hopeful.

After a few more days, we candled again and, again, they appeared to be developing. Hurray for chickies!

On the 20th day, I noticed two chicks trying to hatch.

Later that day, my class and I returned after and hour and a half out of the room to find one sweet chick in the 'bator, which Leland named Peeper.

The next morning, we had another chickie.

We named him Nugget. He was equally as cute as Peeper, but had some problems. One leg was a little deformed, his toes were curled under, and he had a kind of growth stuck to him, which we later learned was probably an unabsorbed egg sac. 

Not a great picture, because of the lighting under the heat lamp, but you can sort of see his right foot curled under.

We were optimistic that he might be okay. But the next day, the toes on his other foot were curled under, and we just had to wait for the inevitable.

Which left us again with only one chick, hoping some more would hatch.

Here, you can see the one trying to hatch, as well as one egg with a big crack in it. The one with the crack ended up being a bad egg that exploded, I think. 

And one did! This one took over 50 hours to hatch, which is a looong time. I've read that they usually hatch within 24 hours, and Peeper hatched super fast, so I was worried this one was going to die. You're not supposed to intervene with chick hatching, because really, just about anything you do to "help" will likely end up killing the chick. But I was worried that this chick was drying out, even though the humidity was pretty high in the incubator. He just wasn't making any progress. So I did a little research and found that it would be okay to squirt a few drops of warm water into the opening to help the chick "unstick" from the shell. So I did, and was very careful to keep the water away from its beak (so it wouldn't drown). It hatched within two hours.

We now have two chickies: Peeper and Slow Poke.

They are so cute, very noisy, and not distracting at all. We're waiting a few more days to see if any other chicks hatch, and then I think one of my students will take them home.

Leland loves to hold the chicks.

This has been a very fun process. I think I would like to try it again next year. Maybe with chickens again, or maybe with ducks. I'm not sure how Kindergartners will handle all the excitement though. We'll just have to see.

I wish my teacher knew

About a week ago, I read an article online about a teacher who asked her students to finish this statement: "I wish my teacher knew..." The comments the teacher got were incredibly sad, like "The reason my book log is never signed is because my mom is never home." Or things like not having enough food, or having a parent that has been deported. It was depressing to read, but definitely important things for a teacher to know.

Before I even read the article, I knew this was something I needed to do in my classroom. I am pretty in tune with what's going on with my students. I know that their physical needs are met - they all have enough food in their lunchboxes every day (we eat lunch in the classroom, so I know what they're eating). They all have clothes that fit (or close enough to fitting - uniforms make that a little tough sometimes because you don't want to go out and buy new stuff with only 8 weeks left of school). They all have at least one pair of shoes. They have what they need, and it's nice to know that.

But it can be hard to tell if their emotional needs are being met. Are they lonely? Are they too shy to say something that I need to know about? Do they feel safe? Do they feel loved?

So the next day, I handed each student a strip of paper with the phrase "I wish my teacher knew" on it. I gave them examples of things I might have wanted my teachers to know when I was in school: spelling was too easy for me; middle school math was too hard; a group of girls picked on me in 4th grade and I hated coming to school for fear of what would happen each day; my 5th grade teacher was the reason I started to like school again (he was the very best teacher I have ever had and is my inspiration every day for my own teaching); I want to run track but my parents can't take me to practice every day; etc.

I told them they didn't have to write their names on their papers unless they wanted to. Some did, some didn't. The answers I got were mostly what I expected, but some were really eye opening for me. They made me think, and they made me see things from their perspective. A couple made me smile, and one just made me laugh. Below are just a few.

I wish my teacher knew...

• that (student's name) is mean to the boys.
• that my grandma and grandpa are divorced and I wish you would pray for them. (I'm on it, my dear, sweet one.)
• that I'm not trying to bully people. (I'm pretty sure I know who wrote this one. This student and I have been having some chats about making sure we're considerate of others' feelings because we can sometimes unintentionally hurt them.)
• how much I love you. It is true!
• that math is too easy for me.
• that (student's name) keeps bossing me around.
• how the door that goes outside is locked on the outside but not on the inside. (This is the one that made me laugh. He wants me to know how it works so I can explain it to him.)
• that I love her very very much.
• that you're both AWESOME! (written to Mrs. Nowak and Mrs. Holfels)
• that math is fun.

