Things I did today that I normally don't have time for

Although I'm feeling a little guilty that my husband went off to work today as I snoozed away, and he was still working while I enjoyed my strawberry smoothie, and still working even still while I laid by the pool.  I keep telling him that 1. He would make an AWESOME teacher (he's the most patient person you'll ever meet) 2. Once he decides to become a teacher that he will enjoy weeks of uninterrupted summer bliss with me.  

I think that's the best plan I've ever come up with :)  He's thinking about it...

A Little Progress

My mind is spinning right now with so many new ideas for my classroom.

This will be my fourth year teaching and every year my room has changed...but I'm okay with that.  I think it's nice to have a fresh start. 

I think sometimes we get so bogged down with learning new curriculum and ever changing pacing guides, benchmarks, and standards, that we forget to make our rooms a place where our students can really thrive.  I think classroom environment has to be in place first and foremost...I mean we spend 8+ hours a day there!

Here's what I got done today!

Keep you posted as I get more done!

Note to Martin

Dear Martin,

I was thinking the other day about how I love how you taught yourself to play the guitar, and that you don't get embarrassed singing at the top of your lungs for everyone to hear. I like listening to you play as I fall asleep. I like your renditions of Bob Dylan and old bluegrass standards. I don't know if I've ever told you this, but you are so incredibly talented.  In high school I was so jealous of your ability to effortlessly play the violin. And when I heard you play the mandolin for the first time, I wanted to shout to everyone that, "He's with me!"  

Just so you know, I'm your number one groupie.

Love,

Jessica

Clean House

I feel like I was very productive today.

I cleaned the kitchen, mopped the floors, 

cleaned the bathroom, dusted, did three loads of laundry, vacuumed, changed the

sheets...hey!  I thought I was supposed to be on summer vacation? 

Oh, and I injured myself for the third time this week.  What's going on? Maybe tomorrow I'll just sit by the pool to avoid any potentially dangerous situations in my apartment.

Sounds good to me!

Schools Out For the Summer!!!

(air guitar here)

(jump for joy here)

(can't stop smiling here)

I'm done! I'm done! I'm done!

Today we cleaned up our rooms, watched a movie, had root beer floats, and played outside in the 100 degree heat. 

 A good day if you ask me...except I've had a splitting headache all day. Last night I whacked my head against the corner of the counter and gashed it open.  It's still throbbing...I asked the kids if they wanted to see something gross.

"YEEEAAAAAH!!"

So I showed them my head.

"EEWWWWWW!!!"

***

We celebrated with our own teacher feast during lunch.

My co-worker retired today!

It's amazing to be around a veteran teacher...someone who's seen it all, knows so much about teaching.  

It's inspiring. 

(I know what you're thinking but don't worry....that's sparkling grape juice)

This day has been a long time coming, but it's finally here. 

Now I'm off to go get ready for date night with my husband :)

Check it out!

You'll love these.

I want to get one for everyone I know.

But maybe myself first :)

A little of this a little of that

I stopped at Subway after school today.

As I was saying "Spinach please..." the man grabbed the squirt bottle of Ranch dressing.

Spinach. Ranch. Spinach. Ranch.

I guess they sort of sound the same...not really.

I was too shy to say anything so when I got home I had to wash off all of my vegetables. 

It reminded me of when I was little and my dad would make his homemade spaghetti sauce and I would have my mom wash it off my spaghetti...I don't like spaghetti sauce and for this reason my parents say I'm adopted. 

After eating my more semi-nutritious sandwich I ventured to the gym.

Why is it so hard to exercise?

While I'm at school I always get a strong urge to get to the gym after work...but when I get home, the couch looks like the most amazing thing I've ever seen and I have to sit on it. 

Today I did it though!

Maybe it's because I have to put on a swimsuit in about 2 weeks...or maybe it's because my husband exercises daily and I'd better keep up...or maybe because Oprah wasn't about anything interesting today. 

Now I just have to figure out how to make myself go back...

Hope you are having a happy Wednesday...and you know what Wednesday means!  Two more days until I'm on summer vacation!

Paleo what?!

Let me preface...

I love my husband more than anything in this world.

He's amazing and he takes such good care of me.

But lately, he's begun this new lifestyle that I'm just not that fond of.

It's called the Paleo diet...for athletes of course!

Haven't heard of it? Well you're not alone.

Basically you eat like a caveman...I hope this doesn't mean dressing like a caveman. Long beard, greasy hair, loin cloth, dirty fingernails.  

Oh man I hope not. 

I hope I don't find him hunting our cats down the hallway or digging up the tree roots at our apartment complex.

Now our diet consists of basically meat, fish and vegetables. 

