Saturday, December 23, 2006
I am officially all caught up on bills. I don't mean that I am out of debt, I just mean that I have paid anything that anyone thinks I should pay them immediately. For a while it was touch and go. It had been a while since I had felt that feeling, "Ummm . . . there's more that needs to go out then is coming in . . ." Blessingly, tuition repayment from my school and a mentor stipend came in this last paycheck which also meant funds for the Christmas gifts I had yet to purchase.
Today needs to be a shopping day for sure! I think Theresa, Lisa and I are going to head out around 11. I love this time of year, mainly because I get to spend so much time with my sisters.
A substitute sent a note and a check payable to my classes to throw a holiday party. He was a lawyer and now he substitutes because he loves kids. He gave my classes $1,000 with the stipulation that it be used for my students around the holidays. He also told the students himself when I was at a meeting. I came back the next day, and my little skeptics questioned me about his offer. They did not believe him. They had to hear me explain it.
They are not always the most trusting kids, and they are too used to unkept promises. So, for two quick days (we had four days to use the money) we planned a party. I let them make decisions. They decided on pizza, hot wings, chips, cookies and soda. And they ate it . . . all of it. 3 slices of pizza, 4 hot wings, 2 sodas, a bag of chips and a cookie (with frosting and sprinkles) for each student. They also got a $10 gift card to the store of their choice. They were so happy. My principal went and picked up all the gift cards. How amazing is that! The students had fun picturing him walking into Hot Topic.
I had 57 kids split into two rooms next door to each other. One room had the food and some fun games. The other room had a CD player and a large open area. I have some of the toughest kids in our school, so I was nervous about bringing them all together, but my worries were unfounded. They deserved the party, they helped plan the party, and they were definitely there to enjoy the party. It was great! My sister, Theresa, came up to help supervise. I have no idea what I would have done without her. There may or may not have been a back flipping contest . . . And I may or may not have participated in a karaoke type reprise of Irreplaceable . . . The greatest part was the next day when the students came in to tell me that it was the best party ever. And there is still $80 left over!
Today needs to be a shopping day for sure! I think Theresa, Lisa and I are going to head out around 11. I love this time of year, mainly because I get to spend so much time with my sisters.
A substitute sent a note and a check payable to my classes to throw a holiday party. He was a lawyer and now he substitutes because he loves kids. He gave my classes $1,000 with the stipulation that it be used for my students around the holidays. He also told the students himself when I was at a meeting. I came back the next day, and my little skeptics questioned me about his offer. They did not believe him. They had to hear me explain it.
They are not always the most trusting kids, and they are too used to unkept promises. So, for two quick days (we had four days to use the money) we planned a party. I let them make decisions. They decided on pizza, hot wings, chips, cookies and soda. And they ate it . . . all of it. 3 slices of pizza, 4 hot wings, 2 sodas, a bag of chips and a cookie (with frosting and sprinkles) for each student. They also got a $10 gift card to the store of their choice. They were so happy. My principal went and picked up all the gift cards. How amazing is that! The students had fun picturing him walking into Hot Topic.
I had 57 kids split into two rooms next door to each other. One room had the food and some fun games. The other room had a CD player and a large open area. I have some of the toughest kids in our school, so I was nervous about bringing them all together, but my worries were unfounded. They deserved the party, they helped plan the party, and they were definitely there to enjoy the party. It was great! My sister, Theresa, came up to help supervise. I have no idea what I would have done without her. There may or may not have been a back flipping contest . . . And I may or may not have participated in a karaoke type reprise of Irreplaceable . . . The greatest part was the next day when the students came in to tell me that it was the best party ever. And there is still $80 left over!
Saturday, December 09, 2006
My house is having a day where if anyone would drop by today it would be embarrassed by its appearance. It's not really its fault though. It had no electricity for almost a week and just sat here feeling unloved. I promised it today that I would get it back to its desired state. I even told it I would buy some taper candles that it wanted for its candleholders.
I broke a garage window last week. My car was locked in the garage. There was no way to get it out without braking a window, so I could pull the red cord to release the garage door. Why is there no door? That will definitely be one of my priorities of home improvement.
I did get to go sledding with Dacia's kids. We had a fun time! The sledding was perfect! You would go down a hill and then halfway across the field just on momentum.
School is a bit crazy right now. One of my favorite students is coming back from the alternative night school. He is my mentee, and he is going to be in my class which will be interesting. I just want him to be OK-- for whatever that means.
Ok, my house is calling me!
I broke a garage window last week. My car was locked in the garage. There was no way to get it out without braking a window, so I could pull the red cord to release the garage door. Why is there no door? That will definitely be one of my priorities of home improvement.
I did get to go sledding with Dacia's kids. We had a fun time! The sledding was perfect! You would go down a hill and then halfway across the field just on momentum.
School is a bit crazy right now. One of my favorite students is coming back from the alternative night school. He is my mentee, and he is going to be in my class which will be interesting. I just want him to be OK-- for whatever that means.
Ok, my house is calling me!
