Friday, February 21, 2014

Ninja Fast and Smelling Fine: Ten Things of Thankful

Hello, weekend! I'm so happy to see you, given I haven't worked a five day week since before Christmas, thanks to snow days and snow days and snow days. Snuggle over here next to me and let me tell you my Ten Things of Thankful for this week.

1. Last weekend, my daughter's show choir attended a competition in my parents' home town. My mom and I made a day of it (and I do mean a DAY - 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.), sitting in the auditorium and listening to hours and hours of music. My daughter's group, which consists of 9th and 10th grade boys and girls, got first in their division (never mind that there were only 3 in the division, they blew away the competition) and made finals (which is a BIG DEAL) and got 6th place overall out of something like 37 choirs. 

2. The College Boy was home for the weekend and also had President's Day off. I was the one who took him back to school on Monday afternoon, and my plan was to take him back early in the afternoon, dump him back at his dorm, and then maybe do a little shopping all by myself, taking my time and wandering into whatever stores struck my fancy. My son had different ideas, namely, that he wanted to go back later in the day and then have me take him out to eat before leaving him at his dorm. We compromised by going early in the afternoon, BOTH of us going to the mall (where he SWORE he would let me look at anything I wanted, and he would patiently wait without complaining, which he DID, in a way, but I felt a little like he was breathing down my neck, so we shopped a little for him instead and I put my leisurely shopping on hold for now) and then to Five Guys for an early dinner. I'm thankful for the way it turned out, however, because I hadn't seen much of him all weekend, since his sister and I were at the show choir competition most of the weekend, plus I had to work on President's Day (I KNOW, right?). We had good burgers and good conversation and made good memories.

3. Oncology appointment this week. So far, so good, however, when I got in the car after the appointment, I pulled down the visor and checked my bad self in the mirror before I went on to the next errand and found out I had cheese in my hair, meaning it was there for the entire appointment. In my bangs. Right above my eyes. The eyes that my oncologist looks into with a little light. And then studies closely as he has me do all kinds of follow-my-finger activities. He even has me raise my eyebrows and studies my forehead. Where my bangs are. Where I HAD CHEEEESE IN MY HAAAAAIR. I guess the thankful here is that he didn't embarrass me by telling me I had some kind of crap in my hair (IT WAS CHEEEEESE).

4. I am invoking the TToT Book of Secret Rules and counting #3 as two items.

5. On Wednesday, one of my pre-k girls was in a particularly huggy mood and kept coming up to me for hugs. During one of them, she said, "You smell good!" (That's Amazing Grace by Philosophy, and if anyone else wants me to continue to smell good, feel free to send me any or all of their products.)


Gratuitous picture of sleeping Ruby.

6. The church sanctuary is having a larger platform built at the front of the church, so, since learning doesn't just occur in the classroom, I took my pre-k class for a look-see. We went up to the balcony (sitting on the second row, not the first, because I'm not an idiot) and watched the workers. The kids were watching so quietly that the workers didn't see them for several minutes. This, my noisy class!

7. I got a wonderful giggle out of a couple of my kids while we were up there. The line leader, who was sitting right next to me, was a boy. Next to him was two girls. One of the girls leaned over to me to point out that both she and the girl next to her were wearing cheetah print leggings. I exclaimed over the coincidence of that EVER happening (note: any given day, I probably have at least two girls wearing something with cheetah print on it), then I turned to them and said, "I have cheetah print on my underpants." This caused the boy next to me to laugh so hard that he had to lean over and put his head down on his lap. Good times!

8. Thursday's Primary class was wound up tighter than springs. In spite of that, we managed to make individual pizzas (while wearing chef hats made out of construction and tissue paper) and, yes, once again, paint their feet for a craft project. When it was finally time to dismiss them at noon, I opened the door, looked at the waiting moms, and said, "Good luck today, every one of you. You're going to need it!"

9. The #1 Rule in my classroom ("Do not throw up in Miss Dyanne's classroom!") was very nearly broken today, but my ninja-like reaction time saved the day, and I was able to propel one of my students across the carpeted portion of the room (saying "please don't throw up on the carpet, please don't throw up on the carpet, please don't throw up on the carpet" in my head as we went), onto the tile (small sigh of relief), out the door, down the hall, into the bathroom, and TO THE TOILET before he threw up. Score one for him and one for me. 

