1. My children: They are ornery, healthy and always underfoot. Sometimes I take that for granted.
2. My husband: We can get on each other's nerves just like any married couple but when it comes right down to it, he usually knows exactly what I need.
3. My sister: Growing up it was fun to torture her, now that she live 8 plus hours away I miss her more than anything. How can I explain this to my kids. It is so true that you don't know what you have until it is gone.
4. My dog: Of course, if you tell him I will deny this statement. He begs for food, he smells, he has the loudest bark in the entire world, but he lays with me when I am sick, he knows when I am sad, and he thinks going for a walk can cure anything. He may be right.
5. Bloggy buddies: I think you are awesome. Those who comment, those who follow, those who stop by regularly and those who just like lurking. Words of affirmation is my love language and this blog provides a lot of them.

Have a happy and safe Halloween. Keep your fingers crossed that our trick or treat doesn't get washed out or I am going to have three very sad little blessings on my hands.

To read more Friday High Five Posts click here.

I am happy to report that the kids (and I) are off of school tomorrow and Monday. Something to do with end of the marking period, give the teachers some time to do grades. Whatever. Sounds good to me.

That means a short work week this week and next. Yeah.

Here are a few things that I learned this week at the cafeteria:

• Bagged lunch day is awesome: Third grade had a field trip this week and we got to make bagged lunches for everyone. No trays and very little dishes. Doesn't get much better than that.
• Tuna is more popular than expected.
• Turkey and Gravy over Waffles? WTF? I thought it was over biscuit. Wow what a mess! K-3 should never be given gravy.
• If the head cook takes off you may be expected to come in at 7 a.m. to make the donuts...I mean french toast sticks. Memo to those in charge: Ain't ever gonna happen...
• Corn is persnickety: I expect to find stray kernels for the next week.

What did you learn this week?

Brace yourself...it's dorky picture day and I'm the feature. Jenners begged me to post a picture of myself dressed as ketchup for the kids school Fall party (not allowed to say Halloween at my elementary, but alas I'm getting sidetracked.)

After Jenners posted this. How could I deny her such a request.

A couple of disclaimers:

I thought it would be funny to be food and I wanted the other lunch ladies to participate too. I thought it would be awesome if I went as ketchup, D went as Mustard and S went as a big hot dog. Alas, they had other plans, i.e. football and veggin on the couch.

That being said I didn't want to pay $29.99 for a ketchup costume. So I made one. I cut the word out on my cricut. Taped it to a red shirt and made a pointy hat out of a 12x12 piece of paper.

I'd also like to point out that I am not 7 foot tall. I just look enormous on this picture because my 8 year old took it. Frightening to me that this is what I look like to her. LOL

This one is for you, Jenners.

We pause this weekly post to bring you a holiday craft. Inspired by Going Buggy, I made this to hang up at the cafeteria. The ghosts are from the cricut paper doll cart as is the spider and the spiderweb. I painted the wreath black and wrapped it in orange.

This weekend was again jammed packed full of fun! Friday night was our elementary school Fall Festival, complete with D.J., which my kids absolutely LOVED!




Here's Middle G with one of her good buddies, M. M. was out of school most of the week because she had the flu so it was no surprise to me when Middle G. woke up on Saturday with a fever!

1. Flip flops and mulch are not friends.
2. Shoving, kicking and pulling hair is not "just being a boy." Try parenting.
3. Take turns.
4. Dress like you are going to the playground. This goes for the parent/guardian as well.
5. Swing pushing/riding has a time limit.
6. Go to the bathroom before you get in the sandbox.
7. Ask your mother, not me, to tie your shoes, take you to the bathroom, or push you on the swing.
8. If you bring a lunch, clean it up. Try to remember that you are the example.
9. Dogs that can't be touched are not invited to the park.
10. Treat others as you would like to be treated...say hello to the new mom who showed up by herself. Invite her to talk or socialize with your friends. Encourage your children to be friends with someone new.

I guess these rules won't solve any world crisis, but they sure would make going to the playground a lot more fun!

Our weekend was jammed packed full of fun and activities. Friday night we all went to B.O.B., which stands for Battle of the Buildings. Our four elementaries, two intermediates, the middle school and the high school all battled it out for the right to fly the B.O.B. banner.

Our little elementary had quite the turn out and I'm not sure my hearing has returned to normal. My son was beside himself with excitement because his teacher as one of the participates. Maybe next year I'll represent the cafeteria....


