Sunday, October 31, 2010

trying for redemption

i made these

not the children

well yes the children, i don't want to mistakenly lead them to think i found them under a rock...

but the headbands.

i have been super self conscious of my drawing skills since the stick figure dog fiasco of fifth period but i think these have redeemed me at least a little. i impressed tony so i am happy. and it appears that my chinese dragon drawing skills do not mark me as a one trick pony. i can draw two very distinct dragons depending on who is over my shoulder directing my sharpie. 

those children,
my little ninjas,
they were impressed too.

Friday, October 29, 2010

more on the shouldn'ts

warning...
may be tmi but i thought it was an important psa and i hope you don't indeed lmao because you might need it for sitting and such.

you shouldn't light a candle while you are *ahem* relieving yourself, no matter how cute the little girl batting her eyes is...you may just drop a flaming shard of match head on your lady parts.  really, you shouldn't. 

you shouldn't try to draw a stick figure puppy dog no matter how much you think it will help your students understand hypertonic solutions without testing it out on a person who can think like a 15 year old boy...all it will help them remember is that their teacher drew something that looked really, really phallic.  you really, really shouldn't.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

unplug

i spend way too much time here...
like this...
phone & computer, usually both.


sometimes making stuff like this.

i know a great many of us suffer from the overstimulated, overly-connected, speed-racing life but i am feeling just a wee bit overwhelmed by it at this present juncture. all of my stimulation (oh yeah sara, i said it) makes me feel flat. i feel like my constant connections make me unable to connect. i feel like this racing around is making me feel like i live in slow motion, watching my life from the outside rather than living it. 

in the infinite wisdom of joey lawrence...whoa!

i shouldn't be counting the days to my next four day weekend.
i shouldn't be obsessing about my super long fingers or that mole on my neck.
i shouldn't be relishing this decaf, super-sugar-free loaded coffee that tony made me.
i shouldn't have snipped at my second hour today, and then totally judged the teacher down the hall for the same thing.
i shouldn't be watching nadia race up and down the street in the dark on her bike with margo on her six.
i shouldn't be listening to aidan playing rockband on a week night.
i shouldn't worry about the shouldn'ts and should think more about the should. 

i want to unplug. 
get away.
shut off.
rejuvenate.
revitalize.
chill, but in a warm & cozy kind of way.

this is all that has been on my mind lately.  this and that freaky mole, long fingers and hairy arms now that i really look at that picture.
any suggestions? 
should it be he and me?
should it be the four of us?
should it be near?
should it be far?


Sunday, October 24, 2010

scouts, soup & s'mores

isn't that what fall is all about?
what a cozy way to spend the weekend...with fantastic friends, sinful food and a cozy fire.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

i'm imPOtant

i know that reads bad.  it sounds as if i am divulging some deep dark secret, but i am not. i am listening to the way things sound in my head. there are words in there that, when spoken aloud, never sound like my thoughts. kinda like in my head i have a fantastic scottish accent, but when i test it out on tony i sound like a grunting gnome from hoboken that is all kind of wrong. when i read my blog title it sounds exactly like the theme song from flipper, but aloud i get looks that say i am a freakazoid.

so this saying that streams in my head is something tony's pop says.  he is important you know.  but he says it with his chin jutting up, his hand on his bare chest (dude likes his shirt unbuttoned so you can see his beautiful belly) and exclaims 'i'm imPOtant!'.  when i think of the letter i just received that solidifies the fact that i am too i hear the words in his voice and inflection.

that little 'ol letter is my third that has relieved me from jury duty because, (and i quote my request for deferment here), removing me from the classroom for any length of time will be detrimental to the learning and success of the youth of Pasco. 

