HAPPY FEBRUARY 29th!

Here I am - still awake, on a school night, sitting alone in the living room....WIRED! Phil is already in bed, but I have been marking like a fiend since I got home at 3:05 and I can't seem to relax enough to fall asleep. I know, it's only 9ish now, but that is already about one hour past my optimal bed time! And so, I did what any overtired middle school teacher would do (or NOT), I whipped out my froggy hairband to celebrate this LEAP YEAR! Haha - wait until Phil reads this post tomorrow morning.

Speaking of tomorrow - the "highlight of basketball season" begins! Phil and his junior varsity boys are playing in a three day international tournament hosted at our school. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I can attend his 11 a.m. game. I should be on prep during that time, but you never know when you might be called in to sub for someone else!

Ahh! March madness begins! GOOD LUCK to PHIL & THE BOYS!!! I will do my darnedest to "project" my voice court-side! YIPPPEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Told you I was WIRED!)

Goodbye PLANKING, Hello JOLIE-ING!

Out with the old, in with the new! Inspired by this red carpet look, Angelina Jolie fanatics have started a new trend called "JOLIE-ING". As with planking, the whole idea is rather silly (but will no doubt catch on). Google it for a good laugh :)

Did THAT just happen?

During my first period class today (and after several weeks of working on their science fair projects)....

Student: MISS! What is the scientific process?

As you can see, I have not included my reaction to this question. The reason being that I don't even remember what I said or did. Actually, I couldn't even tell you which kid asked me this. I just remember feeling VERY UN-IMPRESSED at the moment, taking a deep breath, and finding my Zen.

Yikes! I think it's safe to say that four day weekends aren't always the best idea ;)

Jokes aside, my kids were wonderful today. I love grade six!

IF YOU WERE HERE FOR TEA.

* It's my FOURTH year in the middle east and I have JUST realized how much I LOVE dates. I started to eat them as an after school snack at the tutee's house and we purchased some yesterday to have with tea at home. Mmmmmm mmmm mmm! DELISH! My reviews have been so good that even Phil tried one! <------- This is a big deal, as he's a plain jane when it comes to food!

* Last night we watched the movie "Contagion" and it has inspired me to wash my hands ALL DAY LONG today. In fact, half way through the movie I had to grab the Dettol (to which Phillip responded "you're being ridiculous")! Baha. It was an okay film, but what's with the ending? Before we knew it, the credits were rolling and many outcomes were left untold. I guess this leaves room for how I think each movie should end - "...and they all lived happily ever after"!

* This morning we watched the Oscars red carpet on repeat. It was 3 hours of WONDERFUL E! coverage with Giuliana looking absolutely STELLAR. I'm trying to Youtube some of the acceptance speeches now, as the actual show was not aired on any of our networks.

* Another delightful part of our Monday was a phone call with Dana doodle! She was up late after a grand attempt to watch intermittent Oscar coverage in a snowstorm. I wonder how much she'll miss that weather next year in the Philippines?! Fingers crossed she never has to experience an earthquake....

Well, today is our last day of the four day weekend. It was a PERFECT, RELAXING holiday and we feel refreshed and ready to go for school tomorrow. A busy March awaits us with science fair, track and field, and two basketball tournaments. The first tournament is next weekend for the junior varsity team. I can't wait to cheer on Phil and the boys for three days straight!

Missing all of you back home!
XOXO

BYE, BYE BLENDER!

In our kitchen, there are three outlets. One is for the fridge. One is for the washing machine. And the other is for essential kitchen appliances that are stored on the shelving unit you see here. Now, for reasons that frustrate the heck out of us, the kitchen only likes ONE of these "essential" appliances to be running at a time. If we want tea and toast for breakfast, we make one and then the other. If it's oatmeal and coffee, it's one and then the other. If it's a smoothie and a sandwich-maker-sandwich, same thing. Anyways, in order to accelerate this already-slow food/drink preparation process, we store our "TOP FIVE" appliances - the ones we use the most- on the top shelf for easy access. Until last week, our "top five" included: the toaster, the kettle, the coffee maker, the sandwich maker and the blender. Well - changes have been made...

MOVE OVER BLENDER - there's a new appliance in town. Say hello to "THE STEAMER"!

