This has been SUCH a week! We have had fog, fog, and more fog. It is the dickens to drive through (and I had to every day) and more than a little spooky (especially in the wee hours of the morning when I am heading to work). The beautiful offshoot of freezing fog is hoar frost - which is absolutely beautiful. This is Idaho at its most magical! I was sorely disappointed when I woke up this morning to find ... a sunny day. It's brutally cold at 3 degrees, and without the hoar frost it is just that. Brutally cold. Nothing more. I miss the hoar frost. It's like fairy icing on the world.

School this week was a trial. There was SO much to do! We made a list of all the different things we have to deal with (in addition to JUST teaching school) during our weekly collaboration meeting as a fifth grade because we were all feeling so swamped ... when we reached thirty, we gave it up out of sheer despair. From computer programs we have to make sure the children are involved in doing each week to fifth grade ski school to PTO fund raisers to lesson plans to committee meetings to ... well, you can start to get the idea. When one looks back on the education field (even during my career) the differences are staggering! It is shocking how much everything has changed.

In the midst of trying to get all these tasks completed, my students seemed to have met and decided that this was a great week to stage a LEECH WEEK. Awww, guys - was that fair? A Leech Week is a week when they are super needy, whine, and cling to me in about a dozen different ways. It's heck to endure without "taking one of them out," and leaves you drained to within an inch of your life. Phew! I hope I don't see another Leech Week for a LOOOOOONG time. I feel like a dried out husk.

Mom is ill with a severe kidney infection. The second this month. She is miserable, but we did get her in to the doctor yesterday and she is on a stronger medication. I certainly hope it helps. Diana is also ill, but she has a virus - basically a cold. She is also on meds and is miserable. Bailee and I are in the "coming down with it" stage. We're not exactly sick, but we don't feel good either. I just hope that we can hold out for one more day, so we can sing at church without sounding like the frog chorus.

Bailee and her buddy, Paige had a great time together last night. I love to watch the two of them interact. They're a hoot. Part of the evening was devoted to being Ninja Princesses. They can do some wicked moves with fans! We're SO lucky that Bailee has such wonderful friends. We love Paige.

Next week is the big Parent Meeting at Studio One to discuss the performance of Peter and the Wolf. We'll find out what parts the children will be doing AND how much school they will be missing (since we're taking this performance on tour to the area schools). I imagine we will also be discussing costumes. Hmmmm. Suddenly I feel like I want to run away for the coming three months. :)

Failure to Post

Don't you just hate it when people have this website which you are following, and they don't post? Days go by. Weeks go by. Months go by. Are they still alive? You wonder sometimes. So, in an effort to make sure that you know we are all alive and kicking, HERE I AM! Posting, by gum!

School is plugging along. We're in the hot and heavy part of the curriculum, so we're working very hard. We are also starting to plan for our state tests. I took my kids through a grueling session of preparation today. Painful, but productive. I think that many of them had an "A-HA!" moment when it came to HOW test questions are worded. Any progress in understanding and test savvy is bound to help.

I adore, adore, adore my advanced class that I have every day from 11:30 to 12. They are heaven on earth to teach. We have such a good time. Today we learned Greek base words. It was so cool, because they GET IT. Why are we learning this? Because we can apply it to words we don't know. Like I said - heaven. We're learning about gerunds next week. Do YOU know what a gerund is? It's on the fifth grade language test. If you don't - a gerund is a noun formed from a verb (in a nutshell). For example. I sing for my supper. Sing is a verb. My singing is really atrocious! Singing is a gerund. See how blogging stretches the intellect?

Bailee is back in the thick of dance. She begged to be allowed to take jazz classes this term, but the money just isn't there. Disappointing, but I really think she has enough on her plate for a fifth graders. Her GATE class is putting on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory this spring. Bailee has a part as an Oompa Loompa. Type casting. :) She is really excited, especially since she gets to wear a crazy purple wig. She is also working on her project for the annual Invention Convention. She wants to do a math game. Surprised?

Bailee and I are singing in church on the 31st. I'm pretty nervous. I never know how my throat is going to be at this time of year. There are so many BUGS going around. This week we're suffering through an outbreak of stomach flu at school. That is just plain miserable for everyone! Especially our poor custodians. My rule is "Don't even think about telling me you don't feel well. Just get out, and by all means make sure you hit the bucket!" So far, so good. My carpet remains unscathed.

Great news this week. One of the teachers I taught with at Jefferson Elementary has found out that she's pregnant. This news comes after near two years of trying. Needless to say, they are thrilled. It's so nice to see something work out for good people who deserve it!

The situation in Haiti has been much on my mind. I wish we could just swoop in and get everyone out of there so that we know they are safe. THEN we could go in a attempt the task of cleaning up the devastation. I can't imagine how terrible it is for all those people who are trapped in that nightmare. My prayers are with them.

