10 on Tuesday

1.  I may or may not have reactivated my Netflix account to watch the first season of Switched at Birth.  I didn't start watching until the second season and so obviously I missed a lot of the backstory. It is SO GOOD!

2. 

Especially working mothers.  Working mothers who barely have their lives together and now are going to throw a newborn in the mix.  I am nervous.

3. Random Isaac story I don't think I have shared on the blog yet:  a few months ago we went with my mom to a doctor's appointment.  She was back with the doctor for quite a while and this was still in my first trimester when I felt like the waking dead.  I decided to lean back in my chair and close my eyes for a bit.  Isaac, who was sitting next to me playing on his iPad, started to panic.  "Mom, don't go to sleep!  Someone could take me!" (I think all of my stranger danger talks have turned him into the most paranoid eight year old on the planet).  I tried to reassure him that this particular waiting room was filled with octogenarians with oxygen tanks and that no one there would try to take him.  His response "But I am so athletic.  Everyone wants an athletic child!".  

4. Ryan made an amazing chinese stir fry last night.  And when he cooks, there are leftovers for days.  Yum!

5. I have found a ton of Pinterest tutorials on how to turn regular old shirts and pants into maternity ones.  I may have to give some of them a try.

6.  This is so me.

7. My friend is coming over today to help me cross something MAJOR off my to-do.  I am excited.  Sometimes you just need someone else on board to give you that kick in the pants to get stuff done.

8. We got some free tickets to go to tapings of America's Got Talent, one of our favorite shows.  Unfortunately they only film on school nights in New York City, so I don't think we will be able to use them.  Rats.

9. My assistant came into school yesterday and we unpacked about 7 boxes of stuff that she had sent over.  It turns out, they were books from her old school that were going to be destroyed and she didn't want to see that happen.  I salvaged probably 100 books or so for my classroom and then we donated the rest.

10.  Well it's Tuesday, which means we are off to viola lesson.  You don't know patience until you have to listen to an eight year old learning to play a stringed instrument.  

Happy Tuesday all!

Ten on Tuesday - Summer Vacation Edition

1. My birth certificate came in the mail yesterday.  That is my last big thing I need before we leave on our cruise (next Thursday!!!!).  I was so worried it wouldn't come in time that I paid for it to be expedited and then Fed Ex'd here overnight.  Might have been overkill, but it made it in plenty of time, so that is a relief.

2. My mom called me today to let me know she has picked up Isaac's viola.  Have I blogged about that?  He gets to play an instrument next year in third grade and came home totally enamored with the viola.  I am going to see if I can get him a few lessons in August to tide him over till school starts and capitalize on his enthusiasm.

3. I am teaching ESY (summer school for special ed kids) and my classroom is in a little trailer outside of the actual school building.  The other morning I got a text that someone had jumped the fence and broken into my classroom over the weekend.  I  have moved most of my belongings out of there except for the few things I need for the last week of summer school, but I was still concerned.  When I got there, the custodian showed me a bag of things that they had found in the front of the school.  Here's what the thief decided to take:

Yes, he/she didn't take my stereo, the walkie talkie, or internet access stuff.  S/he took crayons, cookies, and my tape dispenser.  I am thinking whoever broke in was about ten.  I went from nervous and upset to rather amused.  I mean, really?  My tape dispenser?

4.  Usually during the summer I tackle cleaning and organization projects around the house.  But so far this summer I have just been watching a lot of Hell's Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares on Hulu.  I am going to need to dig deep and come up with some motivation though because my basement and garage are disastrous.  

5.  

 

6. Our cruiseship has a Mexican buffet that starts at midnight. Plus free room service.  Something tells me I am going to be gaining some weight before we get home. 

7. Ryan rearranged the living room furniture and I hate it.  His point was that the couch was blocking one of the airvents, which made it hot in here.  This is a valid point, now everytime I walk into the living room or watch TV all I can think about is how much I hate it.  We need to find some sort of compromise.