I learned SO MUCH from doing this with my students. I fully plan to do it again, and recommend all of my teacher friends try it just once. Maybe I'll make it a weekly thing. Or maybe next year I'll make a jar for students to put these notes in anytime they want.

100

This week, my class celebrated the 100th day of school. It was actually supposed to be the week before, but we had three snow days in a row which threw it off.

I have never done anything special for the 100th day because I have never counted the days we've been in school. But this year in my math group, we are keeping track and making a number line of the days we are in school. So, since I knew when it actually was, I decided to do something special.

I made a door sign and hung streamers for the occasion. Fancy, I know.

Students started the day by decorating, cutting out, and of course wearing some 100 glasses.

We did several activities such as counting 100 items that students brought in, writing their own "Before I'm 100 Bucket List," and writing what they will be like at 100 years old, which were hilarious.

And we ended the day with a little treat.

It was a lot of fun celebrating the 100th day of school. Not just for students, but for me too. It was cool to have something to look forward to (in the dead of winter when nothing really happens) and do something a little different for the day. I will definitely do it again next year. 

Nana Upstairs, Nana Downstairs

A classroom story for you...

Last week, I read a story to my reading group called Nana Upstairs, Nana Downstairsby Tomie DePaola. If you've never read it before, it's about a young boy named Tommy who visit his grandmothers every Sunday. His great grandmother lives upstairs at his grandmother's house. He calls them Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs because one is usually upstairs and one is usually downstairs.

Side note: Tomie DePaola is one of my favorite authors of children's books. If you have a chance to read his stories, do it. They are most appropriate for school-age children.

In the story, Nana Upstairs passes away. This story always makes me teary - thinking about how much Tommy loves his great grandmother, and how sad he is when she dies. This time reading it was no different. I got to the part where Nana Upstairs dies, and I started to get a little teary. And then one of my students pipes up, saying...

Wait for it...

"Now she's really upstairs."

Oh my gosh, I could not stop laughing! I could barely make it through the rest of the story. Then I really had tears from laughing so hard.

And now I've probably ruined the story for you, so you can never read it with a straight face. Sorry about that.

How to Get Baby Milk - A School Story

Every day at lunch, I leave my classroom and my team teacher watches my class so I can pump. When I come back, I always take care of the milk and wash my pump parts while the kids finish cleaning up from lunch.

My students often ask me where I go during lunch, and I have always given very simple answers. I tell them I go to get Alden's milk. They ask me where, I tell them the principal's office (that's where I pump). It usually doesn't require very many simple, vague answers to satisfy them.

Today, one of my students was asking me lots and lots of questions. After the above questions were already asked and answered, the conversation continued...

Student: Can't you just fill a big container with milk and take it home so you don't have to get it every day?

Me: No, there's not enough for a bigger container.

Student: Why can't you just buy it at the store?

Me: It's not regular milk. It's baby milk.

Student: I don't get it. And what is that for? (pointing to my pump parts)

Me: It's how I get the milk.

Student: I still don't get it.


At this point I decided my vague answers weren't going to cut it.


Me: Honey, where do baby cows get their milk?

Student: From their moms.

Me: And baby pigs?

Student: From their moms.

Me: And...baby goats?

Student: From their mom.

Me: (just looked at her for a minute, watching the wheels turning in her head)

Student: OH! Oooohhhh. Okay, that's just weird.


Ha ha ha. She was totally weirded out. I asked her not to talk about it with other students and she happily obliged. I think she would really like to forget all about it. That'll teach her to ask so many questions. Ha!

Every Last Ounce

School starts tomorrow.