10. Another sign that winter truly cannot last forever:


Daffodil shoots

Thus endeth this week's list of Ten Things of Thankful, but there's more where THAT came from. Visit the links below. Add your own. Don't be shy.

Ten Things of Thankful


 Your hosts

51 comments:

  1. FRIST??? (can't freakin' tell with yours, you tricksy thing)

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  2. Ahhhhh lovely to end thinking about daffydowndillies.

    I remember the conversations

    Kid: MY pants have Spiderman on them. And I've got ones with Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk TOO. What do your pants have on them?
    Me:...uhhhh. Nothing.
    Kid: *incredulous* NOTHING? Like, nothing at all?
    Me: Well, they have a tiny bow
    Kid: That's boring.

    I still think Ruby looks like a Koala.

    WAY TO GO CHOIR! And nice that you got to spend time with College Boy, making good memories.

    YOU HAD CHEESE IN YOUR HAIR!!!! Could've been much worse though. Hopefully the oncologist recognised that it was food, not a 'Something About Mary' moment ;)

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    1. The boys are always so proud of their skivvies. They love to show me Spiderman and other various and sundry superheroes.

      Ruby may look like a koala, but I picture them as mellow creatures, content to sit in a tree and nibble on eucalyptus leaves. Whatever the polar opposite of THAT is, that would be Ruby.

      IT WAS CHEEEEESE!

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    2. Koalas are apparently grumpy bastards. They're only dopey cos the eucalyptus gets them stoned. Ruby at least is sweet and affectionate.

      WHAT IS IT ABOUT BOYS SHOWING THEIR UNDIES OFF?!?!?! I swear, the girls NEVER did that!

      (and LOL)

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    3. Ruby has a secret stash of speed somewhere.

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  3. (and identify with the triumph of non-vomiting motion), our second dog, Bella, had a life-long issue with throwing up…and 'lets-go-out-side-you-can-do-it-we-re-almost-there-almost-there' was a rather familiar refrain around here not that many years ago.
    retro-active embarrassment!!! does like get any better? ( 'Patient presented with a slight dairy product, suggestive of a swiss, perhaps american cheese, otherwise healthy' on the chart. "Damn Jim! I'm a doctor not a grocer!!')
    oh!! hey! almost forgot to tell you! we have discovered how to get italics in comments, we are so pleased!
    lol

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    1. Does anything galvanize a person into action in the middle of the night any faster than hearing a pet prepping to barf?

      It was processed American cheese. How much more midwestern can that be?

      Is the italic thing a secret that you are taking to the grave or are you going to share?

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    2. Ohhhhhhh CLARK!!!! LOOK! An excited-about-the-text-scott! What a wonderful sight to behold, and quite makes up for the absolute lack of interest from those rogers*

      *whatever else they might have been masquerading as...

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    3. wow.... still cocky.... see comment at chicken coop....

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  4. We had off for winter break this week and I had Lily actually sick here for a few days with a virus. One of the days, she asked for juice early in the morning, I gave it to her. well, she must have drank it too quickly and next thing I knew she asked to go to the bathroom, where she proceeded to Linda Blair projectile vomit red juice all over the bathroom floor. So close to the toilet, yet so far away. So, I wasn't as lucky with vomit this week, but glad you were. And the cheese definitely did make me giggle (sorry, but so something I would do and was laughing at the thought that it so could have been me). And that last one warmed my heart, because seriously we need spring like yesterday!! Have a great weekend now, Dyanne :)

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    1. At least it wasn't the carpet, Janine. I remember when my kids were little and if they were ever not feeling well, I chose what they ate by what I was willing to clean up later. Which was not much.

      Will I ever live the cheese down?

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  5. Wonderful response time Dyanne! Glad you got hi to the loo in time!

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  6. OK cheese as an accessory in the hair...not something I typically do. But Amazing Grace...I wear that too. I knew I liked you. You shop at Aldi AND you teach preschool AND you wearing Amazing Grace. It's like we're twins. ;)

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    1. WE ARE TOTALLY TWINS! Except I think I'm a foot taller than you and mayyyybe a year or two older.... I got hooked on Amazing Grace when a friend gave it to me at my TaTa to the Ta Tas party. Buy it at Ulta with my points I accrue there.

