Giving Thanks

I have so many blessings.  

I'm glad to live in a country where I can express my opinions freely, travel across state lines without government approval, become educated, petition the government for change, choose my leaders, and worship in my own way.

I am thankful to have a loving family who respects each other, loves to spend time with one another, can joke without offense, and who will selflessly give of themselves to help another family member in need.

I am grateful for a job that is always new, reminds me of how important it is to be a problem solver, a friend, and to work hard.  It gives me perspective on how to be a good parent and how not to be a good parent.  I enjoy working with young people and old people and everyone in between. 

There are also a few more things I am thankful for:

1.) Smiths Marketplace wasn't nearly as crowded as previous years and sock buying was extremely pleasant.

2.) The longest line we stood in was at Target, but even then it wasn't terrible.

3.) No cashiers over the age of 90 who are named Wanda, but then again, I didn't go to Walmart this year.

4.) The checkout counter in intimate apparel at JC Penny.  No waiting. 

5.) Dudley. I even got him a present, it's one of those automatic, as seen on TV, pet groomers that file his nails without pain.  He might be pain free, but I might be in a lot of pain after I attempt to try it on him.  I'm hoping for the best.

6.) The oatmeal in an oatmeal cookie bowl at Paradise Bakery.  Yum.

7.) The quiche at Paradise Bakery.  Yum, Yum.  Thanks for going halvsies with me Kiley.

8.) Gas that is below $1.60. 

9.) Naps.

10.) Great shopping buddies. 

Give me 5

Here's more random stuff about me.

5 things I was doing ten years ago.

This was hard.  I can hardly remember yesterday, let alone ten years ago.  

1 - Matt and Kiley just celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary so I know I celebrated with them.

2 - I was teaching 2nd grade at Riverside Elementary.

3 - I moved home and was living with mom and dad.  Beginning teachers don't make much and mom had a garage full of teaching supplies.

4 - I was taking classes from USU to get my GT endorsement.

5 - Attended the Londonderry singles ward in Sandy.

5 things on my to do list.

1 - Wrap presents for Melanie, Mark, and Mom

2 - Watch George Stephanopoulos 

3 - Correct two weeks worth of Weekend News

4 - Laundry

5 - Go to dad's to celebrate November birthdays. 

(I got two of the five things done.)

5 snacks I like

1 - Cottage cheese with Cheez-It crackers.

2 - Quaker Granola bites (peanut butter flavor)

3 - Cashews and almonds with dried cranberries and blueberries

4 - Clementines 

5 - Toast

5 Things I would do if I were a millionaire

1 - Hire a personal trainer

2 - Get Dudley some obedience lessons (we were kicked out of the last class)

3 - Remodel my kitchen

4 - Travel 

5 - Save 

5 Places I have lived

1 - Sandy

2 - Salt Lake

3 - Russia

4 - Estonia

5 - Latvia

5 Jobs I have had

1 - Teacher

2 - Nanny for a family with 12 children, 6 of whom were adopted from Russia

3 - U of U Development office (researcher)

4 - Famous Brands Housewares (associate)

5 - The Daily Utah Chronicle (staff writer, Editorial Editor)

If you read this you're tagged, but again, only if you want to.

Happy Birthday Melanie

Today is Melanie's birthday.  So in honor of her.  I thought I'd write a little poem, or maybe rather an ode.

A Sisterly Ode Written at Work While Avoiding the Copy Room.

Melanie Melanie Melanie

Sometimes we call you Smell.

Who invented the name? 

Don't give me credit.

The we, wasn't me, it was Shell.

You are my sister who I adore

I'm jealous of your husband

because he installed your

new floor.

You have very cute kids

Whom I like a lot.

They really are sweet

Adam's never a snot.

You helped do my laundry

when I was out of comish

you scrubbed all my toilets

and washed every dish.

You can quote any movie 

without a mistake

You even like scary ones

but they make my knees quake.

