As if this day wasn't bad enough...

Today I woke up thinking it was Friday. My entire body swore up and down it was Friday and I almost even put jeans on to wear to school. Sadly though, it was not and I put on my "teacher" clothes and headed out the door at 0 dark thirty. I got to school in a somewhat foul mood due to the fact that my car is quickly approaching empty and there is not a gas station in sight that is actually selling the stuff. Stop panicking people!! You are causing an even bigger problem!! Although I wonder if the excuse that my car ran out of gas would work and I would not have to go to school...

Meanwhile. I was already pretty cranky which always seems to get my kids to act up in the morning. After announcements one of my boys left for class and about ten minutes later was marched back into my room by an angry teacher. She told me that this was the third morning in a row that her class was disrupted by him screaming in the bathroom. A bathroom that is nowhere near where he is supposed to go to class mind you. It's just the little annoyances that after a bad morning can set you off for the rest of the day. Needless to say I was not a happy camper.

After surviving the rest of the school day I debated whether or not to use the bathroom before heading home. Nah, I thought, and headed to the car. Oh, if I had only known!! Driving down 400 I made incredible time and was just passing exit 12 (I live at 13) when my car started making weird noises and jerked to the left side of the road. I smelled this horrible smoke as I tried to make my way as fast as possible to the shoulder without getting run over. Once safely over I put on my hazard lights and got out of the car to see what had happened. My left front tire had blown out and now I was stuck in between exits during afternoon rush hour. I called Linc a little teary eyed, who called Triple A and they both came to my rescue. They managed to put my spare tire on and we drove to our neighborhood auto shop. Thank goodness they had a bathroom!!

Come to find out that I was mere miles away from a total front tire blow out, my alignment was crooked which was causing my tires to drag, and the weird noises my car had been making when I slowed down was from my tires rubbing themselves raw! Needless to say my poor little Jetta is in the shop getting four brand new tires and a complete realignment. Hopefully she will be good as new by tomorrow!! I'll just keep reminding myself that I guess things could have been worse... =)

My New SIGG

I have recently made some small changes around our household to become a bit more environmentally conscious. One of these changes was to switch from my daily use of multiple water bottles to a reusable and washable bottle. Back in July when Linc and I were in Rockywald we bought these great monogrammed Nalgene bottles. I used mine daily and was almost able to down my recommended 64 oz. a day! Now, I love my Nalgene and used it for weeks but finally enough people told me that they are now harmful so I set about finding a replacement. If you have not heard-- Nalgene bottles are linked to increased chances of breast cancer because the plastic leaches toxins into the water. This is especially harmful if you leave the bottle in your car and it heats up the plastic and then you continue to drink out of it.

Seeing how breast cancer runs in my family I decided not to push my luck. Better safe than sorry down the road! A yoga instructor mentioned I should try an aluminum bottle and after researching it a bit more I decided to order two SIGG bottles online. Using a high quality, reusable bottle like SIGG makes great sense-- both financially and environmentally. It comes in a ton of colors and is lightweight and easy to tote around. I also like that it has a smaller opening than the Nalgene so I don't end up spilling water all over myself! They are also 100% recyclable after their long lives. Online reviews said they can last between 10-20 years!

The bottles are made of a single component that is seamless and has no weak points so they are tremendously durable and virtually unbreakable, just like my old Nalgene. The liners are also taste and scent neutral so you can enjoy any beverage you'd like without any lingering smell or taste of the last beverage you drank. The composition of the liner also reduces the chances of bacteria build-up. It's extremely important to note that SIGG bottles exceed FDA requirements and have been thoroughly tested to ensure 0.0% leaching-- so they are 100% safe! Definitely a plus in my book! The SIGGs are also very reasonably priced and can be purchased through a variety of online retailers. I would recommend switching from a plastic reusable bottle to an aluminum bottle just for the peace of mind!

