Ups and downs.

Up-
A day off from teaching due to the weather conditions outside. I was at school when this decision was made, so I was able to complete the rest of my grading and get all caught up.

and down...
Had to stay and complete a Language Training Program.

Up- Was able to take off and do some spring cleaning at home.

and down...
This is what we came home to. The "slow drip" turned into more of a fast one.

Up-I have to say that after about an hour of cleaning, our kitchen is one Martha Stewart may cook in, if offered. Probably not.

and down....
Have to bundle up for a nice wintery walk to the post office.

Up-
Came back with goodies and some amazingly warm socks- many thanks padres!

 


And sadly while at the post office I learned about a young gentleman that lost his life in the blizzard the day before yesterday. He was from this village and was making a return trip back and due to the weather conditions did not make it. It breaks my heart to hear of these types of things where families undergo times of such grief and loss. Prayers, please.

I was heard!!

This morning I was praying incessantly that school would be cancelled.

I am doing what I can to fight a nasty sore throat- and since I have sixth graders- it's not like I can throw markers at them and say, "Go draw" while I throw back some tea.

They require step by step direct instruction until about 1:30 and then I can let up a little.

Thankfully, around 12:10, there was an answer to my prayer as  the weather conditions seem to be getting a little worse- I gots me a half day off from talking!!

Active Advisory: Blizzard Warning, Wind Chill Advisory 

Now

Blowing Snow

Temperature

-15.5 °F

Feels Like -41 °F

Wind(mph)

It’s finally February!

And it's suppose to get better from here on out!

It’s the height of winter and it's suppose to get warmer (in the 20's) soon.

There is a break at the end of the month to look forward to.

Somewhere in there it's Valentine's Day- I do love my chocolate- and next Friday is a day off- well, not really, staff inservice- but no teaching...

So all in all, February's off to a pretty great start!

5:55 p.m.- when rest comes.

Yes, it is still cold. But good food and beautiful skies tend to make up for it:)

Lifting my spirits & my senses

 Frozen pipes. Clogged Sinks. No lights in the bathroom. No washing machine.

And yet this was the least of my concerns.

Over the weekend I came in to work on lesson plans and grading. In order to make my classroom a more enjoyable place, I turned on my wax melter and put in a new scent. This new scent is called Sand and Beach, and I picked it  to remind me of warmer places.

I don't think it's very beachy.  It's almost a jasmine, floral scent and it reminded me of being in a garden. But what did I care? It covered up the a lot of other "scents" that one might smell in a room full of sixth graders.

This was all great until I went to unplug it on Saturday. I have some students that I have to be considerate of with anything too strong as it can put them on edge. Colors and scents seem to set some off.


So, to be on the safe side,  I was unplugged it. Unfortunately, it somehow tipped over and all of it's contents poured over...into the heating vent... where there is an eternal source of heat for my wonderful flowery scent.


I thought it would have taken care of itself by this morning, as I left a window cracked open nearby.  So not the case. As I walked in this morning, I was overwhelmed by the scent that keeps on giving. I knew instantly that my kids would not be happy and I had no clue as to how I was going to get rid of the scent.  I tried everything from spraying Febreeze into the air, to opening more of the windows, to turning the heat down. No such luck.

I had run out of time, and just thought I would have to roll with their fits, if they had any. And I was pleasantly surprised. No one said a thing, not one kid. Adults came in and complimented me on the scent, but my students said not a word. I obviously fretted for no reason, and am actually happy that I can enjoy my "English Garden" a little longer. Now I hope to go home to a home with light and free flowing water;) 

Answer of the Day

I was reading with the first graders after school a book called The Pond. In order to help them with key vocabulary words, I drew a picture of a pond on the board and asked them what animals they would find in a pond. Keep in mind that there are thousands of rivers, ponds, lakes, etc. out here. So I drew a fish, thinking this was an easy breezy connection for them. What did I hear?

SHARK!!!!!!

Me: Nope. Not a shark. Look again.

Students: SHARKKK!!!

Me, as I was laughing out loud and shaking my head no: It's a fish guys. You know fish, you catch them! Apparently it made no difference what I was trying to teach them, b/c they kept shouting shark.

Heigh Ho heigh ho.... it's off to work we go.

Wanting to sport my Moroccan attire this morning, I layered up only to find that it was a little windier that expected. And it was a good thing my neighbors were already awake ( 9:30?). Unfortunately Neeson (toddler next door) and his, "It's ok!" was cut off at the end. But -25 degrees makes for quite the morning commute.