I am always excited about starting a new school year. I love meeting my new students, hugging my returning ones, and seeing my former kiddos visit from time to time (usually daily in the first few weeks). I like setting up my room, even though it stresses me out every year. I am a huge geek about school supplies and get excited about pencils, pens, markers, crayons, and paper.

But with this excitement comes some sadness. Because I cherish my time at home with the boys, and I will miss it so, so much. Last week was a teacher work week, so I wasn't with my students yet, but I was still working every day. Almost every morning, Leland said to me, "Mama no go work. Mama stay home with Leland." Pretty heartbreaking to hear your two year old begging you to just stay home.

So this weekend was spent soaking up every ounce of summer. We went out to dinner twice (YAY for downtown gift certificates!), had a movie night and a play date, and just enjoyed the time together before the crazy busyness begins.

Dinner at Blue Tractor...while Leland played with his green tractor.

After dinner, we grabbed some froyo. YUM!

And then a little downtown walkin'.

Sometimes we get a little creative with our walking. 

I'm sad to see my summer with the boys come to an end, but I'm looking forward to all the fun things to come. I am teaching with a new team this year, which has already been awesome. Alden's birthday is just around the corner (I better start planning...). And so much more.

So, goodbye summer. It's been amazing. Here's to an amazing fall to follow.

Classroom 2014-2015

Sorry I've been MIA lately. I reported back to school on Monday and have been preparing for the upcoming school year. I've been busy during the day, prepping my classroom, and at night I'm back to washing bottles and pump parts, prepping dinner for the following day, etc.

It's kind of difficult to get back in the swing of things, so I don't have much time for blogging. And I don't really have much to blog about anymore either. No more play dates. No more daily adventures with my babes. But...I am beginning a new adventure, which I think is blog-worthy - a new school year!

When I walked into my classroom last week, it looked like this:

Bare walls and everything packed up in boxes.

After about 4 days of working (in between meetings...so many meetings!), it now looks like this:

I have a love/hate relationship with setting up my classroom. I love it and get excited for a fresh, clean start. But I am not great at decorating and it stresses me out because it takes so long! But it's done and ready for my adorable students to come to school on Tuesday.

Happy new school year, teacher friends!

Mother's Day Craft

As a teacher, one of my duties is to come up with projects for my students to make as gifts for Christmas, Mother's Day, Father's Day, etc. Sometimes I have a super hard time coming up with something, and sometimes I have a great idea, but it doesn't turn out perfectly.

But sometimes I have a great idea and it turns out AMAZING.

A few years ago, my class made pins using Shrinky Dinks for Mother's Day. Shrinky Dinks are special papers that you can decorate and then bake in the oven for a couple of minutes and they shrink down and thicken up. I loved this craft when we did it a few years ago, but since I have students for three years in a row, we can't do it every year.

But the group I have this year has not made them with me before, so I was excited to do this craft with them.

First, I cut the Shrinky Dink paper into six pieces. I used my scrapbooking tools to round the corners. Then I had students decorate them with sharpies. They drew pictures and wrote notes. I asked them to make sure to write big so that when the papers shrunk down, the words would still be readable.

Papers before baking

Then, I placed them in the oven according to the directions (375 degrees for 1-3 minutes). The papers shrink up, and in that process, they fold, bend, cup, etc (scaring the kajeebees out of me because I thought they were ruined). And then they lay flat again. It's crazy.

During baking

After baking

Size comparison: original size vs. after baking

The papers shrink to 1/3 their original size, and they get something like 9 times thicker. They turned out so cute.

After they were baked, we glued pins to the back and voila! Adorable Mother's Day gifts.

I love that they are student-created. The students designed the pins themselves and it was a fun project for them.

I also love that it's pretty inexpensive. I bought the materials at Michael's, and with my 15% teacher discount, the cost to do this project for three classes was less than $15. And we had a lot of leftover papers and pins to use for future projects. So - fun project, end result is cute, and it's easy on my checkbook. Winner!

