the important thing about driving.

the important thing about driving is that you NEVER stop moving.

it doesn't matter if you are going miles and miles out of your way.
it doesn't matter if the traffic is just stopped at a red light.
it doesn't matter if going the long way proves to be really long AND full of traffic. 

the important thing about driving is that you NEVER stop moving.

**please note.  this is how i translate the thoughts of drivers in kuwait.  i would tend to disagree with them as it took me 45 minutes to get home from tutoring and it should take 20 minutes at the very most. **

oi!

today it was -1.  AND i must mention that it was so cold today that we actually had to let the kids into school early AND have indoor recess.  snow? nope.  rain?  nope.  just COLD!  it was below freezing which is apparently the sign of an indoor recess!

this is me INSIDE my classroom today.  i was wearing socks and shoes, long pants, two shirts, two sweaters, and a scarf.  and drinking a tea.  it was SO cold!  i thought my feet my freeze off.  and YES i was wearing socks.  tomorrow i will wear uggs.  it's the safest decision.  fingers crossed for warmer weather!

bundle up!

houston, we have a problem!  tomorrow's weather is calling for 1 degree.  1!!  ONE!  in kuwait!!  can you believe it?!  and it gets worse. the next day - sunday - it's calling for -1!!!!!  MINUS!  below zero!!  if i wanted to freeze, i would live in canada!  this is supposed to be one of the perks of living abroad!!  so how will i cope?  bundle up, turn up the heat, and STAY INSIDE as much as possible!  wish me luck!

**disclaimer** i know that it is currently cold in ontario but i didn't sign up for this!  i don't have the proper attire and our apartments are NOT cut out for the cold!  i know i am a wimp but COME ON! 

three reasons i love my job

1.  i'm reading the novel "the tales of despereaux" to my class.  we're only like 7 chapters in and they are HOOKED.  they love it.  when i asked for opinions of the book after only having read 4 chapters, one boys' response was:

"ms.  i really like the book a lot.  when you are reading, there is so much descriptions that it's like a moving playing in my head" he says as he closes his eyes and touches his forehead. 

AH-DOR-ABLE!

2.  a conversation between myself and a rather large boy in my class:

S:  ms.  i have very bad news.  i have to tell you but you can't tell anyone ok?

ME (worried):  ok s.  what's wrong?

S:  well ms., *whispering* i think i'm being stalked!

ME (trying not to laugh):  oh really?!  what makes you think that?

S:  well ms., there is someone who keeps following me.  and she isn't very cute.  and everywhere i go ms., if i look behind me, she is there!

ME (trying REALLY hard not to laugh): oh dear!  well, i'm sure that it's just a coincidence. 

S:  no ms.!  it isn't!  and do you want to know the worst part ms.?  *whispers* it's a girl!

ME:  *hysterical cackle out loud*

S:  ms. it isn't funny!  what should i do ms.?

ME:  you know s, in a few years you aren't going to think that this was quite so bad!  i want you to test your theory tomorrow and keep me posted ok?  

S:  ok ms.

ME:  plus s, she's probably cute!!  *more cackling*

3.  sitting at my desk, well after the kids should be gone home, a young girl comes in my class.  

H:  ah, hi ms.  

ME:  hi h.

H:  ah, ms., do you want to hear the poem that i made up at recess about the boys?

ME:  yes, please!

H:  ah, ok ms.  "go east, go west, you snore like a pig!"  oh.  i guess that doesn't really rhyme does it?

ME:  well not quite.  let's try this, "go west, go east, you snore like a beast!"  

H:  *laughing* ok, bye ms. 

is it back?!

before we went away for christmas it was quite cold in kuwait.  in fact some (aka lindsay and i) might say that it was FREEZING!  anyway, since we have been back it's been quite tolerable!  which is lovely.  like just a sweater outside will do, especially if the sun is shining.

until today. 

it's freezing today.  and i don't like it one bit.  i don't know what the actual temperature is and i'm not going to look it up cause you'll just make fun of me and tell me how cold it is in canada.  but you'll have to trust me on this one.  it's COLD!  tomorrow i break out the jacket again.  brrr.....

knock on wood...

my classes were so good today!  in fact, my "bad" class was even better than my "good" class today.  is it a full moon?  what's happening??  fingers crossed that this continues tomorrow!!!  i love it!

