I'm on STRIKE!!!!

Women UNITE!!!

About a month ago, my husband and I had our very first knock down, drag out fight! The topic of the argument was "crumbs on the counter". Now, let me set this up for you..Jason was on a week long audit in Georgia. I spent the week while he was gone working my teaching job, having 2 meetings after school, a doctor's appt., taking the ailing cat to the vet etc... I also did ALL the laundry in the house, all the dishes, swept the floor, paid my bills and filed 4 boxes of moving paperwork I had put off. However, I did not pay a great deal of attention to the countertop. You see, this was still the nausiating time of the pregnancy. During this time, I often got up at 3am to eat a piece of dry toast or fruit in order not to toss my cookies!!!!!! I tried real hard not to even open my eyes on these trips to the kitchen in hopes I could fall asleep better when I went back to bed. Breakfast time was a real battle between protein intake and throw up potential!!! You know what I'm sayin', right???

Well, Jason came home from the audit, which I was immensely excited for! On his way home he called with talk of dates and cuddlin' time! When I called him on the way home he gave me the sudden "cold shoulder". I was dumb founded! What? What did I do??? What's happened? etc.....

When we finally reached the boiling point of the conversation, I discovered the source of his frustration.....crumbs on the counter. "It could bring mice or bugs!" "It is disgusting!" etc. I was devastated!!! All that work I had done that week had gone completely unnoticed. Only the crummy counter top mattered. Well, needless to say the hormones kicked in and I was a blubbering, balling basket case! I already was aware of my lack of housecleaning abilities, but never had it been thrown in my face when I tried so hard to do the right things!

Since then I have been doing my darnedest to keep up more than my fair share of things. Before you get upset, here's my theory! When the baby comes, I am going to suck at the cleaning thing! I know my limitations and my abilities. This is inevitable. I figure, I do alot now....I use it as ammunition later!!! hahahahaha

Well, my theory worked to a point, but this week I've had it!!! I'm on strike! After my 5 loads of dishes, 10 loads of laundry, 3 floor scrubs...NO MORE!!!! I've stopped. Dead in my tracks...Mostly to have someone notice what it is like when it isn't happening! Our kitchen is a disaster area! I pointed this strike out to my husband and he laughingly agreed that he let the ball drop! When I pointed out the dishes and filthy countertops....he says, "yeah, guess they are kinda messy!" hahahaha REAL FUNNY!

Well, today is a snow day, my adorable husband calls me and says, Hey! Bob (a family friend) is coming over to work on the computer, can you have the house cleaned up when he gets there?....WHAT!!!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!

Now the truth, I will probably clean it up out of shear embarrassment. But what kind of precedent am I setting? Will this be a big mistake???? Will I regret it? Will I create a monster????? UGH!!!!! Guidance greatly appreciated!

Take the prego off of parent pick up duty!!!!!!

So, here's my delimma. I have a duty where I deal with the traffic line of parents picking up their children at our school. Mostly, it goes fairly smoothly. I think the system itself is brilliant! Parents wait in a LONG line, the safety cop writes down each name in order. When the children are dismissed, the list is taken inside and children are sent out in groups of 12 (that's what fits in the driveway). The parents are to pull all the way down and stay in their car and students go quickly to their cars when the traffic stops moving. Once the kids load, that group pulls out and we do it again 6 or 7 times until all the little angels are safely with their parent. Each car even has an identification so we know they have permission to pick up that child. IF all goes well and all adults cooperate, the duty takes no longer than 15-20 minutes.

Now, recently.....and I don't know why.....parents have turned into heathens. I mean, I have literally had parents walking aggressively towards me screaming and threatening me 3 different times since January. We're not talking kid stuff. Nasty, "I'm calling the superintendant! I'll have your job! This is child abuse!" kind of comments in front of the children. Today was the straw that broke this preggie's back! This large father got out of his car and got chest to chest with me within a few inches of my face and attempted to grab his child cuz "he wasn't pullin' his car down". Thank goodness the principal was there (not that this parent listened to him or the security guard..he did what he wanted and scared many children and grownups in the process). By the way, the principal was there because of a threat I received yesterday from another irritated mother.

So, come on..... now that you have witnessed this horrid behavior first hand, let's get the pregnant lady and place her as far as you can from the crazy people who just might stab her cuz "She made them pull down".

OK folks.....let's be rational. I'm a school teacher who gets paid very little to put up with your child day in and day out.....Although I know they are all "perfect". Also, I am doing this assigned duty 10 to 20 minutes past my normal work day....so basically folks, yes, I"m working for free. And I COULD just open the doors of the school and let all 80 of your children run out and try to find your car in the midst of all these strangers in the other cars. Why do you pick them up anyways?...Your tax dollars pay for that school bus that would drive them right to the bus stop where you can pick them up in your mercedez or your yugo and you can be as pushy and bossy as you want.

Sorry I protect your child, make sure they don't get run over, keep strangers away from them, the rain off of them, the bullies separated, the doors opened for the little ones, the hands held when you are 25 minutes late to pick up your angel.... Sorry I suck so bad.....turn me in! Maybe I"ll get lucky and be fired! That way I CAN SUCK off the government's unemployment funds for a while.

