Dreaming about THE CUP.....

Yep!  Leafs Nation extends all the way to Kuwait!  There are two white and blue girlies in this house and we've been chanting "GO LEAFS GO" all evening long.  Daddy couldn't be more pleased......(I lie).

Something else - it's MAY!  We can officially say that we come home "next month".  YIPPEE-YA-HOO!!!!!!!

WHO KNEW?!

Turns out you can have lengthy conversations about things like BIBS when you become a Mom. I mean - there really is so much to consider....

There are the ones that fasten with snaps, ones that fasten with velcro and ones that must be tied.  There are ones that fasten at the back of the neck and ones that fasten at the side.  There are ones that practically strangle your baby and ones that cause major under-the-chinny-chin-chin milk build-up.  There are "moisture-resistant" ones that simply move milk from one side of your baby's face to the other and cause any dripping milk to slide right off the bib and onto your outfit, your baby's outfit, the floor or the couch.  There are others made of soft cotton that are kind to the face but last a mere number of minutes as they soak right through and defeat the "bib" purpose.  There are ones that are plain and ones that are decked out with fun shapes and creatures.  The plain ones match everything which means they spend lots of time in the washing machine and are rarely available for public appearances.  The ones with shapes and creatures are typically a last resort as they clash with the shapes-and-creatures-sleepers but at the end of the day you really don't care if your baby ends up being slammed by Joan on the Fashion Police.  And regardless of the type of bib your baby is wearing, all of them turn from BIB to SUPERHERO CAPE without warning, every usage.......

(And some of you thought I was boring BEFORE).

Little Scribbles That Make Marking Quizzes Much More Fun.

If my students finish writing a quiz early, I always allow them to draw on the back side of their page.  The kids know that I often leave comments on their doodles and it has become quite the fun activity for all of us.  Here are some of today's smile-inducers:

Apparently the Biebs is coming to Dubai this weekend.  You can imagine how many of our students will be in attendance.  It seems to be all the girls can think about!!!

Who doesn't LOVE cheese?!  You can see that this kiddo left a space for me to write my favourite kind of cheese....

This one had me burst into laughter.  The things these kids come up with!  Ha!

You can guess he's one of the very clever ones ;)

The Story of Why We Left School at 10:30 a.m. with Policeman-Purchased Icecream Treats.

 

It's a true story.  But the reason behind it might not be.  Let me explain....

We arrived at school at the usual time.  Phil and I both have first period off, so we worked away in our respective classroom/office until it was time for "morning routine" in the courtyard.  As always, I closed my door and rushed down to pick up some photocopies before the assembly began.  Then it happened.

The fire alarm went off.

Under regular circumstances - all over the world, ha! - you would see people begin to evacuate at the sound of an alarm.  But because we've had a bazillion fake fire alarms this year, nobody really thinks much of it.  Sad, but honest.  So........we continued to hang out and wait for the alarm to stop ringing.  Well, that didn't happen.  Instead, the principal came on the microphone and said we had to leave FOR REAL.  

SUPER!  

The students cheered (of course!) and began to exit the campus where they are instructed to stand with their homeroom classes in a shade-less, water-less area.  The shade-less and water-less issue hasn't really been a problem in the past but this time there were ambulances, police cars and firetrucks parked out front so we knew that something was up and we'd be outside for awhile.  That's when I started to fret a wee bit.  There I was with a big stack of photocopying, my new Coach purse on my desk inside, and my iPhone in an unlocked desk drawer.  OH DEAR ME.  I crossed my fingers that nobody would rob me.  

I am not going to get into the chaos that ensued.  But we ended up in nearby mosques, getting students to call their parents for a ride home.  Turns out there was a bomb threat.  Or a really, really bad senior prank.....

And then there is this part of the story:  the police weren't letting anyone back into the building and I may have faked an "I need my epi pen" emergency to get inside.....(sorry, but I wasn't willing to risk a Coach bag/iPhone theft)! 

When all of the students had been picked up, we were able to leave the school.  That's when the kind policeman purchased Phil and I an icecream from the conveniently placed Dicky Dee man.  YAHOO!

A brunch at iHop followed.  Turns out the mall was the place to be for all that were evacuated ;) 

I wonder what fun tomorrow will bring. 

JUST BECAUSE.

IF YOU WERE HERE FOR TEA. (Back to work now.....caffeine REQUIRED).

*  After nobody commented on my braces last week, I announced it on Thursday during each of my classes.  Their responses were so sweet:  "Miss, I get mine next week!!!", "Miss, we can make a triplets braces club!!!",  "Miss, what's braces?".................haha. 

