Muddy fingers

The season has turned. My kids have been set free. Every day, when I get back from work, I scoop them up and I can smell the sunshine and outside air in their hair. They smell so fresh!

I love that our sidewalk is covered in toddler scribbles, the knees of their jeans are caked in mud, their fingernails are dirty and their cheeks are rosy. I love that their toy mess is now outside. I love that they fall into bed and sleep so hard.

Welcome spring!

A Cat-astrophic Decision

We adopted Fergus almost 5 years ago. I think he's been a delightful little man. However, he has also been a crazy little tyrant. He's an alpha male so, he thinks he should be in charge and he's not afraid of letting people know this. Most times, he kowtows to me because I like it when he sleeps at my feet and he knows that it's me who feeds him.

Owning a cat has had it's frustrations. When left alone too often or kept inside too much (read cold, cold winters), Fergus takes out his pent up energy on our baseboards. We have chew marks along most of them. Also, he likes to jump as high as he can to catch the reflection of lights that shine on our walls whenever a car drives by. This has led to surprisingly high scratch marks on our walls. Our love seat is currently in the repair shop for some basic warranty work and we figured that, since it was in there, we'd get it the leather fixed. Good old Fergus happens to scratch it with his back claws whenever he jumps up to see out the window and our loveseat is a mess.

Unfortunately, small children and a grumpy, alpha male cat are not the best mix in an 1100 sq ft house. My own kids are pretty good at reading Fergus and his moods. Fergus also knows them and can predict them. Other people's kids are not so good for Fergus. Most of them want to touch him (he's really beautiful - and fluffy). They chase him and reach their hands out to him and try to touch him. If he can hide or if I can catch him and put him outside or shoo him to the basement, things are okay. If a kid corners him, he hisses and bats at them. This action sends most small children into hysterics and puts most visiting Mommas into Momma-Bear mode. I'm usually left defending Fergus or, after calming him down, putting him outside or shooing him to the basement.

I won't even begin to lament about cat hair... oh wait, I did that here.

When we move to our Someday House, we have an option to let Fergus move to my parents' farm. He'll be able to roam the countryside and have a nice, heated garage to take shelter in. I'm sure he'll catch his share of mice and birds and romp to his little heart's content. We're probably going to take them up on this option. My little gangsta is going to be movin' to the country.

It makes sense.

However, I'm really sad about it. As much of a pain as he is, I'm going to miss my little fur ball.

Dear Miss I.

Today, I went to another annual Teacher Convention. As much as I enjoy hanging out with my colleagues all day, I usually find myself planning lessons in my head and missing my students. It's always a good reminder that the classroom is where I'm happiest on a work day.

I've been out of university for almost 10 years. !0 years ago, I had my 12-person panel interview at Lanigan and GOT THE JOB! :) It was the best place for me to be a new teacher. Looking back, I was loved, mentored and put through my paces.
In the ensuing 10 years, I have learned a lot of things about teaching. If I could go back in time, or send myself a message from the future (holograph, of course), this are a few of things I wish I could say to a very keen Miss I.

-Go home! Stop fretting over lesson planning until 7:30 at night. The students certainly don't care this much.
-Stop giving so many marked assignments. Marking all evening after working well into the supper hour is not good.
-Get to know your colleagues better (I can still heed this advice - I'm terribly ant-social).
-Personal life should ALWAYS come before professional life.
-Don't take teenagers to Europe!
-Don't take 41 students to the PA Penitentiary on your own.
-Love those RISK kids more... you'll spend the rest of your career missing them.
-Laugh every day with students. (Silently fart near the ones who bug you and give them a dirty look shortly afterwards).
-Teach all those kids, not just the highly motivated ones. Regular teachers only really gear their plans for the "smart" kids. Good teachers focus on all of the students. (The reward for teaching the stragglers is much, much higher!)
-Read during Silent Reading.
-Don't read every email from admin - those articles are a time-suck.
-Change, even when it sucks and is unwanted, is still good.
-You're going to miss being Miss I.

Arena Bound

I read The Hunger Games series after Christmas break. Every time I stuck my nose into the books, it felt like I was submerged under water and I could barely breathe until I had to break the surface back into my reality. It was that intense, folks. If you haven't read it yet, where have you been? under a rock?

Normally, I would read the series and be done. However, I teach Middle Years now. I have built this elaborate community of readers (my students ROCK) and they watched me read The Hunger Games series during our Silent Reading time (any teacher who doesn't read during Silent Reading is missing one of my favorite parts of the day - yes, I am modelling and yes, I am reading for my own pleasure - it's awesome). I have Book Talked the series with every kid that has read it in my room. We have had the best discussions about love, family, the Roman Empire, government, power and sacrifice. Even better, all these conversations have been student led and we've been equal participants. (The girls and I have held lengthy debates about who's cuter and better: Peeta or Gale. It can get quite intense!) It's a level playing field when you talk to someone about a mutual love for a book. That makes it real to life instead of just something the curriculum requires. I love it!

Now, I've been roped into leading a Hunger Games Book Club at school. A bit of a challenge as all my participants are in varying parts of the series. Our first meeting is tomorrow. I have a cornucopia of ideas planned (literally). Should be fun.

Today, I booked tickets for Trevor and I to go to the movie. (It was supposed to be a surprise but I don't have a poker face and my husband can read me like a book.) Date night + a movie version of a book that has played a huge role in my 2012 so far = a very happy me!

Little Guy

"Simon, you're getting so big. Momma's going to have to buy you new pants (socks, shoes, jacket... the works)."

"Nemo is a little guy. Nemo is not a baby." (We watched "Finding Nemo" - it's changed our lives.)

My little baby boy is entering his last month as a 2 year old. These past few weeks, I've noticed HUGE changes in his behaviour. He's starting to make rational choices. He's learning to calm himself down to avoid consequences. He's starting to see and treat Claire like a person. He's constantly trying to please. He's telling jokes. He's becoming this delightful little being to have around the house. I think 3 will be good for us!

Claire, on the other hand, is getting her eye-teeth (all four poking away at her at once) and she's miserable. Poor thing!

I am soon going to have 6 1/2 months of bliss in my house without a 2-year old and then, Claire will transform into a crazy creature for a while.

March Madness

Prep house - done
Sell house - done
Mark like crazy - working on it
Report Cards - due at the end of the month (I've never done e-school report cards before...eeek!)
Prep kids' clothes for clothing sale - 6 tubs done/6 more to go (crazy how much work this is)
Sell clothes at sale - end of the month
Paint kids' rooms and closets at the Someday House - get a good chunk of it done tomorrow and maybe go back next weekend


Yikes - I feel like this month came in like a lion. By the looks of things, it's going to keep me going hard. Good thing I'm feeling better!

An Open Door

3 days on the market.
3 offers.
We accepted one of the ones above asking price that had no conditions. We are so very thankful!
Looking forward to this summer in our new home!!!!

Sure a lot different then our last real estate experience. I guess that was God closing one door so that we could have a better opportunity. It makes more sense now on this end. It sure stung then.

It's official. We're moving at the end of May. Yippee for us!

For Sale

Thursday the sign went up.
Yesterday, we had 3 viewings. (Thanks Mom and Dad for supper).
Today, we had 4 viewings plus an Open House. (Thanks lovely in-laws for lunch and a nap place).
Tomorrow, we have a second Open House and we'll probably be booking viewings before we head off for church.
Hopefully, we'll have a sold sign by Monday.

The reality of our "Someday House" is sinking in.

(I've been sorting, purging, boxing and cleaning like a mad woman lately - yeesh!)