On Winter and Puppies

I'm pretty sure I've written about this before BUT here it is again. There is something about this time of year and my puppy fever. It starts to get close to the holidays and I start thinking about puppies. This doesn't help: Photo: Corbis http://theweek.com/article/slideshow/209498/what-should-putin-name-his-puppy

Who wouldn't want a furry, cuddly, cute puppy to cuddle with? You know what else doesn't help puppy fever? The Eddie Bauer catalog. Don't worry... we won't be getting a new puppy because we will be getting two cute cuddly babies soon. And I have a furry, sometimes will cuddle dog already. But as I told Paul the other day, I just need a friend with a new puppy so I can come and hold it. So if you have one let me know!

Heard IN the classroom

It really is crazy the stuff kids (and some adults) say. In an attempt to remember these things I'm writing this post.

1. At my school we have a program for students who have limited abilities. One of these students who is a fifth grader, comes to wave hello and says, "Hi twins." every time he sees me. I told him that they couldn't say hello back yet and he asked why. :-) I then asked what I should name them and he promptly replied: Sponge Bob Square Pants and when I asked what to name the second one he said Josue and the girl, Morgan. (On a side note- Before it was really obvious and I could put on a jacket and my belly would "disappear" he would come and ask where the twins were.)

2. My class STRUGGLES with talking this year. Normally you have a couple of good talkers but this year I have at least 6. Well some well intentioned teacher at my school told my class that their noise was dangerous to the babies. After discussing the talking issue while working on team building with the counselor the kids brought up how the babies can hear them and how dangerous the noise was. I reassured them that the noise wasn't dangerous for the babies but they could hear them.

3. As we were reshuffling for math this morning my teaching partner was having one of his kids ask me what system of measurement we should use. He brought up that the babies should be learning the metric system. I said that they are learning it as I teach. One of my students replied, "The only thing they're learning is how to eat. Have you seen this woman eat?" Ha! I don't even eat in front of them. He also was the same students who asked one day, when I was starving, why I was eating 3 muffins. I bet his mom would die if she knew what he said.

4. A former student was in the building helping out with the book fair. His sister still goes to our school and his mom is very active in the building. I guess the sight of me pregnant weirded him out. (He is a freshman in high school.) I guess he kept telling his mom that it is just so weird.

That's it for now. I'm sure there will be more.

A Pregnant Woman's Shopping List

Yesterday I ran some errands. I "needed" a couple of things and the day I had at work warranted something new. Here is what was on my list:

- a fake wedding band. Mine no longer fits, or I might be able to get it on but I don't want it to get stuck. It feels weird to just wear my engagement ring and I'm not so sure how long that will still fit.
- more socks. Again, my favorite socks, the ones with patterns and colors (remember I teach elementary school so it is okay to wear crazy socks) seem to dig into my ankles when they are swollen at the end of the day. So for the next 4 months I'm stuck with plain, boring solid colors that are loose enough to not leave marks on my ankles, on most days.
- another new bra. This is pretty self explanatory I think.
- pants, preferably khaki and comfortable. I currently have 3 pairs of maternity "work" pants and I really would like one more so I can have one per day of the work week. (Fridays have been deemed jean days at school so I'm good there.) STILL looking for pants. Maternity really hasn't caught up with regular clothes in offering long lengths or even making them.
- purse. I'm long over due for a new one but I've had a hard time finding one I like.
- cheap Halloween costumes. Unfortunately I waited too long and they are all gone. I did, however, find many choices in dog costumes. I'll wait a little while longer and then Maddy can be a bee next year. :-) She'll love it!
- and then what I bought that wasn't one the list. Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes! I had the thought that with all the Christmas stuff they must be back and there were. I'm sad to say that I ate almost the whole box before I got home. I also found a few summer/fall clothes for Pip and Squeak that were pretty cheap. I'm finding that the clearance selection for boys is MUCH better than for girls. So we might have a well dressed little boy and a poor sister without much to choose from.