The First Week of the New Year

Going back to school was really difficult this week. The roads were terrible, and I didn't relish what waited for me at the end of them. I am still having a really hard time dealing with this new principal and his cold, aloof style. I just can't seem to get past the feeling that he doesn't like me. When you add the fact that this has been one of the most challenging classes I have had in decades - well, it was small wonder that I was dragging my feet.

Looking on this as the proverbial band-aid that you have to just rip off -- I did. I plunged in and did my best. The weather certainly made things challenging, as temperatures dipped into the subzero range once again. I am having a hard time remembering a winter that has had this many cold spells in it. Cold weather means keeping the children inside ALL day. They don't want to go outside, but inside breaks just aren't as satisfying (and they let you know it). I am depending on games and videos to keep them entertained. This week I taught them how to play some games from the Revolutionary War era (since that is what we are studying). They really enjoyed them, which surprised me! They also watched "Howl's Moving Castle" on the installment plan. I had tons of kids from other classrooms that found their way to us, so I guess the movie was popular. I must say that the animation was beautiful.

Life at home was also crazy, as we jumped back into the whirl of dance. I ferried Bailee to classes on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday and then waited for 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours in the car. I had plenty to do, but had to keep starting the car due to the chilly temps. My gas mileage is certainly going to be abysmal this week! Bailee is really excited because Nic Gili is home while the Atlantic City Ballet is on hiatus. He's teaching classes for the studio, and she's loving it.

Our temperatures are a little warmer today, which is a blessing since I have lots of errands to run. Here's hoping that we continue to see a warming trend (for you friends in the sunny south and balmy Pacific coast regions that means temps in the 20s and 30s).

I started going to the 8th Ward for church last week. This was the original ward I attended when we moved here (before they split the ward and created the 25th Ward). The 25th Ward is meeting at 1 pm to 4 pm this year, which means that I end up seeing very little of my family on Sunday. The 8th Ward meets from 9 am to noon, which is a much better fit. I also have to say that I loved how quiet this ward was by comparison. Heavenly! I could actually hear myself think AND feel the Spirit. The 25th Ward is NOT long on reverence, so this has been a pleasant change.

We're now all bracing for more education cuts here in Idaho. Governor Otter said he will be doing a midyear holdback. That will be especially difficult since schools have already made commitments based on the current budget. Finding places to make up for the coming losses will be brutal Our custodial staff has already been told that their hours will be cut. That is SO unfair! The true "fat" in school budget is never touched. Maddening.

January Snowfall

One of the cooler things about being a ballerina is the tradition of receiving flowers at the closing performance. As you can see, our little "Clara" was really spoiled by the people who came to see her in Nutcracker.

For Christmas, Bailee and her American Girl, Ivy, had matching dresses. Pretty cool. Mom found them on a super sale at Kohls. What luck!

We woke up to 9 inches of new snow today. It was perfect for building snowmen, so Bailee went out to make one.

She then warmed up in from of the fire with some hot chocolate. What a life!

This is a picture of Ivy and Elizabeth. Bailee used Elizabeth as her doll in Nutcracker.

Not to be left out of the Christmas festivities, Ivy and Elizabth both got new outfits.

Chef Bailee was in charge of dinner tonight. She made Ratatouille. It was a yummy combination of yellow and green zucchini, pepperoni, and spaghetti sauce. It was fabulous!

Also very pretty!

Here's the great chef with her final creation. It was a wonderful meal. She is really getting to be such a big girl. We're awfully proud of her. What a great way to end the Christmas vacation!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to one and all!

We had our annual New Year's Eve Party last night and are still recovering. Festivities ran until 2 am and we didn't manage to tumble off to dreamland until 4 am. Needless to say, we slept in late.

The Christmas Break has gone by way too fast, and I am dreading the return to the routine of school. I keep reminding myself that I only have four more years left to teach until I can take early retirement. With all the changes in education, I will be glad to go. I love teaching, but I sure hate all the other garbage that has infiltrated the profession since No Child Left Behind. I seriously feel that it has done more damage than good. Teaching isn't about the kids anymore - it's about test scores.

It's snowing pretty heavily today, which I love to see. The more snow, the better. I am secretly hoping we get snowed in! ha ha! Seriously, it is so beautiful! Nothing feels more cozy than a good snowstorm and a warm fire. Happily, we have both.

Silly dog Caribou has had a wonderful holiday. He got to rip up lots of paper on Christmas day (one of his all time favorite activities), he has new toys to play with, and he loves the snow. He promptly went out and made himself a bed out in the firepit. It's quite lovely. He is definitely a "snow dog" through and through. Bailee is determined that someday she will train him to pull her on a sled. I'm sure he has the strength to do so, but he's much more interested in kissing his girl than pulling her.

We've been watching lots of movies over the break. Yesterday we saw "Imagine This" with Eddie Murphy. I am always a little hesitant about his movies (they can really vary in quality), but this one was a nice surprise. It was a great family flick. I recommend it highly.

I hope you all have a wonderful 2010. The way I see it, we have nowhere to go but UP!