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  7. WoW... cheese and smelling good in cheetah undies! Maybe the kid just likes cheese and thought you smelled like cheese? hmmmmmmmm.... cool on the puking too! ICK!

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    1. Fortunately, none of these things happened on the same day or I would wonder about the correlation.

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  8. Ninja barf catcher! *bows down to your greatness* I believe that is a skill only few can attain.

    YAY gratuitous photos of Ruby! When I clicked on your link I actually thought, "there had better be pics of ruby today". haha.

    Yeah to choir competitions, cheetah undies, and good memories over burgers. Love it all, Dyanne. BUT THE BEST WAS....

    CHEESE IN YOUR HAIR. LMAO LMAO LMAO!!!!

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    1. All I could think of was I didn't want to clean it off the carpet. And I had about a 30 foot expanse of carpet to get him across before we hit tile; hence, the need for speed.

      Ruby rarely holds still long enough for a picture unless she's sleeping.

      At least it wasn't something I had to cut out of my hair.

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  9. Yes. Thank heaven for daffodil shoots and some have even begun to flower around here. Vive la yellow! And it's not cheese in my hair. For me it's nuts in my teeth. I try to grab a handful of almonds for a healthy snack then I look in the mirror and I've been all around town with nuts in my teeth. ugh.

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    1. We should have daffodils in maybe ten days, I'm guessing. Forsythia will bloom about then, too. Can't. Wait.

      I promise to tell you if I ever see you with nuts in your teeth.....

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  10. Cheetah print underwear :)! How fun ...and sharing that info with your preschoolers!

    I, too, experienced the vomiting scenerio over and over again this week...most not as lucky as the child you described. Last week, I had 3 students who managed to be in the wrong spot when a classmate decided to get sick. Poor kiddos! They were fourth graders and actually, found it humorous.

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    1. I told them they would just have to trust me on the cheetah thing.

      Fortunately, I rarely have a barfing incident at preschool. Our parents are really good about keeping sick kids at home. I don't handle it very well, because I don't throw up, but I'm better than my assistant, who has to leave the room altogether. I have found wearing rubber gloves when cleaning it up makes a huge difference.

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  11. So glad rule # 1 still stands unbroken! Seems like you had a great week and quality time with both your kids! And fun with the kids from school, how awesome! How funny the story with cheese in your hair at the oncologist; but as long as the results were good, who cares about the cheese! Thank you for sharing the Ruby picture, love this cute little kitty :-) Have a great weekend, Sandy!

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    1. It was a close call. Oh, and not only did the oncologist see it and not say anything, so did the nurse who takes my vitals and blood and two nurses in the infusion center. Oh, and three different receptionists where I have to check in and pay my co-pay and schedule the next appointment. Sheesh!

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  12. Yay, spring is coming! Great list. Nice memories w/your son, those are precious.
    You're brave making pizzas w/those shorties, I'll bet they loved it. Sorry about the throw-up, another work hazard :)

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    1. We can't winter forever, can we? CAN WE?

      These pizzas were easy. We make Chef Boyardee pizza in my pre-k class, including everyone helping to smush the dough around in the pan. What a difference a year makes when doing a project like that!

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  13. Ah, the no puke rule. Yes, I love it. I have high-schoolers, but I always tell them I don't do puke so if you have do it, please just run and I'll assume that's where you're going.

    The cheetah is fabulous - my Kidzilla wears something cheetah or leopard on any given day. I recently bought new undies (not that ANYONE needs to know this) and one pair may or may not be of black and hot pink and orange cheetah designs (they were ten pair for $25 bucks - I was desperately seeking variation). Zilla usually helps unpack new purchases with me, but for some reason this time she didn't. Several days later, she bopped into the bedroom after school when I was changing from school clothes to at-home clothes and stopped dead in her tracks - mouth agape and eyes wide. "MOM! YOU are wearing CHEETAH????? WOW!" Cracked me up. I generally refrain from mentioning my underwear choices to students, however. ;)

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    1. I tell my kiddos to run, too, and I'll be curious enough to follow them, but they usually freeze instead. I was lucky this time!

