250

Back to school. I feel like we just started a week ago, but we are actually just two and a half weeks away from the end of first quarter. I don't know how we got here.

I'm still running around like crazy. I'm still overwhelmed. I still can't see the top of my desk.

A new daily Math program (on top of the current Math materials), a new way to do literacy centers (on top of the current Reading materials), a new principal (who is lovely and nice and organized), a new class of 27 students (soon to be 28) has me busy as ever! Throw working on my National Board Certification AND what little life I have outside of school on top of all of that, too!

I went to my Heath & Wellness screening last night through the district. When I sat one-on-one with a nurse she asked me to rate my current stress level. Ha! How high does the scale go? Then, we had to log on to our insurance carrier's website to do a Health Risk Appraisal. I was asked how many hours a week I'm expected to be at my job. Then, how many hours a week I actually work. Lastly, how many hours I've done work for my job during the past 4 weeks.

Mitzi and I were sitting next to each other, so we laughed ... and then calculated together. Hmmmm ... let's see. I'm expected to work 8:15-4:00. I can probably count on both hands how many times I've left school AT 4:00 when my contract hours are over. Most days a week, I'm there from 8:00-6:00. Often, I'm the last car in the parking lot. I hate that. I also bring work home to do at night, although I try NOT to do this so I can relax and recharge before the next day. Most weekends I work at least one day, sometimes more. Add it all together ... close to 250 hours of work within the last month. 250!!!! How many hours do you think you put into your job in the last month?

I wear many hats at my job and I attempt to wear a party, happy hat most days. I know things will turn around. I just wish it would happen sooner than later. That's it! Done complaining ... ... ... for now :)

Worth a watch!

I've liked the band, OK Go, for a while. They became well known with their first music video, "Here It Goes Again" that involved a group of 6 treadmills. I probably watched that video 100 times. I bet you've seen it too!

Last year, they came out with another great video for "This Too Shall Pass" that was based off of a Rube Goldberg Machine. They had to do the entire thing in one take. I can't imagine just how many times it took to get it perfect!

Here is the latest video for "White Knuckles". I couldn't tell you any of the words of the song, and I probably wouldn't recognize it if it were played again, but I was glued to my computer. You'll see why ...

Pretty amazing, huh?

Strutting her stuff

Stopped by to see Ellen tonight. She was funny, and shy, and playful, and sassy ... all in a span of 30 minutes. I took these pictures back to back. It looks like she's really strutting her stuff all over the front sidewalk! Although this girl IS sassy ... this is just what it looks like she you slow down her wobbly walking! :) Can you believe how long her hair is getting? I'm glad I got to see her in the middle of a busy weekend.

Mwah, Ells! Aunt Betsy loves you!

Show me your pearly whites!

Can you tell that my little one looks out of it in this picture? This was taken after we got home from her long day at Dr. Jed's office. It was the day that I finally bit the bullet and scrounged up the money for Minners to get her teeth clean.

Minnie is 4 1/2 and last December, they started sending me home with a quote for a teeth cleaning every time I was at the vet. I'm sure our childhood dogs had their teeth cleaned, but I never remember that. Mom said it was probably good to invest in it so I don't have to have rotten teeth extracted on a 18-pound animal at $25-$125 a tooth!

She spent the entire day there and they called at 12:30 to tell me that she did great, didn't need any teeth pulled and was starting to wake up. I could pick her up at 4:00. I drove over after work and found this TIRED, EXHAUSTED, DROWSY pup! She could hardly stand up in the office and fell against the side of my car when she tried to jump in my lap before I could grab her. She fell asleep on my arm on the way home! :)

This picture looks scary and like she might be mad, but I think she was almost passed out when I took it. I had to show you how clean and WHITE her teeth were! They might even be more white than mine! I can't believe the difference the cleaning made! P.S. Aren't those small teeth funny? I think it's fascinating that they have a "cut out" that the other teeth feet perfectly in when her mouth is closed.

Here she is getting really sleepy. I was told to watch her around stairs and probably just to carry her. It's a good thing she doesn't weigh more than she does because I've got a lot of stairs at my place! She napped on the couch most of the evening and then went up to bed before I did.

Sleeping beauty ... trying to sleep off the anesthesia. :(

At some point in the middle of last night, she jumped up in bed and was still pretty out of it this morning, but not too out of it to eat a breakfast. She hardly had anything to eat yesterday ... which you know was torture for her! When I finally made it home from work tonight, she was at the door waiting for me and was back to her normal, happy, barky, self! Glad to have my baby back!