Teacher outfit for fall... And an update

This evening, to de-stress, I turned to one of my other hobbies; online virtual shopping.  Tonight, I decided to make fun outfits on Polyvore, which lead to this creation, and me inadvertently posting it on my blog.  Ahhh, the wonders of technology.  

Teacher outfit for fall by bobbinsandboys featuring a pencil skirt

Boyfriend cardigan
shopping.aol.com

Halogen pencil skirt
nordstrom.com

Old navy
oldnavy.gap.com

BP. leather boots
nordstrom.com

Fossil handbag
fossil.com

SALE - Baby Orange - Big Size Smooth Bubble Statement Necklace - Gold...
etsy.com



Anyway, my mind has been turned into a logistical nightmare of trying to figure out who is taking and picking up my kids from school and preschool while I will be working full time next week with my TWENTY-SEVEN first graders.  I am freaking out over Ryan going to kindergarten even though he is totally ready.  It's like he told everyone last year when he we didn't let him start kindergarten, "My mom's not ready yet."  I'm so excited for his school adventure to start, but I am and never have been good with uncertainties and not knowing what will come next.  I guess its also been hard because as a teacher, I DO have a choice of where to send my kid and I have struggled with knowing if sending him to our neighborhood school is best or taking him to my school is best.  There really is no answer to this question at this point.  And Jack.  Well, Ryan's preschool that I dearly loved closed at the end of the school year so Jack is starting preschool (already!) at a new place.  I don't know the people there like I did at Ryan's preschool.  I don't know the people at his elementary school like I do the people at my school.  We don't know the people in our neighborhood so this is new for our family.  My class is all new with more first graders than I've ever had before.  So I'm freaking out.  And Phil is being patient with me.  I know God has his hand on this even though this is so minor in the grand scheme of things.  I am struggling and I am distracting myself with silly things like looking at pretty clothes online.  

At least my inadvertent post turned into an update on my blog after a really long time, so there is that.  Maybe after our life gets into the new swing of things, I will have a moment to tell you all more about summer and the projects that I completed.  Here's hoping.  ;)

Conan!

A few weeks ago, Phil asked me if we should try to get tickets to go see Conan.  I said, "Why not?"  He had tried a few other times and nothing ever came of it.  I had made other plans for the date he selected because we had never gotten called for tickets before.  That must have done the trick because last week, we got the call that we had tickets to see Conan!  I was really surprised.  

Monday was the day.  The kids spent the day with my parents and Phil and I left for L.A.  We got to the Warner Brothers Lot really early and waited for our tickets.  

 When they passed out group numbers, we were number 7!  It's my favorite number so I was happy.  I also knew it meant we would be seated close to the front.

 The show was also taping an hour early.  We had made plans with one of Phil's friends to eat lunch together on the lot.  Since his friend works at the lot, we were able to get passes to walk around.  The show being taped early meant we had a lot less time to check out the studio.

We met Tim and Rachel for lunch.  Afterwards, Tim was gracious enough to show us around.

Tim showed us Brownstone row and pointed out the Brownstone where Audrey Hepburn's Wait Until Dark was filmed.  We went inside to check it out.  The buildings are so authentic and real looking from the outside, but inside is just an empty warehouse with lots of plugs for lighting.

Here is the exterior of the Brownstones.

Tim also pointed out where the new Batman movie was screened.  Phil had to have a picture in front of it.

Here is a "New York" street.  We also saw an area that could look like Central Park.  It was where the Phoebe/Rachel jogging Friends was filmed.  I should have gotten a picture of that.

Tim knew what a fan Phil is of the West Wing and Aaron Sorkin so he took us to see these landmarks. Phil was thrilled.

 I think if Aaron Sorkin had actually been in his office and Phil would have had a chance to meet him, he might just have been speechless.  That's how much Phil admires Sorkin.

