Lost

I think the dachshund who lives upstairs lost her stuffed animals.

I hope she looks for them soon...they look a little cold.

Sniff*Cough*Sneeze

I'd like to personally give a big thank you to my husband 

for sharing his sickness with me.  

Dear Martin,

I know as husband and wife we're supposed to share almost everything...but next time I won't be mad if you keep your cold to yourself.

Love,

Your very sick wife

These are my new best friends.

(we're out of Kleenex so I've resorted to the travel package)

I'm off to go rest...hope you're having a more pleasant weekend :)

Soap Box

I never wanted to use my blog as a way to vent or to complain about my job. But these past few weeks I think I have hit my breaking point.  I try to do all the things I know you're supposed to do when you're stressed beyond stressed.  I try to look at the situation in a positive way, think about how these things are only making me stronger, tell myself it's going to be okay over and over again.  

It all started a few weeks ago with an experience I will never forget.  I literally dealt with a banshee screaming crazy parent.  Since then I have only witnessed more and more of this type of behavior from our parents at school.  What is wrong with these people?! It makes me so infuriated...the rude comments, defiant actions, the yelling and screaming, the abuse, the neglect. Being a parent is one of the most precious things in life.  How can they take this and turn it into something so ugly.  How can they bring these children into this world and not do EVERYTHING in their power to give them the best chance, the best life they can possibly give them? 

I knew that working in a place where the community is struggling daily with gang and drug abuse, homelessness, deportations...would be hard.  I knew working with kids who raise themselves, are abused, don't have a winter coat, don't have food on the table...would be hard.  But I never thought it would be so hard I would have moments where I didn't want to go to work the next day...moments where I wanted to give up, walk out the door and not look back...moments where I would feel so helpless. 

I ended up in the district I'm in by fate. I know I'm supposed to be here or I would be somewhere else.  

I wish I knew why I was where I am. 

I know or at least hope that I'm making a difference in my students' lives.  I guess I'll hold onto that tiny ray of hope to get me through...take each day and try to discover how I can make their lives a little better in this not so nice world.   

Can you tell it's been a rough couple of weeks? I'll get off my soap box now...

Happy Birthday!

My best friend is celebrating her Golden Birthday today! 25 on the 25th!

Dear Caitlin,

I hope you have the best day! Are you bringing cupcakes 

to share with your class today? If five year olds know how to do anything, it's knowing how to celebrate someones birthday! I hope you get to do something fun today...and I can't wait to help you celebrate this weekend :)

Love,

Jessica 

(wish we could give you a big hug today!)

Wordless Wednesday

Another Snowy Day

It has been snowing here in Denver on and off for three days straight.

I want it to be warm so badly.

The past few days I've seriously considered moving to Arizona, Hawaii, or Florida.

I want to go outside without my coat.

I want to wake up and not have to scrape ice off my windows.

I want to sit out on my porch and enjoy the warm sunshine.

Ahhh Summer!

Where are you!? 

And poor Martin has a winter cold...every time he sneezes Margo and Wilson bolt out of the room.  It's quite entertaining.

Today we have just been relaxing and napping in a mountain of quilts in front of the fire.  I guess if it has to snow, this is how I want to spend my day.

lame

Welcome to my boring Friday night.

You'd better hold onto the seat of your pants...it's going to be a wild ride.


feed cats

dishes

laundry

reality T.V.

okay maybe I'm feeling a little sorry for myself...I can do that once in a while right?

(I won't tell you how early I went to bed)

How You Know You're Having a Baby...According to a five year old

While I was waiting with my student to be picked up yesterday he looked up at me and said,

"Do you have a daughter?"

"No...I have a kitty cat that's a girl, she's sort of like my daughter."

"NO! That's a cat. That doesn't count. Do you have a son?"

"No."

"Well someday when your stomach looks like mine, you'll know you're going to have one.  

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Today is my Dad's Birthday.

My dad is incredible.

He's smart.

Wise.

Loving.

He's taught me more than he'll know.

My dad is the best dad in the whole world.

Dear Daddy,

I hope you have a wonderful day. Are you having cabbage rolls for your special birthday dinner? I wish we could all be there to help you celebrate...but just know you are in our thoughts today.

