Crazy, Busy Week

I can't believe it's already Wednesday.  It feels like I was just sitting here and it was Sunday morning.  It seems so crazy that we're half way through this week already, and that's probably because this week has been non-stop.  

Monday night I drove to Lamar, Missouri for a football game.  Unfortunately, Butter couldn't play because he suffered a concussion at practice on Friday which put him out of commission for a week.  He still has to be at the game, though, standing on the sidelines with his team.  It was a great game though, and I'm glad I got to see it.  His team pulled a great 44-30 win over the Lamar Tigers.  Being that Lamar is almost two hours away from where we live, we didn't get home until 11:30 that night.  Talk about exhausted.  It's why I didn't write a blog yesterday.  I needed a little more than four hours of sleep, so I stayed in bed for an extra hour.

Yesterday evening it was our Family Night at school.  It's my favorite Family Night of the year, because we have fire pits, ghost stories, hot dogs, and s'mores.  The kids absolutely love it, and we always have a great turn out.  I heard we had over 500 families in attendance last night, which is fantastic.  For the first time, we joined forces with the primary school.  They provided some craft activities for the kids to do, and I know that my three kids had a fun time.  I did what I always do at Family Nights and worked with the rest of the 4th grade team in the food area.  We got all the plates loaded with the fixings everyone needed for their hotdogs and s'mores.  But, as much fun as it was, we still didn't get home until after 8:30.  I was ready for bed the minute I walked in the front door.

This evening, we have a staff meeting and then I have class.  So, another late night.  Due to all of the craziness that has ensued since my last class, I have still yet to do my homework.  Not a great example to set for myself, but it's hard to get stuff done when I'm gone every night here, there, and everywhere.  As much as I don't like homework, I know it's something that has to be done.  It's also a great way for me to empathize with my students.  I try and give them time during the day to work on homework, which is something I don't always have the luxury of having.  Most weeks, I work on my homework while I'm waiting for Butter to finish football practice.  Haven't had a chance to do that this week.  But, like I tell my kids all the time:  Excuses are like underwear, everyone has them and they all stink.  I'll get the homework done.  

Tomorrow morning, I have my weigh-in for the weight loss contest.  I have not had a good week this week.  I haven't splurged or gone crazy, but I've had a really hard time getting the scale to do down.  I even saw a gain this morning, which has really upset me.  It's always disheartening to see a gain after trying to be mindful of what I eat.  But, I'm not completely innocent.  I haven't drank as much water this week, and I did graze a little during family night last night.  I didn't go crazy, but I probably could have done without the hotdog and graham crackers that I ate.  

Today, I'm going to try and "cleanse" in preparation for tomorrow.  Plenty of water and veggies for me today.  I'm going to avoid carbs and anything heavy for today, and hope that it helps a little bit with the weigh-in tomorrow morning.  And this upcoming week, I'm going to just have to work a lot harder to make sure I have a big loss next week.  I may have to pay a dollar tomorrow, but I hope that by next week I'll be seeing a good loss on the scale.  

Tomorrow evening, it will be another late night as we have to drive to Mt. Vernon, Missouri for another football game.  Once again, Butter will be standing on the sidelines.  It figures that the week that we have to drive over an hour away to watch the game, he can't play.  But, that's the life of a football mom.. you do what ya gotta do. But, it'll be yet another night of not being home until after 11PM.

Friday, I'm not sure what's happening yet.  Peanut may be going to a debate contest.  If that's the case she'll be gone doing that, and I'll be able to come home at a reasonable time and sit on my couch for the first time in a week.  If not, we'll be going to the last high school home game of the season and not getting home until late, once again.

I was supposed to work the Arkansas vs. Alabama football game on Saturday, but because everything has been so crazy busy this past week I dropped out from going.  I have a big project due for school next Wednesday, and I just can't afford to spend the entire Saturday working a football game.  I hate letting people down, but I have to prioritize.  I've worked two games, which is the requirement for parents, so it's not like I haven't pulled my weight.  I'll be working a couple of games in November, too, so I feel like skipping this game isn't going to hurt.  I didn't sign up for the other game that's happening this month, so that now means I have an entire month without having to give up an entire Saturday to work a football game.  I'm kinda excited by that.  

This weekend, I'm sure I'll be so exhausted from this week I'll just enjoy some down time.  In between working on my project and my regular weekend "teacher duties", I plan on going out for a nice walk/jog this weekend, and start the exercise promise.  Something I was supposed to do this week, but well...you know.  

Despite all this crazy, busy stuff, I'm still having a FANTASTIC time in my classroom.  The kids are enjoying themselves, and this week we've started learning a little about vets.  I made the kids name tags that looks like something a vet would actually wear, they have been bringing stuffed animals to school, and we've been discussing some of the stuff vets have to do in order to prepare for working with animals.  

Yesterday, I made up an invoice sheet with some basic supplies that a vet's office may order.  The kids had to multiply how many units of each item was being purchased, how much each item would be, and the total cost of the order.  I threw in adding tax and shipping, and then threw in some subtraction in the form of an account credit.  The kids all found it very challenging, but they were dedicated in getting it completed.  Today, they are going to handle some billing situations.  I'll make up some scenarios where animals receive different services, and they will have to figure out how much the patients have to be charged for the services.  Real world application at it's finest, right there!

Being that October is Disability Awareness Month, we are going to learn about service animals today.  They are going to hear how guide dogs are trained, and the services they provide to blind people.  They will also get to see how certain animals are used as therapy animals for people with other disabilities.  I think it'll be a great connection to what we're learning about.

OK, I guess that's it for me today.  I need to go and get ready for another busy, fun day.

Have a great Wednesday, everyone!