Not Running

I did not run today for the first time in almost two weeks.  I hurt my leg yesterday on an elliptical machine.  I'm seriously panicking right now.  It hurts to walk.  It hurts just laying here.  I also feel like total crap, since I did not run today.  I'm going to rest it for a couple of days and hope that it calms down.  Nine days until the race.  Holy Freakin Crap!

Bookshelf

I want to build this under my stairs!  Want to help me Goodwoman?

Christmas Eve

Santa is on his way! I have some wound tight little boys in the house. I think I'm going to start a game of monopoly to distract them, but first I need to go for a run. The marathon is 13 days away and I'm comfortably running 5 miles now. I should be running 8 miles comfortably, but I skipped too many workouts. My goal of finishing in 2:30 is gone, but maybe I can finish under 3, if I push myself on race day.

I hope everyone has a amazing time with their loved ones this weekend.

The ornaments

My class made some cool yarn ball ornaments today.  It was messy, but super fun. I hope they look awesome when they are done.  I found them here: 

http://themagiconions.blogspot.com/2009/12/make-sparkly-yarn-ornaments.html

This is how we ballllll.....

I watched the IU game at the Rainforest Cafe in Chicago with my mom, and Henry.  (My niece and Hayden were shopping in the gift shop for like an hour.....)  When Watford hit that three we screamed like CRAZY!!  We scared everyone that was sitting at the bar in front of us half to death!  They all jumped and turned around to see what the heck we were screaming about.  Henry stood up in his chair and jumped into my arms.  The manager came running over to check on us, but we had already chatted.  He was an IU GRAD!!!  That game was amazing!  Here we go HOOSIERS! Here we GO!

The Job

So, listen up teacher type people because I have a question.  I'm reading My Father's Dragon to my 3rd graders this month.  I was out on Monday and Tuesday for iPad training, so I asked them to fill me in on what I had missed.  Two cute little students announced to me and the entire class that they knew how it ended because they had checked it out on Tuesday, during our library time and finished reading it during Daily 5.   I said, GRRRRRRRR... to this nonsense.

So, if this happens in the future, should I just let them check the book out and read it or should I ask them to wait until I am done reading it?  

Beef House

We were in Danville, Il over the weekend for hockey.  The twin's team won both games.  It was their first two wins of the season.  Their little team was so happy.  After they won the first game, the entire team skated over to Henry and congratulated him on the win.   They were all beating on his little goalie head.  It was pretty cool.
We stopped at this restaurant on the way home called, Beef House. It was amazing and the rolls are delicious.  If you are ever in the Danville area, you should try it. 

26 Days

I have 26 days until I can eat french fries.  I am getting excited about this.  I can't decide where to go though.  Nick's fries are awesome, but so are Uplands!   This is going to be a tough decision.

Next year's resolution is going to be a difficult one.  I'm resolving to not eat one chip for the entire year.  No chips of any kind.  No Doritos.  No nachos.  When I tell people this idea, they freak!  It's kind of funny to see their reactions.  I hope I survive the year.

Hockey

Twins played hockey for almost 4 hours straight today.  They had a blast with their friends Ryan and Ben.  I sat on the bleachers freezing to death all day.  I had about 6 layers on, a hat, and gloves.  I'm going to take blankets next time. 

Running

I've been running a lot lately.  I'm starting to feel pretty good during my runs.  My body is calm and relaxed and I can feel my stamina building.  The problem is that every time I do a long run of 5 miles or more, my back starts to hurt about two hours after the run is over and that is ANNOYING!  So, I need a plan.  Maybe a doctor visit is in order.  I'm determined to run this half marathon in under 2 hours and 30 minutes.  Harrison plans to run it in 1 hour and 25 minutes.

It's Turkey Day people!  Enjoy :)

Mustache

Henry was in a terrible mood this night.  He finally pulled out of it by making this stache-goatee combo.  He wanted to ask for a beer just to see if they would card him......

Pumpkin

Hayden carved this all by himself!