Yep, that's right - our blender has been moved to shelf two in order to accommodate our frequently used steaming machine! You gotta earn your place, Blender, if you want to remain on the starting line-up!

Phil and I will be off to the grocery store this afternoon to blow off some steam to find things to steam! BAHA. I know - my jokes are lame.

Happy Oscar day to ALL! I can't wait to see some STEAMY new looks on the red carpet!

Haha - sorry, couldn't help myself. Signing out now! ;)

RAIN, RAIN, you can STAY!

Sometimes rainy days are a good excuse to stay inside and be lazy. When they happen in Kuwait, they're even MORE convincing! Right now it is POURING rain - and I mean it when I say "pouring". We can hear the pitter patter against our windows and the cars swooshing by on the highway below. TV is always a good option on days like this. If the icky weather keeps up tomorrow, we may get through season eleven of The Biggest Loser! YA-HOOOO!

TA-DA!

This morning Sophia, Cathy and I transformed our hallway into a circuit gym. We had a stepper, several sets of weights, a band, a mat and a collaboration of exercise ideas from the three of us. The equipment was broken up into different stations (water station included!), which we rotated through one minute at a time. It was SUPERB! And much more tiring than you might think!

Tomorrow we begin day two. With great company and good tunes, we should be good to go ;)

THE KITE FESTIVAL.

This afternoon the Hussain's and I drove to the middle of nowhere to see a kite festival. Phil and I went last year and I had convinced the neighbours that the voyage was a worthy one. Well, turns out they agree with me! The festival was, once again, absolutely fascinating. There is something strangely captivating about massive, colourful kites in the midst of telephone wires, hydro poles, and the dusty desert. In fact, it was SO GOOD that the Hussain's knocked on the door two hours after we returned to tell me that they were heading back out!

Ah - it's a wonderful life :)

Spotted @ Dean & Deluca:

1) Fancy water that was about $36! Perhaps there really is "something in the water"?!!



2) Tea that appears to be MY CUP OF TEA exactly! Elephants?! REALLY?! Ah - I think it was meant for ME!

Things that are exciting RIGHT NOW....

* Britney Spears may be a judge on the next season of the X Factor! (Fingers crossed!)

* Brendan and Rachel from Big Brother are on the AMAZING RACE! Haha - TOO GOOD!

* Phil and I are having a "sleepover" tonight - meaning we set up a cozy "bed" in the living room, drink hot chocolate with mini marshmallows, and watch tv together :)

* My nanny is hiding out from the snowstorm today....knitting baby blankets....for us! Do you think this is a hint???!

* We still have THREE MORE DAYS of NO SCHOOL! It's such a wonderful feeling!

HELLO 4 DAYS OFF!

Sigh.

This week was a long one! With basketball, track and field, tutoring, and science fair preparations, this couple is ready for some much needed REST!

Here's what we're up to this weekend:

* Tonight - dinner with Steve and Em, followed by Idol with....??? Well, you never know who may drop by!

* Shopping with Emily and Colleen tomorrow morning. I haven't seen Colleen in FOREVER. I can't wait to give "TOTES" a hug! And get a latte. And purchase something fun. Like hair elastics.

* Phil has a basketball game tomorrow afternoon and then plans on having "Taco Time" with Steve. Luckily, I will be at a kite festival during these hours and won't be exposed to their fast food fiasco. (BREAKING NEWS: PHIL JUST INTERRUPTED THIS POST TO TELL ME THAT BBALL IS CANCELLED TOMORROW! YAHOO! One more kite participant??? I HOPE SO!!!!)

* Shows: American Idol (X2), Survivor, Amazing Race, Grey's Anatomy, Parenthood, Private Practice.........

* The Oscar's red carpet. And only the red carpet. I believe my "ya, I've heard of that" movie tally is at ONE. If only the academy recognized GOOD FILMS. One day. Haha.

* Plan a trip. For April. We welcome any input :)

* Sleeping in, or trying to. Who am I kidding? We'll be up at the crack of dawn tomorrow and each day that follows.

* Cuddling with Phil. As much as possible! I miss him. We're both busy - him especially - and I need to get my "PHIL" before the upcoming "MARCH MADNESS" (<---- including the one you're familiar with, and Phil's two basketball tournaments at the school).

