10 on Tuesday....or Wednesday, the days are blending together

1. My principal told us yesterday that he received a call from the superintendent telling him to be nice to his teachers. Extra nice. Of course, being the guy he is, he said why? And her response? March is a LONG month, with NO breaks. Be extra nice.

2. Is it Spring Break yet?

3. My amazing daughter read in front of the entire school today...(insert "beaming" mom).... She read one of the readings at the all-school mass today. Jeff was able to be there and watch her. She did a perfect job. So amazed!

4. I cannot stand stupid people. Enough said.

5. Had little man's parent/teacher conference today. He is ready for Kindergarten! Can you even believe it? My little boy is going to be starting kindergarten? Wow.

6. I told Jeff when he came home tonight to watch out. I am irritable. Annoyed. Pissy. Have had two glasses of wine. Not going to filter what I have to say. Beware...

7. This past weekend we took the kiddos skiing! Yep, skiing. Total random thought, end of the season snow. It was a great day! They LOVED it! There were tears at the drop off of their lesson and HUGE smiles at the end. They learned about all about pizzas and french fries. Love it! Meanwhile, Jeff and I dusted off the rusty part of our skiing careers and had a great time on the slopes ourselves.

8. Did I share that my washing machine literally blew up last weekend? I started one of my many loads of clothes and it died before the spin cycle. So picture a full load of whites sitting in a full tub of water. Awesome. Now, I have an AMAZING front loader....I think I am in love. No, I know I am.

9. I never thought I would actually enjoy working out. But lately, it is a huge stress relief and has a great calming effect. Who knew running could do that?

10. (stepping on my political soapbox for a moment)....Read something the other day that struck me as SO true..."So how long before you admit Obama was a mistake?" or this one...."O-Oh, B-Big, A-Ass, M-Mistake, A-America!

Lots of love,

The Grady's

Beauty to Me

beauty to me...

The beach

Brothers and sisters

Amazing sunsets

Rosey cheeks from playing in the cold

Angelic smiles

Great friends

Being silly with girlfriends

Sisters and brothers

Moms and daughters

A careless walk on the beach

A beautiful day on the water

Beauty to me....

Lots of love,

The Grady's

On Stage

When I started college I had ever intention of becoming a neonatal nurse. I had this intense desire to treat newborns. Every intention. But, like most college students my plans changed as the years pressed on. I decided in my junior year to focus on kids in a different way. I decided that teaching was something I really wanted to work towards. So, another few years and low and behold, I had a teaching credential to my name and a job in a 4th grade classroom.
I can look back and say the first few years were all about survival. Plunging into each and every day with incredible energy, forethought, and planning. I remember spending over 12 hours a day in my classroom, planning, organizing, just working endlessly to keep my head above water. I remember having a box of cereal and a carton of milk in my fridge for those emergency late night dinners.
11 years now...11 years of planning, organizing, 5 grade levels, 5 schools, multiple classroom moves, and countless hours of planning. 11 years of days where I walked in the door at the last possible minute and out the first minute I could escape. And at the same time, 11 years of working at home at night grading papers and researching lesson ideas, going into work for extra duty time, taking classes to make myself better at my job, joining committees, heading up tutoring groups...whatever it took day in and day out.
Yet in looking back. Trying to look at myself from the outside in. I find that I become a different person in the classroom. I absolutely hate speaking in front of people. I dread Back to School Night, I avoid speaking in front of colleagues, and I sit in the back of the room during trainings. But in my classroom, in front of my students, I shine. I am on stage. I become this person that is doing something, making a difference, making a connection for some child. Anyone of them. Maybe 2 kids one day, and 15 the next. I find myself going into a zone where the only things that matter are what I am saying, who is listening, and what is actually understood. I feel like an actor on stage, presenting my best to my audience.
Don't get me wrong. Teaching is exhausting, in a way that others really don't understand. I am on stage, everyday, all day long. It is my job to entertain for 6 hours straight. Because if I don't really entertain...I lose kids, I lose their interest, their attention, their desire. It is MY job to entertain.
And even when I complain. Even when I don't know if I can do it for another day. Even if when I want to scream from the stupid level of stress I am under. I love it. I really do love what I do. I love losing myself, and all the outside daily stresses, in the daily mundane tasks of teaching. I love seeing the spark, I loving making the connection with my students.
I love being an actor in my own classroom.

