The sign says it all!

I am very happy to have a room this year!

Reality

I spent 3 hours at school today, organizing my space, moving things around and looking through handwork bags. I was really disappointed to find some very gross stuff in kids bags, and I was very bummed to see that the First grade basket from last year had lots of mouse poop on it. That means that the kids were using wool that had mouse urine and feces on it., yuk!!!!!

I have decided that all bags MUST stay in the handwork room this year. No work goes home, unless it is over fall, winter or spring vacation time and they need to finish all projects...period!. I was also bummed to see that 5 recorder cases were not done and that they were thrown into different baskets, so I don't know who's they are. I kind of invited my self into each class room and poked around to find all the handwork stuff. I will have to finish them and go back and have the kids figure it out. I am just really bummed about that. I KNOW that the end of the year is crazy and that getting 8 grades to 'wrap it up' is hard, but I just expected more. Lets hope that I do as well as I expect of others, I may fall short of my own expectations...that would be a reality check!

I just left feeling really yukie
I found some really gross stuff in a 7th graders bag and it just went down hill from there, now I have to carefully go through each bag and check it all.

Well I am off to finish recorder case number 3.

bean bags and pin cushions

remind me never to make bean bags again.
I hated it!
the pin cushion was fun!
8th grade will do the pin cushions and the lower grades will use the bean bags

3rd and 4th grade

a hemp bowl/ vase...actually I don't know what to call it. but the 3rd grade will be crocheting these babies
The embroidered pin cushion is for the 4th graders. I don't know how many will get to this project. it took me a while to do.. But I like the idea of the parent handwork doing this.

2nd grade

Pics of what I have been working on for 2^nd grade. These animals will work into a story about an old saguaro cactus in the desert and the life around him. The mouse (we have 3 desert mice in AZ the cactus mouse, the canyon mouse and the grasshopper mouse. They can choose what breed of mouse they are. So the story goes something like, the mouse comes looking for seeds, mesquite beans and leaves to eat. The beans and leave are all gone, but the cactus has some petals from his cactus flower that the mouse can eat) after all the mice are made, they leave and go home because the snakes are coming out. Again they can choose the breed. (the whip snake, the king snake and the night snake) This Snake is looking for food and he loves mice, but all the mice are gone. So the cactus gives him some cactus milk to drink.

When all the snakes are done, they too leave because the owl is coming out and he likes to eat both mice and snakes, but they are all gone . The cactus soon tells her about some bugs that are living inside the cactus and hurting it. The owl and the cactus make a deal that if the owl can eat all the bugs then it can make a home inside the cactus.

Anyway the story will go something like that. I will need to work on it. Any ideas would be great!

Last, the desert Gnomes come out and tend the desert gardens, making sure there is harmony in the desert.

Hmmmm, yep that’s all for now.

Forgetful

Forgetful should be my name. "Hello, my name is Mrs. Forgetful, I will be teaching you handwork today."

we went to the public pool this afternoon and I ran into 2 women who were my clients in the past and I FORGOT their names entirely, no actually completely. One woman I couldn't even place where I knew her from and she was a woman that I spent 24 hours with during labor. When she approached me I knew she was someone in my birth world, I just didn't know from where...Le Leche League? mom and baby playgroup? Birth circle? Midwifery conference? Doula client? Midwifery client? Bradley Student? I just couldn't place her.
She said "Hi Narsingh how are you?" "Oh, Hi how are you?" "It Laura, remember me? 24 hour birth." "Oh yes of course I do!" OOPS!!!! "How is your husband?" "Mark is fine"
"You look different" "Well I lost 50 pounds and I'm not pregnant"
"yah that will do it!"

Yah I felt like a dork!

The other woman I did remember her story, but I couldn't remember her name. I think the only reason I remembered her birth was because her husband left her during the labor and didn't come back....such a sad story! Granted these women were in my life 1 and 3 years ago.

I hate that I never remember names!

My students in school are going to see me during the summer and I won't remember who they are! Oh God, someone save my memory!

cleaning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My new office space. Can you see my blog on the computer, Ha Ha !
These are my marionette dolls from the last 3 puppet shows for SKD'd Bday party
lets clean!!!!!!!
and redecorate!
I got home and I just had the need to the clean everything. Move things, take down pictures, put new ones up... I just went mad and I'm not done!
I plan on having the kitchen painted by next Friday I will keep you posted on if that happens or not. I guess I just felt like after being away for a month and with all this free time. I just HAVE to do some spring cleaning. It feels so good to sparkle:) AND no I am not on pills or taking coffee breaks or even chai tea breaks. I think that's just what happens when you leave for 4 weeks and stay at 6 different houses
I always say the best way to clean is to rearrange all your stuff.

More pics of our vacation

I wanted to add a few more.

Here is NKK in her favorite outfit
SDK with her bubbles and some tee pees at the Spring valley summer camp. I walked by those tee pees every day to get to Spring valley Gym where we had Spacial dynamics

Home sweet Home

Why do we live in Phoenix again? I just can't remember why we chose to live in this heat.

But we are home sweet home. how wonderful it is to sleep in my own bed again. its been a month! I slept like a log!

we have totally enjoyed this vacation, with just a few bumps in the road it was a fine trip
My sister and her other half are on the boards.