Senator Roberts at Washington

How exciting is this?  EXTREMELY!!!!  The Senator only came to one school in the entire district yesterday and he came to Washington Elementary.  He visited with some of the staff and talked about NCLB (No Child Left Behind) before heading to the 1st grade classrooms.  He was supposed to come upstairs to visit the 4th grade classrooms (yes, mine included!) but I’m not sure if he even made it up the stairs!  Overall, he was impressed about what our school has done with our students and how much they have achieved.  Now I’m looking forward to the celebration party we’ve all been promised in a couple of weeks!

Another update from the Beach

As I headed to my office this evening, Ken brought it to my attention that we have officialy been on the South Beach diet for one month.  Now that we’re both on Phase 2, our menus have gotten a bit more flexible but we have to watch out on for our grain consumption.  Ken has been religious about sticking with it.  After Valentine’s Day, I couldn’t help but cheat.  My students and my secret pal were inundating me with chocolate, my favorite snack.  And yes, I ate it. MMMMMMM!!!!!  Yummy.  My weight is yo-yo-ing, but not far off my goal weight (and driver’s license lie of 125).  In fact, at one point I only had 1 1/2 lbs to go to meet it! 

Conference Time!

Today and the next couple of days are conference days at Washington.  Tonight was a late night with my last conference ending at 7:30pm.  Wouldn’t have been too bad if I hadn’t already been working a full day.  Tomorrow is a shorter day with conferences only lasting until 4:40pm.  Some speculate this is because of Valentine’s Day, others say it’s because it’s church night.  I’m just glad we’re out early!  Thursday is another late night but thankfully I don’t have too many scheduled for that day.  Friday is an inservice.

I’m getting better at doing these things and not saying too much before giving the translator time to interpret what I said!  It was a weird experience listening to my words being translated into Vietnamese!  Mostly I deal with Spanish, which I really need to learn.  Lessons, anyone??

An Assembly to Remember

The school in which I work prides itself on its diversity.  Yesterday was no different.  At 3:30pm we had an assembly to honor the Vietnamese New Year.  I was in for a real treat.  There were red envelopes with money in them, flowers for the staff, and tons of food provided by the Vietnamese community in appreciation for what we do.  Then we got to see a dragon dance where we “fed” the envelopes to the dragon.  I tell you, it was indeed quite an experience!

Here’s some info on the Vietnamese New Year, or TET.

“TET is the beginning of the Vietnamese New Year which usually falls at the end of January or early in February.  This year, TET starts on February 18 in 2007, and according to the Vietnamese Zodiac, this New Year will be the Year of the Pig.

TET is usually an official three-day holiday in Vietnam and its celebration can be found everywhere in the country.  On the country side, it lasts for many more days.  On New Year’s Day, people visit their families wishing each other good health and prosperity.  Children get small red envelopes stuffed with money or “li xi” which is the symbol of good luck.  The Second day of TET, people are visiting relatives and friends, and students bring flowers, food and presents to their teachers as a gesture of appreciation and gratitude.  On the Third day of TET, people young and old are celebrating the festivals where a variety of activities, foods and performances are offered.  They may include folk songs, dances, talent shows, beauty pageants, contests, dragon dances, chest games and art exhibitions.”  (courtesy of Hai Ngo, teacher at Washington)

So, now you know.

Update from the Beach

Today is the first day of Phase 2, unless you’re like Ken who wants to stay on Phase 1 for one more week.  He’s really disappointed that his weight hasn’t changed for the past 4 or 5 days, which I don’t blame him.  And there’s contradicting information about staying on Phase 1 longer and expecting to lose more in Phase 2.  Hmmm.  Well, I think I’ll do a bit of both, especially since I can have chocolate in Phase 2!  We did the grocery shopping at Super Target yesterday and bought some items that we wouldn’t normally buy.  Like what? you might ask.  Well, how about salmon pinwheels with lobster in it.  Yum!  We had those for dinner last night.  Scallops was something else we thought we’d give a try as well as mahi-mahi.  We stocked up on the South Beach entrees and some pizzas and breakfast wraps for Phase 2 (they were on sale AND I had coupons )  I’m fortunate to have lost 6 pounds total in 2 weeks with only a couple left to go.  I’m nearly ready to go swimsuit shopping!

Taylor’s Got a Brand New Look

Taylor had been complaining about not being able to see the board well at school so we took him to the optometrist. Turns out he actually needed glasses for distance. We visited Eye Masters in the mall hoping for a one-hour turnaround but instead ended up having to wait a couple of days. Taylor was so excited to pick them up so we made a special trip tonight. As we drove home, he kept exclaiming about how well he can now see!

The Beach is really, really boring

I think I’m starting to look like a salad.  No, really.  That’s all I’ve eaten for lunches for the past two weeks.  Either that or eggs.  Or maybe vegetables.  Is it worth it?  I’m not sure yet.  I’ve been a good girl and haven’t had any sweets (yes, that means I DID pass on my birthday cake!).  Although I’m still stuck at having lost 4 lbs, my tummy is noticeably flatter.  It may be as flat as it’ll ever get after having carrying three children!  Now, if only my derriere looked smaller, that would be even better!  I really want to look decent in a swimsuit this summer at the reunion in Florida! It’s good to have goals. . .

It’s that time again!

Time to clean out the closets for upcoming consignment sale, Britches and Lace!  I did really well at the fall one so I’m giving the spring one another shot.  So, in my spare time (yeah, WHAT spare time??!!) I’ll be going through the kiddo’s closets and pulling out outgrown spring and summer apparel to make sure they’re clean, pressed, hung, and tagged appropriately.  The dates are March 8-10 so I don’t really have a lot of time.  You can check out their website at www.britchesandlace.com or another consignment sale website that might be coming to a place near you is www.jbfsale.com!  If you have munchkins, it’s a great way to earn some cash, empty your closets, and even stock up for your own children with great prices!!