Cuisiniers Wanted!

Okay. In an attempt to plan meals again and simplify our lives a little (because I actually HATE meal planning and grocery shopping), I'm thinking of designating each day a special kind of food that we could still have a little fun with from week to week. This would only work for dinners--breakfast is usually cereal or pancakes for us, and lunches are whatever we can scrounge up or leftovers, which I'm happy with. However, now that student teaching is over I'm going to try to adjust to Paul's schedule a bit and plan actual meals for us to eat together again! And I'm getting stuck on a few days, and I could use your expert opinion. Here's what I have so far:

MONDAYS-

TUESDAYS-tacos? (see note below)

WEDNESDAYS-wraps

THURSDAYS-

FRIDAYS-fondue? (We just got a new pot, so we could have dinner & dessert on this theme!) OR Foreign Cuisine--which allows a lot more diversity, but would probably involve more ingredients and more money than fondue...well, maybe not.

SATURDAYS-Soups/Salads? Subs? Spaghetti?

SUNDAYS-Pretty much leftovers, crockpot meals, casseroles--y'know, the easy stuff. I rest on these days. :)

I want pizza to be one of those days (I know, it doesn't have that awesome alliteration, but you can go SO many ways with pizza--on French bread, store-bought, or making your own...with or without stuffed crust...taco pizza, potato pizza, veggie, BBQ, Hawaiian, pizza rolls, etc.--and it's still cheap and easy). Maybe Mondays? That could be fun for FHE...

I was thinking Taco Tuesdays, but I might get sick of tacos...unless it could be an anything-taco-goes kind of day--so taco soup, taco pizza, tacos, taco ramen...etc. :) Other taco-themed recipes? Send them my way, please!

I am completely stumped about Thursday. The only thing that keeps coming to mind is Thirsty Thursdays, because that's what the local bars have, and I don't know how to turn that into an appetizing meal plan that's me-approved. :)

Ideas? Suggestions? Feedback? Thanks!

The Only Bad Things about Student Teaching

(1) It flies by, too quickly!
(2) You invest all your time, efforts, and energies in everything you do for/with them, but you can't share your photos or videos with the online world. So you can't share any photos from a whole four months of your life, and it makes it look like you didn't have one!
(3) I got almost no family time. I always thought I could do both, but this semester has taught me that I am a 100%, give-it-everything-you've-got, tunnel-vision kind of teacher that cannot teach and have a family at the same time because I have no idea how to give 100% to two different groups of people. So it looks like teaching might have to go on the back burner for a while as I actually spend time with my husband this summer!

If you're ever in town and want to see pics or videos, though, I can show them to you.

An easy chocolate fix...

I'm interrupting the birthday stuff for a moment. I love brownies. They are possibly one of my favorite things, if they are done well. I've been looking for a good homemade recipe since my husband is allergic to some things and my sister-in-law is allergic to others...and I found the most simple and still tasty recipe. I just cut out the nuts for Emilie. :) And of course it's from Nestle.

http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/detail.aspx?ID=28489

Birthday Week Day 2

For Day 2 of birthday week, Paul had invited some of my closest friends to come play laser tag at a local skating/laser tag/arcade place. Mostly 13-year-olds hang out there. But we still had a blast playing unlimited laser tag! I haven't moved around that much in ages. Literally. Maybe a decade or more. I realized I need to exercise more! But don't we look fierce? Adhering to a spy-police theme, invited guests received awesome badges and had to pass through the security system to enter the fun! I have about a bajillion ideas for a spy-themed party for little boys and girls now, if anyone wants to hear 'em. Paul & I decided that if all of our future plans don't pan out, we could always start a themed-party-planning business together! And we'd move to Washington and let Kerstin do all the cakes. And we know how to stick to a budget. So we'd be awesome. :)

Birthday Week Day 1

On my actual birthday, Paul came to class and brought lots of sugar for the kiddos to have...and they sung to me in a robot voice. :) When I got home, there was a bubble machine going and my dog and I played in the bubbles (we're such a blur!). Then Paul took me to The Melting Pot, a fabulously fun restaurant that was a new experience for both of us. I highly recommend it--they had a signed birthday card waiting on the fondue pot for me and they gave us a private booth at no extra charge! And the food was delicious, too. It was a good birthday!

Exhaustion?

I wonder if anyone could explain this to me. I was sleeping almost never earlier in the semester, averaging maybe 3-4 hours a night, and I was exhausted. Then my sister gave us her car and my husband was able to drive himself to and from work, so I started sleeping 7-8 hours a night. Still exhausted. Now, I'm so tired all the time that even after laying in bed for 13 hours a day (on average) I am still exhausted...like, last night I slept 6 hours and then today I took a 7-hour nap with my husband. But no matter what I do, or how often I sleep, or eat, or move around, I'm always tired. Not just tired, EXHAUSTED. I could crawl right back in bed right now and sleep LATE in the morning, if only my schedule would allow it. Does this NOT make sense to anyone else? Should I see a doctor or something, or is this just an adjustment thing? How long do adjustments take before they are no longer adjustments and become actual problems?

Celebrate Today (because tomorrow's on its way!)

My 3rd graders earned four letters towards getting their morning recess back today. They also made a brilliant text-to-text connection and had a conversation about a poem that was almost college material. And on an ISTEP+ question that prompted them to write about someone who makes them feel important, some of them chose to write about me. It's days like today that make me remember why I do what I do!

LOVE.

http://wearetheworldfoundation.org/

What a weekend...

My sister-in-law was supposed to be able to come down for her extended weekend this last Thursday, but because of the snow she can't come. :(

I was stoked about working ahead during my own 3-day weekend starting today--lesson plans, housework, Valentine's Day plans, etc.--and about having my first married V-Day. But starting yesterday I am SICK, SICK, SICK! I blame all the little children coming up and touching me all day long. And the dog whose defecation I have to pick up every day. But regardless of who is to blame, I am ill and that means nothing will get done this weekend and my poor husband is going to have to feed me soup and crackers and let me go to sleep at 6pm.

And we still don't have a working fridge/freezer at our house. It's been a week now since we complained, and even longer since it died on us and I had to clean out the moldy and spoiled food.

I'm in the mood to complain, don't try to cheer me up! :)

I Heart Snow Days

Just a quick little update from your favorite Hoosier. :)

Student teaching is going very well. I love my teacher, I LOVE my kids, and I LOVE TEACHING! It is totally what I was meant to do, in whatever capacity I can do it. Nothing gives me a rush as much as a lesson that goes well. Nothing. It's hard to believe I've only been doing this for a month...it feels like SO much longer!

I've applied recently for a student teaching scholarship, and if I win I get $75 to go towards my classroom. I want to buy some chemistry supplies for my kids to use during my chemistry unit coming up in about a month and a half, because THEY DON'T DO SCIENCE AT THIS SCHOOL!!! Well, you know I can't have that. So keep your fingers crossed for me! $75 could buy at least a few materials for the kiddos to use, and if I don't win, it's all coming out of my own pockets. Which wouldn't kill me, but still.

Pretty much everything in my life right now revolves around student teaching in one way or another. Assignments, lesson plans, staff meetings, traveling 1 1/2 hours a day, units, seminars...and sometimes I try to sleep, too. Sometimes. :)

Let's see, what else? ...

Obsidian is finally learning to listen to us...squirt bottles really are the best thing ever invented for dogs! Who knew? She's otherwise adorable and cuddly and playful and we love her tons!

Colts lost the superbowl.

Our primary kids rock! I love seven-year-olds. They are super fun. And crazy.

T minus 4 months 'til Utah! Stoked.