Shin Gardens

Shin Gardens are what Sveta calls her soccer shin guards. You can probably file this under stuff that only grandparents find cute. Slow news day I guess.

Now that's just plain CRUEL!

It was blazing hot in my classroom today. It was 92 degrees outside. I teach in a building made of steel, concrete and brick. The building has very few windows and the air conditioning %&#@*! (doesn't work very well, to put it delicately). We complain about the heat and non circulating air all the time and we're told the AC works fine. It doesn't! I do have one of the few windows in my classroom and it overlooks the city park. Today the firefighters were setting up their steak fry which is their annual fundraiser. As I'm sweating and dreaming of the weekend, what do I see down in the park? The Bud Light truck. Now that's just plain CRUEL!

I'm not happy, but...

I'm still not happy about going back to work, but as first weeks of school go, it was a very good start to the school year. I really pray this is only a taste of much better things to come. I'm sure there will some some wrench or wrenches thrown into the works and there will be just as much stress as there always was. I've never been known as an optimist, but it is the weekend and that'a always good. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to have a glass of lemonade. A glass that's half EMPTY by the way...

TGIF

It hasn't even been a full week of school, but tomorrow is still TGIF. Any time you work with pre-teens, any Friday is welcomed. TGIF indeed!

Kids!

Since school has begun, the stress level in the house has greatly increased. It's natural. Michael is just learning what a heavy workload college can be. Abby is taking AP and honors courses. Both kids are still working at their part-time jobs. I'm back to work too. The carefree days of summer are gone. Our noses are firmly pressed to the grindstone.

With all these adjustments to new schedules and workloads, increased stress levels are bound to happen. With that being said, I was reminded of a couple funny plaques I saw last year. The first one said, "Raising children is like being pecked to death by a chicken". Anybody who has ever had teenagers can relate to that statement very quickly. The second one said, "Raising teenagers is like nailing Jell-O to a tree". Once again, anybody who has raised teenagers will have no problem knowing what that means.

Here's a photo of the first one---

Here's the second one---

First Day!

Today was my first day back to school with students. I'd like to report that I was excited and eager to go back to school, but that wouldn't be honest. I always go back kicking and screaming before I settle into a routine. Once I settle in I will be fine.

This was day number one... or as I prefer to look at it, 179 more days until summer vacation. Ha! Ha!

And so it begins...

Today Michael completed his first day of college. He really liked it and we pray this is the beginning of a successful college experience for our beloved Butterhead. A good first impression is so important! My first year of college was at UC and it couldn't have been a more horrible experience. The next year I enrolled at NKU convinced I was not college material. My first day on that campus changed my life. I had some wonderful advisors and my first class (History) was taught by one the most amazing professors I ever had. Bottom line--- That first day was very positive and set the tone for the rest of my time at NKU. I hope Michael's first day nets similar results.

A doll named WHAT?

Sveta loves her baby doll. We asked her what her doll's name was. She said, "Tortilla". Yeah, you heard right... Tortilla.

Tami asked if it was a chicken or beef tortilla. Sveta replied, "It's not a food! It's a person!" I guess we've been told! Tortilla it is!

Soccer with Sveta

We went to watch Sveta play soccer today. What a joy it is to watch four year olds play soccer and not have them worrying about winning or losing. There's plenty of time for that when they get older.

We set up our chairs on the sideline and just as both teams were lining up for the kickoff, Sveta yelled to the sideline, "Daddy! I gotta go potty!". We all thought that was really funny. Once the game got started we had a good time watching the little ones doing their best to play some semblance of soccer. As mentioned in a previous post, they don't keep score in Lollipop Soccer. However, If they did, Sveta's team, The Pixies, would have been on the wrong end of a 10-1 rout. I do have to say our little Sveta is quite aggressive and looks to have some potential in her soccer future.

When the game was over, the teams went through the traditional handshake line. Then the kids got juice boxes and animal crackers. After the game she also proclaimed, "I was lost". We weren't sure what she meant at first, but what she meant was that her team lost. Very cute! We also bought lunch for everybody and then took Sveta for her favorite "sock-a-lit" ice cream. What a GREAT day!

What a nice time!

What a nice trip down memory lane! We had dinner with our former neighbors last night. It was so nice to see everyone after 7 years. For the most part these people haven't changed a bit. Honestly, I think Tami and I have probably changed the most.