Is It Spring Yet?

It's been snowing here again... it's still sub-zero cold here also... I came home from work yesterday to find the house chilly ( never a good sign in the winter during a major cold snap ).
I went to look at the thermostat and found it said that although I had it set on 62 degrees F it was actually only 56 degrees F in the house and the furnace was blowing cold air! Way to end my Friday! Thought we had run out of oil!( I had a delivery set up to come on Saturday already) I called my heating and oil company and they sent someone over. Turns out the fuel filter was clogged and needed to be replaced.( I still had oil )

While waiting for the furnace guy I started a fire in the fireplace.  I'm thinking about getting a wood stove insert for my fireplace. One of my neighbors have one and they love it! It really saves them on their heating oil and boy does it heat up their downstairs!

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So this week was a little nuts...  Monday was a holiday for Martin Luther King's Birthday, that was all good, things went downhill from there...(ha!) Tuesday I stayed home with a horrible cold and it snowed ( again...) Wednesday we ( it was a family snow shoveling party( at 6;30 a.m.), much joy(not) was had shoveling in the below zero wind chills) had to shovel driveway so we could get out for work(7in) had a delayed opening,( still didn't feel great) all day the kids ( 3d-5th grade) kept asking," Why does your voice sound funny?" ( I have a cold, lol).  Go home Wednesday with all intentions to finish loading my SGO data I didn't get done but went right to bed.

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 Got up Thursday feeling much better but still had a stuffy nose, re-organized room after sub on Tuesday, one of my colleagues told me they helped her get started( new sub) she couldn't find my desk,( I share a room with the music teacher, his desk is barren, mine is colorful and has a big sign with my name on it!) She couldn't figure out my sub plan binder( super organized with everything you need, all sections tabbed and there are even photos showing locations of items in the room a sub might need, many lessons to choose from and the option of letting kids use the activity center if they are not comfortable with the lessons) she told my colleague she didn't realize it was this much work ( Ha! Did you think we play all day?!) The kids liked her though, said she was nice.

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A lot of the week was like this...  the weather has been gross and cold, the kids have not been able to get out for recess in forever ( never, ever a good thing...) all month we have all been doing mid-assessments with them and everybody is "assessed out" and even though we had a three day weekend last week I think what we really need is some warmer, sunny days! A lot of the kids are sick with various ailments, colds, flu, stomach virus. I have had more kids putting supplies ( markers, pencils,erasers) in their mouths this year! Yuck! Hello, germs everybody... Yesterday I had a first grader chewing on his dollar bill he had with him for lunch! Ewww! it's the older kids too! 

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We are working on several color projects and some perspective in class right now.  The landscapes in 4th grade are coming out amazing! The are mixing all their colors and I told them they could paint their landscape any colors that made them happy! The results and satisfaction with their pieces is so much better than if I had given them specific parameters to follow. I should have some good pictures for you next week ( I forgot to bring my camera to school yesterday )

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I am done freaking out about all the new teaching regulations...  I will comply with all my new regulations and paper work but we are are going to be creating as much as possible for creativity's sake, because we really need it! My second observation is done and it all turned out well, one more left next marking period ( unannounced, which means I have to be ready to perform my 16 different components in the observation framework at any given 20 minute period of time... ha!ha!) My SGO data is going well and I am learning some good things from it all even though it is SO MUCH paperwork for the district and State dept. of Education!

It is what it is people... that's what I keep saying this year... complaining will only make you miserable...

I'm off to do some errands and then I am going to spend the rest of the day doing what I want...

maybe I will get to finish up the shawl I have been working on... definitely making up pot of stew for later (yum...)

Stay warm if you are in the deep freeze like us ( single-digits and below zero wind chills!) Although cold is relative to what you are used to so I'm sure that for some of you 30 degrees F is pretty cold. At this point when we break 30 F again we are going to be telling the kids they have to zipper up their coats even though it feels warm compared to what it's been like! I had kids coming to school with shorts on this week(boys 3d-5th) REALLY! I swear people don't look or care what their kids put on their bodies before they leave in the morning! Some were only coming in with sweatshirts, no coats!( and these are the kids that own nice coats and clothing!) Ok, off my soap box...

Have a great weekend all!!!

Mrs. "C"  :)

(UPDATE: Just looked out the window and "oh yea! It's snowing again...")