Does he have.....THE X FACTOR?!

Thank you J. Mark Inman for keep us oh-so-entertained on Thursday night!

IF YOU WERE HERE FOR TEA.

* My "Running Wild" club was once again very FUN yesterday afternoon! We played a crazy game of follow the leader and then did some running around during an intense game of indoor soccer. I am happy to report that I scored a goal......but unhappy to admit that I let TWO in my team's net when I was goalie! (Graeme - how in the world do you handle having things flying towards you at high speeds? I screamed and made myself as miniature as possible in these instances....)

* This week there were student council elections in the highschool. Just like last year, the event was UNREAL and prizes of great nature were up for grabs. Phil did his darnedest to win us a trip to Dubai, but lost in the three-pointer finals to our good friend Alex! Since that upsetting moment, Phil has referred to her as "MJ" and has threatened to resign and give her his PE position.

* We have spent lots of time this week thinking of what we should do on our upcoming November break. Italy, Portugal, Ethiopia, Maldives, and Kenya have all come to mind. What to do, what to do? NO IDEA! But we will inform you once the decision has been made!

* There have been a ridiculous number of accidents on the highway this week. It seems like every night we have run to the window after hearing a "errrrrrrrrr, BOOM". Traffic has been blocked, cars have been demolished, and even a bus station was taken out. Gah. It gives me so much fear being on the roads at night. I wish people would slow down and follow the rules!

* Private Practice is available for viewing TODAY! We were disappointed with last week's viewing of Glee and Grey's Anatomy. Hopefully Private Practice will restore our faith in shows we've watched for many seasons. (Speaking of shows, we began to watch "Pretty Little Liars" based on Emily's recommendation. I CANNOT believe how scary it is! Doesn't this air on the Family Channel??)

* Rumour is the Lions have been playing well and winning games. I'm hoping there's little correlation between this truth and Phil's fantastic mood, as I foresee some Detroit losses in the near future.

* This morning we are off to the mall to enjoy some kiddy rides with our friend's two children. I really hope I'll be able to handle these "rides for children", as I have bad (and embarrassing!) memories of Hanna-Barbera Land back home! Ah well, I will put on my "I'm brave" face and try my best!

Wishing all of you a WONDERFUL weekend!!!

XOXO

You know what's weird?

When Google isn't working and you have to use Yahoo. I don't like it.

HELLO OUT THERE!

Can you believe that, in addition to being the last day of the work week, today is also the last work day of this month?! HOLY MOLY! Where does the time go?! My lesson plans for next week say October!!!

Sorry for the lack of blogging this week! It was a crazy one and I was still fighting that darn cold from last week. I promise to catch you up this weekend.

Until then.....X-factor, Subway, and good company :)

I LOVE THURSDAYS!!!!

Our Saturday.

- dishes from last night
- tea party with emily and phil
- mark papers / do laundry
- study break: "Something Borrowed"
- mark more papers / check sports
- tutor / Survivor re-run
- talk to my daddy (GREAT PART OF MY DAY)
- bake (blueberry muffins, banana loaf)
- make dinner (steak / vegetarian chili)
- dishes round two
- talk to my sister Dana (ANOTHER GREAT PART OF MY DAY!)
- relax and watch "Bad Teacher"

Let's hope the last item of the day is a "really good sleep"!!!

Have a great weekend, CANADA!

IF YOU WERE HERE FOR TEA.

* This morning we made some "Pillsbury tea biscuits" to go with our 10 a.m. tea! Not only were they delicious with butter and jam, but that sweet popping sound that goes along with all Pillsbury products just NEVER gets old! Ah - memories of home :)

* The dog that I wanted to adopt (remember Cutie?!) got adopted. Sadly, so did her two sisters. I suppose I can leave Phil alone until another adorable puppy catches my eye....

* Speaking of pets, Emily and I may become volunteers at a local animal shelter! They have a training session next Saturday and if we're feeling up for it, it may become another item on the calendar! Once you're a volunteer, you can participate as you like in cool events like "dog and cat socializing" or "photographing animals up for adoption". Sounds like fun, don't you think?!

* I have been sick with a bad cold all week long. It has been incredibly stubborn and refuses to leave me alone. Luckily, I get to spend the entire day on the couch, watching new tv shows and movies that we purchased from the movie man last night!

* Where did the old Simon Cowell go? We have only watched one episode of The X Factor but it appears like he's grown a little softer in his old age! I like it. It's nice to see a different, more encouraging side of him :)

* HAPPY FIRST DAY OF FALL!!!! I bet it is beginning to look pretty at home and I hope you get to enjoy many walks outside before the snow comes. Oh - and with Thanksgiving approaching us, you will be happy to hear that I found pumpkin pie filling at the grocery store last weekend! I purchased two cans, just in case I didn't see it again in October!