Lots of love,
The Grady's

Escaping the desert

Remember how I was saying that I was feeling a little stir crazy at home? Well, we escaped the desert for a night this past weekend. We headed to one of my favorite places, the beach! We actually had a filled day in Dana Point, Costa Mesa, and finally at Downtown Disney.

Lots of love,

The Grady's

Love.

I keep forgetting to share Brennan's Reader's Theatre performance. He did such a great job singing about LOVE!

Lots of love,

The Grady's

Bucket List

This is as close to a "Bucket List" as I think I am going to get.

Instructions:
Copy the list, bold the ones you've done (with explanations if needed), share with friends.
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris (three times!)
13. Watched a thunder and lightning storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse (Munich, Germany amazing!!!!)
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (Germany)
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris (gorgeous views)
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud (football one night in college, great time)
54. Gone to a drive-in theater (almost every weekend in high school)
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma (blood a few times, rare blood type that they love)
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp (Dachu in Germany. Awful)
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone (my left wrist and a few toes)
78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican (Mass performed by Pope John Paul II on our honeymoon)
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Got a tattoo
94. Had a baby (times 2)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Does 46 constitute a life well lived?

TEN

1. It's been a long, long day. Even a glass of wine can't make it better.

2. Brennan earned his purple belt at Taekwando tonight! Hooray little man!!!

3. Today we had a meeting with our district financial guru. Lo and behold we are looking at a 14.8 million deficit. Wow. Possible 35 kids in our classes. Explain to me how that is good for kids. I do my job everyday. I try not to complain about the bureaucracy crap that we deal with every freaking day. But today we learn that they are considering once again cutting teachers, raising class size numbers, and barely considering the many other cuts they could be making that wouldn't affect kids as much. My job is to teach kids. Help them. Mother them. Provide them with some kind of a future. Explain to me how I will be able to "touch" kids, really reach them, when I have 32-40 students. Explain that to me. Please.

4. Feeling some serious cabin fever lately. Need to see the beach. Or the mountains. Or something different that the beautiful mountains we are fortunate enough to see all the time. But I need a different view.

5. We went to the annual Sacred Heart Gala this past weekend. Food was great. Auction was fun to watch. Had a great time! Pics soon....when I feel like grabbing the camera to upload.

6. I slammed my toe into the vacuum cleaner a week ago. Damn a broken toe hurts like hell. And the worst part? Nothing you can do about it.

7. Emerson and Brennan were cracking themselves up the other afternoon. The clouds in the sky were those big, puffy, white clouds. They were naming them, calling them all these crazy animal names. Silly kiddos. Puts a smile on my face.

8. How many times can one person go to Target in one week? Is there some record for that? I may have broken the record last week.

9. I'm itchin' to go to a concert. Any recommendations?

10. Made Rice Krispie treats last night. Something as simple as those. Yummy.

Lots of love,
The Grady's

I Love...

There are a lot of things that I love...and in the spirit of Valentine's Day I thought I might share.

I love...

my family
the smell of rain
watching Grey's Anatomy every night
chocolate peanut butter ice cream
the beach
talented doctors and nurses
warm blueberry muffins
hotels
silence
my computer
white wine, red wine
San Francisco
my children, more than words
food
Rachel Ray magazine
cards
teaching
Kevin Bacon in Footloose
an ice cold glass of milk
ice cream
a good ol' belly laugh
an ice cold beer in a frozen mug
the smile on my kiddo's faces
Jennifer Garner in every episode of Alias, can you say badass?
Christmas morning
dreams
Jimmy Buffett
St. Patrick's Day
a great pair of jeans
homemade pasta sauce
my friends
corn on the cob
Sex and the City
my job
going on trips
Panera bread
the warmth of the sun
turning the radio up loud
warm towels
a challenging conversation
donut holes
kindness
my husband
adventure, pushing the envelope
getting things fun in the mail
black and white photos
Florence
black
the smell of a campfire
Target
weddings
tulips and gerber daisies
the smell of babies
my parents
the sound of waves crashing on the beach
spy movies
candles
vacuuming
a great cup of coffee
and so much more...

