Tears already!

Today one of my sweet girls came in with a note saying that today is her last day! She is going with her grandma to Disney next week. I immediately teared up--she she is just so cute and I will really miss her!

Then, a little later, her grandma came in to make sure I got the news, and I started crying again! The grandma started saying how much J. loved me this year, etc., and the tears just came. I'm usually not this emotional!

It is really going to be ok, because I will see her this summer, assuming that I get to work at summer school.

My grandparents came in for their regular Friday afternoon routine: lunch, recess, and then grading and filing papers! Except today I didn't have any papers for them. Instead, they helped me clean and organize and pack. They are so awesome!

Now I'm ready to sleep and its only 7:30! I'll try to stay up a little longer. :)

PS - I still haven't finished the DVD for my students. That's my weekend goal, so we'll see!

The water day that didn't happen

Oh dear! We were supposed to have Water Day today (in other words "let's see how wet we can get ourselves and our teacher" day). Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate! It was dreary and misty and 70. So, they postponed it until Monday.

My class was off the wall! They came in this morning with their change of clothes and towels and they were ready to go! They couldn't believe I actually wanted to teach math and reading on Water Day!

Then, when we got the news that Water Day would be postponed, it went downhill from there... Just another day in the life of a second grade teacher. :)

Works For Me Wednesday

This is my very first Works-for-me Wendesday!

I've been using Miracle-Grow Liqua Feed and it is really working. You screw it on to your hose, and it fertilizes while you water your plants. You don't have to measure anything! (No math=works for me!) You can buy it at Wal-Mart or Lowe's.

I use it a couple of times a week. The nice thing is that you can just leave it on your hose, and turn the dial to "Water" instead of "Feed."

Also, I've actually been watering EVERY DAY (that is huge for me!) And dead-heading all of my plants. Here are my hanging baskets:

That's what works for me!

Vist Rocks in My Dryer for more tips.

Waiting...

You may know the story of Sarah and Abraham, and how they desperately wanted a baby. God had promised Abraham a son, but He didn't fulfill that promise when Sarah was at childbearing age. Instead, God gave them their son when Abraham was 100, and Sarah was 90! (Genesis 18, 21)

Why would God do that? Why couldn't He just have let them have a baby at a normal age, like 20? There's so many answers, but the answer that encourages me the most is that God knows what's best. God looks at us from eternity, not just from our small viewpoint.

Here are some snippets from Streams in the Desert by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman on waiting:

It is not for us who are passengers,
to meddle with the chart and with the compass.
Let that all-skilled Pilot
alone with His own work.

Some glorious morn--but when? Ah, who shall say?
The steepest mountain will become a plain,
And the parched land be satisfied with rain.
Rough places plain, and crooked ways all straight,
For him who with a patient heart can wait.
These things shall be on God's appointed day:
It may not be tomorrow--yet it may.

What are you waiting for?

Workin Hard

Just checking in with a little update...6 report cards finished and 17 to go! Actually, I have finished grades on all of them and now I'm working on comments. Which, by they way, are a huge pain! No more, "Is a pleasure to teach," or, "good luck next year," like I used to get on my report cards! We have to write a full paragraph...and some kids require 2 paragraphs!

And to update you on my Amazing Race planning, I met today with the planning team and we did some hardcore brainstorming and got a lot done. I have some research to do this week, and then next week we are going to get together again to write the clues. I'm so thankful! It was getting to be overwhelming to do on my own!

Well, I hope you have tomorrow off! I'm looking forward to doing some shopping and then celebrating my aunt's birthday with my family.

Answered Prayer

No matter how many times God listens to my prayers and responds, it still blows my mind every time! Just this week God has answered two biggies, and I wanted to share with you so that you would know that God is so faithful.

First, every morning at school we say the Pledge and have a moment of silence. Everyday, I pray the same thing: God, give me YOUR love for these kids. Help me to care and think of them the way You do.

Well, I have to say that my heart has grown exponentially for my kids. I didn't know I would love them so much. Especially the, ahem, annoying ones! God has done this. If it had been left up to me, I would have a few favorites and just put up with the others. But God has answered this prayer.

Second, I have been praying for my mom...desperately, from the bottom of my heart, crying out to the Lord for her. You see, she gives all she has to people, and is one of the most dedicated, trust-worthy people I know. In a word, she's awesome. And God has answered my prayer for her. And I don't think He's done with His blessings just yet.

I will praise you, O Lord, my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. Psalm 86:12

Tender Moments

My tender moment today: My student, "Jack," was sitting next to me during my planning period. He was supposed to be in the library with the rest of his class, but he was having a tough day and I knew it would be nothing but trouble if I left him there.

"I wish I was white," he says. "Why?" I ask.

"Black people are mean," he says. I scramble to think of a good way to explain, knowing that Jack's parents are really hard on him and abusive at times.

