Snow Day!!!
I had my first snow day of the year today and I loved it!! There are people out there who will never know the absolute joy that teacher's experience when the phone rings at 5 am and you know that the person calling is doing so to tell you that you can snuggle back into bed and sleep as long as your body will allow because there's no school. I kinda thought it'd be a snow day today because the weather people had been talking about this winter storm that'd be hitting our area last night... I told my class that we'd probably have a snow day and we did a snow day dance to ensure that we'd have a snow day.

Lucky for me, Steve's boss is very nice and Steve told him that if the weather is bad enough for me to have a snow day he'll stay home and work from here. So today, he worked from home and it felt like a Saturday! It was nice to do nothing all day.

I got up around 10:30ish and had a bagel for breakfast and came up here to work on our Christmas letter that we mailed tonight. When it was lunch time, I went downstairs and had left-over Chinese and watched The Notebook. After I cried my eyes out when that was over, I turned the channel and there was Titanic! So I watched that and cried my eyes out some more. It was a chick-flick afternoon for me! I loved it!

We decided at 5:30 to actually shower and change from pajamas into presentable clothing and we went to Kohl's to see what unique gifts they had. Steve wanted to get Greta and Kevin something special for tomorrow (we're going to Cleveland for their annual Christmas party). We got them a martini bar thingy (it's pretty cool) and then we got their baby Benjamin a stuffed Snoopy (my idea). Then we went to the Dollar Tree to get two bags and some tissue paper for the presents. We went to Bakers Square for dinner and had absolutely too much to eat.

Now we're home and checking e-mail and getting ready for bed. I've got a 9 am hair appointment in the morning with Rochelle. I'm getting my highlights touched up and then getting my hair straightened. We're leaving for Cleveland as soon as I get home and then we're staying the night. We'll be back sometime on Sunday.

I only have five days until Winter Break.... I think I can... I think I can.... I think I can!!!

>^..^<

Our house decorated for Christmas! 

Our Christmas Tree viewed from the outside. 

Being More Like A Duck

So this Friday, Steve and I went to the Christmas get together for my work at the comedy club. I usually NEVER go to these things and I wasn't going to go but I decided to "suck it up" and go. I now regret it and probably should have just gone with my instincts and not gone.

Basically I am at the end of my patience when it comes to my team members (the fifth grade teachers that I teach with) constantly talking about how mean I am... how overly organized I am... and just constantly giving me (pardon my French here) SHIT about everything I do. I was telling Emily and her husband about my tutoring and that when one of the parents had a bounced check it totally screwed up my account. Steve said, "I told her to tell the mom to pay her for the overdraft fees caused by her bounced check, but Cathy was too nice." At that... Emily busted out laughing, turned to Mike and said, "Ahhh... get this... he actually just said that Kramer was too nice." And Mike rolled his eyes, laughed, and said, "Yeah right."

Emily made a comment about the tests that I give and that she and Kylie had been talking about how hard my tests are. This totally pissed me off because they obviously were talking about me behind my back, and I give Kylie the tests and study guides and worksheets that I use out of the kindness of my heart. I had no idea that she was talking behind my back about how hard my tests are. I got really pissed about it and I've decided to just not give her anymore of my stuff. If she thinks my stuff is too hard she can make up her own. I just find it interesting that they think it's too hard, when my kids rise to the challenge. I think kids will give you what you expect of them. On this test in particular, there were at least ten kids that got above a 90% and only two that were below a 60% and the rest were mostly mid 70's to 80's. I was very proud of my kids and how much they studied.

There was also a comment when I said that my kids were awful on Friday (which they were) Emily said, "Well maybe it's all the tests you give." I gave them their social studies test... that they were given a study guide for ten days ago and have been studying each day for it. I also gave the Friday spelling test and a pre-test for the states and capitals. Just because I choose not to show movies on Friday doesn't mean that I give too many tests.

Anyway... the rest of the night was just bad because all I did was sit there and think about things that were said during dinner. I've decided that at work I'm not going to talk about what I'm teaching, how I'm teaching it, or how my kids are. I'm sick of them talking about me and I'm sick of being the constant brunt of their jokes. My biggest thing is why do they care if I have lesson plans done for the next two weeks? I don't rag on them for NEVER having their plans done. I don't constantly talk about how unorganized they are... so why is it that they feel so comfortable to constantly give me crap for being organized? I can't help the fact that I take my job seriously and I need things to be organized for my own sanity. I don't walk into their rooms and tell them they're in the wrong for not being like me... I let them be as they are and I don't get why they can't let me be as I am.

Again... one of many reasons why I'm going to be looking for a new place to work for the fall. If I can get a job somewhere else... I'm outta there and I'll be glad to move on and get on with my life.

:(
Cat