c'est la weekend!

yesterday i spent the day (almost the WHOLE DAY!) at avenues with shelly and the huffhos.  we shopped and shopped and ate a nice lunch.  i bought an external hard drive so that i can back up my computer, some candles and a blanket at ikea that were all on sale(!), some drug store stuff (like allergy pills and hair elastics), and some LOVELY hand lotion from l'occitane. 

today colleen came over YAY!  it was so great to catch up with her and let me tell you, it's been WAY too long!  we had a nice lunch together at my place and lots of chatting. 

otherwise, i have been watching shows, attempting to blog about my trip, looking at flights for future trips, and fiddling around the apartment (laundry, preparing food, etc.).

i hope you are all having a wonderful weekend too! :)

the adventures of flat stanely

living abroad, i have had the opportunity to show many flat stanley's around the areas that i have been living.  if you don't know, flat stanley is a kids book in which the main character, stanley, who is flat...lol....travels around the world in the mail.  classroom teachers often have students create their own stanleys and send them out for adventures all over the world.  then when stanley returns, there are many opportunities for learning about where he has been.

so, i got another stanley this week and wasn't sure exactly what i would do with him in kuwait.  shelly and i put our heads together and decided to send him home with one of my really cool, reliable students.  so flat stanley had a sleep over.  here are some pictures of his time in kuwait:

so trendy...

look what i did this weekend!  i am so trendy!!  just ask my grade 5's!

ps - it IS a real feather!  scary - cause i do not like birds...

the weekend blogger

how has it happened that i've become the weekend blogger?!  getting back into the swing of things at school has been EXHAUSTING!  i'm telling ya!

so what's new this week?  let's see...

• sunday i started tutoring again.  it's nice to get into the routine again (and the money!).
• monday i tutored again.  not much happening....
• tuesday i got really angry at one of my classes.  we had the big "respect" talk (again).  i gave them the silent treatment.  i hope they get better soon....
• i've started taking an allergy pill at bed time.  i've been feeling so icky in the morning i decided i'd give it a shot.  i'll keep you posted.  all i know is that this morning i DID NOT want to get out of bed.  
• wednesday (today) my kids were a bit better.  
• i went grocery shopping at the new Lulu's.  i love it there.  i even found egg substitute!  yippee!  (eggs freak me out...)
• i hurt my back lifting a case of pop.  i'm a wimp.
• phil had his first basketball game of the season.  i couldn't attend but i hear it was a nail biter!  in the end the BBS bulldogs came out ON TOP!
• tomorrow is THURSDAY!  i love the weekend! 

a very good mail day!

the other day at school i had the happiest mail box that a girl could wish for!!  i got a message from lindsay first thing int he morning saying that there were presents in my mail box!  naturally i stopped what i was doing and went straight to my mail box!  and what to my wondering eyes should appear?!  NOPE!  no reindeer! but about 8 cards and 2 presents!!  all from my wonderful friends and family back home!  how spoiled am i?!  i got beautiful cards from my aunt jo and aunt jen, my aunt melissa and jay, my aunt carol and her family, and barb and clarke.  i also got a gift from courtney and her family as well as one from my aunts!  it was the BEST mail day EVER!  thank you family and friends for keeping me connected to home!  love and miss you all!  xo

pop rock please!!

i need to find some pop rocks.  i have planned an entire lesson based on pop rocks for monday, thinking i would be able to go to the grocery store and buy pop rocks.  think again.  i'm still searching.  two stops today that i can think of....wish me luck!!!

ups and downs

ok, do you remember that mug that i got last weekend from my secret santa that i was so excited about???
well, last night i enjoyed a lovely tea before bed, using my mug, and then this morning i bumped into my bed side table and SMASH!  i broke my mug.  :(  it was not a good way to start my day. 

BUT this afternoon i exchanged christmas gifts with shelly....and i got a new mug!!!!  thanks shelly :)

she also got me this cute elf hat!!!  look out italy!  here i come!!!

look what arrived....

MY UGGS!!!  my feet will officially be toasty warm in italy!!!  in fact, i wore them today and i had to take them off a couple times because my feet were sweating!!  YAY!  i may never know how they got here, but the important thing is that they are HERE!

