Mommy's girl...

This picture is from late March, right before we moved into the new house; it's probably one of my favorite snapshots of The Pud.

We had a fabulous Mother's Day weekend. The highlight was going on a shopping expedition at Green Hills Mall in West Nashville. We did a bit of damage at Janie & Jack, Restoration Hardware (where I was able to get my gift, new bedding), Davis Kidd and the Cheesecake Factory... it was WONDERFUL!!! It was our first trip to all of the above store, but most definitely not our last!

Only 5 1/2 days and one hour left and all will be FANTASTIC!!!!

HAH is working on crawling in a forward motion. She's go scooting, rolling and crawling backwards down pat... and this just in ~ tooth #3. Poor baby, they're coming in at the rate of one per week. I know she's got to be a bit on the miserable side ~ but she's a trooper, only a little grumpy at bedtime.

Speaking of bedtime... we're off for a night-night bah, songs and sweet dreams kisses.

Crazy ol' Loon

I've reached that point... the one that my father warned me about... the point where I am dangerously close to BEING HIM. Really, it's almost too funny for words. The past couple of weeks have been more than stressful around here. I decided that instead of being passive, I'd turn into a more aggressive type. In other words, I'm being a McCullough through and through. Read on for a few examples.

1. Have I told you that my students call me Mrs. Mayhem? (A side note from our friends at dictionary.com "The offense of willfully maiming or crippling a person. Infliction of violent injury on a person or thing; wanton destruction: A state of violent disorder or riotous confusion; havoc.") (I have a t-shirt and everything. If I can remember, I'll take a picture of it and post it for you.) You have to say it in a very gruff, wrestler announcer voice ~ that's how they do it. Sometimes I perform on demand for them and strike a pose. It's just a quirky little thing b/t my misfits and me... word has gotten out that I'm a crazy woman who'll pounce unexpectdly on a weakling. The kids are looking at me in a different light... and I kind of like it.

2. I've joined the Dark Side at work... it's a group of teacher's who've been wronged by the same man (see last post, btw... he lied). Tomorrow I'll be wearing black.

3. My neighbor is scary... she has barbed wire tatoos on BOTH arms and isn't a southerner (This is "Barb", not Hezekiah and Jedediah's mom, the rabid possum family). Monday as B, HAH and I were taking our usual evening stroll, two of the four neighbor children were playing in the road as we walked by. One of the girls (who I'd guess to be around 3) picked a flowering weed, took a wiff, looked at me and said, "Aren't the flowers just lovely?" I agreed and asked how she was doing when her older sister said, "Jayden, we aren't supposed to talk to the mean lady." [Enter high pitched sound of shock here!] WHAT??? MEAN LADY, HUH??? As we get up the drive way (and while I'm still recovering from the "mean lady" comment) B asks me if I'd heard what Barb said as we walked by. Um, no her kids just referred to me as Mean Lady, what did she say? Apparently in a booming, sarcastic tone to her mother she said, "Boy I sure wish I'd read the restrictions on this neighborhood before we moved in. Gotta have a 6 foot privacy fence around an above ground pool!" (Did I tell you that I not only have the road named after me, but that I also wrote the restrictions? I'm looking out for my property value and my daughter's life ~ call me a snob if you want to but don't bring in your PWT junk...) The great thing about this is... I don't have to worry about her four children coming over to play! Maybe they'll move soon.

4. When I talked to the CPA woman last week (her name is actually Melba, like the toast, no fitting nick name needed for this story) I was very proud of the fact that I 1. Did not threaten to kill anyone working for the company or close family members. 2. Didn't utter even the first curse word under my breath. I DID contemplate pulling the Expedition sideways in the road to block in all of the subcontractors who were at Barb's house, getting B's 357, pointing it in their general direction and asking them nicely to just finish up the work at my house before heading on home. However, due to the niceness with which I have handled the no-work-on-the-house-conflict my back steps are getting bricked. Now... if only I can figure out a way to get them to pay for HAH's diapers for the next year and a half...

