Every Day is Hump Day

I have never been so excited to wake up. Today was the last day of steroids after a month and a half of steroid shots and pills.

Let me back up. Just before B and I took our trip to Tampa, I developed a no-good, horrible, very bad case of the hives. I thought I was having an allergic reaction to the new detergent I'd bought so I rewashed everything in my suitcase (and later, our house) with a free and clear detergent. Nope.

I spent the entire trip back from Tampa in a Benadryl coma. My sweet boy drove me straight to urgent care where they gave me a steroid shot and a week's worth of oral steroids. Things started to get better, but as soon as my oral steroids ran out - WHAM! Back with a vengance.

I went to my regular doctor who gave me another shot (boohiss) and a month's worth of oral steroids. Do you know what 2 shots and 5-6 weeks of oral steroids will do to your body?

For starters, I do not look like Wonder Woman.

1. 
   
   Weight gain and Hunger. I am starving. All the time. Which is really annoying when I am trying to count points for Weight Watchers. Miraculously, I've lost almost 4 pounds in the last 2 weeks. Did I mention I'm still hungry??? 
2. 
   
   Acne. I'm not talking a few zits here and there, people. If you've seen me in person lately, you know what I'm talking about. I went through this in middle school. To go through it again at 31 is just a bit ridiculous. No amount of Mary Kay can make me feel cute right now.
3. 
   
   Buffalo Hump and Moon Face. Yes, those are the names of these side effects. Google it. My face is beyond puffy and I have a "lump-hump" beneath my chin that does indeed resemble this guy:

He is NOT cute!

So while this might sound a little odd (and maybe even selfish) I would love your prayers as I try to have patience with my body while the steroids work their way out of my system. I am so lucky to have such a sweet boy who loves me no matter what I look like, but 30+ days of buffalo humps and moon face will wear a girl down. :)

The Magic Wand Story

A few weeks ago, B and I went to Tampa to see Leigh and Dave. We spent a day at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure so that Leigh and I could go to....

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter!!

It was, in a word, awesome. We had SO MUCH FUN! Bryan, Dave and "Medium Mike" (not to be confused with "Big Mike") came along because Universal serves one of their favorite products:

Beer!

(You thought I was going to say wine, didn't you?)

We do drink other things. Like beer.

I digress. At the Wizarding World of Harry Potter you can buy your very own, very powerful magic wand. 

This is outside THE Ollivander's Wand Shop.

We just came from a verywetJurassicParkride. 

We were veryveryverywet.

Give me a break.

Leigh modeling the magical powers of her Harry Potter wand.

Dave was very scared.

Being the brainiac that I am, I picked up a Hermoine Granger wand.

Within days of our trip, I was back at work. I am in the same grade, at the same school with the same fabulous teaching partner.  I inevitably spend the first few days lamenting the loss of my former students, waving to them in the hallways and feeling a great sense of satisfaction when they stop by my room in the morning for a hug before starting their day. 

My new batch of cuties are already challenging me to stay on top of my "game." They are incredibly sweet, but incredibly talkative. Incredibly. Did I mention they were at least really sweet?

Seriously -

They. Will. Not. Shut. Up. 

EVER.

About 12:30 last Friday, I reached my limit. 

There were 42 tiny humans and 3 tall ones. The tiny ones were winning. We were trying to have a veryserious conversation about homework, putting first things first and being proactive when I might have lost it just a little bit. 

I remembered that my magic wand was in the back of the room.

I rushed back to go get it.

I rushed back up in front of the very talkative cutie pies.

Me: Do you know what this is?!?!

Them: (silence and dumbfounded stares... finally!!)

Me: THIS (holding up said wand) is a MAGIC WAND! From THE Harry Potter World! And it is REAL! And it WORKS!

Them: nothing. (again!!!)

Me: If you do not CLOSE YOUR MOUTHS, I am going to give ALL OF YOU TYPE 2 COOTIES!!!!!!!

Them: Gasps. Shock. Wincing. (You could smell the fear.)

Me: THERE IS NO SHOT OR CURE FOR TYPE 2 COOTIES!!!!!!!

Them: Shhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!! 

Me: Do you understand?!?!?!?!?

Them: Yes ma'am. 

It was the most magical moment of my (almost) 9 year teaching career. 

My teaching partners in the back were choking down laughter, but it worked!!! We might have the most gullible kids on the planet, but they believe in that magic wand. All I have to do it reach for that box and I hear: "Type 2 Cooties! Hush!"

And they say kids have no imagination.

13 Things Your Child's Teacher Will Never Tell You

I found this article while hopping around on one of my favorite teacher websites. It was too true not to share!

13. The students we remember are happy, respectful and good-hearted, not necessarily the ones with the highest grades.

12. We love snow days and three day weekends just as much as your kid does.

11. Please, no more mugs, frames or stuffed animals. A gift card to Starbucks or Staples would be more than enough. A thank-you note would be even better!

10. Kids dish on your secrets all the time - money, religion, politics, even Dad's vasectomy!

9. We take on the role of mother, father, psychologist, friend, and adviser every day. Plus, we’re watching for learning disabilities, issues at home, peer pressure, drug abuse, and bullying.

8. Guys who dribble a ball for a couple of hours a game can make up to $20 million a year. We educate future leaders and make about $51,000 a year.

7. Please help us by turning off the texting feature on your child’s phone during school hours.

6. Your child may be the center of your universe, but I have to share mine with 25 (or more!) others.

5. When I hear a loud belch (or a toot!), I remember that a student’s manners are a reflection of his parents’.

4. Kids used to go out and play after school and resolve problems on their own. Now, with computers and TV, they lack the skills to communicate. They don’t know how to get past hurt feelings without telling the teacher and having her fix it.

