Houston, We Have Success!

So, I teach two blocks of an honors American History class. It's a prep class for AP US History. The majority of my 58 kids are extremely bright and wanting to learn, which makes it fun to teach them. However, today took the cake.

We are starting our WWI unit tomorrow, and to get them thinking war, without guns and poison gas, I found a simulation that made them become different major countries of the early 1900's.Their job was to make their country an empire, using different stats that I gave them.....and if they got big enough or powerful enough, they could declare WAR on someone else, in order to take them over. It's a long drawn out way they get power, so I'll leave my explanation of the game at that.

(however, if you are a high school history teacher, or know someone who is and want to learn more about this simulation, just contact me. Because it's awesome)

This was the first time I did this simulation, and so I was nervous. Would the kids get it? Would they play correctly, or just go to war all the time? Would they find it fun or boring???? Well, it was a smash hit. They got it so right!!!!! It even turned out just like WWI.....even, in one class, Russia pulled out of war in the middle of it, and in another class, France melted under pressure. I was so excited, tears came. the kids were proud of themselves too....they want to keep playing!!!!

Then, in my western history class, we held an election for Best Roman Emperor. A class, which is normally very minimal at doing anything or participating, did AWESOME at their election process. Only 1 kid (NavyGirl: initials D.G. You know......) didn't do his work, but everyone else did! Complete success.

It was a day that reaffirmed my faith in teaching.

In other news....Baby A is going to be transitioning this month to a bigger kid room at daycare. No more cribs! They sleep on cots! Only one nap a day! No more babyfood if she doesn't like the meal served! No highchairs....they are in little chairs with seatbelts! They get to play outside ont eh grass, not just go on walks! I know she needs to move up, but I"m so nervous....what if she doesn't adapt well??? I was asking all sorts of questions this morning to her teacher, and suddenly I started crying......I don't adjust to change well, and I can't believe my little baby kitty is turning 1 soon! Where did this year go???? Sunrise.....sunset......

The teacher was not alarmed by my tears....she said lots of 1st time moms have a hard time with transition....more trouble than their kids do.

But I'm sad....my girlie is turning from a baby to a big girl.....and I'm not ready for it.

Can you imagine how I'll do when she goes to college, or gets married??????

Baby A Eats Italian

So, Baby A turns ONE on Saturday. BIG DAY!!!!! In preparation for her being a big girl, we are transitioning her over to all big girl food. She's slightly picky, but she's starting to consider options other than cheerios.

Tonight we tried Beef Ravioli ala Chef Boyardee. I figured it was nice and soft, and kids like it, so why not? well, as you can see, she obviously loved it. There's tomato sauce all over. The scream on her face is because it was gone. She also mowed through some corn and of course, peaches. She's also drinking some whole milk with dinner, and tonight, she's getting a bottle of 1/2 formula, 1/2 milk.

I promise, I will post a prettier picture of Baby A soon, but this was just so funny that I had to share. Can you imagine what she's going to do with her own birthday cake on Saturday???? I predict frosting EVERYWHERE.

Good Monday, everyone!

I'm raising a hussy!

So, Baby A is getting to be well known at her day care. When she was an infant, everyone knew that she was a spitter. Lots of spitty all over every time she ate. Next, it became known very fast that A doesn't like green veggies. She'll blow raspberries all over you if you try to feed her them. Then, she became known as a nuk-theif. Noone's nuks were safe from Baby A's quick sticky fingers.

However, today took the cake.

I picked her up this evening and her teacher Miss D. said that Baby A was giving kisses all day long....to her friend Baby V! Now, V is a BOY. Baby A is a GIRL. What's up with this???? She's making out at school! All day I try to avoid seeing teenagers involved in PDA, and I leave the halls of highschool lovin' to hear that my precious baby is kissing boys!

But in reality, the teachers said it was quite cute. She would crawl up to V. and give him a big baby opened mouth kiss on the forehead....when the teachers would ask her what she was doing, she would give a big grin and kiss him again. Then she would crawl away and do her own thing until she felt that Baby V needed more affection.

So very cute. I wish her teachers would have caught it on camera. It would be priceless!!!

