PB & J Drama and more

Today was a long day. I guess that is the best way to start out this post. It could all start last night when I stayed up later than usual to put my final touches on my lesson plan for my SET evaluation today. (Observation by the principal, done twice a year for your first 3 years.) I woke up early got to school, tested out a few things for my lesson and felt good.

I was a little upset that the recess right before my lesson was called Inside Recess. Ok, it was only 7 degrees so they should be inside... but it makes them a little louder and little crazier throughout the rest of the day. (By lunch it was 10, so they had to stay in again.)

My class was ready and the principal was going to walk in any minute. I turned on my projector and hooked it up to my computer to get my smart board on for my lesson. Long story short, I spent the next 10 minutes trying to get my smart board and computer to connect. I gave up and decided I would do my lesson on the board, but the principal wanted to see my lesson on the smart board and told me to try again. (During this time she is chatting with my students about life, and they are being pretty good.) It finally connected and my lesson went smoothly after that.

In the afternoon I was really excited for one of my favorite writing lessons. I have the students write How To make a peanut butter sandwich. Then I read them and do what they say. Usually they say, take some peanut butter and put it on the bread. Get some jelly and put it on the peanut butter. So I stack the jar of peanut butter on top of the loaf of bread, and etc. The kids love it and it shows how they need to use specific words.

Well when I brought them back to the table some of my top students whom I love dearly, saw the pb, jelly, and loaves of bread and started complaining. "I hate peanut butter and jelly." "My Mom never makes peanut butter sandwiches because they are disgusting." "Eeeew Gross!" And at that point, I lost it. I had just rewarded them earlier in the day for being good during my lesson.  I had bought a lot of these things with my own money, and I wasn't going to put up with it. I sent them all back to their seats... with a little reminder of how to treat others nicely instead of being rude.


I cooled down and let them come back, they enjoyed the lesson and my complaining friends felt a little bad.

Before leaving at the end of the day, I let my custodian know that I had heard a mouse type sound in my room, along with a leftover Christmas treat in the corner that had been eaten by a little mouse friend. Another teacher across the way actually saw a mouse run across her floor today. I am hoping it's the same guy and that he gets caught tonight. Now would be the appropriate time to say, "Eeeew Gross!"

After school I had a 2 hour meeting... it was long and boring and I was really glad to be home after. I threw my gym clothes on grabbed my keys and left. When I shut the door I looked down to see that I had my classroom keys, and not my house/car keys. Leaving me locked out of my house and car. Luckily our neighbors were home and had Bob's phone number. (I do not know it, ah!) And he so nicely came home from studying to let me in.

Now we are enjoying the BYU/Utah basketball game and are happy to have a few hours together tonight. Sorry for the downer of a post today.

big 24!

Over the Christmas break I celebrated my 24th birthday. Am I really 24? It's crazy how you get to a point and forget how old you are. I was lucky to be able to celebrate my birthday twice, on my actual birthday in Washington and when I got home with my family in Utah.

Bob and I are avid movie watchers so on my birthday all of Bob's family went to the movies. We had been debating which movie to see, and in the end there were two groups. True Grit and Tangled. I couldn't decide which movie I wanted to see. I had heard tons of good things about Tangled and nothing about True Grit. But, Bob wanted to see True Grit and I knew eventually I would see Tangled. The movie was pretty good. Bob and his brothers loved it. I really am excited to see Tangled when it comes to the dollar theater.

The rest of the day we relaxed back at the home, eating lots of yummy food, talking, and playing games with family. It was a perfect day. I got a few things that I really wanted this year. A new red coat, my white watch, workout clothes, and some new mac make up!

Our first Sunday home we celebrated with my family eating Mexican food, my favorite. We also had the famous Hales family chocolate cake. It was sooo good! Thanks to my families for making my day so special!

Once upon 2011

I love January (not the weather though) for the fact that it is a chance to start over and make new goals. I do know that I could do it at anytime, but it's a little easier in January.

I've read about people having a theme in the year 2011. And I hope that I can think of one sometime soon. 

I definetly have my own list of things that I would like to do this year. I'll share a few, but don't hold me accountable. Tonight I opened a leftover Christmas candy and Bob took it away. Telling me that I would regret it later on tonight. haha.

1. Be a better wife
This includes:
--doing the dishes nightly
--picking up my clothes
--organizing the craft room

2. Eating healthy
-- I've made a goal to cook dinner 3 times a week. (Some may say only 3 times? Hey, I'm working on it. Maybe in a few months I'll up it to 4. The other nights we have sandwiches, cereal, etc.)
{I made sloppy joes, chicken and veggie rice bowls, and shepherds pie so far}
 -- Watching my carbs. I love me some bread.
-- Drinking lots of water, even if that means I have to leave my class unattended a few times during the day.

3. Exercise
-- My goal was 5 times
I haven't decided if it will be 5 times a week, or 5 times in 2011.
I have been 4 times this week already though, so I am hoping for the first.
On Monday after school I went to Orem Rec to workout. When I circled the parking lot a few times, I got a little mad there were so many people there. I was thinking to myself, "All of these people are here working out in January because of their goals... but then realized I was one myself. I hope in a few months I can say I'm not just going for a goal, but going as a consistent gym goer. 