This is a picture of our principal running in the plunger/volleyball leg of the contest. That takes some serious concentration.



Our team color was purple and some of the teachers had this iron on on the back of their shirts, which I thought was quite clever and had to take a picture of it. Sadly, we didn't win, but we came in a strong second. The high school won again, which is quite the rip off. For three reasons, they have an entire P.E. department and we have a gym teacher, they have home field advantage as the event is held at the high school, and no one from the high school comes to the event as they don't really care what there teachers are doing...

Next year...we're taking them!



My son's party was a hit and the kids were all very good and not too loud. I think I kept them moving and busy the entire time so they really didn't have a chance to get out of line.

Out of the 12 we invited 9 showed up which I thought was pretty darn good.

 



So what if you made a different choice at a key moment in your life??? 

It's time, again, for Friday High Five and this week I'm listing five events we have going on this weekend. It the time of the year where it's go, go, go around here.

• Tonight is B.O.B. What is that? That is Battle of the Buildings. Our elementary vs. my daughter's intermediate vs. the middle school vs. the high school. I think you get the picture. The problem is...where do we sit. With the elementary and wear purple or with the intermediate and wear pink....I think I'll sit with the elementary and let my oldest sit with her friends if she wants.
• Soccer. Don't tell anyone but I'm getting a little bit tired of soccer. Especially rainy cold soccer starting at 9:30 in the morning.
• Birthday party extravaganza. It's my son's sixth birthday party. Here's hoping that my headache isn't migraine status by the end of it.
• Parties bring guests and out of town company. My in-laws will be staying over night until Sunday.
• Football fun on Sunday: Here's hoping the Steelers win and Baltimore and Cincinnati lose.

What are you planning for the weekend?

Things have been hopin' at the elementary school cafeteria and I'm learning lots of new things everyday. Some of the things I learned this week include:

• My school district still celebrates the rape and pillage of America, otherwise known as Columbus Day. No school Monday.
• Chicken Pot Pie is not a pie on this side of Pennsylvania. On the western side of PA it is most definitely a pie. Here...not so much. It's what we westerners call soup.
• Making apple crisp for 200 people involves measurement's that include: pounds of flour and oats and bags of brown sugar. Are you hungry yet?
• If I call off because I have a sick child at home the odds that the state inspector will show up are high. Who knew???
• Chocolate milk is the most popular flavor of milk by far. This includes breakfast...fruit loops and chocolate milk anyone???

How is your week working out???

It's Tuesday. You know what that means. Time for Post it Note Tuesday with Supah. What will you say??

Seriously...how much stuff can one person be expected to sell. I have two elementary kids and one intermediate child and they all are selling something. Plus middle is selling something for soccer. UGH

Yep. That's my new lunch lady action figure courtesy of the crazy 10 women I went on vacation with this weekend. Those beotches really know how to party! I think I need to sleep for another day just to recover.

1. On the menu: Fish nuggets and mac and cheese. Nuff said.
2. Not on the menu: alcohol.
3. Monday is a holiday. Can you say four day weekend?
4. Scrappin all weekend.
5. Beach view, beach house, beach buddies.

It's Tuesday. Time once again for Post It Note Tuesday. Are you playing along? You should be.



Seriously. Does anyone else have a Postal carrier that doesn't deliver the mail if 1) there is a car she deems too close to the mailbox 2) has a garbage can fall near the mail box 3) has flowers she deems too long near the mailbox.

Then she has the audacity to ask for a tip at Christmas. I have a few tips I can give her....





This book "19 minutes" is my October book of the month. It is about a school shooting and it is an emotional train wreck. As a mother of pre-teen kids, this book is scarier than any fiction you can read.

If your son was accused and on trial for what can only be described as Columbine how would you feel? Would you still see the little boy who loved the crust cut off his bread and couldn't decide if he wanted his hair to grow or for you to buzz it off again or would you see a monster capable of shooting 29 kids and killing 10 of them?

This book makes you mourn for the kids lost but at the same time hate them for what some of them did to the accused. This book makes you side with both the prosecution and the defense and makes you so happy that you are not seated on the jury.

If you like legal thrillers with a twist, you may like this book.

I found the book heart wrenching at times but yet I couldn't put it down. I HAD to know how it would end.

Like I said...an emotional train wreck.