* Phil is doing an amazing job as the club coordinator at school. Organization is his specialty and the first session ran beautifully! (Congratulations my LOVE!) I had a lot of fun during my "Running Wild" club - 13 students from grades 5 and 6 were in attendance! I hope they can learn to enjoy running through the activities I plan in the next 8 weeks!

* Stolen pencil cases are the worst. I had three students close to tears yesterday afternoon. Indirectly, they had one teacher close to tears too! :)

* Phil finally picked out a birthday present! He was extremely stubborn (sound like him?!) for his REAL birthday, which he only referred to as his "un-birthday". But, with his un-birthday far behind him, he selected something special at the store last weekend. What, you ask? A George Foreman. I don't really see the excitement in it, but the neighbours are jealous and Phil seems pumped for show and tell with each and every knock on the door. Haha. He's cute.

Well...that's all for now! Grey's Anatomy is the next show on the agenda today. Glee, Survivor, Parenthood and the X- Factor are also booked into the itinerary.

Another Boost to the Reality Tally.

We just finished watching the very first episode with Emily, Ian, and Alex! In Kuwait, we get "The X Factor" on Thursday and Friday nights....which is precisely why we CANNOT be social outside of our building for WEEKS and WEEKS to come. (Haha - does this sound snobbish??? Or just plain lame?). Anyways, the show was FANTASTIC and I can't wait to see what tomorrow's episode will bring :)

As for the rest of the evening, the Huffho's treated us to a special "appreciation dinner"! They claim we deserve it for feeding them snacks, giving them internet, and showing them around, all of which was a pure delight for us!!!

THANK YOU IAN AND ALEX!!!! Dinner was DELISH.....and your company during X-Factor was SUPERB!

Happy weekend everyone!!!

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE!!!

(Yes, this is our classroom creation!)

American Magic???

I received this as a gift today from a fellow colleague. She claims the stuff is MAGIC! <----- which is definitely something I believe in ;)

Come on VOICE, come on NOSE, come on HEAD!!! I need to be in top condition for the first session of "RUNNING WILD" (my after school club)!!!!!

I LOVE GRADE SIX!!!

In fact, I even enjoy MARKING grade 6 work!!! Check out the lovely artwork I found on the back of today's quiz:

THANK YOU, MEGAN!!!

Today I was having a "blah" sort of day, but it was turned right around when I received this LOVELY piece of snail mail from CANADA:

She knows us so well. I want to get this card FRAMED!

Such kind words. (Tear).

Sending you big hugs and an oh-so-splendid tea party!

Love,
Linds and Phil
XOXO

WE HAVE INTERNET!

It only took about a month.....but WE HAVE IT! YAHOO! Inshallah, it will be faster and more reliable than the last company we had :)

Em's "PEACING OUT"!!!

As of 2:30 p.m. today, Emily is no longer a resident at the Parkinson household. Yep, SHE LEFT US! And she did it with a big smile. IMAGINE THAT!

This afternoon, we dropped off her things at the new apartment, took her to get some groceries, and left her to be "AN INDEPENDENT WOMAN" on the other side of Hawally. She tells us that she has big plans for this evening: organizing, organizing, and MORE organizing! Oh - and she also claims that she is building a bathroom shelf from IKEA - ALL BY HERSELF!!!!

And so....Phil and I sit here feeling a wee bit like empty nesters. Our gal has spread her wings.....

Miss you already, LILY BEAR!!!
XOXO

WARNING:

Phil and I may be without internet for the week. We broke up with our last internet company yesterday (because we HAD to) and have been waiting since August 23rd for our NEW internet company to "hook us up"! Yeesh. In this scenario, "5 or 6 days" really, truly has felt like FOREVER!!!!

Fingers crossed for an interweb miracle! Until then, it looks like me and my hunny will be spending lots of QUALITY TIME together! YAHOO!!!!!

Missing all of you elsewhere,

XOXO

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CATHY!!!!!

GUESS WHAT?! Phil and I were social TWO NIGHTS IN A ROW this weekend! Baha. Last night we hosted a very happy belated birthday party for our neighbour/mama - CATHY! Her birthday was back in August but we had to re-celebrate due to some not-so-nice circumstances that interfered with her special day. The evening was FABULOUS - "Winnie the Pooh" themed, double chocolate cake, TACO TIME (ya - Phil's darn lucky that the birthday girl made this fast food choice!), and many LAUGHS :)

OH, how I ADORE birthday parties! Especially themed ones. I wonder what theme I will choose for my big 2-6 this year......