I believe that's just about everything! 'Tis the weekend to remain indoors and avoid the holiday's annual chaos.

BON VOYAGE to our friends traveling to exciting places! STAY SAFE! We'll miss you in Hawalli ;)

Welcome to the 80's!

You know your hair elastics have lost their elasticity when you wake up every morning with a mullet.

The shopping list for this weekend just got one item BIGGER!

HAPPY FAMILY DAY, ONTARIO!

Kids say the DARNDEST things!

Student: Miss....are we going to do any digesting this year?

Me: Digesting???

Student: Ya. Are we going to digest any animals?

Me: Ohhhh! Dissect!

What they say is true....

Everyone is cute until they turn into a teenager. Yep, even LiLo. Ah - the good old days. The September-October-November-December days. The "they are still adorable" days.

Some of my kiddos are converting.

And as for mechanical erasers. I HATE THEM.

Four more days until a four day weekend. GO TEAM!

Thursday, Last Period.

While entering the classroom....

Boy in my class: (big smile and giggling) Miss....I'm going to get on your nerves today!

At this point of the week, all I could do was break into laughter.

PORTRAITS of ME.

Good, right?! They learn from the best :)

IF YOU WERE HERE FOR TEA.

* Well, I survived the first week back to school after being sick! I slept A LOT this week - like 7:30 p.m. bedtimes. This is completely opposite to Phil, who was too nervous about basketball playoffs to sleep this week!

* Speaking about basketball playoffs, Phil's team won the semi-final game on Wednesday night and came SO CLOSE to winning the finals yesterday evening. They lost by 4 points to a team that has won the championship for years! Ah - it was quite the game to watch! Next year first place is THEIRS :) Way to go, Phil!!!! You are a FANTASTIC COACH and we are so proud of you and your team!!! xo

* In other basketball news, Phil and Steve are hoping to score some professional development funds to attend a coaching clinic in Athens this April. I am going to urge Phil to go anyways because I think the opportunity is a good one. Flights to Athens are cheap and there are some big name people presenting that weekend. Plus.....PD for PE is hard to come by! Especially over here. I say he goes for it - reimbursement or not!

* Last night we had pizza for dinner with the Huffho's, Emily and Steve. The Hussain's opted for some Kuwaiti food and brought over their dinner to eat with us. I think it made the basketball loss a little easier to handle (you know how much Phil loves PIZZA)! Sophia also made a SPECTACULAR cake that was all kinds of colours! It was a piece of art and she let Phil have TWO PIECES! Needless to say, good company and yummy food seemed to keep him in good spirits :)

* My kids were pretty awesome this week. I really missed them while I was away and I think the feeling was mutual :) I love their innocence and sense of fun. I love their enthusiasm and resilience. If only I could remember this during moments of frustration.....haha.

* Tonight we are going to the Kuwait Little Theatre to watch a musical produced by our friend Kristen. We have heard great reviews from colleagues that attended earlier this week and I can't wait to see it first hand. I picture it as one big sing along :)

* Did Ben REALLY keep Courtney on The Bachelor this week? Does he REALLY want to meet her family? Is he being paid EXTRA to carry her through? ICK. Next week's episode is sure to be a great one. We're still rooting for Kacie B. in this household!

* Survivor began this week! When Phil wakes up this morning, I hope to have it all ready to go on my computer. After that, I'm not really sure what to do in order to ease his playoff sorrows. Pizza, Survivor........maybe a can of Pringles is next on the agenda? Ohhhhh I hope I can distract him from his feelings today!

Happy FAMILY DAY weekend to all of you back home! We are looking forward to all of the fun things we'll get to do together this summer! Until then, have lots of Canadian fun for us :)

Tired like WHOA.

Today was my first day back to school since being really sick and all I can do is say WHOA. I am comatose on the couch! Turns out I'm not as well as I think I am.....

I suppose I still need to do a little more of this:

and this:

Off I go.....

Have you heard of this guy?!

His name is JEREMY LIN and he's proven that EVERYONE deserves a chance.

Let the "Lin-sanity" continue!!!

DEEP BREATH IN!

This afternoon I went to the school for an hour or two to organize my classroom and get caught up on everything that piled up last week.

Deep breath in.

My desk was barely recognizable.

Deep breath in.