Halloween Flashback

So, a few years ago, when I was thinner, less cellulite prone, and had perkier "ladies", I went as "Hot Donna" for Halloween. "Hot Donna" is a character from Farmer's then favorite show...That 70's Show. Donna was sent to Catholic school for a year, and so she appeared in the show wearing the necessary uniform: plaid skirt, white shirt, knee socks. So, for Halloween, I went as a more "loose moraled" Donna...shorter skirt, etc. Needless to say, I was a hit with Farmer's drunken friends at our annual Drunken Halloween Garage Party. In some circles, I'm still refered to as Hot Donna, even though I'm now dimpled and saggy. :)

Fast Forward to Saturday night. After reading some fashion and gossip magazines, I learned that an in style is a longer black skirt with a white fitted blouse tucked into the skirt, high heels, and big bulky jewelry. I thought....WOW! I actually have an outfit that would be considered In! I ran with the outfit.

So, there I was, feeling confident in my outfit, and Farmer's brother comes to the dinner table and bellers out "Hey! Hot Donna came to the party!" I looked around, looking for some inappropriately dressed female, and then realized, when everyone started giggling at me, that I was Hot Donna. I felt like an idiot. I mean....cripes! my skirt fell past my knees! My "ladies" weren't hanging out! I was completely different!

NOthing like looking like you're wearing a halloween costume when trying to look in style and fancy. :)

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On a different note, Baby A will lately only now eat cheerios and peaches. At least we are getting some fruit in there. She's also starting to drink whole milk, which she seems to like. Baby A also got a big girl car seat this weekend. She's excited to soon be facing forward.

Baby A also made it thorugh a whole day at Day Care without stealing someone else's nuk. It's progress.

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Hey, GreenGirl....that chicken cordon bleu casserole turned out awesome. Farmer really liked it....would you like the recipe to see if the Gentlemen of the Estate would like to try it?

Also, NavyGirl....this would be a good one for you to make up in Whidbey when you are feedinghalf of the Pacific Fleet at your soon to be found home. It's a crockpot meal, so it's un-screwup-able. :)

Oh Boy.....This could get dangerous

So, last night Baby A and I went to our shopping happy place......Target. This time, Target did not disappoint. We found stuff for Baby A's birthday party gift bags, a bunch of cleaning supplies, and....here's the danger point.....TWO pairs of shoes for baby A. Now, Baby A's mom has a dangerous dangerous addiction to Target's shoe department. I was trying to save Baby A from a life of lusting after yet another pair of adorable Issac Mizrahi peep toe pumps, but last night I capitulated. (But hey, I made it almost a year, so that's awesome in my book)



They had a very cute pair of white sneakers that would look very cute with Baby A's Badger and Packer cheerleader dresses. Her pink tennies just didn't match all that red and white and green and gold. Daddy didn't think that it mattered matching shoes to outfit.....but this coming from a man who has one pair of tennies, one black dress, one brown dress, and a pair of sandals. His shoe selection is woefully low.



Then, in the same display, I found a pair of black mary janes....what little girl doesn't need a pair of black dress shoes for her adorable dress outfits??????? Every woman knows that one of the best things in a wardrobe is having the perfect pair of go-anywhere black shoes. Mumma's happen to be a mary jane style too, but they are a crocodile print with very pointy toes and 3 inch stilletos (ALSO FROM TARGET!!!!)....but since they didn't have any like that in Baby A's size, we went with a sensible pair of flats.



So, Baby A should be set for now in the shoe department. Mumma does think that she needs a pair of brown loafers, so we are keeping an eagle eye out for them. However, if you run into Farmer in the next few days, don't mention to him about that. He's threatening to ban me from Target....what a sad day that would be.

Attn: heads of major TV stations

Please, bigwigs, bring back the fall lineup earlier than the last week of September next year. I seriously cannot stand another week of reruns or corny reality shows (except wipeout...laugh out loud funny).

There are TV junkies in our nation that need new TV shows so they have something to discuss with others. Not everyone likes to discuss minute points of historical events, or have a discussion as to what explorer is the best. People would rather talk about Meredith and Derek, or if House is going to make up with his old team and bring them back, or if Betty is going to marry Henry or go to Rome with Gio. Or....can Seeley Booth get any hotter? (I doubt it)

I can't wait until October to have my friends come back into my life. Please, consider bringing back my shows earlier next year. The wait is too long.