Love you.

Love,

Your favorite daughter 

(I know Kate will try to tell you she is your favorite, but she is wrong, it is me)

Yea!

Want to hear some exciting news?

My good friend Jamie got engaged on Valentine's Day!! 

Jamie and I met our Freshman year of college.  She was so nice that I asked her if she wanted to be my roommate our Sophomore year.  She probably felt obligated when I turned around in class and said, "Hi! WANT TO BE MY ROOMMATE!?" but I'm so glad she said yes.     

Jamie is one of the sweetest people I know. She teaches 5th grade and has a ginormous class of about 12 kids...I'm not jealous at all.  

Here we are...future educators of America, well Colorado anyways

I'm so excited for Jamie and Mike!

Congratulations!!!

Drum Roll Please...

Our New Love Nest

...looks sort of like our old apartment 

What do you think? Can't wait to have everyone over to enjoy it with us! I can cook up a pan of my specialty...Macaroni and Cheese (or Pizza Bread :)

Love #8

I love Martin.

To My Martin,

There are not enough words to describe how much I love you. You are my soulmate, the love of my life, my sweet Valentine. Thank you for loving me. 

Love, 

Your Jessica

Love #7

I love the comics For Better or For Worse.

Okay, this ones a little embarrassing.

I promise you I am not a freaky comic nerd.

I don't go to conventions and I don't dress up like the characters. 

These comics are different.

You become a part of their LIVES...you relate to them...you cry with them...you laugh with them. 

The comic strip had it's last run in the newspapers (31 years!), but I love reading the book collections.

Now that I'm thoroughly humiliated for sharing this information...I'd better redeem myself with tomorrow's Love #8.

Hope you're preparing for a love filled day tomorrow! 

Valentine's Party

This afternoon I surveyed the damage.

Crayons were strewn about.

Someone had left their papers on the coat rack.

Glitter and sequins were stuck to everything in sight.

Bits of pink, purple, and white paper littered the floor.

A few Valentine's had lost their owners.

The tables were sticky with glue, frosting, and spilled juice.

The trash cans were filled high with paper plates, cups, and half eaten cupcakes.

The room had an aroma much like that of candy hearts.

I think I have a sugar rush just from inhaling the oxygen in my classroom. 

Oh party days. You are crazy and exhausting.

Dear Parents,

Here are your sugared up children ready for you to take home. They've already had two cookies, a brownie, a cupcake, and some candy.  I might suggest they don't eat anything containing sugar for the next 72 hours.  You're welcome :)

Love,

Mrs. Wolfe

so sweet

Love #6

I love listening to the same song for hours.

Thank goodness for repeat. 

When Martin gets home from work he usually walks in hearing my current favorite song being played over and over and over again and shouts as he walks into the bedroom, "Is this song over yet!?"

"NO! I have to listen to it 100 more times...at least."

So many of my memories and emotions are connected to songs. They bring me back to specific moments in my life and I can remember everything. 

But soon enough I get tired of the song I like and move onto a new one. 

My current song I'm in love with is "Keep Breathing" by Ingrid Michaelson. I've only listened to it 9,000 times this week.

Love #5

I love my best friend Caitlin.

I have known Caitlin since Preschool.

We re-met in 7th grade choir. After months of difficult days in junior high, Caitlin was a ray of sunshine in my life.

Here are a few reasons why I love Caitlin...

1. She is the funniest person I know

2. She gets me

3. She is sooo beautiful...with blonde or brown hair :)

4. She is kind

5. She is a kindergarten teacher too!

6. We can be ourselves around each other

7. She'll drive an hour in rush hour traffic to come visit me

8. She's honest

9. We have been best friends for 13 years

10. We can talk or not talk for hours and still not run out of things to not talk about :)
11. She introduced me to many cool things i.e. the movie Dirty Dancing, the Backstreet Boys and Kraft Mac and Cheese

12. She has been a part of so many important moments in my life

*I can't wait until we both have children and then they can be best friends too*

Love #4

I love my cats.

Need I say more?

I know you now love them too.

