snowflakes

I got the below email from a parent last night:

When school resumes for Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT; it will be in a new building.  The school district is preparing to reopen an older, empty school building to educate the students of Sandy Hook for the remainder of the year. The building is yet stark and undecorated, and here is where we can help.  Ways a classroom,  child or grandchild can help:  "We are asking your students to make and decorate a snowflake. We will hang them in the hallways at the stark, new building where the Sandy Hook students will be returning. PLEASE NO WORDS! We want just a cheerful, happy (glitter and sparkle) environment for the students entering the new building.    

Please pass on to any teachers you think may want to participate.

When you send your snowflakes, please include a note to tell us where they are from (your school, class, town, etc) to display along with your snowflakes.
Parent-volunteers are working to ensure that the students are welcomed back by a winter wonderland with the entire school decorated with as many unique snowflakes as possible. We encourage senders to be as creative as possible, remembering that no two snowflakes are alike. Here are some tips from Martha Stewart on making paper snowflakes.Please make and send snowflakes by January 12, 2013 to the Connecticut PTSA address below. 

Connecticut PTSA
60 Connolly Parkway
Building 12, Suite 103 

 Hamden, CT 06514 

I decided we needed to do this in class today! After learning from Jen how to make these awesome snowflakes, we got to work. I didn't talk to them about where they were going, I just said they're going to some kids that need an extra lift in their spirits and our beautiful snowflakes will do that. That was all they needed to hear and they cranked out close to 40 snowflakes!

I love the idea of this, so please make snowflakes and send them along. Who knows, maybe our snowflakes will hang next to each other!

bad habits

During our holiday party one of the boys puts a pretzel stick in his mouth and pretends to smoke it:

Kid: Hey Ms. Ewing, look! I'm drunk!

Me: Wait, what?

Kid: I mean, I'm smoking!

Me: (After I stop laughing) That's not appropriate for school. Don't pretend to smoke. 

a few seconds later he's doing is again

Me: Hey dude, what are you doing?

Kid: I'm not smoking Ms. Ewing. It's a pipe. It's different.

tidbits

Things have been nuts around here lately, and are just going to get more nuts with the break. Here is a breakdown of some random stuff I'm sure you're interested in. If not, I don't really care because I'm going to tell you anyway.

I have been loving Graham Francoise's work since I saw this print in my friends house. A little obsessed, but I never bought anything because I don't have money to spend on prints. Well this past weekend I went to the Blue Genie Art Bazaar they have in Austin every year and got 2 prints for the price of one! BEST. DEAL. EVER! I am obsessed and can't stop looking at them. They're already framed, now I just need my dad and his superior hanging skills to put them up perfectly even. Of course while my mom and I nag him about it not being perfect enough.

I went to the dermatologist today and he told me I got my first age spot. WHAT?! Not only that but it might get bigger and if so I will need to get it lanced off. Excuse me, WHAT?! Ugh. I don't like proof that I'm almost 30.

If you aren't watching Homeland, you're missing out and should start. Like yesterday. In 2 days I've watched 1. 5 seasons. Sadly there's only one more episode left in the season. You should start watching it so we can talk about it.

Scariest sad face ever. No this was not in response to something I did. This was from a counseling lesson they had.

One of my students drew this for me. One of my favorite pictures ever. (Sorry I wasn't able to rotate it.)

One of my favorite things about this picture is he felt the need to explain to me that he was cutting cheese with his lawn mower.

12 days until I get to see Rebecca's new house/hang out with Miles

19 days until I set sail on my cruise! Tan in January, here I come!

36 days until I begin my last year in my 20's.

In case I'm MIA, see you in January!

we need to work on fractions

Ms. Ewing, I'm 1/2 Jewish, 1/2 Mexican, and 1/2 American.

Good thing we're working on fractions later this year.

assaulted

When I was leaving the pharmacy yesterday there was a little girl, maybe 3, running around without a shirt on. I stopped because she was about to run into me, and I smiled at her. Her response for me not letting her run into my legs? She looked up at me, hit me on the leg and yelled, "You're poop!" Thanks kid.

slurpees

On Monday, our warm up is the kids write in their writing journal about their weekend. Since Thanksgiving just happened I knew they would have tons to write about. Apparently I was wrong. Here's one of my kids journal entries:

First slurpee. Next slurpee. Last slurpee.

Sounds about right. Glad to hear all of your excitement from the break!

ashley and taylor got hitched!

Last weekend a good friend of mine got married! She is one of the girls I grew up with, and one of my oldest (21 years!) friends. I will let the pictures speak for themselves with a few comments here and there. Overall it was an amazing wedding with some of my best friends! My 7th grade boyfriend was also there. Weird.

@ the rehearsal dinner

 My mom helped me do my hair for the wedding. It turned out awesome!

 Besties!

We wore the same dress and decided to tell everyone we were Ashley's bridesmaids.

Our table at the reception. Everything was AMAZING!

 The first dance

 The parents.

Troop 4240 reunion! This is the first time almost all of us have been together since early high school. It was so much fun!

