laughter really IS the best medicine

Scarlett and I both have that really bad kind of cold where you feel like your nose has become the primary part of your body. You know--the one where you can't breathe through your nose, so you have to breathe through your mouth, which makes your throat sore. Yeah, that one. It keeps you up at night and makes your voice sound like either a squeaky mouse or a gravely old man. I hate colds so bad and the past couple of days at work have been tough--I can't even make my voice loud enough to be heard over the din of thirty squealing pre-teens. I really thought about calling in sick. But I didn't.
I took the little darlings to the computer lab to do some research, and the students who finished early were allowed to go to one of the county-approved educational websites. About two minutes before we wrapped up, one of my students looked red in the face and alarmed. When I asked her what was wrong, she said. "Mrs. Smith, I just went to the science page and looked up how babies are made. Wow--that was wrong on so many levels...don't you have a baby Mrs. Smith?" Now all of the students are looking at me expectantly, and I feel as if I am standing in front of them nude. At first I was horrified by the whole thing, wanting to wring the neck of whichever county cirriculum "expert" chose that page as a great one for 6th graders. Now I can laugh about the whole thing. In fact, every time I think about the ridiculous things these kids say and do, I feel a little better. Maybe laughter really is the best medicine. Or maybe I am just glad that I am no longer a pre-teen. I don't know why for sure, but they really are great people.

Happy Halloween

It is so awesome to have small children--you finally get to go trick-or-treating again!! And Scarlett is still young enough that she doesn't yet eat candy. I can take care of that little issue...
The three of us dressed up for a costume party in Pittsburgh over the weekend and had a very good time with some friends from college. The host couple is expecting their first baby on Christmas day, so they were watching Scarlett with interest. I think reality really sunk in when Scarlett was up at 6:45am. I didn't have the heart to tell them that Nate and I considered that sleeping in!! They will be great parents though, I am sure.
And now it is Friday and Nate and I are not going on any trips. This is such a rarity I still keep looking around for my suitcase and trying to figure out what I need to pack. I will be going to WV on Sunday for Layla's 2nd birthday party, but only for the day. It will be nice to be home for a little while. Of course the leaves need raked, the laundry needs washed and grades are due Tuesday, so I will have plenty to keep me (and Nate) busy while we are here. With any luck I might even get to put my feet up for a minute!

I'm back baby...

So I haven't blogged in awhile...
Sorry. Would you like to hear a few excuses?
Naa. Me neither (although I will provide a list for those that insist)
We have been enjoying every spare second of this summer...so many travels and adventures. They would have made great blog entries (I have composed so many in my mind). Alas they shall never be...but do not despair. I'm back baby...

One of my best excuses would definitely have to be getting back to work. It has been SO hard to go back this fall. I am four weeks in and already looking to see when the next holiday is. (Thank goodness for Jewish holidays or it would be Thanksgiving!!) I hate leaving Scarlett. She is so much fun now. Way more fun than my students (I can't lie).

This year I am teaching a Special Education reading class. I have only taught advanced classes before, so it has been a huge challange so far. I am only just now starting to feel like I am doing something remotely effective. For the first time today, I did not run out of time for the lesson. In fact, today I had 10 minutes extra at the end of class to play a game. Of course this was made possible my the "There's a new sheriff in town" speech I had to give this morning. I was so stern I even worried myself. I practiced it three times in the shower, all the while channeling my father, who can lecture about naughty behavior like no other. The kids gave me very worried looks and I even got some nervous laughter. I was feeling so mean. But then they got right to work and were so cooperative that we had way more fun than usual. I just need to remember that some people really like to be bossed around--they respond very well to knowing exactly when, where and how things will happen. I am not one of those types, so I have trouble understanding it, but I do enjoy being the decision maker. Let's face it--I love being the boss.
So cheers--it is Friday, the weather's great, I'm back in the blog-o-shpere, and I'm the boss...

Too much on my mind

I had intended for my next post to be about my trip to France, but I haven't been able to sleep--there's been too much on my mind. Recently, there has been so much heartache in my family. My Nana died while we were in France, and it has been so sad. My sorrow was that I wish I had known her better. I also felt great sadness for my father and his siblings and his father. What must it be like to lose a mother? Having so recently become a mother, this parent and child bond resounds to me as one that carves out so much of who you are. My youngest sister, who shared with Nana the pain of dealing with cancer, had her own sorrow in losing her grandmother. And I don't know what it must be like for my grandfather to lose his love and his partner. And now it seems that there is so much anger in this family. All my life, family was the place I went for shelter from the storm--for comfort and unconditional love. If that was not there... I couldn't even imagine. I just know that anger is so corrosive, wearing away at the hearts of those who give and receive it.
My prayer for my family is that we can find peace. None of us are perfect and God chooses to love us despite this, I hope that we can do the same. I hope that Nana's legacy can be a family that knows this love and peace.

Ciao bebe!

Well we are mostly packed and are ready to go to France!!! I couldn't get to sleep last night at all because I was so excited. It has been almost a year since I have seen my sister and her family... I can not believe that I am finally going to get to hug them! They haven't met Scarlett yet, so I am looking forward to showing her off. I went through her closet to find her very cutest clothes. Her Great Aunt Julie has given her some really adorable outfits with French phrases on them that I hope I am translating correctly and do not say something like "I hate the French!" Nate has planned tons of great activities while we are there, and I am trying to be a good sport about it, but I really just want to hang out with my family (and go to the Louvre, of course!) For those of you who have watched as much Full House as Lane and I have, we have been refering to this as Nate's clipboard of fun!! We've been listening to a French phrases CD to learn useful questions like, "Excuse me, where is the train station?" Most of the time I end up just making sounds that remind me slighly of the French language and moreso like a stroke patient. What I wonder is, how useful are these phrases if you can't understand a thing the person says back to you?!? Luckily my brilliant sister will be doing all of the talking for me, else I will probably just try to act out the question--I am pretty good at charades!
I plan to completely ruin my diet with this French cheese (Kirk, I am counting on your #3 best reason to live there-- a new one for every day!!!!!). Also I am looking forward to the pastries. In fact, I am excited for so many new and exciting things to eat. Well alright, I am pretty much excited about everything at this point....I'll be sure to post pictures of our adventures!

All in the Family

After a week at the beach with my family, we spent the weekend with Nate's family. Scarlett got to meet her Great Great Aunt Claire for the first time and see her Great Grandparents for the first time since Christmas. We also had her Aunt Sarah and Uncle Wes visiting for the 4th. Scarlett's little feet barely touched the ground as she was constantly being enveloped in hugs. She smiled and enjoyed all of the admiration. She showed off her new teeth, babbled her favorite sounds, and continued her determined attempts at crawling. All the while we discussed who she looke like. There were so many theories about which parts of her took after which parts of family members (looking like me seemed to be one of the least favored theories). It was agreed by all (mostly me) that she was simply adoreable.
What a great gift that Nate and I can share all of our loving, fun, and unique family with our daughter. I just kept thinking how cool it was that Scarlett so many people in her life that love her so much.

Adventures

Scarlett enjoyed her first hike on Sunday. She rode in her pack on Nate's back and seemed amazed by the trees above her. She also liked being able to grab on to her father's hair. She would look around a little puzzled when he talked, wondering where he was. We had a very nice time, even though we got a little lost and followed the wrong trail for a while. Nate had a new appriciation for his parents' heavy load on the AT after our short trek with Scarlett. She mostly wanted to taste the leaves that she could reach and occasionally turned around to be sure that I was still there. I was just glad to see that she was excited about our newest adventure!