The Verdict

Well it looks like I am going to drive to Ohio. Sophie needs to go see her docs at childrens and we will be there for almost 10 days. I would be to afraid to confidently pass Sophie off as a lap child. If anyone is going to get caught breaking a rule it would be me, hence the reasons why I tend to follow the rules ( most of the time:) I am going to be spreading the Sophie and Maryellen love around and will be staying with her and her and her for a few nights. And we are hoping to catch up with these two chicks and this sweet waiting mom! I am so happy that I have a bunch of girlfriends to visit in Ohio! It will be lots of fun to see everyone. I am looking forward to cooking some yummy Indonesian food with Sandra and getting to meet the latest bloggin' mama baby...known by all that love her cute smile as chicken wing. But the fun will all start on June 9th when this INSANE friend arrives in NC and then drive with me and Sophie to OHIO. This is an 8+ hour drive.......I wonder what the payback for this kind of favor is going to be???

Gaaaaw I hope it isn't a body part!!!


You know I love you man!

I'M ALIVE!

Well at the very least hanging in there! I have a lingering cough so I am off to see the doc tomorrow after work. It kinda makes it hard to teach when I sound like I am about to hack up a lung!

Hey here is a question for you I am planning on traveling to Ohio this summer with Sophie. I have been checking flights because the fear of driving with Sophie for 8 hours is starting to set in:) Anywhoo.....I tend to be a rule follower. I know shocking. Sophie is a squirt. Should I try to pass her off as a "lap child"??? Or just suck it up and load up the car and go??? I am not sure if buying 2 tickets will be worth it......8 hours in the car or a chunk of change to fly....hmmmmm

So what do ya think??

Hey Krista I could put up a chip in button to pay for a seat for Sophie..... *snort*

sick

I am sooo sick....again. I get better, then slammed again with yet another cold. I actually took a sick day for being sick! I think I have the flu. I ache all over. My head. My back. Oh, and just for fun lets have "aunt flo" come for her monthly visit. sucks. I mocked my husband for being a nut about getting a flu shot. I guess next year I will find the time to get a flu shot. Did I tell you that I ache all over???? I am going to bed. I hope I feel better tomorrow.....

Number 2 Pencils

***Update: Took my test. It sucked. Test administrators started two hour late! Did I say it sucked?? It will be a stinkin miracle if I passed. Good thing I like special education land.***


I am taking the general education praxis tomorrow. I have not really studied. I am a special education teacher and in a moment of frustration registered to take the GE praxis....what was I thinking???? Tomorrow bright and early (7:30a.m.) I will begin the FIRST of the two hour tests that I will be taking....seriously what was I thinking???? I am not sure if I will ever teach in a general ed classroom as the GE teacher. I love my sped kids...most of the time:) Crap. I don't want to take four hours of tests on a Saturday, especially after having to work LAST Saturday. Did I mention that it is cold and rainy and a really good weekend to get stuff done around the house and hang out with my kids. Never mind that I don't even think I will pass it anyway...crap what was I thinking!?!?!?!?

You Can Be Hot Like ME!

I know I can't believe I am letting my secret to hottness out but here it is:) For less than driving through you local beer barn on a Saturday night you can help feed children at the Fu Yang Orphanage. Pretty easy really. Click on the Mifan Mommy button and commit to $9.00 a month for the next 24 months. It is really that easy .........to be hot like me:)

FYI

Just in case you wondering....

• Two year olds DO NOT like to spring forward....that is all I'm sayin'
• Apparently neither do twelve year olds, fourteen year olds, or well anyone living in my house.
• Ben is registering for classes for HIGH SCHOOL....someone please stop the madness.
• It was 80 degrees here today:)
• It is going to be 40 degrees on Friday....WTF????
• My eldest daughter is a force to reckoned with.....she makes me proud!

On a much more serious note my dear secret pal is in China now. She was to meet her darling Minyun today, but received very bad news. Please pray for comfort and care for this little girl and for comfort for this family who have waited so very long to have a daughter. Yes, they will not leave China without a daughter, but they will mourn the loss of Minyun because like many of us they fell in love and became a mommy and daddy as soon as they saw her beautiful face.

Happy San Ba

Seriously funny, you have to watch this video....and the others if you have time! March 8th is a holiday in China that celebrates women. Watch the video, first her mandarin is impressive.....well not that I would know but she sure does sound pretty freakin' good! The woman in the yellow jacket is hysterical!