8.  Isaac randomly asked me about Travyon Martin the other day.  I guess his dad was watching news coverage in front of him.  He had all sorts of questions and concerns about what happened and why this case is important.  It is sad to sort of have to help Isaac realize what a cruel and terrible place the world can be.  How do you explain to an African-American eight year old that some racist people will look at him and see a criminal or something fearsome.  Sorry... that just got serious.  Moving on.

9. This is so me... 

10. Anyone else out there watching Switched at Birth?  It is getting SO GOOD.  

Happy Tuesday!!!

Ten on Tuesday: Back from Florida Edition

 

 

1. I am finally adjusting back to post-Orlando vacation life.  I will blog lots more about my trip later, but for now I will say, that was the first time I have driven to Orlando (from the Philadelphia area) and it will absolutely be my last.  I am not someone who is cut out for long car rides.

2. My allergies are horrible lately.  My students had a field trip to the pool today and I had to carry around a box of tissues with me all day.  My nose won't stop running, my eyes won't stop watering, and Ryan just informed me that my face "looks like it was stung by, like, six bees." I feel so attractive.

3. Right before we left for Florida, my brother got married!  I will write more about that later, but my sister snapped this picture of us at the rehearsal dinner and I think it is my new favorite picture of our little family.

 

4. It is so, so close to the end of the school year.  On the one hand, I am so pumped for summer break.  But on the other hand, I have sooooooooooooooooo much to do before the end of the year, it's stressing me out. 

 

5.. I know I am a few days late, but I am going to finish up this challenge:

 

 

and add a few more days so I can blog 30 days in a row.  That would knock another item off of my 101 in 1001.  I have been rather absent from the blog lately, but I have a lot I could write about.

 

 

6.  We got our wedding pictures back from the photographer.  I will be featuring them on the blog in the future, but if you would like to take a peek at some of them, click here.  Randomly, the most commented and liked photo is one of my mom and her sister. 

 

7. Quote of a lifetime by Isaac "Who would say that their indie record was cooler than Taylor Swift's?  That is ridiculous."

 

8. My sweet sister in law Deb is expecting a baby in January.  I am SO excited to have a niece or a nephew.  Also, she asked me and Ryan to be the godparents.  We were so honored.

 

9. Isaac lost another tooth yesterday.  This time I remember to go and get some cash to put under his pillow.  Last time, I accidently forgot and it was tragic.  Ryan and I had to make up a lame story about how the toothfairy couldn't come because it was raining.  So I think I redeemed myself this time.  Whew!

 

10. This is so true.

Happy Tuesday!

Ten on Tuesday: Flat tire edition

Linking up with Lin for 10 on Tuesday.


1. I kind of love the nights Isaac and I have to ourselves when Ryan works a double.  Tonight we have laid in bed and watched youtube videos together.  This was Isaac's favorite.  He is obsessed with that song.
2. I found another go to crockpot meal via Pinterest.  This corn chowder was banging and ridiculously easy to make. 3. We got to go to Isaac's art show last Friday.   It was fun to see his work.  The art teacher found me and told me that Isaac has real talent for art, which was great to hear.

4.  Poor Isaac has a terrible ear infection and a perforated ear drum.  We just had a second appointment with the doctor and he has recommended seeing and ENT.  In the meantime, he has to shower with a cup held over his ear.  Poor kid.

 5.  I am starting another job.  My friend Meagan is a visual merchandiser at Gap Kids and hooked me up.  I am just doing a few hours here and there until summer vacation.  I thought it would be a nice discount and I can definitely use some extra money.  So far all I have done is watch a bunch of videos on preventing theft and pushing their credit card.  Hopefully tomorrow when I am "shadowing" will be a bit more exciting.


 6. Please tell me I'm not the only one?

Source: memebase.com via Lisa on Pinterest

7.  We went to Six Flags on Saturday.  Trying to make the most of our Season Passes and all.  Ryan's sister Katherine came with us too.

