IU vs. Purdue

This kid is going to be so confused...or prepared. One of the two. We think he looks good as a Hoosier and a Boilermaker, though!

Rockin' the Shades

Ethan's Possible Thoughts:

• How YOU doin'?
• Enough with the pictures, Ma!
• I'm sexy, and I know it.

Any other ideas?

iLove my iPhone

Yep. It's true. 

I finally got one and I'm in love.

I love my Instagram, Words With Friends, ability to group my apps, the sheer amount of apps I can buy, Facetime, and this chevron case I bought for my new love.

Although Kevin is anti-Apple, he agrees that this iPhone is my perfect phone match!

Props to Pops

He sure does love his Pops!!

Just To Make You Smile...

We'll Take One of Those...

We had to stop at our local grocery store to pick something up...

...apparently, they were having a huge sale, and they're flying off the shelves!!

A Rare Night Out

Thanks to my mom, babysitter extraordinaire, Kevin and I got a chance to go to dinner with friends to celebrate our friend Emily's 30th birthday. Here we are, ready for our night out. 

Not too shabby, eh??

On Flirting

There is a right way to flirt, and a wrong way to flirt. I witnessed two incidences of flirting today.

All Wrong!

Ethan and I went to lunch today with "Auntie Debbie". I got up to get some coffee. A pretty good looking gentleman was also filling up his cup. Here's how our conversation went.

Man: Don't tell me you are the one that had that baby over there.

Me: Yeah. That's my baby.

Man: Wow! Where did all of your weight go?

Me: Umm...it left with the baby.

Man: Well, he is one lucky guy...and I'm referring to your husband!

Me: Thanks. I'll remind him of that tonight.

Man: My wife had twins 20 months ago, and she still doesn't look like you.

Me: Well, twins are a whole other story! 

Man: Did you have him naturally?

Me: Yep. {At this point, I was appalled that he felt it appropriate to ask me this...as if the rest of the conversation were somehow more appropriate!}

Man: Wow. You just have all the right qualities, don't you?

Me: I try.

At this point, I walked away. I didn't know that having a child naturally {and I assume he meant sans c-section} was a quality, but OK. At first I couldn't figure out if he was complimenting me, ragging on his wife {who, after having this conversation, I feel sorry for}, or flirting. I chalked it up to this guy being an awful flirt. Strike out!! 

Note: Mentioning your wife, and mother of your twins, is NOT a recommended flirting tactic!

 All Right!

After lunch, Ethan and I had some clothing to exchange. At Francesca's Collections {heaven}, while checking out, the woman behind me was "oohing" and "aahing" over Ethan. Here's how that conversation went.

Woman: You are so adorable!

Ethan: {big gummy smile}

Woman: Are you smiling at me??

Ethan: {smile with giggle}

Woman: Oh my gosh! He just giggled at me! You're such a flirt!

Ethan: {cooing noises}

Woman: What a sweetie! He's such a wonderful shopping buddy! You're so lucky!

Now that's how it's done!! Always keep 'em wanting more. Maybe the guy from the restaurant should take some notes from Ethan!

Happy Groundhog Day!!

How You Doin'???

(Imagine him saying that a la Joey on Friends.)

 

In Case of a Baby Blowout...

In one of my last blog posts, I described our recent experience with Ethan's "blowout". I decided to write a post about "must have" diaper bag items, just in case you (or someone you know) is in a similar situation. So, here goes....

• Extra diapers and wipes
• Changing pad
• Cloth diaper/burp cloth (to cover baby, if necessary)
• Plastic grocery bags (to put dirty clothes/diapers in)
• Change of clothes (including socks)
• Hand sanitizer

Kevin's Tip - Bring surgical mask and Vick's Vaporub to help block out the stench!

Anat's Tip - As soon as you get home, repack the diaper bag with all of the essentials you've used. If you leave it until before you go out, you'll most likely forget some important item(s).

Mommy's Little Trouble Maker

Blogger's Manifesto

Thought this was cute. I especially like the part about writing about one thing that scares you each week. I think I've met this quota...motherhood can definitely be a scary experience!

A Shameless (Important) Plug

I don't normally do this, but I thought I'd get the word out on my blog. 

Last weekend, in a moment of productivity, I wrote a grant through the Donors Choose website. If you have not visited, you should. Public school teachers write grants for materials to enhance the teaching/learning experience, and through the kindness of strangers, these grants are fulfilled. I myself have had two grants filled through Donors Choose. 

The current grant I wrote is for an ActivSlate and ActivPens, which work with my brand new Promethean Board, an interactive white board. Read more about my project, "An Inter-'Activ' Classroom" on Donors Choose. If you, or anyone you know, would like to donate (any amount, great or small), my students and I would appreciate it. Also, take a look at the other incredible projects posted...you might be inclined to help out another classroom.

I'll let you know if/when it gets filled...wish me luck! 

