April 4, 2010: Happy Easter

Today flew by, unfortunately as I have to go back to work tomorrow after what seemed like the shortest Spring Break in history! I spent at least 3 hours today blowing leaves left over from the fall - and I am still not done. Please, I do not want you to think I have left the leaves all winter, I blew most of them in the fall, but now I am tackling the corners and areas I do not usually clear. It is unbelievable how many leaves fall in my yard annually! (You will get an idea as to why when you look at the pictures below of the Easter Egg hunt in our back yard - too many trees!)

We had Easter dinner at home with Pete, Katie, their boys and Mercer. Spiral ham, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, and Banana Cheesecake for desert - my request for my birthday! Michelle made the cheesecake and found an alleged Cheesecake Factory recipe online - authentic or not, it was gooood!

The boys all colored eggs in the traditional dip and dye. We "hid" filled plastic eggs in the yard for the boys to find (all filled with jellybeans). It was nice, the boys played, the adults sat and talked, nothing much to brag about other than good company.

More pictures at: My Photo Album

Chris, Brendan and Evan coloring Easter Eggs

Chris, Brendan and Evan hunting for eggs

March 31, 2010: How to Train Your Dragon

Yesterday proved to be busy but mundane. Evan and ran errands for a good part of the afternoon - mostly groceries and such. We did manage to buy the last two Harry Potter movies we were missing (episode 3: "The Prisoner of Azkaban" and episode 4: "The Goblet of Fire"). We were able to watch "The Prisoner of Azkaban" before dinner and will likely watch "The Goblet of Fire" tomorrow.

Today was a little more leisurely, well for the kids at least. Track out camp at the gym was full so I volunteered to watch Aidan today. I figured the best plan to keep the kids happy was to get them out of the house. My plan was to go see "How to Train Your Dragon", then to the park for a picnic lunch (Jersey Mike's subs) and then to just run around and play. Considering it was 80 degrees today, outside was the best plan. Everything went well, the boys played at the park and I got to sit on a bench and just read while soaking up the sun. Very nice.

I watched "V" this evening, and although I like the show, I cannot believe how many commercials they are throwing in there! There is absolutely no way I will watch it unless I record it first - I absolutely HATE commercial television!

"How to Train Your Dragon" was a good movie! We all enjoyed it and the action was great. I did not drop the extra $3 per ticket to watch it in 3-D, but it was good nonetheless. I give it 5 out of 5 stars for a kids movie. We also saw the previews of a few movies I plan to see, including "Toy Story 3," "The Karate Kid," and "The Last Airbender."

March 28, 2010: The Average Day Returns!

I think I am finally ready to post here on a regular basis again. Things have been going well and I finally feel mentally up to the task again! (But does anyone really care?)

Softball season is here, and practices have been under way. We had practice today, it was a pretty good one, and our last one is tomorrow. Games begin the following week, so I think I am ready. Good news for me is that my trips to the gym combined with the education I received in physical therapy have really helped my shoulder. I threw today and for the first time in a long time, I felt strength in my shoulder and no pain! I am very excited and encouraged. I am looking forward to a great season, it should be a lot of fun.

Tomorrow was supposed to be the first day of Spring Break, but since we had one snow day too many, we will have to make it up tomorrow instead. My plans are simple - finish showing Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. We began it in all my classes Thursday and Friday and will finish it up in all three tomorrow, which was my plan all along. It also means we are in a great place regarding pacing. For the first time in a long time I am not behind! I credit this to the fact that all of my classes are Civics & Economics (I do not have to divide my planning time between two curricula) and that I have students this semester that are inspiring me to challenge them. My biggest fear is that I am boring them. Once we get back from Spring Break it will be the 4th quarter. I am planning being refreshed and returning with some plans that will be more fun and thought invoking. We shall see!