Monday, October 08, 2007

Fall Break



It's Fall Break here in northern Alabama, which means our schools are closed for a week. Just like spring break, except a different time of the year. I'm sure lots of people even rush to the beach, although I'm not one of them. But it is still warm enough along the coast for that.

As usual, I have set myself some unrealistic goals for this week. Having promised Drama Queen that we would paint her room, I'll be buying paint and moving her furniture before doing so. I figure I better do it while she can have her sleep interrupted for a few days. I also promised her I'd take her to Tate Farms (local pumpkin patch/hay maze/corn bin/play place), because she can't wait until the annual Playground pilgrimage to pick her pumpkin.

I'd also like to work in the yard (just because I've got the itch): move plants, pick up tree limbs, trim bushes, weed, and such... I think I'll replace my exercising each day with about 45 minutes outside abusing my body. Why is it that working in the yard is so much tougher on the muscles?

On top of all this, I'll have both kids home 24/7 and no help from the hubby because he works all this week. Am I an overachiever or what? :) Notice writing isn't even mentioned yet... *shakes head sadly* Will I ever learn?

Angel

PS: Friday's winner is bethre. Please email Smarty Pants with your snail mail address to receive your prize.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Makes me tired just hearing what you've got planned.

Kira Sinclair - AKA Instigator said...

My girls don't actually have off this week. In fact, we don't have fall break at all this year. Not quite sure how that happened but I'm not complaining.

Angel, considering how sick you've been lately please try to take it easy! I worry about you.

But I know what you mean about feeling the need to get things done - or do something different. I went hiking with the family twice this weekend. Well, hiking is a relative term with a 3 yr old but we did head out to the national forest and the wildlife refuge. We had a blast, enjoyed 2 picnics and let the dog run and run and run. Anyone who knows me will probably realize that while I like the IDEA of hiking I rarely indulge because it requires me to get up off my rear and sweat. I actually enjoyed it. We're planning to go again this weekend.

Instigator

Rhonda Nelson said...

My kids have today as their break and that's it. And it's really not even a break because my son has been up since the crack o dawn working on a Meet The Greeks report and my daughter has a volleyball game this afternoon.

And I agree with Instigator--you've been awfully sick to be tackling a room re-do. Be careful...

Problem Child said...

However, should you get done with everything at your house, please feel free to come to mine. I have a list...

AC is gone to my Mom's for a few days. I slept late this morning and hope to get much writing done while she's gone...

Problem Child said...

I just heard from PM--she has an internet outage.

The Monitor is away--let the children play!

~~pokes SP and pulls Angel's hair~~

Andrea Laurence AKA Smarty Pants said...

Ouch! Ugh...

Painting...gotta love it. I've only got my bedroom and master bath to go. DB's office and garage are his business. Once I'm done with that, I may never paint another wall as long as I live.

I've never understood fall break. Its hard enough on working parents to manage time off and childcare for spring break, summer break and winter break. Fall break is just adding insult to injury.

Playground Monitor said...

Fall break is a new thing since my kids were in school. It's supposed to help relieve the kid's stress. Uh... when I was in school, we went from Labor Day to Thanksgiving with no break, and from New Years to Memorial Day without one either. Do I look stressed out? Don't answer that.

I'm at the bookstore by the way so I could check in on you wayward children. As I drove out of my subdivision, the utilities people had a whole corner dug up, and I imagine that's where they dug into the phone cable. Per customer service, it's scheduled to be fixed tomorrow -- or maybe sooner.

PM

Angel said...

Well, when I'm sick I always get this behind feeling, so as soon as I'm feeling better I enter "rush" mode. I try to make up for lost time, even though these aren't things I would have been working on at the times I was sick anyway...

If I could afford to go on family vacations, I would love fall break. It is the perfect time to get away. Things aren't as crowded and it is cooler...

And PM, you have to remember, our kids started way before Labor Day... as in the first week of August. If they started later... But who can fully understand the rationale of the people in charge of the school system?


Angel

Katherine Bone said...

Angel, take care of yourself!!! I was feeling pretty good on Friday morning. Decided to clean out the Cheerleader's closet so everything would be organized in time for the game. WRONG-O! Hurt myself and hobbled around the whole weekend. Be careful, Angel!

DH took #3 to West Point, so it's just been me and #4 these past 4 days. All #4 wants to do is hang out with her friends leaving me all alone. Hey, though I know I should be jumping for joy, this is just plain weird! Don't know if I can handle the empty nest when it comes in 1 1/2 years, PM. Whine.

Kathy

Anonymous said...

Our kids had a 2.5 hour early dismissal today, not for Columbus Day, but for teachers to put in grades....it was so nice and quiet.

I'm tired reading what Angel posted, however, my week will go like this:

Tuesday - introduction to new chapter through scope and sequence of: plot, characters, setting. I'm looking forward to that. Principal led meeting after school. Oh joy. Going to learn more about higher order questioning (which i like).

Wednesday - same thing - different students - ELA department meeting after school.

Thursday - continuation on the characters, plot and setting, but also adding in some extra help in antonyms and synonyms...

Friday - same thing - different students.

All this week though, i have to finish my ILPs, kind of like reviews each marking period for at risk students, as well as making sure grades that were exported were correct.

I still need to critique my novella, and finish my challenge for another board, while finally taking time to look at my wip which has just been sitting there doing nothing.

Oh...and all the laundry and other stuff.

Can you picture Helen Reddy singing:

I Am Woman Hear Me Roar?


Nini :)