The inboxes were overflowing with student work.

Deep breath in.

My reliable post-it notes were missing.

Deep breath in.

My scissors were covered in some sort of sticky guck.

Deep breath in.

My email inbox went on for scrolls and scrolls.

Deep breath in.

ENOUGH! I did what I could in my mucus-y, dizzy, weak, and headache-y state (yep, STILL not 100%).

Oh the joys of being absent! My mantra will have to be "one hour at a time".

Wish me luck!

HAPPY BLOGIVERSARY to US!!!!

TWO YEARS AGO today, I started "The Pearl Curriculum" as a Valentine's Day gift for Phillip. Our holiday rule was that our presents had to be MADE rather than purchased, and with little craft supplies available in Egypt, I opted for arts & crafts of another sort. It seems to have worked out pretty well, as the blog has become quite the "staying-in-touch" tool for the rest of us! (SIDE NOTE: To you February 14th dis-likers, without this romantic day, we wouldn't have THIS place to catch up!)

Thank you to all of you who continue to read our day-to-day nonsense! I really do think that every post brings us CLOSER to the real deal ;)

Love Linds & Phil
XOXO

Hmmmmm....

Stress? Maybe it wasn't Ian OR the massage.......

Ladies and gentleman, this is my fifth day off in a row. My advice for the rest of you?

"IF YOU NEED A PERSONAL DAY, TAKE A PERSONAL DAY."

If I worked for a pharmaceutical company....

1. The letters "A/C" would never be seen on my medicine! The last thing you want to think about when you have the chills is air conditioning.


2. My pills would never call you mean names.

Good Morning!

We get some pretty skies in Kuwait. This is the one we were greeted with today :) SO BEAUTIFUL!

Let the OPTIMISM shine through!

Update: still sick! This is my third day away from school and I am non-stop stressing out at home. I hate being away from my kids. I hate being out of routine and seeing the work pile up right in front of me. Bah. Stressful. Nonetheless, the doctor forbid me from school for three days. And so.....I'm trying to pull some reverse psychology on my body to see if that works better than the meds. Here it goes:

* Dehydration? Muscle aches? WHO CARES! It's a real party in the "IV" department of the hospital. I get to listen to people on the neighbouring cots say things like "can you please bring me an iPhone charger?" and "this is ridiculous - I've been waiting for 10 minutes!" Haha, if they only knew what home was like.

* I usually have to change every four or five hours because the clothes I am wearing end up DRENCHED within this time period. But really - it's like one ongoing game of dress-up! I'm just like Britney Spears on tour - keep the costume changes coming! (And Phil is happy with the amount of laundry I am producing!)

* This is the perfect time to watch movies - something that I can rarely sit through when well because I get bored and need something to fidget with. Well, THANK YOU WEAKNESS! Today I managed to watch "The Help" and "The Smurfs" without any effort.

* Two nights ago I pulled my first all-nighter in YEARS! It was fabulous. If someone had video taped my evening and then put it into super-fast mode, it probably would have looked like a really fun dance party.

* Me being sick has brought out "SUPER PHIL"!!!! Phil is already the most kind, wonderful, thoughtful, and CARING husband there is. But he's reached a whole new level. Prime example: he took care of me INSTEAD of watching the last quarter of the Super Bowl (the only quarter he was awake for). I LOVE YOU, HUN! THANK YOU! xo

* My mountain of Kleenex sorta resembles snow. It's that time of year ;)

Now....did you hear that BODY?! I am having a blast. Really!

(Fingers crossed that this bug "scrams" SOON! I MISS SCHOOL!)

HAPPY SUPER BOWL DAY!

I suppose I will cheer for Madonna since I have no allegiance to either team :)

ENJOY THE GAME!!!!

Ian or Massage?

One of these things has made me sick. Here's some evidence to support each option:

Ian:

1) Was coughing up a lung in my vicinity on Thursday and Friday.
2) Was looking like death in my vicinity for over a week!

(I love you, IAN!)

Massage:

Remember how I told you I went to the salon on my "blah" day? Well - I had a lower leg/foot massage that day and rumour is massages can make you sick faster. Here's why:

1) Massages increase blood circulation, spreading whatever bug you have more quickly throughout your body.
2) Your body has to "work" during a massage - which is the exact opposite of what a potentially sick you needs. Responding to the various touch techniques requires energy and hence, you're not as "relaxed" as you think you are.

