Random Tid Bits

1. I decided to get a bunch of design things done, that I wanted to get done. Now my scratch disk is full. I've even deleted a bunch of other things off.
   


2. All my students have been good through all this COVID-19 stuff, except for 2. I have had others not participate much. That's to be expected. I'm talking attitude.
   
   I had one tell me I wasn't a good person because I didn't grade her boyfriend's stuff. I missed his attachment entirely. I counted...that day I had 42 emails from the students. I apologized to him. Explained I'm human, and that it would help if he worked in the order of the assignment. Then I emailed the girlfriend telling her that I'm human, and it's not really her business. If he has a problem, he should contact me.
   
   I had another student that's having web issues. She keeps giving me her old file. Somehow that's my problem, not hers. She's had issues all through school. When the Director told me that she's had issues with the online learning, I think she just has issues in general.
   
3.  It snowed 6 inches last week. Now it's in the 60s. Hello Nebraska! What's the weather like where you live?
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. I've messed with our weatherman some more. I really like him, so it's all for fun. He was talking about it being cloudy. I asked, "Is it cloudy with the chance of meatballs?" That was a few weeks ago.
   
   This week he kept saying his favorite word, "Spectacular". I told him the boys were outside digging in the "Spectacular" dirt. He reads the comments out loud, and often chuckles with mine. 
   
   

   

   
   
5. Isaak has a group chat with 3 or 4 girls. It makes him happy. Mica cracks up over it. Says he has too much drama in his life. 

Spring is Coming

I never know if I should listen to the groundhog on Groundhog Day. It's seriously the silliest holiday. If he sees his shadow spring is early, and if he doesn't winter is longer. I think that's how it goes. Schools have every kid in the surrounding area believing in it. Ha! Isaak even bought the whole put your pjs on inside out and backwards for a snow day.

Maybe because of Groundhog Day silliness it's the reason that they made the movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray.

We seem to be done with ice storms.

Ice on Branches:

Living in Nebraska anything can happen. Spring like weather could be faking me out, and we could have ice in a few weeks. Here we have 4 true seasons.

We had 70 degree weather Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Today it's raining a spring like rain. 

Our dwarf Magnolia tree in the front has buds forming on the tips of the branches.

Yet Another Sign of Spring:

Spring never happens as early as mid February here in the center of the US. Omaha is smack dab in the center of the US. Counting Crows has a song called, Omaha. One lyric, "Omaha, somewhere in the middle of America. Get right to the heart of matters. It's the heart that matters more."

Nebraska is now a zone warmer. We now match Kansas City, which is 2 1/2 to 3 hours south. 

Readers what do you think about spring happening so early? Lately the weather for a few years has been so crazy! Is it just a shift of weather pattern? Is it global warming? Is it chance? What do you think? 

Random Tid Bits

1. I finally broke down, called my doctor's office and said, "Here's the deal: I got sick shortly after Christmas with a cold. I got put on antibiotics and cough syrup from your office. The antibiotics did nothing. It went into asthma. I still feel like crap. It's a revolving door of not being able to breathe. I need your advice. Do I see your office for a full check-up, an Ears Nose Throat Specialist, or an Allergy Asthma Specialist? How does that work with insurance? Do I need a referral for a specialist? I'm sick of not having any energy."
   
   Thankfully I had a nurse call back with all my answers. I'm seeing a Allergy Asthma Specialist towards the end of the month. I feel like I'm taking 5 steps back in life because I used to see one in the same office when I was a kid, but it's needed. 


2. I spotted the t-shirt below. I can't stand shirts that make it seem like someone does nothing wrong. It's one thing to have an empowering message, but another to send a message like the one below.
   
   
   


3. I love my first year students way more than the class I had last year. They are just so attentive, respectful, and we can still joke back and forth. It's such a relief because I was beginning to think it was a generation problem. Not so! So I'm sorry if I complained a lot last year. Now I get to hear other teachers complain that teach them now.


4. I give my students podcasts to listen to in one class. I have worksheets that they have to answer questions about what they listened to. Illustration books kept going out of print for me. This way they don't have to pay for a book. The podcasts are interviews with illustrators, art directors, editors, designers, and stock houses. I found them interesting. I ask the questions in order, so they can work and listen at the same time. I found that the ones that actually listened were getting all of them right. The ones that were not listening missed about 1/2 of them. We had a talk today about guessing, and copying. I can't prove that they are copying. They could listen in a group, and fill out the answers together. It just so happens that they all in a group get really wrong answers. Today all of my students got most of the questions right. YAY!


5. It's supposed to be in the 70s this weekend. Is it nice where you live?

Random Tid Bits

1. My husband is still looking for a job. Every place he's applied at is interested, but not hiring. That seems to be the way it goes. He's seeing a temp agency that specifically deals with his type of trade. One thing that's nice is that he's not closed to trying other things. He worked at a dental lab, and has applied to more progressive labs. He's also applied to Scheels, Costco, and is going to apply to Oriental Trading Company just because we've heard they are good places to work. Other things he'd love to do he's applied to: Jewelery Stores (to make jewelery), and steel manufacturers. Then I told him to apply to places that make grave stones. That sounds morbid, but he can sandblast, so it would be something he could do, and would probably like doing. The job he really wants is to work for Artifact Bag Company. The guy is super nice. He did a Ted talk. He's grown really fast. He's interested in Travis' skills, but is so busy. He said he could put his name down on unemployment, and he wants to meet up with him after he gets back from a trade show in DC. But then he didn't tell him when he'd get back. I hope that works out for him.