4. Become addicted (I got this from my friend Danielle)
-- to reading the scriptures
-- serving others

Reasons Why:

I shouldn't have come to school today.

I got to school and couldn't find my plan book. I have looked everywhere in my classroom. I am hoping that somehow it is on my desk in my room at home, that is the only place it could be. There are 1 million important papers in that folder, along with my plans and dates for the year! AHHH!

This part you may not want to read about, but it was a big part of my day. I had a little over an hour prep time this morning, with 5 big projects I wanted to complete. I was in the middle of the biggest one when my bloody nose from earlier this morning returned. (Growing up we always got bloody noses, so this wasn't a big concern. And I also had a 5 minute one earlier.)

30 minutes and 1 tissue box later, it decided to stop. But during those 30 minutes I managed to get blood:

- all over my face and hands
- all over my new sweater
- on my new scarf
- destroyed my white cami
- worst of all, on my new white watch

( Most of which will come out, but in the middle of it happening, I cried {actually turned into sobbing} because all of my new favorite clothes were ruined.) 

This was not your average bloody nose, this was insane. It was basically gushing blood. I couldn't replace my tissues without blood getting somewhere.

Today I wore patterned tights with boots and a skirt. So I after I had to wear an ugly red viking vineyard t-shirt with those. I looked Wonderful!

All of my kids wanted to know why I was doing my laundry in the classroom sink....

Christmas 2010

This year Christmas was very different. For the first time, 1/2 of my siblings were not there. Andrea spent Christmas morning at Brent's families house, and Dan spent it in England. When we open presents we open them one at a time, and from oldest to youngest. It was crazy that I was the 2nd to youngest this year, as it went me and then Ayrika.

Bob and I didn't get presents for each other this year. We decided to do a $20 limit for things to put in each others stockings. Bob got a new Jazz t-shirt that he loves and I got an array of things including socks, hangers, candy, gloves, and scissors.

For the past month Bob has been pestering me about what my parents got him for Christmas. I knew he would never be able to guess. My Dad got Bob and Brent shotguns so they can go to the gun club and shoot clay pigeons together. Too bad the gun wasn't finished being made, so they both got a piece of paper.

Bob's other favorites were:
McDonalds gift cards
Scattegories
A hand held blender for milkshakes
And a new pillow

I have been  on a crafty kick lately, and something that has been missing is sewing crafts. I decided I was ready to start sewing. (I do recall my sewing 1 class in 8th or 9th grade, and I did pretty well, but that was a long time ago.) So basically that was a long way of saying that I got a sewing machine for Christmas. I also got a bosch mixer, so basically this year my new goal is to become more domestic in cooking and sewing.

My other favorites included:
A new sweater
5 containers of lotion (this is a present tradition that I love)
Swiffer Wet Jet

My Mom wanted to give a FUN gift, so she gave Ayrika an electronic harmonica. We have been gone for the past week, but I hope she learned how to play happy birthday for my birthday dinner tonight!

Bob wanted to get my Dad a remote control something for Christmas. I thought it was a horrible idea. But Bob persuaded me into doing it and then Bob gave my Dad his favorite present. He played with it for a long time Christmas morning.
 

The best present of all on Christmas was being able to talk to Dan. He sounded like he was 30 years old, half of his words we didn't understand, and he was happy as he could be. All he could talk about was how happy he was to be serving. He loved the people of England and loved the gospel even more. I cherished every minute of it. Of course all of the women were crying for the first and last 10 minutes, but that's just how we are.

Here are Brent and Andrea talking with Dan.

Family Traditions Part 3

The final tradition is a favorite tradition with my family. I know a lot of people have this tradition, but I love it. Every year on Christmas Eve, we get to open one present. It is always the same, Pajamas. One year my sister and I threw a stink about getting the previous years leftovers and it was a bad night. So now we don't ever complain. My Mom always addresses the presents from Eve.

Bob and I previous to opening our PJ's.

Our new jammies.

This year Christmas was a little smaller than usual. Ayrika and I were the only siblings there.

Family Traditions Part 2

My next favorite tradition is always held on Christmas Eve. With the Hales side of the family we have a big seafood dinner. For our appetizer my Grandparents fry up some oysters, we have shrimp in some type of form, and then we have clam chowder. My Grandpa said at the dinner this year that he had been having fried oysters for the past 50+ years.

This year we had our traditional meal, along with shrimp cocktails. (Up until a few years ago we had a tradition to go to Mexico for Christmas break, and we all were missing our shrimp cocktails.) They were so good!

Following dinner we held the first Hales Family, Minute to Win It competition. It was a lot of fun, and everyone participated. Too bad my family didn't win. I was in charge of all of the games. When it all began, I couldn't find my camera, and was looking for it the whole time. When we went to have dessert, I found it on the couch where my Grandpa had been sitting. So no pictures until I can get them from my Dad.