3. We’re sick of standardized testing and having to “teach to the test.”

2. I’m not a marriage counselor. At parent-teacher conferences, let’s stick to Jose's progress, not how your husband won’t help you around the house.

1. If we teach small children, don’t tell us that our jobs are “so cute” and that you wish you could glue and color all day long.

Obviously these statements don't apply to every student I've ever had. However, they've all certainly been true at one time or another in my (almost) 10 year teaching career!

Won't You Take Me to Phunkytown??

This post is a little belated, but it was my favorite weekend of the summer so far.

On July 3rd, we joined our friends Lori and Will (and our new friend Katie) at the new Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Alpharetta to see...

Phish!

(photo here)

This was our 7th Phish show together, and we had a blast! They even started the first set with my favorite song, Character Zero. It has been about 3 years since we saw them last so I was really excited about this concert!

When you can't see Bryan's eyes, you know he's really excited!

I will admit, I did not take to Phish right away. When Bryan and I met, he was convinced that all he had to do was immerse me in about a million live Phish recordings and I would love it. Nope.

Finally, he bought me the Billy Breathes album. I fell in love. In fact, the song that we danced to at our wedding, Waste, is on this album. About 3 months after I learned to love Phish I saw my first show. I was hooked - the lights, the dancing, the happy energy, every single minute. It's a 3-4 hour "mountain top experience." Can you tell I like it? :)

Phish @ the new amphitheater

(above and below from here.)

I might have a teensy-weensy crush on him.

Maybe.

It was a fabulous night!! They played lots of our favorite songs, we both got to boogie and we got our "music fix" until the next time.

Encore

July 4th was spent with our newlywed friends - The Burlesons! I forgot to bring my camera, so I stole these from Sherry's FB page. :)

Bryan loves to Bocce!

We played cornhole for the first time and Bryan taught the crew how to play Bocce. The boys grilled brats and burgers and once it got dark we lit a few fireworks and sparklers. (No worries Mama and Mom - we were totally supervised by a firefighter.)

The Burlesons:

Christina and Ron (the very responsible firefighter)

I loved having a whole weekend with my sweet boy.

Daily Deal!

One of the things I LOVE about summer is getting manicures and pedicures! Today's Living Social deal for Atlanta gives you BOTH for $15. Yes ma'am, $15. (It's a lot like Groupon.)

So, follow this linky-dink and get one! Quick!

I Love Tuesdays

Yes, you read correctly. I love Tuesdays. However, I only love Tuesdays during the summer. This is because Bryan has Tuesdays off. :)Yesterday was one of our last Tuesdays together for the summer (I go back to work July 29th) so we had a "date day."

Now, anyone who knows my sweet boy knows that he is cheap. I mean super cheap. As in, the pennies in his pocket are gasping for air. So this was not a "no-holds barred" date day. This was Date Day: Bryan's Way.

Bryan needed new work+gym shoes badly. He wanted to go to Wal-Mart or Target. (Nothing wrong with either of these stores. You can find me in either place pretty frequently. But for good running shoes?? Please.) Being the savvy shopper that I am I had not one, but two, coupons for Kohl's. They happened to be having an oh-so-fabulous sale. We found Bryan a pair of shoes AND a nice new polo for a grand total of...
$27.91!

That's right!! The shoes (originally $59.99) were marked down to $23.99. The shirt (originally $34.00) was on sale for $16.99. I had $10 Kohl's cash and another coupon for 15% off my total purchase. I also love that Kohl's gives you a total of how much you saved - $67.66. Woo-hoo!

I left during the afternoon to babysit, and came home in time for dinner. We had Bryan's favorite - leftovers! Total cost... $0! (Or, +$45 if you're counting my babysitting money!)

Later, we made it over to our new favorite theater - The Picture Show at Merchant's Exchange.

A Bryan-Approved Date Night

On Tuesdays, you can see a movie (all day long) for $0.75! Normal ticket prices are $1.25 before 6pm and $1.75 after 6pm. It only costs $1.50-$3.25 for us to see a movie, so we don't mind spending money on popcorn and a coke! For example, last night we spent a whopping $9.50 for 2 tickets, a giant bucket o' popcorn and a large coke. Who can beat that?? ONE ticket at the nearby theater is $9.00!! 

We saw Date Night with Tina Fey and Steve Carrell. SO FUNNY. Words cannot express how much I loved this movie.

"If we are going to pay this much for crab it better sing and dance and introduce us to the Little Mermaid!"

We both laughed out loud the entire time. If you haven't seen it yet, I suggest you head towards the Picture Show. It'll be more expensive to rent it! :)

It was such a fun way to spend a Tuesday with my sweet boy - shopping, no cooking and a movie! What are your cheap date ideas?

Not What I Expected

This morning, I am trying to enter my friend Angie's giveaway so I can look like hot stuff when I hear Bryan in the bedroom. (Note: I know I promised a post about a fur child, but this is better.)

B: Hey! Come here!

Me: Whaaat? (in a veryannoyedbecauseiamtryingtowinfreejewelry tone)

B: Just come here! Trust me.

Me: Fine. (I know this cannot be good. Especially when he says, "Trust me." This usually results in me cleaning up hairballs.)

I get to the bedroom. He is standing in his towel (hubba, hubba) in front of the bedroom window.

Me: Yes?

B: You don't see it?

Me: See what?

He points to the window...

THIS THING WAS IN MY WINDOW!

Holy Crap!!!

I (of course) ran back to get my camera so I could share it with all of you. No worries - that window is SHUT and that gigantic bug beast is OUTSIDE.