This is where I have to put my foot down.

I don't even like meat..and my biggest complaint is no spaghetti!

Who doesn't eat spaghetti at least four times a week?

He knew that by marrying an Italian, pasta would be a staple in our diet.

I'm feeling sad about this. 

Maybe if I eat a big heaping bowl of spaghetti every night this week right in front of his nose, he won't be able to resist.  

Doesn't he realize that caveman didn't live very long?

It's because they didn't eat spaghetti... 

Summer Loving

head over heals in love...

Happy Father's Day!

Have I ever told you much about my dad?

Well to start, he's the greatest dad on this planet.

He's so incredibly smart...he was a professor for many many years and in short he basically saves the world one mining site at a time. 

He's a world traveler.

He's wise.

He loves his three daughters more than anything.

He's funny.

We always listen to his advice and probably always will (like when I told him I wanted to get my nose pierced this weekend...)

His family is always first and for that I thank him with all my heart.

Birthday Celebration

gift opening

some yummy fruit pizza

a little lizard holding

and lots of guitar hero

(And yes, my husband played the guitar while I sang along with Taylor Swift's Love Story...but don't tell anyone or he'll be too embarrassed)  

60 Years of Wonderful!

Today is my mom's birthday!!

My parents are headed to Denver so we can have a Redente family celebration.

And because it's tradition (and my family is all about that)

we get to enjoy my mom's favorite birthday dinner

 ...hamburgers on the grill of course

mmmmm!

My mom gets more beautiful every year.

I'm the luckiest daughter in the world to have such an amazing mommy.

Always love your children

(She doesn't look like me much huh?)

Okay, okay she's not my child per say, but she pretty much is my world. 

Today I realized that I treat my cats better than some people treat their children.

It makes me sick. 

Today a co-worker and I had to do the worst part of our job...calling social services.

Somebody wasn't loving their child.

God entrusts us with our children to raise them with so much love you could burst! 

How could you not love your child? How could you resent them? How could you physically hurt them? 

  

This has pretty much put a big gray rain cloud on my day. 

If you do have children, be sure to give them a great big hug today and tell them how much you love them...you can never do that enough.

I'm off to go give my two little fur balls a great big hug and some dinner... 

Is There Anything Better?

This evening while I was strolling down the bike path near my home, I realized there is nothing better than a summer evening walk.  You should try it sometime if you haven't already.

The trees are illuminated.

The birds are singing.

The air is sweet.

You are alone with your thoughts...which I guess can be good or bad.

Last night it was good.

To be honest, I had never gone for a long walk by myself before. I'm glad I was brave and did it.

I'm realizing more and more that it's important to have time in your life where you can be alone and think...not in front of the t.v. or computer, but somewhere quiet and beautiful.

It's good to step away from the craziness of the day, to root yourself back to reality, to see a little more clearly.

I love summer.

(and I can fully enjoy it in 7 days)

Why, hello sun!

We missed you.

The sun is soothing to the soul 

After 3 days of gloom my soul needs some sun.

I'm looking forward to my evening walk tonight, I've been cooped up inside for too many days.

We're down to 9 days of summer school. 

It's going pretty well...as well as being stuck inside while the rest of the world is playing at the pool can be.  My students are finally getting two digit subtraction, which is worthy of a hooray! 

If I wasn't doing summer school I would probably be complaining about how bored I was, so it's probably okay that I have something to do...maybe next year though I can just 'work' on my tan. 

Hope your Monday was sunny! 

Reunited and it feels so good!

Yesterday I was the bravest I've been in a long time.

I drove ALL the way to Colorado Springs...BY MYSELF!

(applause here)

I only got lost once and I only got scared once when there was a stupid spider on the seat next to me (seriously spiders, it's not funny anymore!)

I got to spend the day visiting my old college roommate, Jamie...

See her new house (which is incredible)!

Her new puppy!

And her new engagement ring!
(she's been very busy)

I love getting together with Jamie...we hadn't seen each other since my own wedding last summer, yet it didn't feel like a day had gone by since we'd seen each other last.  

That's when you know it's a true friendship.  

A Little Accident

Yesterday as I was minding my own business making my usual dinner (spaghetti), my husband walked in the apartment unannounced.  He was sporting a big smile annnnnndddd a hospital bracelet. 

"OH MY GOSH IS THAT A HOSPITAL BRACELET?!?!?!"

"Calm down, I'm okay"

"WHAT?!!"

"Calm down, I'm okay"

"WHAT HAPPENED?! WHY DIDN'T YOU CALL ME?!!?"

"Calm down, I'm fine. I just had a little accident at work."

