I am boring.

I am boring. This morning, Girl Terror headed off to her first day of grade 2. Boy Terror does not begin school for another few days, so he and I were left at home. Or, to hear him talk, we were totally abandoned without a backwards glance, discarded like a dirty kleenex, and left to rot in the stagnant air of the dull house.
He has nothing to do. No books. No toys. Most importantly, no one to talk to. I tried my best, but I am boring. I read to him. We watched a show together. I built a marble obstacle course that rivals the best roller coaster in the business.
He hugged the cat and told her how sad it is to be alone.
After a week of bickering and fighting and tears and "she said she wants alone time!" and " he won't let me play with ANYTHING" I somehow thought he would be delighted when she left, but instead he has been counting down the minutes until noon, when she will be back to light up his life.

They must get it from their father...

Last night at supper, Boy Terror demonstrated that he is more than ready for kindergarten. He counted by 3's to twenty-one, with only one prompt from me. He counted by 4's to twenty-four. He counted by 5's to thirty. When we asked him to count by 6's, he got to twelve, and then declared "Twelve! That's four threes!!". Then he was stuck. He guessed seventeen. He does not have this memorized. We can see him doing the math in his head.
Lately he has also been starting to read. He knows that we sound out the words, and he does a pretty good job! So far, his biggest obstacle is that he keeps trying to read words backwards. He's not reading, really, yet, but it's right there, on the tip of his brain.
I think we are so surprised because as a second child, he just hasn't gotten the same attention as his sister did. So we don't see the process, just the results.
I'll be honest....I suck at math. Really. In college I had to take Bonehead Math, also known as Math for Elementary School Teachers, in order to be sure that I would not make a fool of myself in front of my students. The math skills both Terror have shown MUST come from their father. I'll take credit for the cute, though!

End of summer.

Wow, summer just flew by, didn't it?! I know that yes, we still technically have a few weeks left, but for me it's pretty much over. I'm going to work tomorrow. And the next day. Probably the one after that, too. I'm more than ready. By this time of the year, I really miss school! I start to dream about my classes, I wonder what students I will get, and I miss the camaraderie of the staff room. So, for that part of the "end of summer", I'm excited.
Here's the not so good part. My baby boy is going to school this year. My baby, my snuggle butt, my littlest one, is a Big Boy now and is headed off to kindergarten. I was sad when Girl Terror hit this stage, too, but this time it feels worse. I was excited for her, and she'd been talking about school for years before she finally went. Boy Terror, on the other hand, has just recently started to show some enthusiasm. Don't get me wrong, he's happy and excited, he just didn't bother getting worked up about it years in advance.
I am not ready. Once he goes through those doors, he's gone from me in a totally new way. He will have new friends. He will never be my "baby" again. I might very well cry.

movie ideas

I need your help. Even you lurkers out there...it's time to comment!

I go back to work in 21 days. Mentally, I went back today. I'm trying to think of some videos, movies, documentaries to add to my library. Do you have any suggestions?
I teach CAPP (Career and Personal Planning) and Family Studies. In each semester, I cover a variety of topics such as health, sex, jobs, post-secondary education, career choices, and family life.
I don't often show movies in my class, but sometimes you just... need to. And if they are on topic, relevant, and worth my time, I will be more willing to spend class time watching.
So bring it on! Give me ideas!

Their tastes are more mature than mine.

On a recent car trip, we were listening to songs from "Bear in the Big Blue House". The Terrors are too old for that show now, but I miss Bear and his songs. Everyone was singing along to the mail song:

(Come on. Let's go check the mailbox and see what's in the mail today. Hmm.)
What's in the mail today?
What's in the mail today?
What's in the mail today?
What's in the mail today?
Is is it a picture that my Grandma drew?
Of Grandma dancin' with a kangaroo
It could be a cookie recipe
From my aunt who says
She thinks the world of me
Is it a story from a magazine (Magazine!)
About a monkey in a submarine (In a submarine!)
I would laugh to see a photograph (Ooh ooh aww)
Of my good friend jumpin' rope with a giraffe
It would be fun to send a letter back (Ooh yeah)
It makes me smile to think my friends will say (Say what?)
I wonder what's in the mail today?
What's in the mail today?
What's in the mail today?
I wonder wonder
What's in the mail today?
What's in the
What's in the mail today?
Oooooooh. Yeah.