Sleeping

I haven't been sleeping at all lately.  People at work tell me that I look awful and ask me if I'm sick.  Not really sure how to respond to any of that nonsense, so I just nod and say, I know. 

I've been trying to blog on this phone now for a couple of weeks without success.  I'm going to try it without adding a picture and see if that works. 

Fall Break

I'm so glad that it's Fall Break.  I need some time to relax and plan some fun stuff for my students to do.  I'm going to try and go see Moneyball and of course, watch the World Series.  Thank you Fall Break for showing up at the perfect time.   

Godzilla is invading my little happy town.  

It's Tuesday

Why can't it be Friday?  I can't wait until this weekend.   Harrison is running in regionals and the twins have a hockey tournanent in Louisville. 
Harrison's birthday is on Thursday. He will be 15.  He wants an iphone.  Nothing else.  He has made this crystal clear.
Today was a little crazy at school.  I walked into the office at around noon and it was packed!  Must be a full moon, I thought.  I checked the schedule and sure enough, full moon tomorrow!

Walking

Did you know that today is International Walk to School day?  This is a big deal at my twin's school.  My boys did not get to walk to school last year, so I surprised them this year by taking the morning off and walking them to school.  They were so excited.  Hayden took off and left us.  I think he got to school about 10 minutes before Henry and I did.

Sunday Softball

My team played this team called the Cereal Killers.  I'll give them a 4 for the creative name, but a 2 for their softball playing abilities.  They had a weird cheer about the blood in the ground, that makes the grass grow, blah, blah, blah, kill, kill, kill.  I was on the mound getting ready to pitch when they started screaming this cheer.  It kinda freaked me out a little.

The funniest part of the day came when I was on the phone with Leeway.  My team was taking the field and I said, "I gotta go pitch!" I hung up the phone quickly and my team flipped out on me.  They thought I said, "I gotta go BITCH!"  

So, when we came off of the field, I called her back to make sure she had heard me correctly.  She got a good laugh out of the whole thing and then I said, "ok, now I have to go HIT!"  She said, "ok, go hit, BITCH!"

and then it was my turn to laugh....

Happy happy joy joy

Harrison made the top 12 on his XC team.  He gets to run in sectionals and he is very excited about this.

It's the middle of the night and I just woke up with back spasms.  I was just thinking today, I wonder when my back is going to freak out on me?  Good times in Stressville!

this is what I get

for opening my big mouth.  no stress. blah blah blah.   whatever.  lesson learned.  

See this little lego town?  I want to live there right now!

The Stress of Life

Some of my friends are super stressed these days about one thing or another.  I tend to carry this stress around with me and I worry about them.  Fortunately, my life is pretty low stress right now, so I can handle it.

It's Back!

I had a great time in Cincinnati with all the hockey people.  Hayden was the first to score for his team.   He went crazy out on the ice!  Henry played goalie for a game and loved it.  He only let the other team score once.   

Both boys complained about not having a game or practice today.  

B-Line Trail

The twins and I went on a long bike ride the other day on the B-Line trail. 
They finally finished the bridge and the boys were so excited to try it out. That bridge is very steep! 

We stopped  off at the Chocolate Moose on the way home for some yummy ice cream.

and Z is for zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I slept a lot this Labor day weekend.  I feel better, but my ear still hurts.  My goal is to not get sick again this school year.  I bought some multi-vitamins and I'm going to start eating better.  Thanks for letting me participate in this challenge.  I had fun and I love that it got Henry blogging a little. 

 This is the twins with their buddy Titus at the zoo.  Oh Yeah!!!  I'm D.O.N.E!!!!  

Y is for yellow belt

My boys used to do Taekwondo.   The twins made it to the yellow belt and Harrison made it to the purple-white belt.  They were all pretty decent at it.  Hayden wants to go back and get his black belt. 

This is Harrison in 2007.  He is the tall one on the far left. 

Twins got their yellow belts in 2008.

X is for the Xbox 360

My boys love their Xbox 360.  Harrison doesn't play many games on it anymore.  He uses his Xbox to talk to his friends and watch Netflix. 