 We were all so excited to see each other!

At one point there was a basket full of Michael gloves while an MJ tribute played. Totally Ashley, and it was amazing!

 Breaking it down, as usual.

 Beautiful bride!

 This happened. I think he was kung foo dancing.

 Oh yeah, this happened too.

We have never been this fancy so we totally had to take advantage of the fact we were in formal dresses, in this incredible place. So what did we do? Random Dallas photo shoots whenever it seemed appropriate. Unfortunately I only have 3 of our pictures. We probably took about 10 throughout the building.

Congrats!!

slicing the cheese

While sitting on the carpet:

Kid 1: Who cut the cheese?

Kid 2: I know who sliced the cheese. Ms. Ewing!

Me: Hey, whoever smelt it, dealt it dude.

For the record, I did not cut, nor did I slice the cheese.

booty shaking

Two awesome things happened yesterday.

Me: What's another type of punctuation we use?

Kid 1: An exclamation point.

Kid 2: (under his breath) A total classic.

During Young Guns:

Kid 1: (speaking to no one while doing crunches) I don't want to dance, I just want to shake my booty.

Kid 2: What's the difference?

Kid 1: I don't know. I just know I only want to shake my booty.

smarty pants

Two kids discussing something I was teaching them on Friday:

Kid 1: I think she's wrong. 

Kid 2: Ms. Ewing is the smartest person in this room! She has years of experience.

belts

We don't do costumes at our school unless they're in kindergarten, so we told our kids they could wear one Halloween thing. 

Kid: Oh wow Ms. Ewing. What's that? (points to my waist)

Me: Um, a belt?

Kid: What's it for?

Me: For my dress?

Kid: But you're wearing witch tights. Why are you wearing a Halloween belt too?

Me: I'm confused. This is just a regular belt.

Kid:...Oh....wow....

foam fest 5k

Last weekend some friends and I ran in the Foam Fest 5k. It was a lot of fun! Larry, Lauren, Emily and I decided to camp the night before in the same park where the run was happening. I haven't been real camping, tent and all since my dad I went when I was a kid. I've been camping since then, but in a cabin. The first problem was the tent which wasn't too bad, even though we had some extra poles we didn't know what to do with. But it never fell down on us so we must have done it right. The next problem was a fire. We all know how to start a fire, but none of us knew how to make it bigger, or one to warm yourself with. It was big enough to cook our food, but it didn't help us stay warm as the temperatures dropped.

See what I mean? Our little fire is sad, but it was good enough. It was really weird waking up to all of the bouncy foam pits and slides being blown up around us. That morning Katie and Derrick met us down there for the run. It was hilly, ugh, and had a lot of obstacles throughout. Some muddy, some where we had to climb different things, including an 8 foot wall I couldn't make it over, and lots of foam pits. There were also several foam slip n slides, and the best was a HUGE blow up slide with a water pit at the end. After getting to the bottom all I wanted was to go back up!

Us at the starting line.

 Jumping down from 1 of the 3, 5 foot walls we had to climb.

One of the obstacles, called the lily pads, were basically a bunch of thick yoga mats on water that you had to sprint across and then jump off into shallow water to get back on the course. I was having a lot of fun running and falling and then running again, until I got to the end. I started falling over and was trying to catch myself and just as I was about to jump off, the mats flew to the left and I fell to the right into a big pile of rocks. My knee was immediately starting to swell and was crazy scratched up. I still did all of the rest of the obstacles, I think mostly on adrenaline, and finished strong by walking then running down a log over a mud pit, and going through the longest slip n slide of the race. 

My leg after I got home and washed it really well. It is crazy bruised all over my leg. My kids at school love looking at it and commenting how it changes every day.

 Finishers!

It was a super fun race! I would totally do it again, except next time I won't fall into rocks.

monkeys

While drawing together during Fun Friday:

Kid: Monkeys are really lucky.

Me: Why's that?

Kid: Because they have hands on their feet...I mean, they can hold a ton of things at once! That would be really cool.

ashley's shower and whoopee cushions

Ashley is getting married soon and I was in town the other weekend for her bridal shower. It was so much fun getting to spend time with some of my oldest friends! (Especially since I don't get to be with them all at once very often.)

That night we had our usual Saturday night BBQ. Starting in middle school my dad would BBQ every Saturday night, and it soon became a weekend ritual for my friends, and my sister and her friends. Everyone knew we would BBQ on Saturdays so my dad started making a bunch of food for anyone who would end up showing. Whenever my sister or I are in town my dad will grill and everyone knows to come over. Anyways, back to that night. Stephanie and Rob came over with Olivia, the cutest little kid next to Miles (and future wife of my nephew).

The whole time they were there Olivia and I became BFF's and kept going to my bedroom to find new things to play with and then run back to show Steph. The best toy of the night? Well...after sucking on the ice in my water.

 A whoopee cushion!

What can be better than farting? Obviously nothing. Don't worry Steph, I will make sure to get one for her birthday.