One of my students gave his to his mom early. I saw her wearing it today and she said she loved it, and that it was one of those "keep forever and ever" gifts. Yay!

Glitz and Glamour

I bet you all didn't know this, but teaching is not the most glamorous job in the world. I mean, it's fabulous, don't get me wrong. There is nothing else I would rather do for a job. But it's not always clean and pretty.

For example, today in my classroom, a boy came to me and said his tooth was loose and bleeding. Considering the age group I teach, I see lots of loose and bloody teeth, and it's no big deal. Well, actually, it is a very big deal, because it means they will lose that tooth, and that is just about the most exciting thing a second grader can experience.

Anyway, I told him (in the loudest whisper I could muster, as I had no voice today) that he could go check it out in the bathroom and clean up if he needed to. And I told him to let me know if he needed me. I'm here for ya, man, even though bloody teeth are kinda gross.

A few minutes later, he returned to the classroom. Toothless. Usually, this is cause for excitement and everyone rushes around the student to see the toothless grin. However, the boy seemed rather unphased - like it was really no big thing.

And then he told me that it was an adult tooth. He lost an ADULT TOOTH! My brain went into panic mode while I calmly asked him if he was sure.

You've lost that tooth before?

Yes. (Oh crap.)

You're sure it was an adult tooth?

Yes. (Oh no.)

Where is your tooth?

In the garbage. (Oh geez!)

You threw it away?

Yeah, I don't believe in the Tooth Fairy.

Well, if it's a permanent tooth, you're going to want it back.

And that's when I knew what I had to do. I sent him to the office with a note to call his parents (I couldn't call since I didn't have a voice), and I grabbed a pair of rubber gloves and went garbage picking.

Yes, I dug through a bloody trash can. (So much blood. Which is why I just knew it had to be an adult tooth. Plus, by the end of 2nd grade, most kids have lost the two front teeth.)

Found the tooth. Sent it to the office, where the wonderful office staff put it in milk; I didn't have any in my room or I would have done the same thing.

I was worried. I mean, if he was going to save this tooth, he needed to get to a dentist ASAP! My poor 2nd grade boy missing a tooth forever was so sad to think about.

Eventually, I talked to his mom and let her know. And that's when she assured me that it was NOT a permanent tooth.

Oh, thank the Lord. I was so relieved, but also slightly grossed out that I just dug through the bloody boys bathroom trash can to find a tooth that no one needed.

So, yes, my job is super glam. Be jealous.

It's Madness!

Mustang Madness, that is.

Friday night, I participated in our school's Mustang Madness athletic fundraiser, where staff and varsity basketball teams face off to see who's got skills. Out of my five years at GTA, I have played three years. I wasn't able to play the last two years, due to a sick Leland one year, and being pregnant last year. So I was really excited to get back on the court and play.

Photo before the game - a few staff members weren't there yet.

Before the game, there was a silent auction and pizza buffet. Dave and the boys came to enjoy that with me, and then Dave took them home for the night before the game started.

Leland loved wandering around the school and my classroom, and he especially enjoyed meeting our mascot, Mighty the Mustang.

The game was tons of fun. We don't take it too seriously, since the whole point is to entertain the audience who are helping fund our athletics department. During the game, we do a few comic relief activities. This year, some of these activities included us stopping the game to take selfies, as well as stopping to do the chicken dance (chicken dance flash mob, if you will), and having another staff member join the game on his unicycle. It's all fun!

We do get some serious ball playing in though. This year, the staff was winning by 3 points right up to the last 4 seconds, and then a varsity team member made a 3-pointer. So it was tied.

We broke the tie with a half-court shoot-out. The first team to get a shot from half-court got 5 points. And, well, the staff team pulled it off.

As always, I had so much fun playing in the game. I'm more out of shape than usual, as I haven't exercised in almost a year. I didn't score any points for my team this year - I'm usually good for a couple - but I still ran fast to block those varsity shots.

After the game, my superintendent took the staff team out for drink. I opted to go home to my babies. Maybe next year.