      No subject is really off-limits in pre-k! I had an extensive conversation with one of my 3 year olds about poop the other day, as she explained in great detail how she was having trouble pooping.

      10 pairs for $25 is a deal, and it doesn't matter if they had Hello, Kitty on them.

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    2. And at that price, I'd probably go for the Hello Kitty. Pretty sure that's how I ended up with the polar bears - the $25 sale and Kidzilla along for the shopping trip.

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  14. I don't know any of these unwritten rules to the ten things of thankful. I need to find that secret book I suppose. i love hearing about your daughter's recital. Reminds me of high school :)

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    1. SOME people *cough cough CLARK cough cough* use the secret rules to get out of writing 10 things. I, on the other hand, firmly believe there were two things included in #3 and that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

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  15. Well, daffodil shoots! That is a good sign!
    Congratulations to your daughter and the choir! That is fantastic.What a long day, though. Wow!
    I want to answer your question about whether or not you will ever live down the cheese? I'm going with no!
    Ruby is too cute....I just love her sweet face.
    The undies story is funny....kids are insanely funny sometimes!

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    1. I hope the daffodil shoots make it through the forecast snow/sleet/ice.
      Thank you! It was a looooong day. Lots of jazz hands.
      Swell.
      SHE'S SO BOOOOTIFUL!
      I just wanted to be part of the gang....

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  16. I think you get more than one point for getting the puker all the way to the toilet!
    Yay for daffodil shoots.

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    1. Thank you, I think I was OUTSTANDING at getting him to the bathroom in time. The alternative was what motivated me.

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  17. Ok, so I'm focusing on one of your thankfuls b/c I find myself in these awkward moments frequently. As the doctor, should he inform you of your cheese, or should he not? See because I often catch myself informing people of things that I, for one, would appreciate, but not everyone is like me. For example, I told an elderly woman at the grocery store yesterday that her zipper was down, simply because if that was me, and my undies were gaping out for the world to see, I would want to know. She seemed quite grateful, and called me "sweet child," so I guess I was in the right on this one. Sigh - I never know.

    I find it very sweet that your college aged son shopped with you and didn't complain about it. I'm new to your blog...but I'm coming back for sure.

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    1. HIPAA probably prevents him from saying anything about the cheese. It ruins EVERYTHING.

      I would want someone to tell me that I had left my pants unzipped. But no one ever has, and I DID have then unzipped. I also wore two different shoes one time, and no one said a word. Promise me if you see me that way, you'll tell me?

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  18. I think our #1 family rule of "Don't eat bugs!" goes along very nicely with your #1 classroom rule. I'm glad you got the poor kid to the toilet in time.

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    1. You wouldn't have a "don't eat bugs" rule if someone hadn't eaten bugs. Same with the "don't thrown up in Miss Dyanne's classroom" rule.

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  19. OMG daffodils! We've had a warm weekend and it's going to get cold again but spring is indeed on its way!

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    1. Daffodils are little cups of spring, aren't they? Can't.Wait.

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  20. I found daffodil shoots today! Warm weather will come again!!!
    You win all sorts of prizes in my book for being a number one mama this weekend. Maybe you had to put your stuff on hold, but as you said, good memories.

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    1. Aw, thanks, Sarah. It was kind of cute how my son followed me around the mall, although it also annoyed the hell out of me, so I only went into two stores that had clothing for him and bought him stuff instead. He tried to make me go to Charming Charlies, since I had only gotten things for him, but I was okay with that. It was fun.

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  21. Not sure which one I liked best: the cheese in the hair story or that you mentioned cheetah underpants to a pre-K boy.

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  22. You guys have had a lot of snow days. How surreal is that! My grandfather told me some schools are having school on Saturday to make up for it. Wowsers I thought. LOL at the shopping you did with your son. I always feel hubby is breathing down my back too when we go to the grocery store lol. I was cracking up at the cheese in your hair. That sounds a little embarrassing but funny :)

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    1. What's funny about our snow days is we've never had more than 2-3" of snow at a time, but it's been enough to make the streets really slippery (plus our city doesn't plow anything but the main streets). And we have neighborhood elementary schools, so a lot of kids have to walk in it. But I'm not complaining! I love a day off!

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