W is for Willis Tower

Did you know that they changed the name of the Sears Tower to the Willis Tower?  What the heck?  I'm still going to call it the Sears Tower!

The Sears Tower is located on Wacker Drive in the West Loop of  Chicago.  I took this picture while I was looking out the window.

BTW...  I'm finishing today.  So, if you have nothing better to do on this beautiful Labor day, then read on.  I refuse to finish last!!! 

V is for Virginia

Virginia was my Grandmother's name.  She was an amazing person.  I still think about her almost everyday.  I took this picture of her when I was in high school.  She was hanging clothes up on the clothes line and she did not want me to take her picture.  She finally stopped and made this silly face and I snapped the picture.

U is for unique

These two boys are unique. I love them! 

T is for Twins

I love having twins.  It was hard at first, but I love watching them go through life together.  They have a few really good friends that they spend time with, but mostly it's just them.  I think it's interesting how they have switched roles over the years.  For instance, Hayden used to be so shy and wouldn't let anyone touch him or look at him and Henry was so friendly.  Now, I think it's the opposite.  Henry is more reserved and has to watch and learn for awhile before he will jump in and start interacting with new people.  Hayden will just walk into a room and everyone is his best friend, almost instantly. 

They also, used to take turns being in charge.  Henry has held that throne for awhile now.  I think Hayden needs to step up his game. 

I have taken lots of pictures of them together.  Here are a few of my faves.

S is for sick in September

I have been taking tons of vitamin C since school started.  I was determined not to get sick this year.  It's barely been three weeks and I have a stupid ear infection.  I don't understand why I'm getting ear infections as an adult?  This doesn't make any sense!

On a lighter note, doesn't Harrison look happy?  

R is for really pissed off

Harrison quit football and is now running cross country for his high school team.  He was very undecided about which sport to participate in this year.  He really loves football, but he has the build of a XC runner.  After a couple of loses and not one single pass in his direction, he decided to quit the team.  They also stopped throwing the ball to him in practice.  So, he was just basically running down the field as a decoy.

I told him that he needed to talk to the cross country coach first and ask if he was allowed to do this.  I also, told him that he needed to talk to the head football coach, not the freshman football coach, and inform him of his decision.  So, my son took my advice and talked to both coaches.  When he told the head football coach that he was quitting, he screamed at him, "to get out of his office and go ruin someone else's team!"   Harrison said that he did not even let him talk.  This coach is also one of his teachers.  The class is strength training and he has to see him everyday.  I'm not sure that I want this teacher to have daily contact with my son.  I'm pretty sure that he said the meanest thing that he could possibly say to Harrison.

So, I'm really pissed off right now.  I'm trying to decide how to handle this.

Q is for Quarter

We talked about money in math today.  Some of my students could tell me which coin was the quarter, some couldn't.  It's the fifth lesson in the first chapter of the book and they are asking the students to add up 3 quarters, 5 dimes, 4 nickels, and 2 pennies.  I would be happy if everyone could just identify the coins at this point in the game.  Tomorrow, I will start over with the lesson of coin identification.  I think I will start with the quarter.

P is for picture

A picture is worth a thousand words.  I love to take pictures.  I usually take a lot of them because I'm not really that great of a photographer.  So, I'm always hoping that I will get one or two good shots.  I sometimes think that I take too many pictures and that I need to just live in the moment. 

O is for October

October is my favorite month of the year.  Harrison was born in October and I get to observe my favorite holiday, Halloween.  I love when the leaves change colors and fall off of the trees.  The chilly nights and cool days are perfect for camping, football games, and long runs.

N is for Nemo

Have you seen Finding Nemo?  Finding Nemo is the best Pixar movie of all time.  Dory is hilarious! Take a look at some funny Dory clips....
 

M is maids

I went to see The Help tonight with my friend Martha.  I loved maid Minny in the movie.  Minny has quite a mouth on her.  She gets fired a lot for being outspoken.  I can't imagine for one minute being a maid in the south in the 60's.  I would not have lasted one minute because I can never keep my mouth shut when I'm mad.