8.  After we were done at the park, we piled everyone in the van a little before 9.  We drove approximately a half mile down the road from Six Flags when the tire pressure light went on.  Ryan and I barely had time for this to register before we realized we had a full blown flat tire. Which was ridiculous!

It was a whole ordeal including me driving home from New Jersey on the donut at about 45 miles per hour. Needless to say we didn't end up getting home till after 1... ugh..

9. They couldn't patch the tire and the rim got bent and cracked from driving on it while it was flat.  My brother was able to give me the hook up with a free tire that was up in a storage attic at his dealership.  He also got me a refurbished rim.  So it wasn't as bad as it could have been financially, THANK GOODESS.

10. 

Source: pin4fun8288.blogspot.com via Lisa on Pinterest

Ten on Tuesday: Six Flags Edition

What a weekend.

1.  I had a craving for enchiladas on Sunday, but I had no tortillas.  I decided to make my own.

They weren't that pretty, but they turned out pretty good.

2. I did some major house cleaning over the weekend.  I finally got my microwave spic and span.  I washed the shower liner.  I put all my winter clothes away and pulled out all my summer ones. 

 

 

3. We had Miss Gabby spend the night with us again on Friday.  We played a mean game of Scrabble Junior and she was the winner. 

4.  In the morning we took her and Isaac to Six Flags Great Adventure.  Ryan was lucky enough to win four season passes in a drawing from work.  I have never been to Six Flags before, and I was surprised by how much there was to do for the younger group.  I always see the commercials advertising the huge coasters.

4. My favorite picture of the day taken on the tea cups.  This so fits their personalities.  They are only two years apart.

 

6. I am putting Les Mis on hold for a while.  It is on my 101 in 1001 and I am still going to read it, but I think I will save it for the summer when I can devote more time to it.  Right now I just need something light and fluffy to pick up for a few minutes before bed. 

 

7. I am currently reading Looking for Alaska by John Green.  I read The Fault is in Our Stars and enjoyed it, so I requested this one in from the library.  So far it is pretty good. 

 

8.  My tax refund came.  Woot, woot!  It wasn't much this year, but it was enough to get excited about.

 

9. I have just discovered The Mindy Project on Hulu.  I am loving it.  I swear, that girl was me a year ago.  Anyone else like it?

 

10.  This just made me laugh.

 

 

Have a great day!

 

 

Linking up with Lin

 



Ten on Tuesday - Easter Recap edition

  one Today was my first day back to school after a pitifully short spring break (Thank you Hurricane Sandy!).  I managed to get to work on time, so I will count that as a success in my book.   two I decided to wear the dress I was going to wear to my brother's wedding to church on Easter.  Cute dress, terrible facial expression, right?    three Isaac actually spent Easter morning at his dad's house.  We picked him up in the afternoon and headed out to Lancaster for an egg hunt and a nice dinner with my parents and brother Joe.  Isaac was so proud to divvy up the hard boiled eggs that he and my mother had dyed earlier in the week. And then he burst into tears when Ryan cracked and ate his.  "I worked so hard on those!" he sobbed.    four I picked up Les Miserables from the library today.  It is number 34 on my 101 in 1001.  .I am feeling behind on that whole project.  All I am accomplishing reading tons of books.  Technically, this is just reading a book too, but at least it is a new item to cross off.  They only gave me a few weeks until it is due back, so I better get cracking since it is about a million pages long.
five My neighbor still has Christmas lights up on his porch and around his garage.  I am annoyed the HOA hasn't said anything to him.  Mostly because I am bitter that ONE TIME I left my trashcan in the street and they sent me a harsh written warning.  I guess I shouldn't be surprised though.  This is the same neighbor that ONLY stained the parts of his deck he can see.  