"Toddler Emergency"

My mother and I met up on this beautiful (almost) fall evening for a little girl time. We enjoyed a lovely dinner at Jason's Deli and as we were headed back to our cars I noticed a woman standing very close to my Jetta. It looked as though she were writing and I started to freak out that she had hit me or something and was leaving me a note! I walked a little faster and she turned and saw me. She said "wait!" and a moment later a little boy ran out from between my car and my mom's. He had his pants down and I realized he had been peeing in the privacy of our vehicles. She apologized for her "toddler emergency" and told us to be careful where we walked as they loaded back into their mini van and drove away...

Umm...gee, thanks lady. Your kid just peed all over where I need to walk to actually get into my car. Gross!!! Talk about indecent exposure!

Spa Party

Saturday night I was invited to my friend Amy's house for a spa party. The name of the event on the invitation said "Silky, Smooth, and Ready to Groove!" I could only imagine that it was going to be interesting and fun. I was finally able to spend more than 5 minutes doing my hair and makeup and picked out a cute "going out" outfit. This was one of the only times since school began that I did not have to do my makeup sitting at my desk in the morning!

I drove over to Amy's house in Roswell and met up with a bunch of friends and co-workers. Everyone had come to eat, drink, and get pampered! After drinks had been poured we started with a sea salt hand treatment that sloughed off all the yucky skin and left our hands feeling nice and soft. This product is great for teachers because of the number of times we have to wash our hands every day! It helps keep them moisturized and has a "four wash" memory-- meaning that it continues to work even after you clean.

After that we headed into the living room, took off our shoes, and got some salve to put on our heels. We kept our feet in a plastic bag to let them marinate while we moved on to faces. The girls were able to try a de-puffing eye pad that takes away dark rings and helps smooth the skin around the eyes. Because I had spent so much time on my makeup that night, I opted to try everything on my arm! We tried numerous products and even a microderm abrasion kit that exfoliated everything away. I felt pretty good after trying all these products, not to mention my three pomegranate and passion fruit martinis made by real life bartender Andrea!

Following the end of the spa party we took our caravan up to Windward Parkway and enjoyed some drinks and food while "watching" a little football. I say watching, but I really couldn't tell you who was playing or what any of the scores were! Linc and I arrived at the tail end of the Auburn game and joined some other friends who had gotten there earlier. I ordered a Sunkist Martini (delicious!) and just hung out. When we got menus to order a bite to eat I was suddenly craving a hot dog-- but I'll go ahead on the record and say that hot dog and martini are not the best combination in the world! Being that I am a teacher and usually don't stay up past ten, I was very proud that I made it until about 12:30 before I could not stop yawning! Linc and I decided to call it a night and head home shortly after. It was a great day and to top it all off- Linc won his very first tennis match in three sets that morning!!

Kristin's Bridal Shower Weekend

Kristin and Ryan are getting married in about six weeks and we just had her bridal shower this past Saturday. It was an all weekend affair with company arriving on Thursday evening. Kristin and Alex stayed with me as well as bridesmaid and cousin Jess. We had a huge slumber party in my room with blow up beds since Linc was out of town! Cousin Trish and new husband Greg also came to surprise us plus aunts, uncles, and my Gram.

We began Saturday morning at the club with a fun get to know you game. All the guests had to find someone who had done certain wedding related things. There were thirty six squares to fill up and we gave away cute prizes to our top two winners. You had to get a bit personal with guests you had not met yet, but it was all in good fun! From the game we moved on to lunch, starting with a delicious salad topped with strawberries, oranges, and walnuts. There was a pecan encrusted chicken dish for lunch with sides of wild rice, carrots, and broccoli. It was a lot of food but so delicious! The mimosas and wine were also flowing and it seemed everyone was really enjoying themselves!

Kristin began opening her gifts during dessert-- tiny cupcakes from the Fancy Pantry-- while Alex worked on making her bridal ribbon bouquet. Guests were very generous and the gifts she received will definitely add to her and Ryan's house and make newlywed life a little easier! Some of the favorites were a scrapbook from Donna Harvey, a monogrammed laundry basket and towel set, and a photo album of our girls trip to Cape Cod that I surprised Kristin with at the end. All the bridesmaids chipped in and bought her a Kitchen Aid mixer! We had a great turn out from my mom's golf and tennis friends, to Kristin's sorority sisters, to cousins and aunts and old family friends.