So. You get the picture. Lot's of speculation about the possibilities in the mail. As the song ended, Girl Terror sighed and said "If you really want to know what's in the mail so bad, just. go. check."

I think it's safe to say she's "over" Bear.

Panties. The bane of my existance.

I am having an underwear crisis. Yes, really. And no, it's not that funny. A few weeks ago, I realized it was high time I bought some new panties. (god, I hate that word.) My needs are simple, and I'm easily pleased. I was looking for basic black, cotton, comfortable underpants. Nothing weird. There must be enough fabric to cover my substantial back end. There must not be so much fabric that it also covers my boobs. The leg holes need to be just right. Not so small that the blood flow to my legs is cut off, but not so gapingly huge that I look like a sumo wrestler. Not thongs, because those are shoes. Off I went to the store, convinced that this would be a simple errand. HA!!!

First of all, the sizing charts boggled me. In some brands, the size I usually buy looked like small scraps of spare fabric. In other brands, they could have been used as sails for a whaling ship.

Once I figured out the right size, there was the issue of colour and pattern. Remember, I said basic black. I could not find a package. There was bright flowers, stripes, plaid, and of course smiley faces. Some packages had black, but the other pairs in the pack were hideous 50's sofa patterned. Trust me, when your ass is the size and shape mine is, giant orange and fushia blooms are not attractive.

I finally found a package with three black pairs. The right size. The right price. I was giddy....until I realized they were the dreaded thongs. Arghh!!

Anyway. Long story short, I eventually bought some panties. (There's that word again...) They were black. The size seemed appropriate. I wore a pair the other day. Turns out, they are absolutely perfect, so long as you don't mind your panties drifting down until your butt is hanging out, totally uncovered, while you walk. These panties are fantastic for sitting. They stay nicely in place if I don't move. But as soon as I start walking, the top slides down, and eventually they are oh-so attractively wedged under my butt cheeks, held in place only by the force of my jeans.

I'm not sure where I'm going with this tale. I guess I just want sympathy, and to let you know that if you see me doing what looks like a weird little jig, in the middle of the street, just keep on walking. I'd like some privacy while I hitch up my drawers.

Questions from the peanut gallery

Thanks, Fawn and Kara!

Fawn asked: Questions...
- What made you decide to pursue teaching as a career? Was it what you always wanted to do?
- Have you always lived in Whitehorse? Have you ever lived in another country?
- What's something you'd like to learn to do?
- Dog person or cat person?
- Do you have a garden? If yes, what do you grow in it?

1. I've always, always wanted to be a teacher. I loved school my whole life, and I couldn't imagine ever leaving! Plus, growing up as a preacher's kid, everyone just assumed I would become a teacher and marry a minister. Ha!!
Originally, I was an English teacher. I have my degree in Secondary English. I love teacher English, but I love being employed even more, so when the chance came along for me to teach CAPP (Career and Personal Planning), I jumped at it. I think my personality is really well suited to the job. I spend my days talking to teens about life, growing up, and all the fun stuff. Then I send them off to math class!

2. Hubby was born and raised in the Yukon. After we got married, I agreed to move up here for two years, to give it a shot. That was in 1998. I'm still here, and I suspect I'm here for life!
I'm originally from the East Coast. My heart is always going to be in Nova Scotia! After we got married, we moved to South Korea for 14 months. It was the absolute best experience for two newly married, recently graduated teachers.

3. I want to learn to play the cello. I used to say that I would take the time to learn while I was pregnant, but now that we have two kids, and NO MORE on the way, I'll have to change the plan. If anyone has a cello out there that they'd like to loan me, let me know!!

4. I'm a dog person, living with a cat person. So I have a cat. I love my kitty, I really do, but I want a dog sooooo much!

5. I don't have a garden. I'd like one, but since the house is for sale, and I keep foolishly hoping it will sell, I haven't even planted flowers this year.

There! Thanks, Fawn! And Kara, once school starts up again, I'm sure I'll have more stories for you!

Help!

I'm bored, I'm feeling boring, and I need something to write about! Have any questions, or good ideas? I'm open to suggestions!