You love 80's tunes

Devo, Talking Heads, and U2

Blind, Big Chair, Whip it good

They sound like heaven to you.

Diet Coke is your drink

Don't even slip up with a Pepsi

Accidentally mention it once in a blog

And I might as well have lepsi (AKA leprosy)

My ode's about done 

It's rather absurd

I followed no rules

It's no "Flightless Bird"

But, Melanie Melanie 

Not much left to say

I hope you have fun on

your thirty blankth birthday.

Babysitting

Last week I got to spend the weekend watching the kids while Matt and Kiley left for their cruise to the Caribbean.  I got there Saturday morning and we enjoyed a calm start.  It was a beautiful day so we walked to the park.  Miles is a climber!  He wanted to climb everything. Including the giant slide. Hannah was a great helper keeping track of him.  The girls had fun chasing each other around and Madelyn even attempted to swing on the twister with a couple of bigger kids.  It didn't work out so well, so we decided to head back home for lunch and a nap for Miles.  While Miles napped the girls worked on the computer, played with the perler beads, and then we all watched Felicity.  When Miles woke up we got ready to go see Madagascar 2. It was cute.  We finished the night at IHOP for dinner. By bedtime I was just as tired as everyone else was so we all went to bed. Sunday morning we got up and had leftover pancakes for breakfast and then we all got ready to go to grandma's house for church.  My timing was off and we got ready too early so we played and read books until it was time to go to grandma's.  Grandpa was speaking so it was nice to be able to listen to his talk about following the prophet.  Grandma was teaching Sunday School so my only stress came at the end of sacrament meeting when mom had left, dad was nowhere, Miles was falling asleep and I was trying to pick up everything on the bench.  How do single moms do it? But Tina was there to help.  She walked the girls to primary and I made it Sunday School but gave up half way through when Miles was zonked so dad and I took him back home and put him down for a nap,  it was time for my nap too.   All in all it was a fun time.  The kids were fantastic, but I have a new appreciation for moms out there.  It was tough and tiring. But I'd still do it again in a heartbeat.  Matt and Kiley, thanks for letting me hang out with the kids.  Hope your vaca was amazing.  Can't wait to hear all about it. 

6 Quirks

Okay,  after this post I'll be all caught up. 

1. I HATE to make left hand turns.  I avoid them at all cost.  I have inherited this from my dad.  Kids watch out.  Don't make fun of your parents -- you really do become them.  I also argue with cashiers if an injustice has been dealt.  

2.  My eyebrows sweat if I get nervous.  This is in addition to my palms, my arpits, my upper lip, and my neck.  Gross.

3. I can pick things up with my toes.  I can also pinch people really hard with them.  Just ask Michelle.  She lived in fear of the pinchers.  But she was able to get me back by sticking her finger in the hole on the back of my knee.  I hate that!

4. I laugh.  A lot.  Because of this people often confuse me with being extremely happy and nice.  But, really I'm rather sarcastic and cynical.  Laughter is my nervous response.  If you ask me, I think I suffer from social anxiety disorder and this is how it is revealed.  Some people turn lights on and off before entering a room, I laugh like a machine gun.

5. I can't eat cooked peppers.  I like the flavor.  I even like them raw, but after they've been cooked I just can't stomach them -- literally.

6. My thumbs are double jointed.  I can bend them all the way back to my wrist.  This is the only physical skill in which I excel.

Any quirks?  I'd love to hear them.  Or read them.  Whatever.

The 8 Things Tag...