Not Our Day

I have been much less coordinated since I've been pregnant. Let's not forget the coffee-spill-on-the-computer incident at the very beginning of my first trimester, and my little trip down the stairs at the beginning of my second trimester. Now with my belly making itself known to the world, I am trying to be more cautious. It's not always possible.

Yesterday, I got up from the couch, and I guess I didn't see the edge of the coffee table. I slammed my right pinky toe into the corner...I think I misjudged the distance. I went to bend down and grab my foot, and my belly immediately stopped me. I couldn't reach it! I was in a lot of pain...but it was so funny, we couldn't stop laughing!!

Later that evening, I hear a HUGE thud upstairs. I yelled to make sure Kevin was OK. He shouted down that he was fine...he just went to sit down at the desk and the chair was not there. Fortunately, he said that he had plenty of padding in his behind to cushion the fall! 

Perhaps my clumsiness is contagious???

Puppy Love

"What? We're just hanging out!"

 

Myrtle Beach...We Posed

Great photo opps at Broadway at the Beach!

 (He couldn't resist!)

Conversation Hearts...How Times Have Changed

Have you ever had the type of day where just when you solve one problem (and pat yourself on the back for avoiding disaster), another springs up? That's the kind of day I had today at work. 

To remedy my rough day, I'm popping Conversation Hearts like it's my job. Reading those little hearts are so nostalgic. It takes me back to a time when I knew nothing of phrases like "International Baccalaureate", "annual yearly progress", "data team meetings", and much more. Instead, my biggest concern was which Valentine to give to which classmate. (You wanted to give the BEST and BIGGEST one to the guy you liked, but opted for the more generic one in the pack for the guy you didn't want to "lead on".)

I don't know if you've read any Conversation Hearts lately, but I highly recommend it. I remember when they said stuff like, "Kiss Me", "You Rock", or the ever popular, "Be Mine". Now, I'm reading things like, "Text Me", "LOL", "U Go Girl", and "Got Love?" It's interesting that little things like Conversation Hearts reflect how times have changed! Twenty years ago, I don't think any of those would have made sense to me, and now it's the norm. Just conversation hearts food for thought!

I don't know if anyone will respond, but I'll throw it out there. What is your favorite Conversation Heart saying??

What Dentists Don't Tell You About Flossing

It could pop your fillings out. That's right, this morning I "flossed" my filling out. Two things bother me about this. First, I was just at the dentist last Thursday for a cleaning. My dentist told me my teeth looked great, which is a big deal for me, since I am the Cavity Queen. Apparently, my teeth did not appreciate the compliment, and unfortunately, I had to make an impromptu visit to the dentist for a "re-fill". The second thing that bothers me is I didn't even lose my filling by doing anything fun, like eating gooey and delicious candy! That might have been worth the shots in the mouth, numb right side of my face, and drool dripping down my chin. Did I mention I went back to school to finish the day out with my paralyzed face???

My advice to you? Flossing could be dangerous to your teeth! :)

Warning: Teacher Rant Ahead

My class is about to start some new novels. Two of them are by Carl Hiaasen. According to Scholastic, the grade-level equivalent of the books is 5.8 (for all you non-teachers, that means students in the eighth month of fifth grade should be able to read this). Since my fourth and fifth graders are reading at middle school levels, we are always looking for novels to meet their needs. Our next Social Studies unit is about making economic decisions that impact the environment. Carl Hiassen's books, Hoot and Flush are about just these topics. (If you haven't read them, you should.) The problem? There are about 5-7 curse words sprinkled among the 250-plus pages. I sent a letter home to the parents informing them of our reasons for choosing these books and the modest amount of inappropriate language in the book. Most of the parents were fine with this, agreeing that the content and themes of the books outweighed the few choice words, and knowing that we would address the language issue as it came up. One parent, however stated that while he would allow his child to read the book, he did not agree with our choice in picking them. Since cursing was against the school rules, he asked, why was it "OK" to read books with curse words in them? Fair enough. He also stated that one of the books includes a couple who smoke. OK. Now this is where I draw the line. These books are REALISTIC fiction. That's right...in the real world, people smoke and curse, and do all sorts of other things that we do not condone at school. Now, I am not saying that we should expose kids to things they should not be exposed to, but if kids were to be introduced to sensitive issues in the safety of a novel group, where an adult could monitor their conversations, kids might be less inclined to make bad choices. Studying characters who make poor choices might lead kids to make good ones, and learn from the mistakes of others before they make those same mistakes for themselves. Plus, the focus of the book is NOT the language, but the connection between the environment and the economy. I hope that when I am a parent, I focus more on monitoring the types of TV shows and video games my kids watch and play, rather than the educational books they enjoy and read under the guided supervision of trusted adults, like me and his/her teachers. I hope that rather than shielding my children from all the bad things in the world, I am able to address sensitive issues with them, helping them to make informed decisions about appropriate and healthy ways they should behave. I don't know...maybe that's just me.