MY Disclaimer: For the parents who are loyal to their children, yet respectful and trusting of their teachers...we thank you. For the parents who smiled kindly and simpathetically to me as they watch others screaming and acting rudely, we thank you. For those who apologize when they've had a bad day and are running late, who give you the thank you card when you hold their child's hand when they've skinned their knee on the playground, we thank you. For those who make your child apologize when they smart mouth rather than blame the teacher, WE THANK YOU!!!!

Please help!!! I'm losing my mind, literally

So, I've heard of the pregnancy "forgetfulness", but this is something crazy. I'm forgetting major things.....crazy things!!!! Like, this week, I heated something up in the toaster oven and then left it on (at 425 degrees) for half the evening until Jas came home and said something. Then, last night I woke up with one of those rip roaring headaches I've read about on the pregnancy website, but had never had one before...I wobbled and spun my way into the livingroom to get the baby safe tylenol out of my purse. (that's where I've been keeping all the emergency supplies of tums, tylenol, more tums, preggie pops, more tums, etc..) I went stumbling around, digging in my bag...WHERE'S MY PURSE??????? It's not in the house, not in the car......This is 4 am. mind you...... Then I remembered, I got my purse out at work to enter my MENC id number on paperwork and left it sitting there...Wallet open, half dumped out. Laying there so any Tom, Dick, or Harry could help themself. So, needless to say, Jason and I are going to spend our Saturday driving to Morgantown so I can key into the school and retrieve what's left of my personal belongings!!!

This forgetfulness wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't going to cost me so much...I mean, I could have burned our house down and been robbed blind all in 2 days... Nevermind the things I've forgotten that I don't even remember!

NAIS - National Association of Independent Schools

MK.....check this out!!!! You should go for it, just in case!!!

Heidi

NAIS - National Association of Independent Schools

Ok....we have the power!!

Yesterday.....AHHHHH the 2 hour delay! It worked! Now, the school system has this handy dandy calling service! We've already received a call for a 2 hour delay tomorrow! It's like magic! The forcast for a snow day is lookin' good sistas!!!

So no more movement on the kid end! I think I just got "lucky" and twisted the little bugger's leg or something. I told Jas that it felt like a miniature monkey doing a dance on my belly. I find myself contorting my body in odd shapes in hopes that she will do it again. Jas finally yelled at me and told me he'd restrain me if he had to. He said, "Stop trying to hurt her! Maybe she needs the extra room! Your squishin' her!!!" (Yeah!!!! A protective daddy! I was wondering if he'd handle a little girl ok) Enough for tonight....Think snow y'all!!!

pray oh pray for a lovely snow day!

Is there some kind of prayer I can say for the snow Gods to think kindly of us for a day????? Oh please let there be a snow day!!!! I'm so depressed! Living on Route 50 I can here the snow plows scraping all the beautiful ice off the roads!!! "I want to jump outside and scream....Don't you know I'm a pregnant music teacher on the edge???????"

Tomorrow is choir/WVU LAB/LAP duty day.....I get to school and spin in circles until it's time to go home again! What a precious gift even a two hour delay would be! That would knock out choir and one hyper active 4th grade! Don't get me wrong! I love the little "sweeties", but frankly, I could really use the mini vacation for an hour or two!Anyone else feelin' my pain????? hahahaha

By the way, felt the little one kick today. In fact, I believe she kickin' my guts all over the place. I was twisted and contorted at work and apparently she didn't have enough room. All of a sudden I felt like there was a little tiny monkey dancing on my stomache. A totally weird and unique sensation. Yet, very very cool!

baby hiccups

Life's surprises

I thought "it" was a boy! I had a boy's name picked out! I even fell into all the old wive's tales about boy superstitions. We found out today we are having a baby girl! I went to the hospital for a scan of my abdomen. They suspect I'm having a bit of a gull bladder issue since the baby is pushing it up to my nose! I simply said, "well, if you happen to slip down and show my husband the baby, I wouldn't tell!" (something both the tech and I would deny adamently if ever questioned, by the way!) OOOOPPPPSSS! The magic ultrasound wand fell to my belly and there she was. 19 weeks. The tech asked if I had a preference for boys or girls. I said, not really, but I have some boy names picked out......she said, "ya better starting thinking of some girl ones!"

So....sorry girls. I've broken the boy baby sisterhood bond. The good news is that my little princess will definitely have her pick of handsome, good looking, well mannered, prom dates! Right???

xoxoxoxo

sleepy time thoughts

So....tomorrow is the famous "sweet heart sings" concert with first grade at my school. 100 six year olds and me singing about love and mushy stuff. A real parent pleaser....a real teacher buster!

I've decided that my move to Grafton has had a calming effect on me, but I'm slightly brainwashed. You see, I'm becoming a closet farm girl. Someone asked me what pets I have and I realized my answer sounded rather funny...One cat, 9 hens, and 13 roosters... Yes, Jason and I have ventured into our first farming endeavor. They are called "barred cochins" and they are the funniest birds I have ever seen. The pic doesn't do them justice. Also, I visit the in-law's pet donkey every once in a while. She is preggers just like me....The big joke is, who'll go first, Heidi or the Donkey???

oh a blogging I must go...

OK....

So this is my first blog. Here's what I think....Change is something crazy! I've had my fair share of it as of late. Gotta love it. I can't even remember my own name, let alone what I have to do in a day! I seriously think I've lost my mind.