"Not really, think about Ms. H and all the nice black people that work here. And, sometimes white people are mean too. It just depends on the person, not what color they are."

"Well, really I just want to be white so I can be your son," Jack whispers, looking at the carpet.

And that's when my heart melted and I wished I could scoop him up and take him home with me.

The post where I don't complain

See that title, I'm not going to complain!! I'm not going to go on and on about the state testing and the schedule changes and the waste of time programs that we have to sit through at the end of the year. I'm not going to mention how kids can't handle ANY thing that is not part of their daily routine. Not saying a word.

On to other topics...I'm working on a DVD yearbook for my class! I'm using Windows Movie Maker and I'm putting all the pictures from this year together to music. I looks so cute so far! The only problem is, it takes about an hour to burn each DVD! And I have to make 23! So, I'm going to take my laptop to school tomorrow and put one of the kids in charge of putting discs in every hour.

Annnddd, report cards are due on Monday. So this is going to be a busy weekend!

Oh, and I (in a moment of extreme stupidity) offered to put together a scavenger hunt for our group at church, and I need to have it ready by Sunday. Its going to be a little like Amazing Race, where a team gets clues to go to each location. The first group to get to the end destination wins. Maybe I shouldn't have volunteered for this task, seeing as I am extremely directionally-challenged! (In other words, I can get lost in my own neighborhood.)

Well, wish me luck with all this! The good thing is, by Tuesday, I will be very relieved!

But who's counting?

10 and a half days of school! At this point it still seems like forever! My kids are going absolutely crazy today despite everything I'm trying. I need to be patient but I'm definitely having a hard time.

Just when I say to myself, I CAN'T WAIT FOR SCHOOL TO BE OUT! I realize, I'm really going to miss these kids. I'm not saying that just because that's what teachers are supposed to say! I really will miss them. For those of you who aren't teachers - I have gotten so close to my students, and its weird to just let them go.

Some of them I know will be fine in third grade. And others, I want to keep sheltered in my room for the rest of elementary school. I'm not perfect, but I'm also not a yeller or screamer. I don't demean my students or make them feel stupid. Unfortunately, some teachers do. That's why I want to keep some of those who need extra tlc.

I'm thinking of a handful of boys. This year, I hope I have been encouraging to those boys. I hope they know how much I love them and believe in them.

I'm not ready to let go.

PS - I'm dying to add some pictures of my adorable class but that would be a big no-no! So just imagine 23 beautiful faces :)

He be gansta

Today, one of my students sat next to me during lunch. He was cracking me up as usual. I told him how funny he was, and asked him if his mom ever told him that.

I'm always asking things like that so I can get a better idea of my kids' home lives.

So, he says "No, she just likes it when I be gangsta." No kidding.

I can't resist, so I ask, what is gansta? "You know, when I say yo dog and stuff like that." As I ask for more details he tells me..."Yeah, my dad is King Gansta. He be Gansta at home and with my grandma and even when we go to the store. I miss my dad. He's in jail now."

No way am I going to ask more details, but the kids across the table ask why. "He ran over somebody," was his response. (This was the first time he'd ever mentioned his dad being in jail.)

I let that subject drop after I say that I'm sorry about his dad. A little later, back into the gansta conversation, I ask if he's a gansta. "Yeah, I'm a middle-class gansta." Priceless.

It excites me

It doesn't really take too much to excite me, obviously. I get so excited everytime I check my blog and see that someone I don't even know has looked at my page. For those of you new to the blog world, bloggers can check their stats and see how many visitors, where they are from, how long they stayed, etc. Popular bloggers (ex. BooMama, Ragamuffin) have thousands of visitors everyday. I'm just excited because I have had a visitor from Azerbaijan! Huh? Well, if you are still reading let me know who ya are!

Great Links

Bored? Here are some great articles for a lazy Sunday.

Boys Will Be Boys - Without Wax
This is why I'd prefer girls, thank you very much! (Make sure you check out the next-to-last picture!)

One more reason to lather up - Blissfully Domestic
And another reason for me to be paranoid.

Bobbi Brown's Makeup Tips - The Makeup Diva
Some good tips that I may actually try.

Elm Studios Online - Handmade Gifts
Aren't these just the cutest gift ideas???

Easier said than done

Ok, so I'm finally blogging! I've been thinking about starting for a few months now, and finally got up the courage to do it. There's just something about putting your deepest thoughts onto the Internet for all to see...but I'm going to give it a shot!

So, what about the name? I had tons of ideas for a name, but you know, everyone already had those names! My favorite one was "What Direction Now?" taken from a Switchfoot song. I guess someone else liked that name. So here I go, with Perfectly Cloudy. Its kinda like my life. I try to make everything look perfect on the outside, while inside I'm all hazy and confused. And, its kinda like my life purpose: sharing God's love. His love is perfect, but when shared by me, it is totally muted and muddy. But, that doesn't stop me from trying.

What do you think? Does the name make any sense?

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back and visit often!