After we looked around, we went back to Gate 8 to wait for the taping of Conan.  We were told that if we were late, our tickets would be forfeited and that would be that.  We made it in time.  We were escorted back through the studio lot where we had already been looking around.  We waited in line, Disneyland style and it was hot, just like Disneyland in the summer.  I don't have any pictures of any of this because we were told phones must be turned off and cameras were not allowed.  Period.
Finally the taping began.  It was great.  Our seats were right next to Andy's podium.  The thing that struck me was how Conan and Andy turned it on for the cameras and as soon as the cameras stopped rolling, their schtick stopped too.  After our show was filmed, Conan came out and asked the audience if it would be alright if he filmed some of Thursday's show.  We were psyched!  He let us know that he would be changing into his Thursday tie, then we would start filming.  To our great surprise, the filming he was referring to was Ben Stiller!  Ben Stiller's interview was great and flowed so naturally.
At then end of the taping, Conan sang to the audience, then said hi to a few audience members, and then that was that.

On the way out, Phil "oops" took a picture of the studio.  On our way out, we stopped by the security guard booth and Tim had renewed our passes so we didn't have to leave.  We went back on the lot so I could get a picture of where Friends was filmed.  On our walk back, Phil snuck a picture of superhero Lego Conan.

I got my picture at the Friends stage.

We also toured an area that is referred to as the "Jungle"  It was really cool and looked like a backwoods/ jungle area.  It was hard to feel like we were in Burbank anymore.   On the way out, we passed the costume shop.  I stopped and peered through the windows and probably drooled on them.  Phil said I should just walk in and look around.  I was sure that we would get kicked out immediately since our passes were cleared for meeting with Phil's friend.  I chickened out and snapped a picture through the window.

We left during 5 o'clock traffic and were starving.  I went on Yelp to see what was in the area.  I discovered a place called the Red Door that had great reviews.  We decided to check it out.  We had read that it was hard to find and it really was.  It is in an alley and there are no signs.  It's just a red door.  It had the feel of an old timey speakeasy.  We were greeted by the owner and the bartender.  They brought us a drink and some food that the owner had just prepared; ribs, chicken, and smashed Yukon gold potatoes.  Amazing!  I wish we could have stayed longer because they were having live music later that evening.  Alas, we had to drive home.  Maybe on another visit.

The day was great and filled with a lot of great memories.

Shenanigans and Adventures in Motherhood

My boys were in rare form on Friday. We had a busy morning of cleaning house. When we finished, I went to get ready to run some errands and take the car to get the oil changed before our weekend away in Fresno. While I was getting ready, Ryan took it upon himself to make sure he and Jack were looking good. As soon as I was out of the shower, Ryan started yelling for me to hurry and see what he and Jack looked like. He excitedly added, "I even gave us haircuts!" As soon as I saw Ryan, I knew I was in trouble. I saw all the freshly cut hair all over the newly cleaned bathroom floor. I yelled for Jack. He came in smiling with his hair wet and slicked down. It didn't look short so I thought it might be okay... until I saw the back.


I yelled at Ryan for using scissors without permission and showed him his hair in the mirror. What had made him proud of himself only moments before was now making him sob and feel embarrassed. He didn't want to leave the house to get an oil change (or eat a donut in the waiting area). I told him to put on a hat and we'd fix his hair later. After I'd calmed down, I asked him for a picture of his hair, explaining that every kid cuts his hair and every kid has an awful picture of what that haircut looked like. He wouldn't go for it or take off the hat. After we had been at the oil change place for a while, I tried again, this time bribing him with a dollar. No dice. He wanted $20. I said no. I suggested a toy car in exchange for a picture. He said sure, as long as it was Lewis, Miguel Camino, or The Queen from Cars 2. Most Cars 2 Cars cost between $3 and $5. I said I'd do it and snapped my picture. He gave me a huge grin and showed off the horseshoe shape he had cut into his hair.


Once I went online to see about the cars, I saw that Ryan had fleeced me. I found The Queen on eBay for $12.95 and that was the best deal. The other cars were no better. A promise is a promise.