Friday Nights?

You know where to find us!

WOWEE KA-ZOWEE!!!!!

I just noticed that my PREVIOUS post was my 1000th post!!! The Pearl Curriculum is no longer a young one :) I wonder what the next 1000 posts will bring.....

WA-HOOOOOOOO!!!!!

As of yesterday morning we are ONE STEP closer to reenacting "Bob the Builder" in Nepal!!!! Our flights are booked and I can't wait to be the handy little helper that I know I am! (Dad - the ability to build things is genetic, right?!)

SHOCKER!!!!!!! (this title is "Big Brother" inspired)

Last night Phil and I did something very unexpected: we went to a social event with a bazillion other teachers! This is very out-of-the-ordinary for us and we got quite the surprised greetings upon arrival. You see, we like to do our own thing and are quick to decline invitations to be fun with others. Some people may call us snobs, but the truth is that I like to go to bed early and Phil doesn't particularly enjoy.....people. Haha.

Alas, the get together was lots of fun and it was nice to chat and laugh with a great crew.

HOWEVER.

With Survivor starting tonight and X-Factor beginning next weekend, we have permanent excuses to stay in and be hermits for WEEKS TO COME! HOORAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

An Orphaned Darling.....

How can Phil say "NO" to her? All the wee thing needs is a home and Phillip strongly believes that we are NOT the people for the job.

What's up with THAT?!

Ha-RUMPH.

MUST POST NOW.

This is too cute to wait until tomorrow. I LOVE ELEPHANTS and I LOVE THURSDAY'S!!!! Tomorrow will be a great reward for a long week at school (back to school night is TONIGHT!). We have many new shows and two days of GOOD SLEEPS to look forward!!!

Revelations from "Dialoguing".

The other night, Emily and I decided the following:

1) When the internet is down, your computer REALLY IS broken.

2) It's okay to chat with someone on bbm if they are in the same room as you.....even if no one else is home.

3) Adopting a dog with a bad name is AWESOME. That way, you can have a dog with a bad name and take ZERO credit for it. "She was called 'Cutie' when I adopted her." HAHA. Oh - did I mention that there really is a dog named "Cutie" up for adoption?!

A Stationary "Meals on Wheels"?!!!

Haha - guess how many servings of chicken and rice we received this week? A BILLION! Our glorious Sri Lankan and Kuwaiti friends spoiled us with dish after dish of "chicken and rice". It's day 6 and we still have a big container of it left in the fridge. I wonder which lucky neighbour will be invited for dinner tonight!!! Perhaps we should invite the entire building.....

Em to the Rescue!

MAMA ABBOTT! You will be happy (or not so happy!) to know that we almost had another kitty on our hands this week! Emily happened upon this wee little kitten at our apartment building the other day. The poor thing was so skinny and sick.....and Emily gave it her "veterinarian best" to help him survive. She brought him some milk/water and even made him a cozy little shoebox bed. You would have been so proud of her! Alas, the kitty we named Gizmo/Gizma disappeared and we can only hope he's found another cat-lover nearby.

Anyhoo....I suppose the Abbott cat tally remains at one. But I will warn you that another orphan is sure to pop up again soon.....

An "I LOVE MY JOB" Day.

At the beginning of recess.....

Student: (in a whisper) Miss...can I show you something?

Me: Sure!!!

Student: (still whispering) It's really special. (continues to take out a black case and open it up) Do you see it?! It's the original Harry Potter wand!

Me: WOW!!!!!!

Student: Do you want to hold it?!!!!

Me: CAN I?!!!

Student: Sure, but remember to keep it a secret!!!!!

Sleep Tight!

Tonight I go to bed thinking of an all-time favourite song of mine.....

MISS YOU DADDY!!!!
XOXO

HAPPY FIRST DAY OF FOOTBALL!

Although it is a sad day for the wives, it is the happiest of days for the husbands! (And I must admit that mine looks pretty darn cute this evening!)

It's NEW SHOW WEEK!

Em and I just spent time researching our favourite shows and putting their start dates on the calendar. YAHOO! I love this time of year. Our anticipation about past scenarios and new characters will come to an end after a long summer of EXTRA-TRASHY tv (please note: there is in fact a "trashy" scale and we believe our September - June shows have yet to reach the "EXTRA" level). This week, we look forward to Parenthood (the Braverman's RULE!), America's Next Top Model (what will Tyra do next?!), and Survivor (oh Probst....)! YIPPEE-YA-HOO! Goodbye "Love in the Wild" and "The Bachelorette"!!!

Five for Friday!