2. Neither of us have ever applied for unemployment. If you ever have to fill it out, get advice on filling it out. He apparently put that he was fired on one form, and on another that he was dismissed. Apparently they mean 2 different things. We have to wait an extra 4 to 6 weeks to get benefits. 1 means you screwed up at your job, while the other means you ran out of work. His is that his boss ran the business into the ground, and he couldn't afford to pay him. I can't even tell you the difference between getting fired and dismissed. I'd have to ask all over again. He was inconsistent on the forms, which held him back on the benefits. I do like that he's filling all that out though. It keeps him recording what he's doing.


3. Dad's back is getting better. We were thinking he would need to see a doctor because it's hurt for a week now. Yesterday it started feeling better. His family has loads of back problems. Truth be told I have way worse posture than he does. I should be the one with back problems.


4. I did love getting an email this week from Google saying, "We owe you $100 for hits on your blog." Hey any little bit of money counts. I never really blogged for the money. It started out as just a modern day baby book; that led into much more.


5. The weather has been mixed up here. 1/2 a week is frigid, then the rest of the week is in the 30's, or 40's. 

The picture looks warm, but Monday through Wednesday was in the negatives for wind chill, and 5 or 10 degrees all those days. I'm not complaining. I just thinks it's odd that the weather is fluctuating so much.
What is is like where you live right now? 
 

 

Sometimes Mother Nature Wins

Some Omahaians (is that even a word?) can not stand our mayor. While I have my dislikes in regards to her, I admire the fact that she simply doesn't put up with stuff. It appears that she simply does not care what people think. She does her best, and moves on.

I would have thought being a female - caring what others think would have been a detriment to a government position. She doesn't care it seems, so go her. At times as a teacher I care too much about student's opinions; compared to my fellow male teachers. No I'm not saying females can not be politicians. I'm just saying that males and females are in fact different. They each have their strengths, and their weaknesses. Many females care what others think, and do get wrapped up in emotions.

Our mayor had some cuts in the fire department. It would have been ok in my book, but not too long ago we annexed a good chunk of land (Elkhorn). I was worried that by making cuts with firefighters everyone's safety would be jeopardized. How can firefighters be in more spots when you cut their services? Plus I may be biased - my brother-in-law is a firefighter. I tried to look at the situation in a neutral position though.

Last week it snowed ice. There were a ton of accidents. People were oh so pissed at the mayor. You should have seen the FB comments! In this case I was thinking, Sure it was crappy! But it's winter. You chose to live in Nebraska.

Sometimes one doesn't know what the weather is going to do exactly. A student came up to me and said, "Lincoln is just as bad!" I wonder if everyone in Lincoln (an hour away) was bitching about their mayor?

Has it been cold where you live? 

Mother Nature hasn't liked us this week and last. This weekend it's supposed to get in the 40s. That will be nice.

Back and Forth

The weather is going crazy!

Last Sunday I was out washing my car. There was a record high of 65! I asked the boys, "Who wants to help me?" They both said, "Not me, and ran inside." Daddy said, "Don't involve me I'm watching sports." I felt my eyes throw them a negative eye roll.

Monday was cold! The winds were high, and it's been that way since. We've had negative temps, and flurries.

On Friday it's supposed to get up to 50 degrees.

This weather is something else! Back and forth, back and forth.

I just wish if it's going to be cold, it would snow already! We need the moisture. It will help the farmers out to have some rain, or snow come our way.

Mica Talks About Weather

Mica learned about clouds in Kindergarten. He told me, "Mommy I'm going to teach you all about them." So he did.

The Tale of the Grumpy Household

There's been a few later nights this week. Our boys do better when they get adequate sleep. I think most children do. Since the boys have started school, bedtime has been 7:30. Early I know. Bedtime used to be 8 or 8:30. With more stimulation with school, they need more sleep.

Time will be switching soon enough. It's great that our boys have been going to bed earlier for that reason to. Day Light Savings Time + Kids = An Adjustment. Fall is among us. The weather today is gray. BLAH! I think I might start taking Vitamin D because I find myself feeling BLAH all winter. It's either that, or get some special lights that put off natural sun light.

Mica's been off of school Thursday and Friday. Mica's argued with me that it's Sunday 10 times today. He's stuck on Sunday being a day that he calls, "Sheriff Sunday." He wants to wear his Sheriff dress-up clothes and tells everyone that crosses our path about "Sheriff Sunday." It's totally made up. I love that he's creative. I don't really care that he does this. It's just that today is not Sunday. We had errands to do today. Everyone that he would have ran into, he would have explained "Sheriff Sunday" to.

Instead it's "Covered in Blood Saturday." That's my made up day, for today anyhow. Mica keeps getting bloody noses. This happened last year to. I put Carmex on a Q-tip and smeared it in his nose. I need to mix up a saline spray for his kid's version of the netti pot. He'll hate getting his nose sprayed. I also have a frog humidifier that I'm tempted to get out for Mica's room.

Another bloody event: Isaak got his flu shot this morning. It wasn't that bloody. Just enough to require a Snoopy Band-Aid, tears and limping for the rest of the morning. Isaak over exaggerates pain! He milks his tears to get attention. Is it bad that I laugh when he gets a shot? Not really out loud. I just envision our 3 year old crying for a half hour and limping for 1/2 the day; over a shot that takes a second.

Along with the change of weather, so is our food. I have a bean soup in the crock pot, spaghetti squash pie tomorrow and split pea soup in a few days.

It's Nice Outside!

• It's 59 degrees outside! Not December weather for Omaha, Nebraska that's for sure!
• I just went fast walking around the school. I got all the way around this time; five laps. The last week or so I've been unable to go out, or it was snowy on the backside of the building.

• Last year it seemed as though snow and ice were everywhere. Grandma Spiehs got her ankle fused and I broke my foot. It was a horrible winter.!
• Snow will be traveling in soon enough I'm sure.