Oh! I had no idea how tired I would be when I started back to work! School is going really well….don’t feel sorry for me. It’s just wearing me out!

But I do have a few bits and pieces to share! Just little things that have been going on around here that I find interesting, amusing, or alarming.

I encourage my students say the blessing before lunch each day. (I know….doesn’t happen too much in schools, does it?) I have the student of the day either say the blessing or choose a volunteer if they do not want to say it. They love it!

I’ve mentioned before that my style of worship is not exactly charismatic. So, that is probably why I find this story so endearing.

This sweet little seven year old in my class was the student of the day. When I asked her if she would like to say the blessing or choose someone, she looked at me very seriously and said, “I think I can do it.”

She then raised her arms into the air and with all the passion that little body could muster she said,” God is great, God is good. Let us thank him for our food. By his hands, we are fed. Thank you God for daily bread! Amen!”

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My eight year old daughter is a behavior problem it seems. I asked her teacher how she was doing and she told me that the best instructions Shiloh follows is when she is told to get out a book and read when you are done with your work. She then said that she has to physically touch Shiloh for her to hear anything else after that.

She has been in trouble two or three times this year for reading when she was supposed to be doing some other task. It’s not that she’s intentionally not completing other tasks….it’s just that when she’s reading she doesn’t hear anything else.

I can’t decide if this is a bad thing or not. I guess it could definately be worse!

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Tommorrow I go to the doctor for the three hour gestational diabetes test. My fingers are crossed that I pass. I’ve never failed the one hour test before, so this will be my first time to ever take it.

I’ve had to be on an interesting diet for the last three days. It’s incredibly high-carb and believe it or not was actually hard for me to do.

The idea of having to eat a certain amount of sugar, desserts, and bread products just didn’t appeal to me. All of a sudden I wanted meat, meat, meat. Any other time….the high starches wouldn’t bother me. I think I’m just rebellious.

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Tonight I was cooking a chocolate mousse cake. (I needed two dessert servings!! ) My daughter was reading in her bedroom. My son, had already been sent to bed (he destroyed an entire bag of kitty chow…naughty little boy! ) She came out of her room and said, “Something smells good. It smells like brownies!”

I just looked at her, smiling. “May I please lay on the couch to read? I want to smell that smell even better!”

Josh thinks this is typical girl behavior. Don’t guys ever fantasize about chocolate?

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My son is convinced that if he gets a blue smiley face on his daily folder, he is going to go to jail. He misunderstood something his teacher told him and lives in fear of the blue smiley face. His teacher was horrified when I told her this and wanted to clear up the misunderstanding.

I however, did not want her to do this. It was quite helpful all weekend telling Landon that if he didn’t do what he was supposed to do, I would give him a blue smiley face. His big blue eyes would get so wide.

He even told me one day that he couldn’t wait to go to heaven. When I asked why he said because there was no school in heaven. This surprised me, as my son is absolutely in love with school, his teacher, his classmates, and all things schoolie!

“I thought you liked school.”

“Oh, I do. I love school. I just don’t want to get a blue smiley face.”

Maybe I am an evil mother!

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I was reading a book about different fruits and vegetables to my class. I was telling the students that apricots were first grown in China. A little girl raises her hand and I ask what she wants.

“I’ve been to China,” she says.

“Really?” I ask. I have had children confused about these things before so I wasn’t so sure she really had been. So I ask, “What for?”

“I went when we got my baby sister,” was her reply.

I am absolutely fascinated with the adoption of Chinese baby girls so I was impressed. I asked her to bring something for show-and-tell from China. She brought a Chinese purse, a picture of her and her baby sister in beautiful Chinese robes, a picture of her in front of the Great Wall of China, a picture of some panda bears they saw, and a picture of the baby girl that they are in the process of adopting.

I just thought it was all very cool. Definately the best show-and-tell I’ve had a student produce.

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Of course, a friend of mine from church that also teaches, certainly has me beat.

She has a thirteen year old boy in her class this year that is from Iran. His father was a rather big deal in Iran it seems and had some US business contacts. These contacts just so happened to be Christians!

Through these contacts in the US, this man and his family became Christians. They actually had church underground and entered their church through a hole. They had to run for their lives one night when their church was discovered.

His family fled to Germany where they spent the next three years living in a metal building, about the size of a small camper trailer. This boy’s bed was right beside the urinal.

Finally, the German government told this family that if they stayed in Germany they would be turned over to Iran. They once again had to flee….this time to Switzerland. Here they made contact with their American friends who sponsored them and helped them get into America.

They have been here about a month now.

It certainly would be nice if you would remember this family in your prayers.

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Speaking of urinals, I got a letter from the Kindergarten department at school. It was addressed to the parents of kindergarten boys. It asked if we would please take our sons to a public restroom and teach them to use a urinal. They stated that they could explain to the boys how to use it, but it would be better if someone could show them how to use it. It seems that these ladies have their hands full trying to instruct little five year old boys on the proper way to use a urinal…..

I just found this completely amusing.

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Our first grade department uses Saxon Phonics curriculum. Each night the students have about ten minutes of phonics homework on a Saxon worksheet. I’m always telling the kids to complete their Saxon Phonics sheet.

I have one student who keeps calling it her Satisfaction Sheet. I did correct her, because, well, I’m a teacher. And I have to. But oh! It was so cute! I wanna call them Satisfaction sheets all the time now!

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Like I said, bits and pieces. Things from here and there. Hope it wasn’t TMI!