Because so many of our relatives came from out of town I decided to host a dinner at my house on Saturday night for them. Dad made his famous lasagna and Alex and I spent all evening Friday and then Saturday afternoon cooking up a storm and cleaning the house. She worked her magic making white chocolate craisin cookies, cream cheese fudge brownies, and mini cheesecakes. I stuck with appetizers like shrimp cocktail, veggies and fruit, and spinach artichoke dip. I also cleaned like a maniac because it was the first time they would all see the new house! Fourteen people came over to enjoy a good meal and company. We finished quite a few bottles of wine and had a great time! And thankfully, the dogs were on their best behavior and everyone loved the house! Now I can't wait til October!!

Second Grade Goes to the Aquarium

My most favorite field trip each year is taking the kids to the Georgia Aquarium. It is such a neat sight to see their faces light up at the new creatures they see. We missed our original field trip day because most of the morning was spent out in the hallway tornado drill style thanks to our good friend Fay. Although she brought some much needed rain we were forced to postpone the trip downtown.

We began Friday morning hoping that hurricane Hannah wouldn't change her mind and make a beeline for Atlanta and thankfully had a beautiful sunny day. We headed to the buses, loaded up, and made the surprisingly quick drive down through the city. The kids were so excited to go through the toll and drive under the tunnels. It's fun to see a bus ride through their eyes! When we got to the aquarium we had to wait around a bit for them to print our tickets but then we went inside and started the tour. Last year we went through the Learning Loop which takes you behind the scenes and shows you how the aquarium runs. We were going to do that again but when we rescheduled the trip there was no room =(

I took my little group of five to my favorite exhibits and we started in the coral reef room. I love walking around the corner and seeing the blue tanks filled with jellyfish. There was also a diver in the big tank giving it a good clean. One little girl kept asking me if the animals were real and for some reason wouldn't believe me that they were. From there we went to watch the whale sharks swimming around and it happened to be feeding time. It was cool to see that they knew which color scoop had their food in it and then to see them follow it around the tank sucking in their meal.

We also got to see the beluga whales, sea otters, and penguins before it was time for lunch. After a quick meal of ham sammies and milk we went into the theater for the 4-D show. If you have never been, be prepared to get a little wet-- and also for some screams! I could only watch the movie through one eye because the 3-D glasses were making me a bit ill, but it was fun nonetheless. It seemed like the morning flew by and it was already time to go back to school after the movie. We found out some bad news once we got back from some onlookers in the hallway that we would be the only ones getting to go to the aquarium this year. Due to budget cuts, Fulton County has had to do away with out of school field trip! The other grades were a little jealous, but maybe we'll all get to go back next year!

Is it May Yet?

Not to wish away an entire school year, but you can bet I am already sick of waking up at 5am! We have had a busy three weeks including open house, back to school bash, and curriculum night. Not to mention having to miss our fieldtrip to the aquarium (Thanks Fay...) but thankfully it has been rescheduled.

We spend a lot of time in the beginning of the school year appreciating the differences found in our classroom. Because our school is very diverse we read a lot of fun books about being different but working together. We also have a fun activity where we try and figure out what kind of food would match our skin tone. My students decided that I am the color of peach yogurt! How fun! Some of my favorites that the kids came up with for each other were chocolate brownies, gingerbread, french toast, hard boiled eggs, and cinnamon sticks. They ended up being much more creative than I thought they would and the "self portraits" turned out really cute!

Another one of my favorite back to school projects is for curriculum night when we have the students make "mini mes," which are tiny versions of themselves. They get a cardboard cutout and have to dress it and decorate it to look like them. When the parents come to the room, their "child" is already there working! My kids got the bright idea to pose each mini me with a pencil and worksheet to show the parents what we were finishing up in Social Studies that day. When the parents walked in they all started laughing...and I think you will see why! Some of the students could use a bit more practice in the art department and drawing facial features, but how adorable!