After I got my car back, we headed to Jack's Barber Shop where my dad likes to take the boys for haircuts. I showed the boys to Jim the barber and he laughed, the got to work fixing up the boys' hair. While the boys were getting their haircuts, some firemen popped in who were checking out the buildings on the block. They gave the boys stickers and we got to see the ladder truck.


Their shenanigans turned out to be a fun little adventure at the end of the day.


(This was Jack's last shenanigan at the end of the day. He was standing in the sink happily applying band aids to himself.)

Jack's 3rd Birthday

We have had a great time celebrating Jack's 3rd birthday the last 2 days. Yesterday was his actual birthday.



We started the day with a donut from Smith's.


Next, we gave Jack the gift he had been asking for for ages; "Big Giant Minn Missile!"


Then we were off to church for the last day of VBS. That evening, Lorie invited us over for dinner (which was fantastic) and cake.


Today, after many weeks of pinning monster ideas on pinterest, we got to have Jack's monster party.


I found this cake on pinterest and recreated it with cake pop eye balls and shaved orange candy melts for fur.


My mom made the monster towel for Jack and I made the little orange monster from an orange dusting mitt.


Monster treat bags.


The treats inside. (Thanks mom!)


Monster cups


Monster cake pops. I am no master of these and kind of hate making them. I figured they were supposed to be monstrous to keep with the theme of the party.


My mom made the monster fruit salad.


Here is a better shot of the little monster stuffed animal.


My mom made Monster Juice and "Eyes Tea". I made monster cups for the kids.


My mom also made the centerpieces.


Jack was very pleased to hear "Happy Birthday to Jack." Jack got some wonderful birthday gifts that he is so excited about. I think these three homemade gifts are darling.


Laura made this cute robot art kit.


Lorie made this darling monster pillow.


My mom made this awesome monster towel for Jack.

Everything turned out really cute and we had a great time. Now to rest a little and enjoy some summer vacation!

End of the Year

Every end of the school year leaves me feeling drained both physically and mentally.  I daydream about easier career paths and vacations and traveling.  My whole family feels the affects of my  mental absence at the end of the year and are probably as thankful as I am for me to have a break.  Jack has particularly needed mommy this weekend, which is strange for him since he is so independent.  I even napped this afternoon and I never nap unless I am running a fever.  After my nap, my head started to clear and I started to see the piles of clutter in my house, reminders of the frantic pace of the last couple of weeks.  I didn't want to tackle them, but I really hate clutter.  One pile on my counter was thank you cards. Some were from Cubbies, some were from teacher appreciation week, and others were from the last day of school.  I had barely glanced at them as I received them since I was preoccupied with other things.  Before throwing out the pile of them, I sat down and started to carefully read through each one.  The words were so kind and complimentary of me and the work that I have done over the passed year.  Some of the words really stood out to me.

You are appreciated much more than you know!


I can honestly say _____ loves you two (my partner teacher and me).


Thank you for all your hard work and for sharing God's love each week with these little ones.


Thank you for teaching with your heart and expecting only the best from your students.


It's so nice to have a place where ______ looks forward to going to, and where he comes home singing all the songs he's learned and sharing his craft and story with us.


I will miss you.  I had a "grate" year.


I got choked up as I read all of these kind words and my heart was full.  I needed this encouragement today.  I needed the reminder that what I do is so important to these little ones and that my teaching affects all of these kids.  I loved hearing that my little Cubbies went home and sang the songs and could retell the stories.  Our crafts that we took the time to plan out were important to them.  I swelled with pride as I read about the growth the parents noticed in their students and that they appreciated all that I did at work each day.  These kind words meant the world to me today and reinvigorated me to keep going and to keep teaching at school and at church.  I love all the little lives that I've been able to touch this year and I'm so glad that I have made a difference for them and their families.  I put all of these sweet notes back in a basket so that whenever I'm feeling down about teaching again, I can read through them and remember why I'm doing this.