six Also, remember last week when I blogged about getting up close and personal with my neighbor's dirty laundry?  Same guy.  So I guess I better just keep my mouth closed.
seven This old guy at work asked me if I am being a good wife and cooking lots of wonderful meals for my husband.  I had to resist rolling my eyes and informed him that we have a modern and progressive marriage where we share cooking and household chores.  Usually whoever is home from work first cooks.  Ryan some made bangin' chili last night.  Ridiculously good!
eight We received two Fandango gift cards for our wedding and we decided to use them over Spring break.  We saw Oz the Great and Powerful with Isaac. Ryan and Isaac seemed to like it but I couldn't get into it.  I legit passed out for like the first half of the movie.  The worst part was, I woke up in the second half of the movie, and really hadn't missed anything. I had no trouble following the second half.  
nine Just Ryan and I returned to the movies later that night to see The Host.  I had really enjoyed the book and had forced Ryan to read it in preparation for the movie.  It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either.  Overall, kind of an underwhelming weekend for movies. 
ten   Tuesday night is Splash, me and Isaac's new show.  Kareem Abdul-Jabar and Louey Anderson doing synchronized swan dives?  Hosted by Joey Lawrence? You can't make this up!  Isaac and I watched it over and over again cracking up.
Have a great day everyone!

Ten on a Tuesday - Bad Cat Edition

1.  I typed this whole thing out and then accidently deleted it.  Gah!

2. I own a very bad cat as seen below.

 

3. He is really tempermental and moody and pretty much only likes me.  Even I don't really pick him up.  His name is Cody Pablo but my dad calls him Cody Diablo.  No one else likes him.  At all.

 

4. Last Wednesday at about 7:20 before work I am in my kitchen making lunches when the doorbell rings.  I peek out the window and there is a random chick I have never seen before.  I was tempted to just ignore her but I decided to see what she wanted.  I opened the door and she explained that she is my next door neighbor's sister (sidenote-- we wave to the next door neighbor when we come and go and occasionally make small talk with him, but don't know him that well).  She says that my orange cat is trapped upstairs in her brother's master bedroom closet.

 

5.  I followed her in disbelief over to the townhouse next door (that I had never previously set foot it).  She walks me up to the third floor, opens the bedroom closet and sure enough, there is my cat hissing and spitting.  I manage to piece together that the previous night when we were bringing groceries in, he must have slipped unnoticed out the front door.  Over night the weather became cold and rainy, so when my neighbor left for work at 5:30 in the morning, Cody bolted in his house.  They tried to catch him but couldn't, so they just chased him to the closet.   This left me crouched in a pile of my neighbor's dirty laundry trying to coax a furious and terrified cat towards me making "Pssssss psss" noises and saying "Hey Beebs" in a high pitched baby voice.  (Sidenote: It worksto get him to come at home, but it just made me look certifiably insane in this setting).  He  did finally approach me tenatively but wouldn't let me pick him up and I wasn't about to choke hold him and wrestle him down two flights of stairs in short sleeves in front of a stranger. The sister finally just left me alone to figure it out for myself.

 

6.  Thank God Ryan hadn't left for work yet.  He was in the shower when the doorbell rang and when he recieved my multiple near hysterical nervous phone calls from the master bedroom closet he got the carrier and brought it over.  Cody hates the carrier and it was full on war with claws out,  howling, hangers and clothes everywhere and poor Ryan rolling around on the floor in his suit and tie but he managed to stuff the cat in the cage and close the door.  Have I mentioned this guy is my hero?

 

 

 

7.  The cat fiasco ate up about 30 minutes of my morning I hadn't budgeted for.  I barely got Isaac to school on time, and I rolled up to my school a few minutes late.  I parked by the playground with my plan being to slink in through the back door undetected.  Except as I am getting out of the car with my lunch bag, purse, computer bag and two fly swatters (don't ask), a huge crowd of kids rushes at me saying "Thank goodness you are here!  We were waiting for you before we can start walking club!" So I rounded out the morning tromping through the neighborhood with a group of kids in my wedge heels.  Not how I would recommend starting off a Thursday.

 

8.  Isaac had a full on snow day yesterday (Monday).  Sadly, he had to spend it watching movies at the YMCA cause I had school as usual.  Not even a delay for me.  Booooooo.

 

9. So true....

 

 

10.  Is it spring break yet?!

Happy Tuesday!