8 TV shows I love to watch:
1. The Amazing Race
2. So You Think You Can Dance
3. American Idol
4. The Biggest Loser
5. ER
6. Heroes
7. Lost
8. Life

8 Favorite Restaurants
1. Dos Seranos (I know it closed like five years ago but I can't get over it. They had the best cheese quesadilla and tamales)
2. Sam Pan (Sesame Chicken to die for)
3. Rafaels (Yummy bean and cheese nachos)
4. Doughboyzz (Hawaiian sandwich with ham, pineapple, and pecans)
5. Rumbi (Aloha Mango Chicken salad)
6. Tuccis (Yup, they closed too, but they had this chicken and pine nut dish that was so yummy)
7. The Metropolitan (Only been there once with a friend who writes reviews for the D-News but I can still taste the Kobe beef bar bites, the crispy duck, the raw tuna -- it seriously was like butter, but the best thing was the panna cotta, and the cream cheese ice cream.  Decadent.)
8. The Crepe place in Pike Place Market (Fresh peaches and cream made it delightful.)

8 Things that happened today
1. Woke up 6:00
2. Back to Bed
3. Woke up again 9:00
4. Watched Meet the Press
5. Watched This Week With George S.  The headliner was Arnold Schwarzenegger
6. Sniffled, sneezed, coughed
7. Downloaded music on itunes
8. Blogged a bit

8 things that I look forward to:
1. Having clear sinuses
2. The weekend
3. Twilight (the movie)
4. The day after Thanksgiving shopping
5. Spending time with family
6. The return of Lost
7. Library day
8. Checking email

8 Things on my wish list:
1. (Let's just assume I'm not super shallow and the first 5 choices will be things like peace in the world, a solution to the energy crisis, homes for the homeless, a cure for cancer, and a happy family.  So now I can be a little more selfish.)
6. A size 10, (I'd even take a 12 or a 14.  Who am I kidding I'd be elated with 16.)
7. A permanent classroom aide, no more than 18 kids in my class, and specialists for music, PE, art, and computers -- I can dream, can't I?
8. A nice kitchen including a new back door and a working stove.  

Your turn.  You're tagged. But only if you want to.

Catch Up

I've been sick this week.  So now I'm going to try and play catch up.  

First, fellow blogger Kelly posted about her five recent downloads from itunes.  I love itunes and download music all the time.  This post was made for me. 

My most recent downloads were all for the kids.  I'm a bit sensitive to the fact that I need to have a life outside of school, so I hesitated even mentioning this, but I am also a bit of a rule follower and felt it wouldn't be honest if I listed the five previous downloads, (that plus the fact that several of them were from American Idol alumns and I'm still not ready to embrace this pop side of my musical interests).  So, it didn't take much to convince me to do a search for some new music.  So here are my 5 most recent kid song downloads, and my 5 most recent grown up downloads.

Kids songs

1. Move It from the Madagascar sound track -- put this on during PE and the kids go wild.
2. 789 by The Barenaked Ladies
3. Crazy ABCs by The Barenaked Ladies
4. ZYX by They Might Be Giants
5. Clap Your Hands by They Might Be Giants

My downloads

1. Love Lockdown by Kanye West
2. Trouble is a Friend by Lenka
3. Be OK by Ingrid Michaelson
4. Simple Times by Joshua Radin -- I couldn't decide on just one song so I bought the whole album.
5. Winter Song by Sarah Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson

Halloween fun

So I was crazy busy on Halloween. I was trying to get everything cleaned up from the party, put all the October stuff away, take out all the November stuff out, clean my room for parent conferences, and get grades ready, so I was feeling a little sad that I didn't get to hang out with the nieces and nephews. Who cares if Saturday was November 1st -- I decided to extend the ghoulish activities one more day. I absconded with Hannah, Madelyn, Ashley and Adam and dragged them grandma's house where we replicated some of the activities parent helpers came up with for the party.

First, we made some creepy crawlies with gumdrops.

Next, we folded origami bats and made witches' fingers to eat with our lunch.

After that, we took out crushed skeleton bones, bat blood, vampire drool, pond slime, and snake venom and made some serious potions in our scientific laboratory.










We finished everything off with some veggie monsters and ate them for lunch.

After we got everything cleaned up Ashley and Adam had to leave but Hannah, Madelyn, grandma, and I made animals with the pressed leaves I had leftover from my classroom.

It was a fun day.