1) Over coffee today, Emily and I decided that "boys clubs" are only cute when your husbands aren't part of them.

2) Crackberry is right. If you could watch a video of Emily's positioning this afternoon you'd get bored quite quickly! The last few hours of her day have involved staring into her hands....

3) "The Bakery" is back in business this evening. Two chocolate chip banana loaves were just removed from the oven! YUMMY!

4) Today I heard someone refer to the "treadmill" as the "dreadmill". Haha. Luckily I fought off the boredom this afternoon with great company and conversation.

5) Next Friday Survivor begins!!! YIPPEE-YA-HOO!!! Phil loves the show and I enjoy the perma-excuse it gives me to stay in and go to bed EARLY! haha.

Speaking of bed.....GOODNIGHT WORLD!!!

BREAKING NEWS!!!

Em has a blackberry!!!! YIPPEEE-YA-HOO!!!!!!!!!!!

Phil: Acrostic-ally.

Phil's having a blah sort of day today. Luckily, he's "Interested in laundry" and is finding therapy in each and every load.

P.S. Alex and Ian! Thank you for making Phillip the most creative birthday card ever!

The Heebie-Jeebies.

Ever since India, I seem to have an intense "gag" reflex that inhibits me from doing anything even remotely gross. Let me share how bad it is.....

Lindsay: Let's put stickers on our sandwich containers so we know who's sandwich is who's.

Emily: Good idea!

(Lindsay goes to get adorable animal stickers given to me by Mom P)

Lindsay: Pick any sticker you like!

Emily: Okay....I want the lizard!!!

Lindsay: (pauses) Except for that one....you can't put reptiles on food containers. If I ever have to wash that thing I will gag.

Emily: WHAT?!!!!

Lindsay: Ya.....reptiles are slimey and disgusting and I really can't handle having a reptile on anything that relates to food...

Bad, right? Sorry, Em! But your second choice - the disco monkey - is REALLY AWESOME!!!

IF YOU WERE HERE FOR TEA.

* We hate the 5 o'clocks. Who invented that hour, anyways? And why on earth would anyone set an alarm to witness those 60 minutes? ICK.

* Now let's discuss the 6 o'clocks. After a 6 day work week, one would expect to enjoy a weekend sleep-in to celebrate their survival. Notta. How can my brain take so long to get over jetlag and get right back into the swing of things during the school year?! BUMMER. Alas, my weekend will feel much longer with these extra morning hours :)

* Phil had his first basketball practice last night and had close to 100% attendance! I went to the gym to say hello and was impressed with how hard the boys were working! I'm pretty sure they are a coach's dream - running with intention, motivating each other, and giving their all. I can't wait for the basketball season! My pom-pom's are ready to go.

* The other night, I came home from work to find Emily and Phil sitting excitedly on the couch. They told me that "something urgent had come up" and then proceeded to sing "Don't Go Breaking My Heart", which they'd been rehearsing for 45 minutes. WOWEE. Was that ever a treat!!! I hope for more after-school "specials" this week!!! Practice up, roomies!!!

* Emily says she may be moving out this weekend. I THINK she's lying, although she is doing a good job of convincing us that she's for real: the maintenance man, the cleaning lady, and the internet company are expected at her residence tomorrow morning! At the same time, I KNOW she's lying, because last night she was in tears at the thought of living elsewhere. LILY BEAR - you can stay here as long as you like!!!

* How are all of my hockey fans holding up? Good news has GOT to be on its way soon. It has got to.

* This morning Phil woke up ridiculously early to watch the first football game of the year. Too bad ESPN decided to engage in a frustrating game of hide and seek while the game was on! Yikes. This resulted in a not-so-happy hubby......

* My knee is really starting to feel MUCH better! I haven't tried to run on it yet, but I have been doing some bike/elliptical/walking and my knee has come out on top :) Hopefully a few more weeks of cross-training and icing will leave it feeling ready to go again!

* My Nan and Pop celebrated their 55th Wedding Anniversary yesterday! CONGRATULATIONS, NANNY AND POP!!!! We wish you many more HEALTHY and HAPPY years together! XOXO

* I believe our kitchen can now be referred to as "THE BAKERY". I found myself in a perpetual cycle of baking this week - with banana loaves, mini apple crisps, and cupcakes of all sorts. Good thing we have a few more weeks before another occasion greets us!

* Last night Colleen came over for dinner. It was so nice to see her (because we hadn't all week!) and we really appreciate that she chose to spend time with us, even though she wasn't feeling very well! Hopefully the delicious pizza and tea with honey will cure her sniffles!!!

That's all for now! Be sure to keep us posted on your own adventures this week! Especially our fellow teachers....how did the first week go?!!!