5.I was talking to my co-teacher, mentor, man translator, Kenny last week and commented on the fact that I had made a metamorphosis of sorts lately. He just smiled and agreed with me... and then added, "It's great. This look of death comes on your face and people react. It makes life kind of exciting around here. I like it."

Happy day of darkness from the crazy loon in room 8.

harASSment

This is an e-mail I received today from a parent... and I must let you know that it's one of the nicest ones he's sent. I've never met this person face to face, but I can tell you that I'd rather share dinner w/ Charles Manson than him. He makes me want to hurt something and say not nice things...


I see very little improvement on his grade report. I saw it this morning5/3. Science, still an F. History no change. Math, too low. Language,I don't remember it. I am starting to think that this flight school was only to maintain state payments to the school system for the boys attendance.

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My principal called me today and said the Director of Schools hadn't received a letter of resignation from me and asked that I turn one in. I thought it was kind of odd, but I did as I was asked. I gave Mr. C the letter. He said, "Thanks, I'm going over to see him in a few mintues and I'll deliver this." Not five minutes later he's hollering (literally) for me down the hallway. (I must tell you that he has a way of talking to me like my dad does when he thinks I should do things "his" way... and I hate when they do that. Like I'm a four year old who's incapable of making decisions... but I digress...) He tells me that "In the business world" when you say something it's not set in stone, but when you put that something to paper it becomes irreversible. By turning in my letter I was saying that I would no longer be an employee at the end of the school year (Yep, we're all on the same page here.) He goes into his spill (have I told you that he's a former Navy man who always has an agenda and you MUST see things his way?) and I smile and nod as I learned to do years ago (Believe me, I've had lots of practice.) He preaches his sermon and I say, "I'd rather work at Starbucks than be in that room." (Still w/ me?) So he pulls out his ace... "Didn't I tell you that it was going to be different next year? No more zero tolerance, only behavior problems like [stundent]." No, you didn't tell me that Mr. C, Mrs. B (the SPED director) told me she was going to try to do that, but Dr. P (Director of Schools) said no, as of earlier this week. Did I tell you I'd rather work at Starbucks?

I'll spare you the rest of the conversation, basically what he said was hold on to the letter until you are absolutely sure that you will not take the job. You only have to give 30 days resignation and don't burn any bridges (meaning, if you quit we won't let you back in as a regular ed teacher).

So, WHY DID YOU ASK ME TO WRITE THE FRIGGIN' LETTER IN THE FIRST PLACE?????????!?!?!?!?!!

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Have I told you that I hate my job?

Bad Blogger

I'm just not motivated right now. It seems as if decades ago many of you out there (and myself included) changed urls... I'm going to other blogs in order to read the handful of posts that I do. Sad... I know.

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Still waiting on our house to get finished. It's really beginning to piss me off. And I don't mean that jokingly. I told the CPA of the company that from our end it seems that they are only out to get our $$$ and not finish the job as they should. As of Friday what is unfinished becomes warfare and I'm a general... I'll let the world know that this company doesn't finish what they begin. Six weeks is WAAAYYY to long to go w/out the house being finished.

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HAH officially has a tooth (bottom right) and is beginning to crawl. She's just too cute! We had to take her to the doctor yesterday. She's on Zyrtec for allergies ~ isn't that just sad???

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I told my bosses last week that I wouldn't return next year in my current teaching postition. Apparently both of them were shocked... but no one else in the entire world. Seriously, when I tell you that my job is HELL and I HATE IT, should you be surprised that I'm not returning???

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B has begun his travelling stint. For the next month he'll be on the road at least one night each week. This summer we'll get to join in on some mini vacations but until then it's just HAH and me.

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I've got some work to get done so I'll end. Just wanted to let my 3 faithful readers know the little tidbits. Ciao baby.