Grocery Day

Mondays are almost always grocery days. It used to be Sundays but I figured that since I am out at work on Monday why bother to leave the house on Sunday. I am a homebody and after working my butt off all week, I love being home doing nothing. So, this is a picture of my faithful grocery store.

Sunshine

This weekend has been absolutely gorgeous. Today the sun was shining with a gentle cool breeze. I took the opportunity to sit out on the back deck and read while enjoying the weather. After all, it is still winter and the cold will be creeping back in again. But for today, I got a taste of spring and can't wait for warm weather!

Providence Canyon

It was a beautiful and warm Saturday and we took the opportunity to hike Providence Canyon. We are planning a big hiking trip to Utah this summer so this is the beginning of our "training" of sorts. We hiked down in the canyon and around it, walking about 5-6 miles. About 5 years ago, we hiked the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon and Zion with very little training and we did a decent job and had fun. Fast forward back 5 years and we are fatter and a lot less fitter than we were back then so some training will help us enjoy the trip more. Anyway, Providence Canyon was interesting but fact to note, it was created by a man made irrigation disaster. I am exhausted and really need to start exercising again. The picture above is obviously the canyon, the one below is of an abandoned automobile left from a homestead that was in the canyon lands. It has become part of the environment and used by trees, animals, and organism that the park decided it was best to leave it there.

TGIF

I am so glad that the weekend has finally arrived. It seems like this week dragged on forever and a day. I celebrated the start of my weekend with some chips and black bean salsa with nacho cheese while catching up with my TV shows.

Late

Today was PTA night which means a long day for me. I did manage to come home and take a short nap before leaving to go back to work and attend the meeting. I love how involved the parents are in my school, I just hate it when PTA nights fall when I am not feeling good, which seems to always be the case. I don't know what it is. My eyes have been itching, nose has been stuffy and my throat hurts. It feels like allergies but I don't know what in the world I am allergic to since it is too cold for any pollen to really survive. I got home at 8:04pm and I am ready to call it a night.

Rainy Day

“Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass…

it’s about learning how to dance in the rain!” 

–Vivian Greene

My mood today matched the weather. I was brewing, dark, and gloomy. I think it really has to do with the fact that I am feeling absolutely worn out. This week is moving ever so slowly and Friday cannot come soon enough. 

Children

I thought this poem was appropriate for today's picture of my babies at work and a nice reminder for every parent out there, that you have in your life a human being that you can help mold but never force upon.

On Children by Kahlil Gibran

Your children are not your children.

They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.

They come through you but not from you,

And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts, 

For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies but not their souls,

For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, 

which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them, 

but seek not to make them like you.

For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children

as living arrows are sent forth.

The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, 

and He bends you with His might 

that His arrows may go swift and far.

Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;

For even as He loves the arrow that flies, 

so He loves also the bow that is stable.

Headache

Mondays are always hard at work. The kids come back to class thrown off by the weekend and getting back into routine can sometimes be a challenge. Mondays are harder when I have a bad night's sleep. I kept tossing all night, finally giving up and getting up to have a snack. I think the prednisone is still messing my sleep up even though yesterday was my last dose. Hopefully now that I am off it, sleep will come easier and I won't be hungry all the time. Unfortunately, a lack of sleep always ends up with a headache. I'm just glad it's not a migraine. So painkillers to the rescue!

Happy Things

Another Sunday down the drain. I accomplished nothing today. I did go around the house taking some pictures. This was one of it. I have it sitting on the window sill in my kitchen by the sink. I love how when the sun shines in through the window, it sways, always so happy. If only life was such. A happy shiny swaying thing.

Hospital

I went to the hospital this morning to get my lungs and sinus x-rays done. I always think it's funny that they have to "admit" you in order for you to get x-rays so I had to wear one of those hospital tags. I didn't have to wait around very much, thank goodness, because I arrived pretty early. In fact I was one of the first few people to arrive. This I guess was the highlight of my day.

Mailing Off

Today was exhausting to say the least. I had a rough time sleeping last night. The steroids made me hungry and I even ate a huge dinner. It took all my willpower not to get out of bed at 1am and eat. I finally fell back to sleep only to have to get up to go to work. Ah Well. I accomplished one important task today though. I headed straight for the post office after work to mail off very very belated Christmas presents to my sister and cousin. I am such a bad person but there, they have been mailed and I hope you guys like the gifts!