It turns out he dropped a bottle of fish tank cleaning chemicals and it splashed right into his eye.  His eye is a little pink and his face is a little blue from the chemicals, but other than that he is fine. His guardian angel was definitely watching over him. 

...he's still pretty cute even though he looks a little like a Smurf.  

Look What I Got!

I took my students down to see my new piano.  I played Whitewater Chopsticks for them...which is my go to performance piece.  By the time I was done my entire class was breathing down my neck.  They had all scooted forward until they were touching the piano and the keys. They had to be a part of the music!

  One little boy, who is is very introverted and usually frowns the entire day, was all lit up! He couldn't stop telling me about how he knows how to play the piano and how when summer school is done I should come over to his Grandma's house to hear him.  

See?  

Music is truly universal. 

Brew Brew Brew Your Beer

Today was brew day in the Wolfe household.

Don't tell Martin this, but it smelled awful and my toes were sweating because our apartment became a sauna from all the steam.  

(I thought Martin had bought me a new pasta pot)

Now the beer is resting in our laundry room and we'll be able to enjoy it on warm summer nights. 

Tonight we're going to enjoy our first grilled meal as husband and wife.

My mother-in-law brought down her old grill for us and we're very excited to use it...kabobs, salmon, steak.  Martin's in heaven. 

boy he's been busy today...and I've taken two naps :)

Scared Silly

This would be day 5 of my spider killing rampage.

Bottom floor apartment living is so much different from being on an upper level.  I think EVERY SINGLE SPIDER in our neighborhood thought it would a really funny joke if they all waltzed into our apartment.

I'm freaking out.

I was laying on our bed petting Margo today and out of the corner of my eye there it was...on Martin's pillow.  I couldn't breathe or get off the bed fast enough.  And last night I killed TWO Daddy Long Legs.  Then I can't forget to mention the one in the shower and the one on the ceiling and the two that Margo was playing with.  Every time I go into a room I scan it top to bottom with my spider vision.  If they're in the room I can sense it.  

...oh and did I tell you about the other day when I opened up my bunch of spinach and a bumble bee the size of a fist flew out at me!? 

It's all too much for me to handle. 

And this lovely friend is hanging outside the window of our office so as I'm typing this blog entry it is giving me the heebie jeebies.

Martin says he doesn't want to hear anymore screaming and whining about spiders for the rest of our lives.  

...I simply cannot promise him that

Because I'm Cool Like That

Today, while sporting my cool Converse shoes, I couldn't help walk around the classroom thinking, "I know, I know.  I'm your cool summer school teacher who wears awesome shoes." 

Last year during carpet time a little girl looked at my shoes and said

"Umm...those aren't real Converse they don't have the star on them."

What could I say?  She was completely right.  My $7 Payless knockoffs were putting me at a 0 on the coolness scale.  I nicely smiled and shrugged my shoulders.  How could a five year old be cooler than me!? I was a little devastated.

After telling my sad story to my very gracious mom, she splurged and bought me the REAL Converse shoes so I could fit in with the kids at school. 

...so that's about the only cool thing about me and I'm okay with that :)

Compliments

Today the incoming third graders were making Combination to 10 Story Books.

We've been working really hard on combinations to 10...you know, 9+1, 6+4...

Anyways, we got to illustrate our books with crayons AND MARKERS...markers are a big deal in elementary school.

I drew a few examples on the board and as I was drawing I heard lots of whispers.

"She's so good!"

"Look how she drew those pumpkins!"

"She should be an art teacher!"

My pictures weren't that great and they were giving me the nicest compliments.

Then a student whispered, "She has to know how to draw. ALL teachers have to know how to draw to become a teacher." 

One of the things I love most about teaching is all the compliments our students give us. You can be having the world's worst hair day, have a pimple the size of your eyeball, your outfit doesn't match, just got over the flu and the kids will still think you're the most beautiful person they've ever seen. 

I think we should give a sincere compliment to at least one person a day...it will make their heart smile.

Piano Update

I get the piano! I get the piano! I get the piano!

The middle school doesn't need it.

I am going to give it a new home.

I headed over to the middle school after school today.

I played it and it sounded beautiful...a little dusty but nothing a good cleaning won't cure.

I think we have a good connection...I wanted to give it a hug, but the instructional coach for the arts, who was there with me, probably would have changed his mind about the whole deal.

I just keep thinking about all the wonderful experiences I can give my students.

Some of them have never seen or heard a piano before.

They may have never even heard live music.

We can't have that now, can we?

I can't stop smiling.

I'm so excited!

And to put a cherry on top of my day I got to see my husband after school when I thought I wouldn't see him until late this evening. 

I like it when life is on my side.