SEE? important!

my brother says i am tangential too.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

from here to there and home again

i left school early on friday. something i rarely do. i like the word rarely. it reminds me of really and when i say it in my head is sounds like raally as in raally i do darling. those are the kinds of thoughts i was having on friday.  i mishmash of happy sad free bound scattered-ness.  we were off to see pop and gram. neither are doing well.  both are in pain, one physical, one emotional.  we had many a stop to take care of too. 

but first it was load em up and move em out. aidan and nadia as thrilled as i to sneak out just a little bit early.  the car was packed light on provisions and heavy on electronics. it was one of the emotionally longest rides over the mountain we have ever had. the kids were wonderful and kind and helpful to one another. tony was irritated at how i insist on taking pictures of him while he drives. we had a rousing go at the alphabet game where we realized how silly it is that i am not able to say the next letter in the alphabet without reciting the whole thing. except for m n o p. i have those four down pat. it is the rest that gets jumbled up. i was quick to point out that not once while getting any of my degrees did i need that dribble.  but i digress...it was up and over the mountain to bellevue.












a quick stop at the lego store.

and a delightful dinner with my girls from sesrc. delightful is exactly what i mean. even though we talked of old times and heavy stuff i left feeling delighted by their company.  these are two wonderful women who make me smile. we missed lindsay's mike and i am sorry i nearly made her retinas nearly explode from the insane amount of flash reverberating off of the mirrored corner booth we were in, but i left delighted. 

we stayed in style at the hyatt. aidan informed us on the way over that he will no longer stay in less than a 4 star hotel. awfully pretentious for a boy that had to barter his freedom for the next week to his mom for five bucks to cover his legos. lucky for him we have priceline on our side. we fell asleep boy-boy and girl-girl to the sound of how to train your dragon.
the next morning...
my nadia was folded snug into the circle my body makes when i lie on my side. folded tight with her forehead pressed to mine. my mind was stuck on how she won't fit there forever. she woke up at 5 and wanted to look at the lights of the city. after a quick peek i asked he to come back and snuggle. she snuggled. i snuggled. we giggled and talked about our upcoming day. with every breath we created this little bubble where time did nott exist and i could squish her every moment of every day until eternity.
and then *pop*. 

it was time for showers.

and then off to walk to the coffee shop to start our day. 










then to pop and gram's.
they have moved into what i can only assume is the highest level of care now that they are both confined to their beds.  they sleep holding hands. they deserve the very best, those two. i wish i had a word heavier than sad but as i tried to think of one i think instead of her smile. her mischievous eyebrow wiggle that reminds me of tony. i really don't know what to say about all of that right now. a couple of hours with them was not enough but i don't think they could handle more.



then on to grandpa john & nana becky's.
john built a fantastic addition for becky's mom betty. it was an unbelievable transformation. we visited about dogs and renovations and europe and war and wii over coffee and red velvet cake with the trio. again, a couple of hours was just not enough.

then on to dinner with the cousins and cousins of cousins.
a red robin table for 13 swarmed with activity and updates on things like soccer games and new milestones and school and quarterbacks and cars and iphones and video games and wishes to be closer. i can only imagine the trouble 5 boys and 2 girls could get into if they had more time together, not to mention the damage jake and tony could create. 




  
i felt scattered. and sad. and relaxed. and lucky. and happy too.
and then tony drove us safely back home where margo barely missed us thanks to this lovely girl.   


Monday, October 11, 2010

this one

oh this one

if i were completely truthful i would say that this one is getting on my last nerve. there has been a constant slue of backtalk and arguing that revoked DS privileges have not dammed. there have been tears of injustice. there has been forgetfulness.  there is always the struggle of letting others get a word in. there has been finger pointing.  really, finger pointing.  when did that start?

but then there is so much good in this one.

i don't have to look too hard to find it, i just have to look from his perspective.
 
his never ending chatter is because he has so many ideas running around in that brilliant brain of his. his endless questioning that feels so much like arguing is the reason he is way above grade level in math and reading. his peaceful face each morning as i go to wake him up reminds me that he asks for fairness because he believes it is what is right.  his tunnel vision to complete a task is determination not willfulness and a belief that he is doing what he thinks is right.  and he does do what is right.  when a friend was playing a questionable game, he was the only one who asked for it to be turned to something less violent.  his expectations for himself and his friends is unbelievably high.

and then i remember that i was little once too...

Sunday, October 3, 2010

down


This sucker has been weighing us down.  This calendar is chalk full of running here, running there, running, running everywhere. I have added 4 new items since I updated this earlier this morning.  September looked much the same.  All of that has kept me from keeping track here. 

There were highs... there were lows...unfortunately they all went by in a whirlwind so I didn't catch them all.  I don't have time to write the stories for each, so I will let you decide what the comings and goings of each picture was.