Ten Things Thursday

1.  I'm getting a new student today.  Not sure why I get so nervous when I hear I'm getting a new student.  I'm not sure if it's because I'm worried if he'll like me, if he'll fit in with our class, or just because he's new - and new is sometimes nerve wrecking.  I can't wait to meet him, though.

2.  I just discovered that one of my old friends is going to be on Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition.  How freakin' awesome is that?  I guess Chris Powell has decided to take on a married couple, because both my friend Rachel AND her husband will be on the show.  They have a Facebook page and everything.  How awesome is it to see a friend get an opportunity like this AND watch them on TV and can say "Hey, I know those people"?

3.  This week has been crazy freakin' busy, and I'm so ready for the weekend.  On the plus side, the week has flown by.  On the negative side, I haven't got a thing done in terms of paper work stuff...and it all has to be done by tomorrow.  Looks like I'll be staying after school for a while today.

4.  I've been having a really hard time staying away from carbs since this past weekend.  Not sure if it's because I ate carbs over the weekend, and now my body is refusing to let me get back to my success, but I don't like it.  I do great all day long, and then get the overwhelming cravings in the evening.  Thankfully, I haven't gone nutso with it or anything.  I ate half a cup of rice on Tuesday, and a small piece of bread last night.. but that's still too much.  I might not be eating enough during the day...not sure... but my scale isn't going to be very nice to me on Monday if I keep this nonsense up.

5.  I'm about sick and tired of the dump heap my kids are keeping as bedrooms.  I take stuff away to make them clean, then not even two days later - right back to being a dump.  All three of them are as bad as each other.  The mess is always clothes.  Everywhere.  Jelly has them strung all over the house.  Peanut has piles of them all over her bedroom floor.  And Butter washes his clothes and then they end up all over his room.  It makes me crazy!  I think a nice long week of no gadgets or gizmos is coming FAST!  Followed by an additional week every time it gets messy again.

6.  Butter was sent home from school on Tuesday because he was running a low grade fever.  He had to stay home yesterday, too.  I was really worried he was coming down with the flu - but it looks as though it's not.  He's fine.  Was fine yesterday.  And that's good - because I just couldn't take one more sickness!!

7.  I'm taking Peanut out this weekend to get a formal-ish dress for her formal dance coming up at the end of this month.  It's one of those moments I've been waiting for since I first gave birth to the girl 12 years ago... but now that it's here?  I feel like it came too quickly.  I can't believe my little pre-teen (for another 2 months) is already doing stuff like formal dances, and thinking about if a boy will ask her to go, or if she'll get anything for Valentine's Day.  She has just 5 years until she's 18!!  Holy Bat Crap!!

8.  I've had a really hard time, lately, finding my blog humor.  I consider myself to be a pretty funny person... used to be a pretty funny blogger... but taking a few minutes to look back over my recent stuff, and I'm wondering where that funny person went.  Just look at today, for example.  A shopping list of this and that.. Kinda dry, right?  You would think, with so much going on in my life, I'd have some funny stories to share.  Geez.

9.  I have real proof that bribery and/or taking away fun stuff can totally work to get kids to perform at their best.  Whether it's wrong or not.  For the past several chapters in science, most of my kids have been failing their OPEN BOOK science tests.  I've tried everything from giving them the page numbers for where they can find the answers to making them write down the pages they find the answers to sending notes home to parents...and?  Still fail.  I know that taking tests aren't fun, but they are a part of school.  Period.  So?  I decided to totally threaten my kids yesterday...and bribe them.  If they failed the test?  Automatic elimination from Fun Friday.  If they passed?  CANDY!!  I only had one kid fail the test - and he'd already lost his privileges to Fun Friday.  And the majority of the rest of the grades were As and Bs.  If I have to bribe and threaten in order for them to show me that they can do something? So be it.  Totally not above me.

10.  It only took me 30 minutes to write ten things.  Well, 9... because this one doesn't really count.  I'm making progress!  Although I really have to work on trying to lighten my stuff up.  It's like drinking sand around here.  SO DRY!!  I need to tap in to some of the funny I experience at work every day... that's writing gold!  Something to think about for next time, I suppose.