Ben the Babysitter

Chris and I ran out for a drink last night and left Sophie with Ben for about an hour. Our insturctions to Ben ..."where ever you are Sophie has to be with you." Easy enough. When we got home around 9:30 this is where we found Sophie, asleep on the end of Ben's bed while he played a video game. He "said" that she played with him for awhile and then climbed up on his bed and when he turned back around to make sure she was still with him she was out cold! Not bad....baby to sleep by the time we got home plus Ben works for free....I think we will keep him!!

Saturday School

I survived working on a Saturday. We (my student teacher and I. Who oddly enough looks like a younger version of me!!) planned a fun activity, using the book "Mud", a sequencing activity and making mud pies...yum! The kids used a recipe to make pudding mud pies. The marshmallows were the chunks of "melting snow", and crunched up oreo was the soil:) I am not sure of the final attendance but more than one classroom had all kids in attendance! You special ed teachers our there know that all of my special ed kids came to school. I did not have one kid out! Most of the general ed teachers had lots of fun things planned too, so I really only had kids first thing in the morning. I should add that it was beautiful here today....sunny 78 degrees! (warmer than my weekend in paradise)

My Little Artist

Are Ya With Me?

Hmmmm interesting that only these two girls got my headline joke....guess the rest of ya are too mature or teachers who were distracted by the fact that I will be teaching on Saturday. You gotta pay attention sometimes my snark can be a little subtle.

Now let me explain WHY I have to work on Saturday. NC is a free to work state....so no unions, and the law in NC is that schools may not start before 8/25 and not go past 6/10. In the school system in which I work we have "optional" teacher workdays. There are 15 on our calendar. Anyway those days are usually reserved for staff development etc. When we have a snow day and school is canceled it is usually only canceled for students with the day being switched to an "optional" teacher workday. The system will then swap a optional day on the calendar for the snow day. The catch this time is that there are no days left and since we end school on the LAST possible day to end school they could not tack a day on to the end of school without petitioning the state for a waiver. So I will go to work on Saturday. Sucks. The only good thing is that at least it is not an entire day of school, we dismiss the kids 2 hours earlier. Still sucks though...

Looks Like I'm in for a Busy Weekend.....

*snort* This was the headline of my city newspaper today! Are they not called speed BUMPS???

I will be having no such fun this weekend....due to our school system canceling school on Monday, teachers and students will be making up the day this Saturday!! We will dismiss the kids 2 hours earlier than usual, and don't you think for one minute that the school will not be full of students! Free babysitting. I have only one question.....who will be cleaning my house and doing laundry at my house on Saturday???

Thanks for showing me some love in regards to my last post....you are my BFF. That's right YOU are:)

Keepin' the Snark Under Control

My name is Maryellen and I am a wise ass. Some may find that to be my best personality trait...others maybe not so much. Last night I posted, then removed a post about a comment left on a March Y*hoo board. This particular member tends to be "alot of work". C'mon you know the type. In high school she was the girl who ran out of the party crying with a group of dorks...I mean friends running after her begging her not to leave. Anyway this particular gal tends to leave backhanded comments. With all the latest referrals instead of saying "congrats" she just HAD to mention that she was envious. Gaaawd shut-up already. Envy is a life sucking emotion. I may be a wise ass but she is a pain in the ass.

So why I am I posting this again? I removed the post last night because I was trying to keep the snark under control. Especially after I called her bemoaning the over use of BFF in blogland. Seriously I stopped using BFF around the same time I stopped signing my Valentine's TLA. Well I second guessed myself....I was trying to trick y'all into thinking that I am some sweet soccer mom. But after she confessed to loving a good train wreck, I thought to be fair I should let you know the real me. I am a wise ass, mom to three great kids, who has a low tolerance for drama...save it for your mama I say, who loves to laugh and drink a good beer with friends.

Snow Day...with an option to go to work

We got about four inches of snow today. They cancelled school last night waaay before 11:00...well cancelled school with an "optional" teacher workday. Optional is such a loose term....teachers can risk life and limb to get to work, take a sick or personal day if they have one or take a day without pay.....kind of doesn't seem optional does it?? Sophie's daycare was closed so I "opted" to stay home.


This is Hannah and her friend enjoying the snow day. I guess this is how you play guitar hero when you have played standing right side up too long....

Where is my NC Spring????

Seriously people we live in central NC and the weather service is calling for 6-8 inches of snow. Do you have any idea what 6-8 inches of snow will do to the city I live in???? No two hour delay....with that much snow we are talking no school.......... even if it snows a 1/4 of an inch. The only good thing is that the ground is fairly warm and the snow should not stick for more than a day. I am ready to put my turtleneck sweaters away and pull out my spring clothes. I am sick of winter.

For giggles **CAUTION*** go here for your current weather forecast:)