How to:

We are finishing up our How To unit at school. It's a lot of fun, I get to read a lot of funny things. We are using a 4 step method sheet right now and the kids have been eating up this writing project. It always makes me feel good when they are really excited to write.

For an example I did this on the board for the kids. I have been making a spinach smoothie every morning for breakfast in my attempts to eat more veggies. And in my case it's drinking them. I told my kids about it one day and they all groaned at how gross they thought I was. (I guess we groan back and forth at each other.... haha.) 

How Mrs. Barber makes her spinach smoothie:

No, one of my 3rd graders did not draw these pictures. Yes this might be my best art work, but it's all I've got. I have a kid who could out draw me 20 times. He basically is amazing.

**And step 4 is crucial. If you don't rinse your mouth out after, you will have little berry seeds and sometimes spinach stuck between your teeth. 

112 flashback

In August of 2006 a bunch of girls all moved into the Riviera. We all moved in, because it was the only place available after trying other apartment complexes. (I guess we all procrastinated finding a place to live that summer.) We lived there for 2 years, some staying the whole time and some moving out for missions and other opportunities. These girls are some of my best friends. Last night was the first time we have all been together in a long time.

It began with 6, and in the end there were 10 of us. So many fun memories with these girls. I remember being so sad as we all moved out in the summer of 2008.

Here's a little trip down memory road:

This is one of the first pictures of us together. For some reason we were all a little quiet at first, some more than others. But eventually all of our true colors came out. This is the original 112.

Back row: Justine, Jaimee, and me
Front row: Ashley, Alisha, and Sarah

On Sunday afternoons you could find us doing a variety of things including playing phase 10, eating ice cream out of the same container (rainbow berry sherbet was my favorite) or watching Pride and Prejudice. On this day, we decided to pile all of our blankets, pillows, and cushions. We spent a good hour jumping and diving off of the couches.

Me, Alisha, Jaimee, Juzz, and Ashley

I don't remember why, but we decided to sleep outside on our balcony. We made a hut (we did this a lot in our living room) and set up a movie. We thought this would be a good idea, but when we woke up, our kitchen table and chairs were in the outside commons set up for breakfast. Amongst other pranks that boys in our ward had done to us in the middle of the night.

Me, Stephanie, Ashley, Jaimee, and Juzz aka Justine

During the time we lived together, both Ashley and Jaimee left us to go on missions. This picture is before Jaimee left. We all met at Brick Oven one last time. Alisha and Patrick were pretty serious at this time, so he was invited as another roommate. Summer of 2008

Pat, Alisha, Jaimee, Justine, Shelly, and me

Here are some of the roommates and a good friend from the Riv, Jody (who should've been a roommate) at my bridal shower in 2009.

Jody, Alisha, me, Justine, and Brittney

Conference weekend in October, we got together for dinner and a little girls night. It was fun to be together after not seeing each other for a while. Oct. 2009

Too bad we didn't have a get together in 2010. Ooops!

Last night we got together for dinner and it was so much fun. One of the main reasons that we got together is because Justine will be moving to New York for her internship. We are all so excited for her, but will miss her tons! We have all grown and changed a lot in the past 5 years, but it also seemed like we were just living together.

 Alisha, baby Megan, Jaimee, Shelly, Justine, Brittney, Stephanie, Ashley (in front) and me

I wish the pictures had turned out better, but we were in Chilis and this was the only place we would all fit. I liked this picture better, but Steph was hiding....

Just Gross

Yesterday I had an appointment at the dentist to get a cavity filled. I worked the morning and went to the dentist at noon. I then had the rest of the day off and I loved it. I got a lot done. In the back of my mind, I worried about what my class was up to at that moment.

- I definitely had a reason for worrying yesterday.

This morning when I got to school I read my sub notes and it said, "They were great other than the 2 boys and 2 girls playing in the bathroom. But don't worry, I made them wash their hands twice with soap." I was confused by this because I only let 1 boy and 1 girl go to the bathroom at a time. When my AM students came I asked my most trust worthy student and he claimed he had no idea. I asked a girl on the same level and she said no too. After a long day I was tired and a little frustrated. When my AM's left I was talking to my PM group and asked them about the bathroom incident.

At the exact same time, everyone blurted out the 4 kids names. I was shaking my head because I was disappointed and just grossed out. I explained that bathrooms are dirty. We do our business, wash our hards, and then leave, no playing around. And then a girl tells me that they were putting their hands in the toilet.... that had peoples business in it.

At that point, I made a sort of frustrating noise, exhaling all of the built up steam... and I am sure my face looked mad. One girl said, "Don't worry Mrs. Barber, my mom gets made like that all of the time." I about died trying to hold the laughter in. My kids are so funny. But I am still super grossed out and will be using a lot of hand sanitizer.

Gym side note:
I spent 2 hours there tonight because Bob is studying late for his test tomorrow. When I pulled in, I was looking for a spot when this huge truck almost hit me. I parked, and then as I was walking in, I saw the truck stopped in the middle of the lane with another car. The man in the car had just gotten out and was yelling at the guy who drove the truck. The truck had just hit the car. Luckily it wasn't me.