Happy Valentine's Day

Lots of love,
The Grady's

It's that time of year again!

Congenital Heart Defect Awareness week, February 7-14, 2010.

I was thinking about it the other day. Everyone has something that they believe in. Everyone has a reason why they support a cause. I am not sure I ever understood why people felt so strongly about certain charities, beliefs, causes. That is until I had Brennan. Now, I know. Now I get it.
www.tchin.org Learn more and pass it on!

Lots of love,
The Grady's

First Halftime Show

Emerson danced in her first basketball halftime show this past Friday night! If it were me up there, I would have been a bundle of nerves, not Em. She had a huge smile on her face and loved every minute of it.

Lots of love,

The Grady's

10 on Tuesday

1. New Year's Eve...how did I not blog about that?!? I should clarify and say that it was even better than one night, but more like 4 AMAZING days in San Francisco! So great, we don't have a picture to prove it! LOL! Whitnee, Joseph, Jeff, and I enjoyed 4 days of eating, drinking, more eating, more drinking, seeing the city, walking, enjoying lunch with Dad and Kathy, seeing a fabulous, balcony show of Beach Blanket Babylon on New Year's Eve, shopping (oh wait we didn't buy anything!), laughing and laughing a ton more. What a great way to ring in the New Year with amazing friends!!! We love you guys!

2. Do you ever have those days when you just hit a wall? I was so done with work today. Lost complete patience with my students. They just wouldn't stop chatting and I was D.O.N.E. Mrs. Grady was not very nice.

3. Oh my favorite thing happened today. New student, and I didn't know I was getting him until 10 minutes before school started this morning. Awesome feeling. Crap.

4. I signed Emerson up for this cool dance clinic at the local high school. She gets to dance in the half time show with the high school dance team. She is super excited!

5. 75 degrees. Sunny. Warm. Barely any snow on the surrounding mountains. Is it really January?

6. Grandma Graf, Kathy's mom, passed away yesterday. She was just the sweetest grandma. 9 children, countless grandchildren and even more great-grandchildren. She lived such a full life. The kids and I were so lucky to see her June 2008 in Ohio.

7. Walmart grocery shopping, Sunday evening...very BAD combination.

8. So are a few glasses of wine and a peanut butter/grape jelly Uncrustable for dinner a bad idea?

9. Why do I let myself get sucked into bad shows like Bachelor again and again?

10. I had the strangest online coincidence today. I read a few blogs that I have randomly stumbled on over the years. Family blogs, photography blogs, random blogs...but tonight, one of my frequently read blogs was talking about another blog I read all the time. Totally unrelated to each other. Very small "online" world. Wow.

Lots of love,
The Grady's

2009!

Looking back on the year...

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Lots of love,

The Grady's

*T*E*N* on Tuesday...

1. Counting down...3...2...1....seriously?!? Where has the time gone? Christmas in 2 days?

2. I am totally one of those people that is last minute shopping this year. I was at Target today and I knew that it would be a challenge. Boy was I right! But with my peppermint latte in hand, the annoying people weren't so bad!

3. Explain to me why driving 25 mph in a 45mph zone is acceptable??? Really! GET. OUT. OF. MY. WAY.

4. The kids had their Christmas program this past Thursday. It was a great night...even if we couldn't see Brennan during his song. Something about the 60 preschoolers from 3 classes all on stage together. LOL!

5. Is it bad that I have not wrapped one single gift yet?

6. Brennan earned his orange belt tonight! He was very excited:) Master Oh is such a wonderful teacher. He is stern and loving all at the same time.

7. I love that even though my Christmas tree isn't real...the wreath above our fireplace is. AND it is still smells wonderful.

8. Fred...oh silly Fred. He has been SO much fun in our house the past month. I will be sad to send him back to the North Pole until next year.

9. I know that I have said this before, but honestly, I have NO idea where all my laundry comes from. Honestly, I could do at least one load a day and never be caught up. I wish Santa would bring me a new washer and dryer, ones that did the laundry all by themselves.

10. My little angel...

Lots of love,

The Grady's

A moment...