Thank you~

Historygirlie, TV Junkie

Making Mustard

Yes, my bloggy friends, a person can make their own mustard. My recipe is now, with me, 4th generation, and it seriously is the best super spicy mustard EVER. But warning: It's SPICY. Here's the super easy recipe:

1 c. white sugar
1 c. malt ale vinegar
3 beaten eggs
4 oz. COLMANS mustard (can only use this,it's in a yellow can)

combine in a double boiler, beat with hand mixer until thick. Store in fridge.

I just made some of this in under 10 minutes because we are having pork roast for supper and i was needing some mustard. It makes about 2 halfpint jars, with a bit left over. Now my home smells like spicy mustard goodness. Farmer won't like this smell....he's NOT a mustard man. But me? It will be so tasty tonight with my pork, baked potato, and green bean casserole.

(No, I wasn't off work tonight....everything was cooked yesterday)


If you make this yummy old world concoction, let me know! How do you like Great Great Grandma Maurer's spicy brown mustard??????

Enjoy!

Things I've been Pondering

So, for my grad class I have to write a paper on the trends of historiography in either Ancient Greece or Rome. Only a history geek could pull something off like this. So, I've been thinking about writing my paper on Ancient Greek trends in recording history, from Homer's oral traditions through the "Wars Only" history to "Greece is Great!" history, up to the fall of the empire. It's due at the end of the month. Does this topic sound do-able?

Doesn't it sound dull?

Wow.....

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how many cheerios can Baby A eat in one day? Lately, she will only eat cheerios.

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Why, when there are only 3 people living in a house, and one of them is only 1.5 feet high, can a kitchen counter and kitchen table always be full of junk????? ALWAYS???????

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What should Baby A be for Halloween? I must get us to Target to check out the costumes before they are all picked over and she'll have to be a pirate or Bob the Builder or something else boyish.

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What do I wear to a family wedding this weekend? I don't want to go out and spend money on a new outfit, but since I was preggo or post preggo last late summer/early fall, I have no dressy clothes that aren't work clothes. I don't want to look teacher-y, but I"m too cheap to get something new.

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What should I make for my sister's baby shower gift? I want to make something, but she's uber crafty too, so whatever I make could pale in comparison to something she would.

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Do I change my sheets tonight, or do it tomorrow night? I"m not really in the mood to do it tonight, but do it after a long day at work? I don't think so.

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As you can tell, many random thoughts are taking presidence (bad spelling there) over important things that are occuring in life in general, but sometimes you have to give attention to the mundane.


Also, to my few but loyal readers, I plan on starting to post more often now that the back to work exhaustion is getting better. I won't post nearly as often as NavyGirl, (she has a more interesting nomad-like life at the moment, which gives more material anyway) but I will try to be more on the ball. I know your life stalls completely when I don't post regularily.

(That last bit was just a self morale booster. I was just kidding)

(kinda)

Whew

So, we are exactly 5 days in with students in my classroom. Things are going well. My students are mostly excited and wanting to learn. We have great discussions, and for the most part, when I am done with the day, I feel satisfied in my job.

AND......I feel exhausted.

Bone numbing tired.

This makes me realize that I really didn't do too much this summer. I thought I kept busy, but not nearly enough. Last night I fell dead asleep at 9:00 pm. Tonight I could have hit the sheets at....well.....about 5:30 pm.

I hope this exhaustion phase passes quickly. I'm not a very good playmate for Baby A. I spend most of my time sitting next to her passing her toys to suck on and then throw behind her.

But she seems to be super tired from school too. Tonight she was playing, and then crawled in my lap, put her head down on my shoulder. I went to give her a bubba, and she fell mouth wide open asleep half way through. This was at 7:30 pm. She normally doesn't hit the sheets until 8:30. I just hope she'll sleep through the night so I can sleep through the night.

