TUI?!?

For those who have been missing me, I do apologize. I have tried and tried to write this week, but when I would sit down, all that would come to mind is ooooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwww. My back has chosen this wonderfully convenient time of year to give me trouble again. So between the Lortab and the Flexeril... I have been a little too punch drunk oops indisposed to write.

Now, while I might see being under the influence of narcotic pain killers as a slight handicap, I was quite amazed that the docs did not. On Tuesday, I went to the emergency room as the back pain was getting to be a bit much. They immediately began checking me for stones. That was negative, but they did discover that I have pretty bad back issues, and referred me to an ortho. They discharged me with the lovely drugs referenced above and these instructions:

• Don't drive - limit activity;
• Don't make any important life decisions;
• But don't worry, you should be fine to teach!

Ok. Maybe I am just not getting it. I can't drive or do anything that might put my three kids at risk... but I am ok to work with and supervise the hundred or so kids I see in a day -- and its alright? Um, no. Needless to say I stayed home the next day. And today, I am making it on Aleve.

It's disheartening to know what people really think about the teaching profession. If you were a parent of one of my students, would you want to know I was up in the classroom stoked and smoked and bandying about with tools (I teach a very hands-on curriculum)? Really? And is my job so easy that anyone could do it, even under the influence? How novel... I wonder... if I had come in, would a doctor's note have taken care of the lawsuit, if something had happened?

So there is the tale of my latest saga. As the school year winds to a wild close, I am sure you will all be glad to know that while I may feel like I am being driven to it at times, I don't engage in TUI... even if a medical professional gives me permission. ;)

Pollen Crack

I have a theory about spring fever, and why it attacks so violently among school age children. I think that pollen is to blame. It is the reason my students act so crazy...

I call it my theory of pollen crack... here's how it works. You see, the sinuses and nasal passages and whatnot, they are all pretty closely connected up there... and come spring, with everything in bloom, the pollen just flies everywhere. Kids inhale while they are out there getting all that wonderful fresh air... and the little yellow granules target and invade. As the allergic response is triggered, and things get swollen and congested, perhaps a few good brain cells are destroyed... and the poor babies are helpless to do anything but succumb to the temporary lobotomy. Surely, it is a plausible excuse... it could happen...

So while you are out and about playing and enjoying your weekend, remember to stop and smell the roses... just don't inhale too deeply. :)

Is God Like Ice Cream?

Ok, so if you know me in person, you know that I am no Bible scholar. That's not to say that I don't have faith... but I can't quote you chapter and verse like many of my friends. Regardless, I was tickled to be privvy to a conversation this AM between some of my students. They had finished up their work and were chatting in the back of the room. Their topic? What race is God. One child was telling the other one that God was Black and from Egypt. They were yelling about how in the Bible, it speaks of his wooly hair. The other child was going on about how that wasn't so, using the depiction of Him in The Last Supper as his basis. Me? I wasn't touching that conversation with a ten foot pole -- you know, separation of church and state and all...

So I started thinking. And of course my hubby reminded me of Bill Cosby's take on Santa Claus... how he comes down the chimney representative of whatever culture the people are... and I quipped: "So God's like ice cream? Available in 33 Flavors?"

I guess what I am forever puzzled by is people's need to personify Him. Isn't it enough to see the evidence of His existence in the flowers and the trees... in the miracle of life, the peace of repose in death? My mother was given 6 months to live when I was three... she died in 2002, well in defiance of the odds... who gave her that will to survive, that powerful healing? I don't have to see a face to know to be thankful for it, to be thankful to Him.

Nonetheless, I will say the conversation the kids had before I shut them down (have to keep them on task, you know) did amuse me. But just in case my ice cream theory is right... I'll take fudge ripple in a waffle cup.

Who Am I?

So, I have tried this blogging thing before. I was great at it, but life kept getting in the way. Ha... me, too busy to blab? It's true. It can happen.

But I have come to recognize that there are some very good reasons out there to blog:

1. I have a lot to say, and I need an outlet. My writing business only allows me to talk about my clients business... I have plenty to speak about my own world.
2. Family. My family lives all over the place... Alabama, Indiana, Maryland, Georgia... keeping everyone in the loop is hard... some have the right email... some have another one... I just need a central location for everyone!
3. I want to keep track of my kids' lives.
4. I love my computer... believe it or not, it is easier to blog than to keep a written journal.
5. Just cuz I'm good like that... :)

So, just who am I? I am a wife and mother, a teacher, a healer, a superwoman, a fighter... all wrapped up in a plump chocolate package. My husband and I are the proud parents of three girls, ages 10, 8, and 3. We both teach... so as you might imagine, this time of year is a little tough. :) We live in Beaufort, SC where we tend to take the sand and surf of the coast a bit for granted.

In our spare time, Mike and I write, edit, and do other freelance things. We are slowly building our business there so that I can possibly work from home in a few years. Believe it or not, I do have the pseudo dream of a nuclear family... where the mom is home with cookies and milk when the kids come in from school... reads the kids bedtime stories, and tucks them in. Right now, that's not gonna happen in my world... but I can Deedream...