A.A.

aka avenue anonymous.

i'm addicted to the shopping mall.  i don't know how it happened.  but it did.  and it's weird.  i don't even need to shop, i just have a NEED to go there.  frequently. 

i just thought you should know.  admitting that you have a problem is the first step to recovery right???

what a week...

i have so much to look forward to this week!  here's what's up:

• sunday - field trip with my class.  and a reading party with one of my classes.  then tutoring.
• monday - english test in my class.  which isn't that exciting but it means a quiet day!  :)  then tutoring.
• tuesday - word games and fun stuff in class.  then the spa after school.
• wednesday - winter party in my classes!!  fun, fun, fun!  staff christmas lunch!
• thursday - last day of school!!  reading party with my other class.  early dismissal!  
• friday - in the middle of the night...FLY TO ITALY!!!! and meet naomi to begin our italian christmas vacation!!!  YAY!!!  

it's going to be a GREAT week!!

christmas dinner 2011

i think i mentioned last weekend that i had christmas dinner at shelly's (you know the one where i didn't even eat turkey?!!).  anyway, it was a fabulous dinner and i finally took my pictures off of my camera, so here's a peak at our evening....

trouble

this is what happens when colleen and i go shopping for warm stuff.....

**note:  we did not buy either of these gems but that doesn't mean that we didn't think about it....

crayola explosion - how could i forget??

so before eid holiday, shelly and i made a really cool art project and i totally forgot to post pictures on facebook OR blog about it!!!  so here it is!!!
CRAYOLA EXPLOSION!!!

how to:

1. use a hot glue gun to glue crayons (croyals are obviously best) to a canvas in any order you like.
2. turn the canvas upside down (so that the crayons are at the top).
3. use a hair drier on HOT heat to blow dry the crayons until they start melting.
4. you can blow as much or as little as you like until you're happy with the results.

VOILA!

today.

today was a wonderful day.  a day filled with friends and laughter and sharing and giving.  a day that makes me thankful for the friends that become my family when i am away from home. 

last night i slept over at the parkinsons because with their love-filled pleas, i didn't have much choice.  i feel so at home in their home.  this morning we had some "family" time and watch americas next top model which we all love.  then as they went off to play basketball and tutor, i headed to the huffho's to bake a birthday cake and wrap secret santa gifts with alex. we wrapped and talked and laughed and it was really great to spend some time with her.  next we were off to the pantomime at the kuwait little theatre.  the "we" in this case includes: me, shelly, lindsay, phillip, alex, ian, cathy, shahid, pat, and kelly.  it was SO funny.  we laughed o hard we cried.  highlights included the man dressed up as a woman hitting on phil throughout the entire play and when he/she put a whole bag of skittles in his mouth and then couldn't talk.  hilarious!  so much fun!!  (and if you don't know what a pantomime is, like i didn't, you should look it up and try to find one to go to- fun fun fun!)  after the panto we all went back to the parkinson's to celebrate the birthdays of ian, shahid, and lindsay (all in december) as well as christmas!  we had a secret santa which was very amusing.  i had phil and after hours of deliberating i gave him 10 cans of lays potato chips.  kinda weird, i agree but it's funny because he LOVES them and lindsay HATES when he has them.  it was perfect.  also it was wrapped in the shape of a tree.  awesome.  i got the most WONDERFUL gift, because my secret santa, cathy, got me JUST what i wanted!  it's a mug from caribou coffee with little inspirational messages all over.  it's perfect!  i also got 6 ikea glasses which are super fun and blue! 

anyway, it was a terrific day, and the reason i was writing is because many times throughout the night when we were all laughing or oohing and awing over someones gift, i thought to myself that i am really lucky to have them all.  it makes being away from home that much easier when you know you have all this love and support right here with you.  they are an amazing group of people and i don't know what i would do without them!!

so to my dear kuwait family,
thank you for everything.  for the laughs and the tears.  for the support, for your trust, for your patience. 
i love you guys. 
merry christmas and all the best in 2012.  safe travels!  i'll miss you guys!!
xoxoxoxo

all the gifts under the tree!

loving my gift!!

phil and his love from the panto

phil's gift...what could it be???

thanks santa!!!!

santa loves phil!!