Do you ever have those moments where you want to freeze time? Those moments you just want to capture in a photograph that you will be able to look back on and cherish forever?
I had one of those moments today. I was sitting on our bed, folding laundry when Brennan came into the room and climbed up on the bed and put his head in my lap and curled up next to me. He didn't say anything, just curled up for a few minutes and laid there. My silly, hyper, crazy, little boy...
Lots of love,
The Grady's

Dinner Party

Holiday Dinner party...I will let the pictures speak for themselves...

Lots of love,

The Grady's

Birthday girl

A few shots from the Birthday Girl's Day!!

Lots of love,

The Grady's

A belated bday msg from "Jeffy"

A week late but the excitement is still there with your little party happening today.

To my daughter, the girl that has grown up in front of my very eyes. You amaze me everyday with your sly comments (you are really going to wear that Jeffy? you are so silly dad? don't embarrass me!) to the intense listening skills that i see in your eyes when people are talking around you. You soak it all up like a sponge. You are shy but I catch you dancing and looking at yourself in front of the mirror as if you were a movie star (you don't know i am watching).

You are the little girl that it never is burdensome having my one on one time with you every school morning (don't tell mom about getting treats). We are the two that get to school 10 minutes before everyone else and analyze the important things in life - example .. "why does it take the soccer field at school 3 months to grow when all 120 golf courses around us take 20 days?" or "why does it flood in our town when we have had .015 inches of rain".
You are the little girl that acts independent around me but makes me realize how much you still care when you make me stay until the bell rings for that goodbye kiss and hug. Keep it up little peanut.


Happy 7th!
Jeff
I love you em

(as you and bren find it funny to call me "Jeff or Jeffy" but i will always be your dad.)

To my little girl,

For some reason this year I am struggling with the knowledge that you are SEVEN years old! I don't even know where all the time has gone. This past year seems to have flown by...

I am amazed at how you have grown in the past year. So many big milestones...starting 1st grade, going from reading a few words to full-blown chapter books, losing a few more teeth, and so much more. You read anything you can...books, billboards, signs, notes, anything you can.

You have started taking two dance classes, it is obviously something you love to do. We tried gymnastics for a few months, but it didn't have the same appeal as your dance classes. You are truly in love with dancing, music, singing (even though you aren't so adept at that), and anything where you get to show your stuff.

You still continue to be a great big sister. You help your brother just about anytime he asks. You take care of him, watch out for him, laugh at him, laugh with him. He is so incredibly lucky to have you for a sister. I know someday he will see that:)

I love how responsible you are. I love how you are so independent, yet still love to sit and cuddle sometimes. I love how you have taken an interest in cooking, even making your own lunches. I love your silly laugh and smile. You bring so much light into our lives.

I love you forever,
Mommy

Ten on ....what day is it?

1. I have been buried under 32 parent/teacher conference. Complete with 10 translators, 8 retention notices, a handful of wonderful parents, a screaming match between mother and child, a horrible revelation of a terminal illness, and a partridge in a pear tree.

2. I am addicted to the Lifetime Channel's back-to-back reruns of Grey's Anatomy. Love watching that damn show.

3. My poor baby girl is sick. Slight fever. Sore throat. And a birthday in two days:( Poor thing.

4. You know the greatest thing ever? Walking out in the morning to find the wreath you hung so carefully above the fireplace, laying on floor with pine needles scattered everywhere. Awesome.

5. Meet Fred. He is our newest family member, at least until Dec. 24th. Fred is our "Elf on a Shelf". The kids are utterly fascinated with finding him every morning. I love it.

6. Thanksgiving was wonderful. Family and friends. Turkey, drinks, pie, thankfulness. All things that you need to make a fantastic day.

7. Lights up outside. Check. Tree up and decorated. Check. Advent calendar. Check. Stockings hung. Check. Christmas cards created and mailed. Check. Christmas must be soon!

8. Brennan is cracking me up tonight. He is silly. Giggly. He is a total clown. I love it.

9. It is so strange to me that people come to our home, our city, as a "resort destination". I mean seriously. I was at the store the other day and I think I was the only car in the parking lot with a California license plate. North Dakota, Washington, BC, Idaho, Montana...you name it. I mean come on people...why?!?! You drive around like you are on vacation!!! It is SO annoying when all I am trying to do is go to the store, the bank, the dry cleaners, just normal errands. UGH!

10. 22 days and counting...

Lots of love,

The Grady's