Hmmm.....my ammo against Ian is 100% legit. The massage research sounds skeptical, but could possibly be true as well. Either way, being sick is no fun. It sent me home from school today and I have been in a panic all day long thinking about my kids. Perhaps my absence will give them good luck on their electricity test!

World Peace?

I'm all about it. But this is a little much.

To top it off - Phil just informed me that this player is guilty of punching a fan in the stands.

World peace? Through actions of love, his family name could have become a representation of just that.

BLAH, BLAH, BLAH.

Today was one of those days where I just felt all-around BLAH. It was tear-city in the apartment. All I wanted to do was be alone....or with Phil....or with my Daddy. Since Phil had basketball and my Daddy's an ocean away, I opted for a solo trip to the salon. It helped a little. What is helping now is a cup of tea in my Colour Me Mine creation and Idol with Phil.

Let's hope this state of BLAH-DOM disappears overnight!

I miss you Daddy!
XOXO

GO GREEN!

Last week we had steamed broccoli for dinner one night. Tonight, we had it again and I can officially confirm that it's my new go-to mealtime vegetable. I LOVE it. It is sweet without any additions and packed with my best friend forever: IRON (among many other things).

We'll have to stock up when we go grocery shopping tomorrow :)

Apology ACCEPTED!

This past Christmas, I gave out Christmas cards to many people on staff. One of them was Mr. Steve, a guy who we didn't really know at the time but who had just become Phil's assistant basketball coach. I figured he was card-worthy and so a delivery was made to his mailbox at school.

Well, Steve was transferred to work with me in the science department this semester. In fact, his classroom is right beside mine and we have become good pals. One day I decided to joke with him about how I assumed he was an "unappreciative" person because he never thanked me for the Christmas card we gave him. To me, it was a silly joke, but Steve took it literally and promised to make me an award-winning carrot cake to make up for it. I kindly accepted this form of an apology since I LOVE CARROT CAKE.

Yesterday was the big day! After two days in the making, Steve made good on his promise and we enjoyed a DELIGHTFUL evening of delicious carrot cake. It was SO GOOD. SO GOOD. In fact, Phil and I indulged in seconds (and thirds!) before calling it quits. Its award-winning status is no lie!

Half of the cake remains in our refrigerator. I wish I could have all of you over for tea, but it seems as though we'll have to tackle the leftovers alone. Bummer.

BAHA. Thank you, Steve! But now that I know you fall for it, I will call you out on every "unappreciative" action from this point forward ;)

Thoughts on "The Bachelor".....

1) We were expecting some SERIOUS drama this week, as per remarks made by the media and other Bachelor fanatics. Alas, the previews did NOT live up to our entertainment standards.

2) When you sign up for a show like this one, surely there's an understanding that the man will be dating many girls at once. Right? These women are acting like they never saw it coming!

3) The producers are only going to show you the clips they want to - the made for tv moments. It's unfortunate that Ben got rid of Jennifer instead of Emily, but we only saw a PIECE of the story. Who knows - perhaps a blooming romance exists between Ben and that drama queen???

4) Courtney is HILARIOUS. She is such a villain. In fact, Phil and I think that she and Bentley (from last season's Bachelorette) should team up and go to work! How intriguing would a season with the two of them be?!

5) Kacie remains our fave. She is so honest-to-goodness charming.

Who was it that said reality tv kills brain cells? If you ask me, I just engaged in a Bachelor-inspired reflective session which included some intense critical thinking ;)

TO CHEESY BREAD HOGAN:

This picture represents MANY pieces of cheesy bread.

(We love you).

Kristen Bell's Sloth Meltdown

This video makes her my new favourite celebrity. It's a MUST WATCH!

WELCOME FEBRUARY :)

Here's a picture of Phil and I in Nepal - during out "over the top, much exaggerated, and disgustingly in love" photo shoot. When the jealous 30-something's on our trip became irritated by our best-friend-ship, we childishly decided to rub in it - with the help of our two friends.

But now that it is THIS MONTH, I feel our holding hands and running beneath the trees would be warranted. Where's the nearest national park?! ;)

YIPPEE! Hello to the month of LOVE!