Love #3

I Love Spaghetti.

I'm Italian, what do you expect?

My sister told me the other day she wanted to be a noodle, this is how much we love spaghetti.

Pretty much every Saturday of my life I have had noodles for lunch aka pasta with butter and parmesan cheese...it's tradition!

My dad doesn't always understand this, but I'm telling you it's his genetics that have caused this love.

When you love something...truly love it, how can you resist?  Answer: You cannot. 

Love #2

I love my family.

I can't tell you how blessed I am to have such an amazing family. My family is my world and I love them for these reasons...

I love how someone will always be there for you, no questions asked.

I love how we made traditions so special 

I love that we ate dinner together every night.

I love the familiarity and comfort of being together

I loved watching certain T.V. shows as a family.

I love how close my sisters and I are.

I love how we can be ourselves around each other.

I love how each one of us is so different, yet so similar.

I love coming home and sharing stories of the past and laughing until we can't breathe.

I loved our traditional family vacation.

I love that no one is judged...even during a bad hair day, when you break into the 'ugly' cry, when you didn't try your best

I love how my parents instilled such strong family values into each of us...that we will continue with our own families someday.

I love that no matter where we are we never forget about each other.

Love #1

I love to clean.

Here's just how much...

When I was little I would get up in the middle of the night to clean my room and when I was old enough I would volunteer to vacuum.

I remember telling my mom that I wanted to be a maid when I grew up. 

My twin sister, Kate, is the complete opposite.

When we were in college I would drive down to Boulder to visit, she would be in class and I would surprise her by cleaning her entire room...I can picture in 60 years visiting her in the retirement community cleaning her condo. 

I don't mind it at all.

When everything is clean...everything feels right in my world

I think I married the perfect man because he likes everything to be squeaky clean too. I think he was the only college student to clean the baseboards in his dorm room...a guy after my own heart. 

You Know You're At A Teaching Conference When...

99.9% of all people there are women

The men's bathrooms at the hotel have been converted into Women's

You see more scrunchies than should be allowed

One out of every 100 people have hair passed their ears

Embroidered sweatshirts are the norm

You hear, "Wiggle your fingers, wiggle your toes, wiggle your shoulders, wiggle your nose, now all our wiggles are out..." as you walk by a session in progress

The one man you did see is knitting

Grown adults are getting excited about phonemic awareness

*

My teammate and I have spent the past two days at the CCIRA conference...a big deal if you ask me! We met some celebrities in the teaching world (Lois Lowry was there!), bought WAAAY too many books, but most importantly we are walking away feeling rejuvenated and empowered again. 

I have a million ideas to try and only 4 months of school left...

I have a lot of work to do

Moving On Up

Finally! We have internet again! 

Sunday we were blessed with nice moving weather and lots of help!

I woke up telling myself to be calm...

That may have lasted for about 5 minutes. 

Moving is hard.

I'm glad it's over and I'm really loving our new place. Pictures soon to come! 

Amen, Pam, Auntie, Jeff, Martin, Don

No time for chit chat! Who's going to help us put this mess away!

Elizabeth, Martin (with the pig tails), Don

thank you thank you thank you 

we couldn't have done it without everyones help! :)

I Knew The Day Would Come...

Yesterday I spent all day at a training for school.  When I got back to my class today my sub had left great notes for me about how the day had gone...including that one of my students had thrown up all over the orange table.  Lovely.  I was telling all my teammates how lucky I was that I wasn't there because I probably would have thrown up too.  Phew missed that one by a hair. 

Then today my luck turned on me.  One of my students was complaining of a bad stomachache all morning. I sent him to the nurse, but he returned a little while later.  When it was carpet time he was curled in a ball on the floor.  Then he sat up quickly, put his finger up to use the bathroom, covered his hand with his mouth..and you can probably picture the rest. 

While he walked down to the nurse with the trash can and a kind classmate I whipped out the Clorox wipes and Lysol...and called for the custodian who said when he arrived, "Oh, that's not too bad!" I wanted to ask what his definition of "bad" was.  I guess now I have officially gone through my rite of passage as an elementary school teacher. 

Lucky me.