 

Ten on Tuesday: Chocolate Cravings Edition

1. Isaac came home from school missing his other front tooth yesterday.  It has been hanging on by a thread for a while.

 And how weird is it that the gap in his teeth looks like the Batman symbol?  My friend Joe pointed that out.

2. I know I blogged about it last week (and, let's be honest, I will continue to obsess and perseverate on it until Memorial Day) but I am getting sooooo excited for our family getaway to Orlando this year. Disney World, here I come!!  Personal days away from school, here I come!!!

3. I lost Ryan's laptop cord and my work laptop is being serviced (don't ask) so that leaves me to blog from work or my phone. Both options kind of suck and are putting a damper on my bloggy enthusiasm. I wish I didn't destroy all technology that I touch.

4. Isaac's church teacher made him this adorable candy lei in honor of his baptism. How cute is this?!

5. So if you have been keeping up on my recent posts you know I have been rolling in my new minivan. It has been quite an adjustment getting used to driving a bigger and wider car and just a new car in general. This morning I was running late for work and it was raining cats and dogs and I hit a button on my key fob and raced inside. Turns out I actually hit the button to throw open the back hatch and I left it wide open with rain pouring in. Fortunately a coworker spotted it and closed it before random homeless people took shelter in my car. I am ridiculous.

6. I am OBSESSED with the game Ruzzle. It helps me be even more antisocial in the lunchroom at work. Look me up if you play: midwaydancer.

7. So what did we think of the all ASL episode of Switched at Birth? I liked it, although with all of the subtitles I couldn't multitask (read: play Ruzzle obsessively) like I usually do. I feel bad for Bey though, as hard as she is fighting for Carlton, she will never be accepted there. Also, I know it is so wrong but it cracked me up when she had to be like "The cops are here".

8. I have been craving chocolate like crazy lately. I may or may not have foraged through cabinets and the pantry last night until I unearthed a bag of chocolate chips that I promptly scarfed down.

9. Ryan found one of the cats in the dryer the other day. With the door closed. Thank Goodness it wasn't running! Only at our house...

10. Pretty much...

Happy Tuesday!!!

Ten on Tuesday

1. This is an oldie but goodie that I haven't put up on the blog yet..

2. I have been trying to get back into card making again.  Here's a few cards I made recently (within the past few weeks)

3.  I test drove a Chrysler Town and Country last night.  The price is right, so I will probably buy it.  I did have a little mini breakdown afterwards when we were leaving the dealership.  I really love my Alero and it has been the car of my 20s.  It will be so sad to give it up and start driving a mini-van....

 

4.  This also means I have to clear out the Alero.  I keep my LIFE in there, so it will be quite an undertaking.  Blankets, jackets, chairs, random water bottles, and of course a ton of other junk.

 

5. We celebrated Dr. Seuss's birthday Friday at school.  These are my coteachers in third grade.  I was lucky that Ryan happens to have a "thing three" shirt.

6.  Seeing that picture reminds me to blog that I got a major haircut.  Here is a quick selfie...

Now that the wedding is over, I was ready to chop off all my dead tangly ends.  It is a teeny bit shorter than I thought it would be (the girl assured me that I would be able to put it up in a ponytail, but there is NO WAY that can happen), but I was happy to donate my hair to Locks of Love.

7.  I am making this soup for dinner.  So ridiculously easy and so yummy. 

 

8. Anyone watching The Biggest Loser?  I am not feeling this season.  First of all, the episodes are two hours long now, which seems like an eternity.  Second of all, all of the characters are whiny babies.  Yesterday was makeover week and Ryan and I realized we still don't know some of the contestants names, even this late in the season.   Not feeling it.

 

9. We are getting amped up for our Disney trip in May.  Ryan's sister is going to be an internship down there so we are excited to visit her (and the fact that she is hooking us up with some Disney tickets doesn't hurt either!).

 

10.  Snow is in the forecast for tonight.  I am crossing my fingers for a two hour delay.  It would be so lovely! 

 

Have a great Tuesday!