If you see a faded sign at the side of the road…

Ok.  Don’t breathe a word of this to anyone: I am playing hookey from work this Wednesday.  Long story short, I wound up with four free tickets to see the B-52’s on Tuesday night at the Fillmore, and I’m going.  Honest to goodness – aerosol hairspray was on my grocery list yesterday, because I am going to tease up the biggest boufant you’ve ever seen and dig out my old fishnets, baby.  Now the B-52’s are sure to be a fun time, but nothing feels better than calling in sick to work when you really aren’t.  Well, how about calling in sick to work when you really aren’t while wearing fishnets?

Not many people realize this about me, but I am a superb and experienced skipper.  I started honing my craft about 1994 I’d say.  Now, I’m no over-the-top Ferris Bueller, mind you.  I never needed the fake fever or sweaty palms which are far too logistically complex and can easily backfire.  No, my golden ticket was cramps – subtle yet effective.  See?  You just cringed.  When you site cramps, nobody wants to ask questions.  I didn’t skip all the time either – only a few times a semester to keep it under the radar and a real treat.  College was much easier; most professors don’t take attendance, but I would say that almost lessened my joy.  I picked up again when I started teaching as the first year is notoriously brutal, and sometimes I just couldn’t face 150 teenagers.  My skipping has taken a real turn for the worst the last three years… or turn for the better depending on how you look at it.  When I got pregnant I had to grow up and save all my sick days for maternity leave.  Now, I have to save all my sick days in case my little girl gets sick.  Not this week though.  Sarah’s back.  Ha ha!  Sarah’s back!

Sure, calling in sick takes a little prep work: type up sub plans, clean the classroom, remind the students that any puke who torments a sub will face my wrath.  Oh, but it is so worth it the next day when I realize that everyone I know is at work… and I’m not.  Everything is better when I skip: the air, the food, the naps.  I take myself to lunch, watch some trashy t.v., maybe curl up with a magazine and paint my toenails.  Some people I know (who shall remain unnamed) sometimes call in sick to work to have “errand days”.  They get in a dentist appointment, do their taxes, finish up that house project.  This is not only shameful, it totally goes against the skipper’s creed.  And I quote: “Thou shall not do anything remotely responsible on skip days.”  End quote.  Go ahead.  Look it up.  I think guilt is a big issue for many people.  I, on the other hand, do not feel an ounce of guilt about playing hookey every now and again.  What am I?  A brain surgeon?  Leader of the United Nations?  No, the world will survive without me for a day, and more likely, it will be better upon my return because I am refreshed and revived.

I promise to take my camera to the show and post some good footage of my big hair, the concert and the glorious skip day afterwards.

Posted in Denver, Student Life | No Comments »

Thoughts on butterflies, classes, and kid leashes.

Alright, so this week is going much, much better.  Anyone who read last week’s posting realized that I was at the end of a very short rope and feeling crazy – totally overwhelmed with the work, school and motherhood.  Thankfully, things are look’en up.  There was one event that really helped to turn this ship around: my student teacher took over half my classes.   Hallelujah!  Hallelujah!  Halleeee-luuuu-jaaaahhh!  This means that that I still teach kiddos in the morning, but she takes over my afternoons while I observe, take notes, and mentor her towards success.  This also means I do my online banking, get grad. school stuff done and work in some butt crunches at my desk.  Yes!  She’s getting plenty of experience; I am feeling sane; everyone wins here.

My online class is going great – loving the subject, the professor, the exchange of ideas with my classmates.  Like I’ve mentioned before, it’s nice to have a course where what I learn is immediately transferable into my day job.  Our school has thirty minutes of reading every day – a dream come true for me, a pain for the kids who hate reading.  So, I’ve taken to bringing in my novels from this CU Young Adult Literature class and giving mini book talks to the kids.  It’s working, too, some of my most reluctant readers have asked to borrow the novels I brought in.  Hey, maybe they’ll do my homework for me.

This weekend is off to a great start, too.  Today I took Audrey to the Butterfly Museum in Westminster for some mommy/daughter fun.  The butterflies were amazing; although, this trip Audie wasn’t too into them.  She favored the slippery-when-wet signs, puddles, and putting her fingers in goopy drains.  Now, that’s not necessarily a bad thing: our last trip to the butterfly exhibit was gruesome because Audie loved the butterflies and I mean LOVED the butterflies.  Sometimes love hurts.  I am uploading a couple videos of us on our nature adventure.  Now, the camera work is pretty bad – think Blair Witch Project.  I promise to get better next time.  As far as this video, not only am I new to working the camera, but I was a solo-parent today, trying to keep up with a toddler in a public place.  If I only would’ve had my kid leash… yeah, I have one.  Back off.  I only bought it because I was flying with Audie by myself last summer, and whoa, did I get dirty looks.  I felt like saying, “I’ve got a 16 month kid, two suitcases, a diaper bag, a purse and a layover, People!”  Anyone who frowns upon a kid leash in an airport has never had a toddler.  I personally think they should issue them like baggage claim tickets to all kids under four.  I actually saw a woman at the grocery store last week using the same kid leash that I have.  That is gutsy! I caught her eye and gave her the mommy thumbs up.  It’s funny how my definition of bad-ass has changed.

More to come: I’ve started making some new jewelry pieces and when I’ve found my groove I will post some pictures.  Ta ta.

Check out our videos from today:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69BrXjVYV14

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_w6v5MJyd8

Peace,
Sarah

Posted in CU Online, Classes, Education, Family | 1 Comment »

Every party has a pooper that’s why you invited me.

I am overwhelmed.  As I type this there is a stack of chapter two quizzes to grade from Of Mice and Men (real jems, I’m sure), three piles of my own dirty laundry, a novel to read and a paper to write for grad. school due in three days, and a student teacher to mentor/mold/inspire waiting expectantly by my desk every morning.  And of course, there’s the ever-present working mommy guilt.  I feel guilty about not being a 100% mommy and then guilty because I’m not giving half as much as I used to to my students.

I know I’m not alone just as I know that this too shall pass.  It’s par for the course.  Last week I was feeling strong, and all the different hats I wear were rotating smoothly.  I even got in a few jogs after my daughter went to bed.  This week… well, not so much.

On the optimistic end, I enter the Publisher’s Clearing House Sweepstakes website every single morning of my life.  I fully expect any day now to open the door to the prize patrol who will hand me a check of epic scale both physically and monetarily.  What will I do with my winnings, you ask?  Swimming pools and movie stars?  Jellybeans and dancing girls?  No, I just want to drop one or two of these hats.  It would be awesome to finish my degree and work part-time so I can be with my little girl.  Instead, I will run to Target later to buy more underpants so I can get by without doing all the laundry until sometime this weekend so I can stay up tonight and make that short story test so tomorrow I can write my grad. paper and maybe get the house cleaned by Saturday when we are babysitting our nephew.

Am I complaining?  Maybe, but it’s my blog.  Though, I do think it’s good to be honest about the complexities and overwhelming aspects of trying to do it all.  Usually, I feel so proud about all of this, so confident in my choices.  I love being a mom, wife, teacher, student and all the exciting challenges that come with them.  Sometimes, like today, I just feel like I may be doing it all but nothing is being done really well.  Moms are hard on themselves.  We look at other women and think, “How does she do it?”  Well, this is it, Ladies.  And, actually, if one of you girls could send a pizza over to this house it would be great because we’re out of groceries, too.

Posted in Education, Family, Online Experience, Student Life | No Comments »