Clean Teeth

Dentist after work today. My teeth are now sparkling clean and x-rays show no cavities. Woot! Truthfully, I have quite gotten over my fear of dentists especially since dentists are so much nicer here than they were back home. I mean after enduring a root canal and crown, I can handle all the numbing needles in the world. Well ok, I still hate the needles but my dentist make sure they hurt minimally. So with my teeth cleaned, my hygienist sends me away with my freebie pictured above, and an appointment to return in six months. So goodbye evil dental machines, see you in July!

Child Fun

What can I say, one of the reasons I love my job is because I get to do shit like this. I absolutely love doing fun kiddie arts and crafts and I now get to build it into my lesson. If you could not already guess, we're on the topic of colors. So we read the book Dog's Colorful Day and this was the activity. The kids identified the colors, and then picked a color to work on Dog's spot. Actually this lesson was done yesterday, but I really had a good day at work today and wanted to capture one of the things I enjoy a lot about my job.

Soak the Ache Away

I have been achy all day. Every time I go on the oral steroid burst I get achy at least for the first day, then I get really energetic, then I get really hungry. Thank goodness it's only a 6 day course. So being achy and going back to work after a week long snowcation do not go together. Add a new student to the mix and it makes me one grumpy and achy person. So I took a hot soak with epson salt and my favorite Bath & Body Works bath salt: Stress Relief. I think it's mostly the feel of the hot water on my achy muscles more than the salt itself, but it always makes me feel so much better.

A Side of Steroids

I spent almost all of my waking hours today at the doctors. I got everything checked out and blood work done as well. Everything came out fine (well, I still have to wait on the results of the blood work) but my constant phlegm, chest discomfort, and breathing trouble was the main topic of concern. So this is my daily routine for now. He is treating it as asthma and trying to get rid of the inflammation in my lungs. So I am on a daily steroid inhaler, he wants me to step up my use of the rescue inhaler, continue with my daily nasal steroid, and add a 6 day oral steroid burst. I am going to get so damn fat. I also need to go get a lung and sinus x-ray to rule out any infection or disease. So there, life with a side of steroids. Yum!

Fare Thee Well

Goodbye snow, while I enjoyed your beautiful presence, your stay has gone way past its welcome. I am really glad to see you go. Bit by bit you disappear, melting away like you never existed. The only memory of your existence is the wet ground, and the skeletons of little snowmen all around the neighborhood. I hope you come visit again, though not too soon, and next time, please don't overstay your welcome.

Hot Pot

After talking to my mom this morning about Chinese New Year, I had a craving for some steamboat. The best equivalent here - hot pot. Basically the same thing, but you get your personal pot instead of a communal one. So this evening Jason and I made our way to Mini Hot Pot and feasted. The best thing about hot pot is having it during the cold winter months. Although this time, the place wasn't as hoping and it wasn't all steamy inside. Still we ate till our hearts content and I am still so full from the meal.

Freedom At Last!

I finally managed to get out! I felt so good to be driving and looking at the outside world that is not within the windows of my home. I went to the store, got some groceries and drove home. Some areas were still icy but for the most part it was clear. It was so beautiful to see everything still covered in white. The temperature is finally getting above freezing during the day and the sun is starting to melt all of it up. I'll be sad to see it go, but it was fun while it lasted.

Iced

We didn't think of shoveling the driveway when it snowed. After all, the snow melts off on its own after a day plus we only have a dirt shovel. Who owns a snow shovel in Georgia anyway? So the driveway is now a sheet of ice. Jason left for work today, his first time this week, and he got down fine. I, on the other hand, am deathly afraid of sliding down. He was unable to get up when got home though. Drive up, slide down. It was pretty funny to watch. So now he's parked at the bottom. After he left, I tried to "shovel" the ice which was pretty redundant. I did try to crack it, so it melts easier but after awhile, my nose started running, my lungs hurt from the cold, and I was tired. I barely made a dent. Schools are closed again tomorrow, so officially we will be out a week, Monday is a holiday and so we go back on Tuesday. I'm not complaining, it was fun while it lasted. Now it's just a big pain in the butt!

