Enjoying my last day!

Like most of you, I spent today wishing I had longer before heading back to school. I started by heading to the market to visit Deb and Toni and bring Toni a coffee. (Did offer a diet coke to Deb, but she already had one). I bought one of Deb's water bottle covers, as my water bottle was wetting my bag and I really loved the owl material she had made it out of.

I then wandered around for about 1 1/2 hours with Cherree. Lovely time together, as I don't spend enough time with her now that I have to share her with Joe.  I picked up a few good buys in my eyes anyway.

My beautiful owl necklace only $8.

I also found these little green plastic gem like things. I thought they would be great for a maths activity or for my numeracy boxes to match concrete, numerals and number words. I got all these for $4.

I also went to the antique shop and bought my husband would you beleive it an old cast iron mincer, complete with extra blade. It has a vice that attaches it to the bench. Needs a good clean, but was only $35. We buy our meat in bulk of course, unsliced to save money. So now Ardal can mince the meat too. I'm looking forward to fresh mince minus most of the fat.

We then went looking for some desperately needed beds for the boys. We found exactly what we wanted at harvey normans.  The bed is on top and under it is a desk, bookshelf, 4 drawers and a cupboard with hanging space. It has steps up to the top and each step is a drawer. I really wanted them but am unable to come up with the $4400 needed. So I'm considering buying one and using it as a template to make the others out of sturdier timber. I'll keep you posted or blogged!

The new me!

This morning I spent a lovely few hours at the pirate park by the beach on Bribie with two of my wonderful friends, Deb and Toni. Thanks Girls, I had a great time.

Then off to the hairdressers for a desperately needed haircut. Working with young children always freaks me out when I think of going to the hairdressers and them finding head lice. Well, no need to worry - all clear! (Well, she didn't say anything if she found any. Either way I'm happy)

I wasn't sure what I wanted but I knew I wanted to be able to wear it down more often and up for school. I also wanted some highlights. The rest was in the hairdresser's scissors.

Well here is the new me....

Can you beleive how curly it is, by just adding a few layers? I really like it. I wonder for how long.

Obsessed or just pride!!!

Today I went into school to ensure my room was ready for the next term. I needed to change things around and make sure everything was in the right place to at least start the term off. Peta joined me, so we probably did more talking than working.

Peta kept asking what I wanted her to do so I just gave some jobs like putting names on my drawers, arranging my sight word wall and checking that there was 2 of each letter card for a game I had made. Everything was fine until Peta was checking the letter cards. She pointed out to me that they had been cut terribly. Not paying to much attention I said I’d take them home to recut.

Well, OMG! Tonight I went to recut them. I was nearly in tears as I looked at cards where the laminate had been cut right back to the card in some places and a centimetre away on the other side, corners cut on an angle instead of rounded, jaggered cuts instead of straight sides. I do know that I am obsessed with things being cut straight but this was like torture for me.

I remembered clearly who I had asked to cut them out (not my usual aide) and I know that I made it clear that I was extremely fussy so please cut straight about 5 mm from each card, and round the corners. It was as if the person involved had done it on purpose just to piss me off, well it worked!!!!!

I just take pride in what I produce. It takes a lot of time and I want it to look good. I don’t think I’m asking too much for people to respect my attitude.

Maybe I’m just too hard to work with, I mean to say rumours have it that one of my teacher aides stopped working on Wednesdays because I put too much pressure on her when I asked that things be cut straight and no black areas on photocopying.

I guess I should do things myself and then I can only blame me if things aren’t up to my expectations.

Now I better get on with enjoying what’s left with our short holiday. Enjoy your family everyone!

Happy Easter!

I hope everyone has had a wonderful day, celebrating with family. I had a very enjoyable day with my family including Aunty Peta! We enjoyed a nice chicken and salad for lunch. Once again Peta missed the entire family as Tara went out with her friend Grace for the day to celebrate their birthdays from 2 weeks ago. Cherree and Joe were there so we had 10 around the table. We are so noisy when we are all together.

We enjoyed a day of cards, game (Panic), DVD's and just chatting! I am really blessed to have such a large family and wonderful friends.

Coffee....

This aftenoon I went to the coffee club with my dear friend Peta and Mandy, Pam and Leonie. It was great to catch up with Peta, and to hear her tell the girls what she has been up to over her first 5 weeks with Cath. Ed. I can't beleive she still hasn't worked with any children yet! Of course it wasn't very long before we started talking school... What's happening with.... Is .... The questions went on and on. Why is it we can never stop talking school. I'm making a promise to myself that the next time we go for coffee in about a month's time I am not going to even mention school. Do you think I'll be able to do this?????

Any way thanks for a lovely afternoon tea girls! My class is very challenging and I miss working with you Peta... Working so closely with you was definately a highlight in my career. Cath Ed is so lucky to have gained such a wonderful, caring person!

6 days away from home!

For those of you who don't already know, I have been stuck in the hospital with my very sick child Tara. Just look at her -

And this is 3 days after her operation. Tara was sick on Thursday night, with the same sort of pain she has been exhibiting for the last few months where she would wake in the middle of the night with a belly ache and the feeling that she was going to vomit. Considering her age I put it down to maybe the beginning stages of getting her period. However when the pain didn't go away Ardal took her to the hospital. They did a urine sample and dicovered she had blood and protein in her urine. They did blood tests and gave her pain relief. By morning she was feeling sick but o.k. so was sent home. She didn't want to go home she wanted to go to school sooff to school goes Tara. By 10am she was ill again and came to my room and feel asleep under my desk. It was Liam's birthday so we had our family dinner, but Tara slept through it. She woke at 8pm and asked for a cheese sandwich. She only managed a bite of the crust before she started vomiting. Ardal insisted that I take her back to the hospital but I was reluctant as  Ardal had been the night before. So when she continued vomiting and crying and the time was 1am I thought I better take her.

As soon as we saw the doctor the surgeon was called and preparation started for Tara's appendicectomy. She was tortured as they put 2 drips in, and a cathetar (excrutiating to watch my baby girl having this done after all our talks about private parts). Tara was screaming in pain despite the morphine.

After the operation Tara has taken a very long time to recover. Temps still happening now 6 days later despite 3 different antibiotics. Today she was discharged and I have a discharge summary that states she had a 3mm perforation in her appendix and that she had acute gangrenous appendicitis. They had told me they were bad but that they didn't perforate, but now I have the results to see for myself.

I need to say a special thank you to AUNTY PETA! Peta sat with me each night and made sure Tara had everything she needed including some beautiful new p.j's. She also made sure that I was eating and drinking. She also took Declan out with her for a whole day. Declan loved it.Thanks Peta!

The most devastating news for Tara is that she can't dance for 6 weeks!!!! She will miss two competitions and grade exams. However I have already seen her dancing with her hands.

Tara's war wounds!

I'm so tired and feeling so alone!

I have never felt so worn out as I am at the moment. I come home and all I want to do is sleep. Tonight is dancing night and I opted not to go (so I really am tired).
The majority of my class is wonderful while there are a few that really need some moulding. Here I am at the same school as my friend Kristie, yet I never get the chance to talk with her. The fact that I'm teaching year 1 but am not in the same block as the other year 1 teachers is another isolation. I stood on parade this morning and reflected on the fact that I am one of the long timers now left at Caboolture East. This is my 8th year there. I am now being asked to present info for the initiation of the new teachers. I miss all of you, probably way more than you guys miss me.

I look at my class and Peta comes straight to mind. I look into the faces of some of my precious little students and know that they were placed in my class so that Peta and I could spend another year together. Oh, how I miss my dear friend Peta!