So tired...

I just got home from a football game...it's midnight, on a school night. We got the shaft, as usual at. This time it was no food AND no locker room. All this after a fun day at school with, count them, 2 fire drills in one day! Why 2 fire drills in one day, you ask? Because we didn't get out fast enough the first time.

Let me preface this by saying it's the first week of school. The first fire drill happened first thing in the morning. Do you remember what class I have 1st? KINDERGARTEN! Did they happen to warn us about this coming doom?...no. No time to tell them not to cry from the loud noise coming from the walls. No time to learn how to say line up and stay quiet in Spanish. Did I mention they don't speak English?...No?

Well after this complete disaster, while I was bringing 5th grade into my room, ANOTHER alarm goes off. Now I'm just annoyed. But luckily they speak English, so not so crazy. I'm assuming we got out fast enough this time since there wasn't a third alarm...I wouldn't be surprised. Perhaps tomorrow.

I'm going to bed.

First day of school

The first day of school came and went on Monday, but we (the Specials team) didn't have any kids that day. I felt pretty bad for those classroom teachers who had to be with their kids all day without a conference (or what we call a long lunch). Today was my real first day.

1st thing in the morning we have Kindergarten...oh, joy. I'm a pretty fast talker, so I really have to slow things down for Kinder, or it's buh-bye attention spans. Kinder is what I like to call The Animal. They have to be taught EVERYTHING! From where their feet go when they're standing or sitting, to how we don't talk out of turn (blurting), to where your eyes need to be when the teacher's talking...you know, stuff you tell your kids every year and wonder why they can't remember it. But it's all good now. Once I brought out the sparkly pencils to give out, they learned really quick what was appropriate. It's amazing what a little bribe will do!

This worked in pretty much all my classes. I love most of my Tuesday kiddos. Let's hope the rest of the week goes as smoothly.

New school, new year

It's the night before the first day of school. Of course, all teachers are anticipating this day so much it's going to be hard to sleep. I think we might be more anxious than the kids...I know I am. With my new job comes new responsibilities. I'm by myself this year. I've never been alone in teaching. I'm actually kind of excited. I can do whatever I want! This makes me happy. My PALM team is awesome (PE, Art, Library, Music). They keep me laughing, which is something I highly enjoy doing.

There's really no point to this post. I know I'm rambling, but I can't think of anything else to do with myself. New school clothes are put away, tomorrow's outfit is laid out...LUNCH!...I need to put my lunch together. Okay, that's enough rambling! Wish me luck!

The plateau

Being fat sucks. On the road to skinny we hit bumps, detours, and sometimes we crash. I don't know what catagory I would fit into, but I haven't crashed. Having something to work towards is suppose to help me, but I haven't been motivated enough to work. My 5K is in just over 4 months...hopefully this is enough time to get my butt in gear (literally). 3 miles in 4 months? I think this is possible, even for chubby ol' me.

It's back to school time!

Having a new job has it's pros and cons. Pros: Meeting new people; decorating a new room; 1st days of school. Cons: Meeting new people; decorating a new room; 1st days of school. Right now I love my school. I love my admin, I love my team, and I love all the other teachers...right now. Ask me again in a couple of weeks how I love it. The excitement of back to school is in the air, but it won't last long...a week, maybe two.

Let me tell you what I'm not looking forward to: Morning bus duty; Telling the students their other music teacher isn't coming back; Being compared to said "other" music teacher; Having kindergarten for 45 minutes 1st period...need I go on? I've been in my classroom for the past couple of weeks getting it ready. Our meet the teacher is tomorrow night. I'm trying to prep myself for the disappointed little faces of students who come to visit their "former" music teacher. I'll let you know how this goes.

Operation sunscreen

Operation sunscreen is a program we put together to help protect the troops as they help protect us! With your donation of $20, you will be providing a Mary Kay sunscreen set to troops overseas including:

1 SPF 30 sunscreen

1 Lip protector sunscreen SPF 15

1 After-sun Replenishing gel

If you're interested in donating to this great cause, please email me at heatherclark79@marykay.com

I will make all the orders from my computer and ship directly to the Soldiers Angel Network, so all you need to do is donate! :o)

I AM SPARTACUS!

I received the BEST news last night as we were ending our first NFL preseason game. Phantom Regiment WON FINALS!!! Woohoo!!! All of us Regiment alum in the band (around 5 or 6) went totally berserk. I think most people around us figured it had something to do with the Texans winning in the last few seconds of the game, but no. We had other games on our minds. Good job Phantom! I'm still so excited I can't stop smiling! I feel like such a loser for not having seen the show this year, but you better believe I'm buying the video.

So I leave you with a little snippet of the show this season. Maybe when I get the video, I'll have a little Phantom watching party!

I AM SPARTACUS!

The High Cost of Low Prices

The last few months have been months of change. Mostly they're changes that were better for me and for the environment. I went vegan, I only buy American gas, I use less plastic bags at the store, I got a reusable water bottle, and many other things I just can't think of right now. My new venture to save the world is boycotting Wal-Mart. Thanks to my friend, it was recommended I watch a sort of documentary on how Wal-Mart is destroying the world.

"The High Cost of Low Prices"

This is a must watch movie. I hated Wal-Mart before, but this just made me feel better about it. All "Mom and Pop" businesses in small towns are completely wiped out when Wal-Mart comes to town. It was very eye-opening. Low wages, high cost medical coverage, encouragement from management to take advantage of government hand outs, managers changing weekly hours to keep employees under 40, and factory conditions in other countries. I WILL NEVER SHOP THERE AGAIN. You shouldn't either. This company is evil! Most of the products from Wal-Mart are manufactured in China, yet I've seen commercials about how we should buy American and shop at Wal-Mart. LIES! I don't like liers. I'll gladly take my business where it's appreciated and needed. Go rent this movie!!!

The road to skinny

Losing weight has been a real eye-opening experience for me. I've realized a few things:
1. I CAN do it.
2. I feel better.
3. I look better.
4. I still LOVE food.

I decided last week that it was time to try on the wedding dress. This was the ultimate test. Now, I was still a chunky monkey at my wedding, but I'll take what little satisfaction I can get. It fit, and I was happy. I even did a little dance around my living room to celebrate since I happen to be alone. This is probably the only outfit in my closet that has survived since the wedding. Needless to say, my wardrobe is lacking in the smaller clothes department. Some days I really look sad. Frumpy shirts and shorts with a saggy butt. New clothes are not in the budget yet, so it's just going to have to do.

I've got about 35-40 pounds left to lose before I'm a skinny bitch, but I have faith in my system. I would put up a "before" picture, but I'll spare myself the embarassment. Those of you who know me can just picture it, I'm sure.