I took a pilates class tonight and we were doing our final stretches and someone in the class farted, and they farted loud. It was so funny. It happens every once in a while at school. But in a class with all adults, it was a lot funnier.

Workout Thoughts...

I have been working out at the Orem Rec Center each day and here are a few of my thoughts and feelings.

1. On the days that I do my own cardio, I usually use the elliptical. There is an older lady there most days and while she is using the elliptical, she is crocheting. She has a little bag that she hooks on the handles and does it while she is working out. WOW- now that is multitasking.

2. On Saturday mornings I go to zumba. The class is at 9, so I get out of bed at 8:30, throw on my gym clothes and go. What I am confused about is that people show up wearing make up and their hair is done. I don't know about them, but there is no reason for me to get ready before working out. Plus, who are you trying to impress at the gym??? (No judgement if you actually do these things. Maybe I just feel dumb as I look like I just got out of bed... ooops I did.)

3. Spinning..... Sore rear, enough said.

4. Why can't I wake up early enough to go to the gym before school? I guess I like my sleep a little too much. I wish I could wake up early, get it done and have the afternoon to relax and finish my school stuff. Maybe someday.


5. I am an on time person. I am always 5-10 minutes early for my gym classes.  I get a little irked when people come to class late along with 25 other people and then the class is way too full.  I like my space, that's why I go early.  Either they should lock the door when class starts, or limit the people in the class. I get nervous that I am going to hit or kick the person next to me.  Maybe in a few months, the amount of people attending will fizzle out anyway.

6. Zumba teacher says, "Don't worry if you can't do all of the steps. No one is watching you they are all trying to figure this out too." Ya right!!!  I watched everyone the whole entire class. (It might've been because it was so packed, I couldn't see the teacher.... but still, I feel a little self conscious as I am trying to do all of the fast paced moves.)

funnies of this week

There was no school on Monday, and even with that I think this might've been the longest week of my life. Kids are crazy this week, it might be because the weather is cold and we have been inside a lot.

One of my students was in another class for some reading help. While there someone said something mean to him, and he replied by saying F you. Yes, he said the real word. Yes, he is 8. How are they learning these things so young?

This same student also found interest in the teacher next doors, door stop. He kicked it around the hall for a while, picked it up and put it in his backpack to take home.

I had two boys come in from recess and one came up to me, kind of shy like. "Mrs. Barber, I need to talk to you." As he says this, he is nodding to his friend to come over. I pulled them out in the hall and said what's up? Now for a little background, the boy who talked to me is 1/3 of the size of the other boy. So smaller boy tells me while hiding his face, that he got mad at the bigger boy and kicked him. Big boy turns to me and says, "Ya, he kicked me in the front privates hard."Small boy then tells me that a girl in our class saw it happen and she wanted to make things fair so she kicked small boy in the "front privates" too.

Goal Update:
So far I have not kept up with my weekly cooking. After my first week, I just fell apart. Bob's schedule changes from week to week. And last week he didn't come home until 8 or  9. I didn't feel like cooking just for myself. (Even though that is just my excuse, because really Bob does need dinner when he gets home too.)

Tonight I making my first real meal of the week. And I am embarrassed to say that it is Spaghetti. BUT I am making homemade french bread, so I think that counts.

Another reason I might be failing in the food department is because I am actually doing good with my working out goal. Spending more time at the gym and less in the kitchen. I have been going daily for an hour. I am beginning to enjoy it, and hope that it will just be second nature to me.

We had a mid week relief society meeting on Tuesday night and we talked about eating healthy, working out, and making and keeping new habits. One thing we did was blend up spinach and kale into a berry smoothie. I have been having a hard time eating enough vegetables, so I am hoping that this will help.

How do you get in all of your veggies?

We like food...

Today has been a wonderful day. I love having a day off every once in a while. We slept in and got ready. My Dad took everyone to the movies and lunch. We went and saw The Dilemma. It was an OK movie. I liked the story, but there were a couple scenes that just didn't need to be there.

Following the movie we went to my Dad's favorite restaurant El Gallo, in Provo. My Dad goes there weekly, so all of the staff know him as a regular. Today it was crazy busy, and we had to wait almost a half hour to get our food. But it was worth it.

We enjoyed snacking on fresh and hot chips with guacamole that they made at our table.

Our main entree came and it was this huge pot of meat. There was chicken, shrimp, beef, pork, and also pineapple and cactus. It was sooo good. You just pick out what you want and put it on a tortilla with salsa, cilantro, rice, beans... you know the works. This pot of food fed 6 of us with leftovers.

Bob and I went grocery shopping for the week, and we both got some of our favorite foods today.

These chips are the best. You will love them so much that you will hate me for telling you about them. I had them in Washington with a corn and black bean salsa....mmmm. I was so happy that our Winco carries them too.

Bob got a hand blender for Christmas. Tonight was the first night that he was able to use it. He made his ultimate favorite, Oreo milkshakes. He was so happy to use it, and the milkshake was really good!

And now I will be at the gym everyday for the next 5 months. haha.

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.