Lesson of the Week:

Happy UN-BIRTHDAY, HUNNIE!

On September 5th, Phil celebrated his 28th "un-birthday". Contrary to me (who has high hopes for my birthday), Phillip is anti-celebration with regards to his special day and asked me not to plan anything in particular for it. Of course, I didn't listen and went ahead with spiderman invites and a teppanyaki reservation. I did abide by his "fine - no more than 10 people" request and besides the entire restaurant singing "happy birthday" loud and obnoxiously, I think he had a great time! The rest of us sure did :)

I hope you had a happy un-birthday my love! Remember....on December 19th I'm hoping for a flash mob (song choice is YOURS) or a REAL puppy. I will take either in lieu of a party ;)

HELLO?!

I know, I know. It's been a few days. I promise to give details of my whereabouts this weekend!

Sending out lots of love! XOXO

Is this CUTE or WHAT?!

Ah - two things that I love: SCHOOL and MATCHING.

Our lunches are all packed for our first day of school tomorrow!

The Last Day of Summer!

Can you believe it?! WOWEE - time flies! Today I celebrated the occasion with some back to school shopping with Emily and Pat! It was lots of fun. I found out that Caribou coffee makes chai lattes (which may even be better than my usual Starbucks version) and I happened to have many successes in terms of new clothes, too!

Ah - now for some TEA, World Track Championships, and RELAXING!!!

IF YOU WERE HERE FOR TEA.

It's tea time in the Parkinson household! Let's catch up:

* Phil has enjoyed many outings to the golf course this week. Tomorrow morning he will dedicate his FINAL day of "summer" to, not surprisingly, GOLF! I'm glad he enjoys the sport so much and he looks really cute in all of his new golf shirts!!!

* Our neighbour Cathy arrived home this morning and she was the best wake-up call a girl could ask for! I was lucky to have some time with JUST HER and I look forward to the adventures we have together this year :) (I LOVE YOU CATHY!!!!!) Oh - and her husband Shahid returns TONIGHT!!!!

* Emily, Ian, Alex and I took a trip to "The Teacher's Cellar" this afternoon. It is a gem of a store - filled with everything that makes a teacher giddy. I purchased some new posters (buy two get one FREE!), an adorable mug (desk-worthy), and some certificates of achievement. I can't wait to get into school on Saturday and add these things to my already-wonderful classroom :)

* Who's still watching Big Brother? The three of us (Phil, Em and I) are confused as to who to root for. I suppose it's the best of the worsts at this point.....

* Tonight I made two chocolate chip banana loaves for "school snacks". Hmmm.....do other people talk about school as much as I do? I mean, why did I have to call it a "school snack". Isn't it just a snack? Haha.

* Sad news about ex-Leaf Wade Belak. I find it rather alarming that he is the third NHL player to pass away within the last few months.

Well, I wish you all a HAPPY AND SAFE September!!! Best of luck as you get ready for "school" (<---- see, I can't stop....).

HELLO SEPTEMBER!!!

Many people have been experiencing the "summer is over" blues this week, but I would like to inform them of the following AWESOME things:

* "Back to school" time is a great excuse to buy new outfits and fancy office supplies.

* Tea party season will really start to take off.......

* All of your favourite tv shows are coming back with NEW EPISODES!

* Brand new shows are starting up too! HELLO "X Factor"!!!

* If you're in Kuwait, the hot weather starts to dwindle and if you're in Canada, the trees start to turn pretty colours!

* We are even CLOSER to Christmas! YAHOO!

See....it's not so bad! Stick together, folks!!!

"Pain is TEMPORARY, Pride is FOREVER!"

This morning I had the house to myself and decided to try Jillian Michael's "Ripped in 30" DVD for the first time. I purchased it this summer - inspired by our current "Biggest Loser" addiction - and have yet to find the space or privacy to actually put it to good use (workout tapes aren't something I can do in public)! Well, thanks to a nearby golf course and a new teacher orientation, the house was MINE ALL MINE and I jumped at the chance to sweat it out with Jill.

HAHA.

I am so glad that no one was home to watch me! The workout was supposed to last for 30 minutes.............which is NOTHING, right?! WRONG. At 14 minutes, I pressed stop and fell on the floor laughing. On the WEEK ONE, BEGINNER workout I felt good for about 4 minutes and lasted for a mere 14. She's tough, I tell ya. So tough that I said farewell to HER and hello to MY TREADMILL :) Ah - that is something that I can do for MORE THAN 30 minutes!!!

All jokes aside, the workout was actually a creative one and I imagine this new found love for "body torture" will motivate me to press "play" again soon.....