*  I only half-watch Survivor but after Malcolm's exit in the latest episode it's transitioned to a not-watch.  Boo.  In other television news, we've started to watch "Millionaire Matchmaker" and find Patti to be extra-hilarious yet uncomfortably mean also.  I'm positive we watch the worst (yet BEST!) tv shows around.     

*  Cabs, cabs, cabs.  When you don't need one, they are EVERYWHERE.  When you do need one, GOOD LUCK!  I experienced this ironic situation twice today and my state of exhaustion almost had me convinced that walking home through the slums....in a dress......as a blonde.....in 40 degree weather.....was a good idea!   

*  Yesterday I went to the salon with Emily.  Before becoming a mom, I'd leave the place feeling so-so (you know, nice but nothing miraculous).  After becoming a mom, I leave feeling like a NEW WOMAN!!!  The great news is the price has remained the same ;) 

*   It's almost MAY!  I'm not sure other people realize how exciting this is, but to those of you that are teachers, you might get where I am coming from.  You see, April seems particularly far away from June.  But once May strikes, we can begin to say things like, "NEXT MONTH we go home!!!" and "NEXT MONTH the holidays begin!!!"  I'm trying to spread the JOY OF MAY throughout my hallway and even sent a department-wide email about it this afternoon.

*  Phil played in a golf tournament on Friday morning and went to a basketball workshop (hosted by a former NBA player!) yesterday morning.  He seemed to have fun at both events but was also VERY HAPPY to come home to see his little girl :)

*  Kumari is fantastic.  Really, she is.  But today she must have used the toaster to heat a cheese sandwich and....let me tell you.........there are globs of cheese at the bottom that smoke like crazy and add an interesting flavour to the item you'd like to toast yourself.  I think we may need to establish some guidelines for toaster usage......

*  Slowly but surely I'm returning to my pre-pregnancy wardrobe.  Today I got to wear a dress to school that I outgrew in like MONTH TWO!  You see, it's not JUST the tummy region that causes clothes to get tight and unwearable....   

It only took about 80 days, 10 attempts, multiple pictures, and some "money" here and there.....

But Eleanor Douglas FINALLY has her passport!!!!!!  Our COUNTDOWN TO CANADA can now begin - 53 days until we arrive in Toronto (unless I speed up the tally and hop on a plane tomorrow). 

You can expect a SUNNIER ONTARIO starting June 20th! 

The Job That's Not.

After I had instructed him to "get on task"....

Boy:  But he's making me laugh so hard, Miss.  He's making me think I'm in a forest with two bunny rabbits and a mini-gun!!!!

Ohhh they make me laugh!  And even though the day ended with one little girl wanting to punch another little girl in the face..........even though I have about 10 parents to email regarding lack of motivation/behaviour/poor teamwork..........even though I'm super exhausted from this first week back..........I still think my job is the BEST.

A Matter of Perspective.

During hall duty this morning.....

Grade 8 Boy (Whom I Have Never Taught):  MISS!  When was your baby born?

Me:  February 12th.

Grade 8 Boy (Whom I Have Never Taught):  Wow!!!  You have lost so much weight already!  You look like a SUPERMODEL!

Hahahahaaaaaaa!!!!!  One day I'm having another baby and the next I'm strutting the runway.  Oh dear me.  Perspective is a funny thing. 

SAY CHEESE!

YES! Last night I got BRACES! (Bottom ones for now. Top ones will come later!)

I got serious about this decision about two weeks ago and like all medical-related things here, the process moved at SUPER SPEED.  Consultation, X-Rays, impressions and getting "strapped up" all happened within one week!  Of course, the luxury of having the orthodontist's mobile number and email address also allowed things to progress quickly!  These are the things we'd TRULY MISS if we were to leave Kuwait today.  

Anyways, I had a big "show and tell" in my department this morning.  I thought I would want to crawl into a hole and die, but I found myself extra smiley and unable to contain my excitement.  Then I taught two classes and the kids made not a single remark!  Perhaps they didn't notice.  Or perhaps they were being polite.  Either way, I have two more classes this afternoon and I'm curious to see what will unfold.

Tomorrow is "teachers dress like students and students dress like teachers" day.  If nothing has been said by then, I will HAVE TO MENTION IT to stress my dedication to spirit events.  Ha!  Doesn't everyone get braces in grade 6?!

I will end this post with the following conversation, had by Phillip and I on the drive to school this morning:

Phil:  Are you ready to show off your braces and face all the mean kids?

Lindsay:  I think so!

Phil:  Isn't it funny that I will be having the exact same conversation 12 years from now....

He's so right!  I did consider waiting and making it a bonding experience with Nory, but she may luck out with a perfect grin and also......I am pretty excited to be Faith Hill's TWINNEE!!!!!!