 
I read the book during summer break and loved it.  The book was better than the movie, but that's how it always is.

L is for Lost

Harrison played in his first Bloomington North high school football game tonight.  They lost big time to Paoli.  40 to 6.  He played a lot, but they didn't throw the ball to him once.  Hopefully, they will win next time and maybe they will throw the ball to Harrison

K is for Kirkwood

Kirkwood Ave is the most popular street in Bloomington.  It's kind of like Michigan Ave in Chicago.  I remember when I was in high school and everyone met downtown on Kirkwood to hang out.  Kirkwood has great shops and great places to eat.  My favorite place to eat on Kirkwood is Nick's English Hut.  Nick's has been in Bloomington since 1927.  If you like strombolis, this is the place to be!

And Kirkwood leads right up to IU's Sample Gates.  It really is a beautiful place.

J is for just so tired

It has been a very long week.  I barely know what day it is.  I hope I don't ever have to have a sub on the first day of school again!  Thanks to Leeway for coming in and doing an amazing lesson with my students.

I didn't want to tell the students that I had to leave.  So, I waited until the last possible minute to tell them.  I told them that the sub was going to be just fine, and that Mrs. Bodnar (awesome spec. ed teacher), and my student teacher would all be there to help finish their first day of third grade.  They all groaned and said, ok.....

Then, I told them that the amazing Dr. H was ALSO coming to do a fun lesson with them.  Cheers erupted!  This one little kid, that had pretty much made my day a living nightmare, got up and did a DANCE!!!  I LOL and walked out of the room.

So, thank YOU again, Dr. Heffernan.  The kids and the staff at Fairview, think you are a Rock Star.

This is Joann Jett performing in a Joe Namath New York Jets jersey!

I is for Ice cream

Ice cream is awesome.  I'm addicted to the stuff.  I love all flavors.   My favorite is chocolate with almonds, but I love all kinds of chocolate ice cream.

H is for H Boys

I have 3 wonderful boys and their names all start with the letter H.  I didn't really plan for this to happen, however. Their Dad wanted to name Harrison, Henry, but I told him that there was already a Henry in my family, so I won and we named him Harrison.

THEN, I found out that I was going to have twin boys and their Dad said, "well ONE of them will be named Henry!"  So, I decided that the other twin should have an H name too!

G is for the Grinch

I love the Grinch story.  I love the cartoon, and the movie version with Jim Carrey, is hilarious.  I watch both several times during Christmas break every year.  Straight No Chaser has a great version of "You're a Mean one, Mr. Grinch!"

Your Brain is full of Spiders

You've Got Garlic in your Soul!

Favorite Quote....

Grinch: How could it be so? It came without ribbons!... it came without tags!... it came without packages, boxes, or bags! 

F is for Fairview Friends

I have some great friends that I work with at Fairview.  I enjoyed spending time with all of them at our conference in Chicago.  I learned a lot and I'm looking forward to this school year.

My cousin Eddie passed away unexpectedly yesterday.  He was a great guy and only 39 years old.  I will miss his beautiful smile and great laugh.

E is for Elephant

There is a new baby elephant at the Indianapolis Zoo.  She is so adorable.  The staff is looking for help to name her.

If you want to vote on a name, visit this website.

http://editor.ne16.com/vo/?FileID=af33bb50-488d-4c3b-868b-59cd7d328ae6&m=35c529937a8fc741b9996b3284211424&MailID=20290449

Voting ends tomorrow!

D is for driving

I've been letting Harrison drive a little lately.  He's only 14, so he drives at night or out on the country roads. It makes him happy.  He smiles a lot while he's driving and he's pretty good at it.  Hayden says he's going to be a good driver when he grows up.

C is for Chaos

The 3rd grade team chose Chaos by Jean Tinguely for our masterwork this year.  It's located in a place called the Commons in Columbus, Indiana.  That's about an hour from here.  The thing weighs 7 tons!  I can't wait to see it in person.  I've been told that it's pretty amazing.  It better knock my freaking socks off!