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In other matters, I came up with a great idea this summer to make my evenings a bit more easy. I came up with a meal schedule, and planned out my meals for the entire month....main dishes, sides, salads, etc. Farmer thought I was funny for doing this, but it makes everything so much better!!!!! I never have to rush around finding something to eat, we aren't eating everything on a bun (last school year we ate alot of things on buns) and we are eating more veggies than french fries. I think this trend will continue.

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I get to go bridesmaid dress shopping this weekend. My brother is getting married, and so we are going to go dress shopping on saturday. Well, brother isn't going, we are going with his lovey. But there is a whole van full of ladies on this excursion. My sister in law to be is a PLANNER.....we have appointments at 5 different bridal shops, an hour for lunch, and are all to be at the house by 9:15 AM. God help you if you are late. She wants fun black dresses with pink trim, so those won't be so bad...at least, not as bad as Ugly Pink Dress from this summer.

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Ok, I think I made my limit for staying awake today. Yes, it's only 9:12 pm here right now, but I'm throwing in the towel. Have a great night!!!!

What was I thinking?

Since Baby A is now on the move (and getting faster every minute) I've found myself pulling her out of the most random places. Under end tables. Under the lazyboy. Out of clothesbaskets. Under her jumparroo. Out of corners. stuck in the kitchen blinds.

I've also taken away a garden variety of things from her that she finds. Remotes. Phones. Cords. Tomatoes. Cucumbers. My office chair. Not to mention every crumb on my floor.

I've already forgotten what it was like to have a phone conversation without having to pause to save her or take something away. My mother and sister now automatically stop talking when I start talking over them.

I worried and prayed that Baby A would catch up with the rest of her age bracket when it came to self movement. My overactive mind was picturing the need for rehab or leg braces or something else.

Now that she's moving? I'm praying for 5 minutes without having to play search and rescue.

Remind me why movement is so great????

Back to school update

Yesterday our school year officially began. A few highlights:

*As I walk in to my room, I notice a few ants on the floor. No biggie. I get to my desk, and there are ants all over. EVEN INSIDE MY DESK DRAWERS. Attack of the Ants. Disgusting. I immediately call Joe the janitor and tell him to RUN, not walk, to my room with something to kill the ants infesting my room. He came quite quickly and sprayed them with something. All day I felt like something was crawling all over me.

*My school has A/C, which was exciting, as it was 95 degrees outside yesterday. However, in the basement, where I teach, the A/C wasn't working. My room got up to 85 degrees and I couldn't open my windows. Because I was dressed up, first day and all, I was a roaming sweatball by the end of the day. NOTE: don't wear massive girdle on hot days when the A/C might not work.

*My 3rd block class has only 13 kids in it. 13 kids as silent as tombs. for the whole hour and a half NO ONE TALKED. Well, they did complain mightily when I assigned homework for the first night. I think it might be a long semester with them.

Today was a good day too. I introduced my classes to the Sophomore Class history project. It's modeled after the National History Day project, and it's worth 20% of their grade-----big stuff. They looked a bit shell shocked when I was done going through the 13 page explanation packet. Bwahahaha......I love being that kind of teacher some days.

Also, I'm really staying on my game with planning ahead and being organized. I know it's only the 2nd day, but really.....2 days in a row organized is quite special. I came up with some AWESOME stuff for my world war I unit, and I'm super excited. NavyGirl.....I have to tell you about this unit. I found the History Alive binders in your old office and there was AWESOME stuff.

But overall, things seem great at KHS. I really think it will be a good year. I turned a corner in my thoughts about being the only non-coach, and I'm realizing that they do feel I have worth. None of them are prepared for day to day stuff, and noone was ready for the History Project stuff, so when I came in this morning to our morning meeting and announced that I'm planned two units out and was ready to introduce project, they were quite impressed with me. I also used to excuse my usefullness for the department, and this year I'm changing that. I'm a good teacher, and I'm letting them know that.

Ok, thanks for listening to my self-affirming rant. :)

In Baby A news, she's fully on the move with crawling. She's into everthing and anything. SHe's also loving her big girl food at day care. She LOVES twice baked potatoes and ravioli. Good to know. :)

Oh, I wish I had a camera to share with you right now....Baby A is stuck inside a clothes basket!!! She crawled in and can't back out! I love the joy she brings me......awesome.