you smell so lovely..what are you wearing? downy.

we woke up earlier than expected today and i definitely had a sore throat-drainage boo. it came on from out of nowhere.

so...the other day when we went with some of the other teachers to help with navidad en el barrio, it was actually pretty fun, but there was someone who had on some kind of perfume or something that had a scent that i kept smelling and i loved it! but i couldn't figure out exactly who had it on, then i think i figured it out, but i opted against asking what it was because the last thing i wanted is for her to do was go post in her blog about someone asking what kind of perfume she was wearing. smile.

 i remember one time when i asked one of my coworkers at a magazine fulfillment company what perfume or lotion she was wearing because it smelled really good. she was hispanic, and i wasn't sure we were communicating because she said she wasn't wearing any perfume (twice i asked and got the same answer)...i finally asked her why she smelled so good?  downy. it was her fabric softener.. i guess i just like the smell of clean.

so today i went to bed bath and beyond for soap and looking for that fresh scent. well, i don't know that i found the exact scent, but i found one that i think might be close. and of course, you know how they are with the buy three gimmick. well, i was on a mission and i resisted!! proud of me!

sensory overload whenever i go in there. my sniffer says, "that'll be enough of that!"

so when i got home, i took chaco for a walk. but this time, we went out of the complex around to the new park they built behind the savoye in addison-vitruvian park. it's a nice little park. i've included some pictures.

chaco was most impressed, although there weren't many others visiting today. i promised him there would most likely be bigger crowds in the summer and he seemed okay with that. i heard him telling bruno about it, trying to make him jealous to see if perhaps he might come with us next time...he didn't give an answer. i might start stopping there after school to go walking though, because it's a bigger loop around than our trail...and i can walk faster if i don't have the boys with me...then take chaco for a shorter walk at the complex. hmm...sounds good.

i got these great Christmas stickers from a friend,and i think i am going to have to decorate some notes for Christmas! woo hoo!! love holiday stickers!

aren't stickers just fun?! i used to collect the ann frank stickers in a special book-that eventually got 'misplaced' by mom in file 13...

smell ya lata',
julie

stop already, the sanitizer is gone, don't bother.

let us all take a moment to mourn the loss of a fourth grade team member.

it was a sad day. it was verified that, in fact, ms. arroyo would be moving to 3rd grade. pretty sure she is not thrilled about it, i was very frustrated because i have appreciated working alongside such a wonderful colleague! raquel, here's to you-my hat is off! thank you for being willing to try anything and seeing the silver lining in all! i'm really glad that at least we get to keep you on our hall, almost next door! i enjoy our after-school chats but i shall miss having a lunch buddy!

after school, we were trying to work through what a potential schedule might look like with our interim principal and our assistant principal and what i was writing down made sense in my mind, but i'm pretty sure it looked more like a football play to everyone else (my stroke of genius)

my explanation of how things are currently

as we were coming in from recess, after lunch, the kids always think they have to use the purell sanitizer.so i was sitting there observing this phenomenon, watching them push the lever to try to get some, but it's probably been out for a month, so i said, "it's out! the hand sanitizer is gone, don't bother!" and a split second later, another decided to try the lever, as if by some mysterious miracle, everyone else was just doing it wrong.. i don't understand the obsession.

it's like the dispenser was the recipient of the AGE-OLD joke and had a sign taped on it's back that said: PUSH ME

after i left school today, i had to make a quick stop at walmart. interestingly enough, i got stuck behind a lady who had way too much perfume on (so much that i had to find something to put to my nose to stifle the smell. then on the way out i caught a crazy heavy cologne smell lingering all over the parking lot...ok, maybe just in the car next to mine. (but still). i told my students that i like them to try new things in their writing, like dialogue. then i compared dialogue to perfume and explained that too much of it is not a good thing-it gives us a headache and overwhelms us.

while i was there, i was especially looking for a couple of things. here are a few of the wonderful things i found!

sassy socks!

 i cannot remember who it was that insisted on having sassy socks back when i lived in des moines...i'm pretty sure it was either jory or cindy...but that was one of my missions today-to find some amazing halloween socks! i looked all over the store. i literally went from one end to the other, and finally found them on a rack right near the front (not in the sock section, nor the halloween section, but in the shirt section).

then i found the honeycrisp apples!! i LOVE them, i really do...and i also found the caramel! woo hoo-it is truly fall!

the boys approved of the sander, then bruno said, "wait a minute, you aren't planning to grind my toe nails down, are you?"

the other item i came home with was a rotisserie chicken. well, i pulled off some huge chunks of chicken and came into the living room. then before i knew it, bruno, as quick as lightning snatched off a huge chunk and threw it on the floor then jumped down and began to scarf down the entire thing! i was so mad at him!! i'm so glad there was no one else in the house to witness it. he's soooo in the doghouse with me (only we don't have a doghouse).

alrighty then, if you ever want people to stop listening to your ideas, write them down like football plays.
julie