A Cook

Day 3 of my snow day stuck at home. I found some frozen fresh chicken in the freezer yesterday and took it out to defrost. Used one of the Prima Taste packets I bought when I was in Singapore and cooked up a delicious dinner. So I made sambal chili chicken, cooked some rice, and steamed some asparagus in the microwave and we had a pretty darn good meal. Unfortunately Jason wasn't too keen on the sambal flavor. Oh well! Other than that I have done absolutely nothing. Watched TV, played computer games, sleep and eat. And we're out tomorrow again. I am enjoying every bit of this because once we go back to work, it's going to be a crazy dash of playing catch up.

Freezer Search

I was expecting there to be more snow than usual, but I was not expecting it to stick around for this long and to be stuck home this long. So I have been forced to "clean up" the freezer in our garage. Which I guess is a blessing in disguise since there are frozen food in the bottom that I have not really touched and this will force us to eat the old stuff so I can replace them with healthier new food. So here is my freezer with its goodies inside. Point to note: freezer diving when it's cold out is not fun!

First Snow of 2011

So the much anticipated snow storm finally came through and boy did it dump a lot of snow and a bunch of ice. We got 5 inches in total. The most I've ever seen! Most times, we get a dusting, or 2-3inches at the most so this one is a biggie. Also snow here never stays, it usually melts away by the next day but this one is staying so we got tomorrow off too. And since the temps aren't going to go above the freezing point much and it's only going to get colder, I am not sure when if schools will be open for the next couple of days. I hope not, because I am sure if we take so many days off, we're going to have to make it up! So there, I had my fun in the snow, now let's get back to business.

Midnight Madness

We did the Dali till' Dawn exhibition early this morning at 1am. It was freezing, traffic was backed up, and the free parking lot was full. We eventually did get in and it was a blast. I am not a big "art appreciator" but Salvador Dali's work is pretty interesting plus we caught this art performance. An elephant made out of people.

Right now it is snowing hard and school is closed tomorrow so I get to sleep in and enjoy a 3 day weekend.

The Weekend

Today I got to sleep in and even took a nap. I love weekends. I decided to do a trip to the grocery store because "SNOW ARMAGEDDON 2011" is predicted to happen Sunday night and we needed groceries. Actually my store was relatively calm so I was glad to get in and out quickly. Then I took down the Christmas decoration, packed them up in the garage and sank myself on the couch and caught up with TV shows. We're going to the High Museum at midnight to catch the Dali 'till Dawn exhibition. Praying for the snow thing to happen so I can get Monday off!

Thrashed

I really absolutely hate 4 day weeks with kids at work. It always feels like 4 day weeks go by so very slow and the kids are always off the chain and this especially coming in from winter break. Friday evening, we got invited with free tickets to catch the Atlanta Thrashers vs Toronto Maple Leafs. Well, we got thrashed 3-9. There were a few good fights between the players but no blood on ice. Ah, can't wait for baseball season to start again.

Failed

Today was the first day this week I cooked dinner (other nights I was too tired, not hungry or had no appetite) and it was an utter failure. I really should have known to not trust prepackaged Indian food because it tasted like crap and even smelled bad. I ended up having instant noodles for dinner. Lesson learned: Indian food is best cooked fresh.

Soda Free

Today is my second day of being soda free and these have been my main source of hydration. My biggest complain is the lack of caffeine since I really only drank diet coke. I had a throbbing headache all day so I stopped by starbucks to get an iced mocha for the caffeine. I feel better now and hope this continues. Wish me luck!

News @ Work

This is my workspace in my classroom. I am messy everywhere I go. Today we received news that the school I work at may be shut down at the end of this school year. If it does I will still have a job but I won't know where, how far away, and this may mean a long commute and/or a crappy school. I am not too enthused about that. Whatever it is, there is no point worrying over something that will not be decided until the end of February but I won't lie, I am a little worried and am trying hard to let go and let God. Whatever it is, I am praying for a favorable decision to keep the school open.

Back to Work

Returned to work today after a fabulous 2 weeks off. It was a teacher work day so no kids which helped get my engines started and ready for tomorrow. This was a welcome back gift from the PTA and I don't know why it is called a planner because there is no place to plan anything. Maybe it's a sign that I should not bother to make plans though I doubt the parents who created this would be too happy if their child's teacher did not plan. Oh well, back to reality.

Clean

Today's one and only accomplishment - Laundry. I had to get caught up before I head back to work tomorrow. So I did it all, and that is all I did (well besides stare at my computer and watch movies on the couch).

Lazy Day

My first day of 2011 has been a lazy one on a rainy day. I am taking full advantage of this because Monday will be here very soon and I will return to the hustle and bustle of every day life.