Kaye and the hunt for the smoke detector

Today I feel bleh.
Probably just a mixture of tiredness and dumb girl hormones, I'm sure it will pass. But it has meant for the past 2 days I have avoided people as much as possible (which is quite hard when you're a teacher :) ). This is probably the dumbest idea, as without other people around I am stuck with myself... which doesn't help when myself is the problem. Hmm. Anyway I'm grateful for lovely friends who make me be social even when I'd rather be under a rock (um maybe a ledge, because otherwise I would have to dig a hole to get under a rock and I really couldn't be bothered) and lovely friends who write beautiful "I miss you" messages on facebook. maww I have the best friends.

Anyway that was a side story. I don't particularly want to delve into the depths of said brain at the moment. Instead here is a nothing-ish story of my adventure with my smoke detector.

Tonight's adventure takes place in my spare room. The smoke detector battery has been going flat for a week or so now (and I forgot, yet again, to get batteries today!). Today it got to that horrible point where it beeps every 40 seconds or so. Once I figured out it wasn't the smoke detector in the entry way that was the problem (this actually took longer than you would think), the search for the spare-room detector began. You see, 4 years ago when I bought my house I changed the batteries in my smoke detectors. But when I took that particular one off the ceiling I broke it. While every other one in the house had a hinge and flipped open, this particular one was a screw on type.

Obviously I must have still changed the battery in it and popped it on the shelf to deal with later.... 4 years on and it was a bit like a game of marco-polo to try and find this detector. As it only beeped every 30-40 seconds, and the sound echoes off walls and the wooden floor it was hilarious trying to track it down. I would wait for it to beep, head towards where I thought it was coming from & wait again. At one point I was sure the sound was coming from the base that is still attached to the ceiling. It took 5 "pip"s for me to find it, on the top shelf behind a wooden duck and a candle holder, and de-battery it. (don't worry everyone, I still have one working smoke detector & I promise I'll buy batteries soon... and maybe even figure out how to re-attach the broken detector...maybe)

Yep that's how adventurous my life gets. I searched for a smoke detector. I think I will go to bed now.

An Apple For the Teacher (or sorbet)

I realised today how spoiled I am at work!

This week one of the homework tasks I gave my kids was to cook. (I'm a bit caught up in the Junior Masterchef hype ... those kids are incredible!!!) They were sooooo excited! (they are also a bit caught up in the Junior Masterchef hype)
So this week my aide and I have been brought piklets, chocolate muffins, rainbow biscuits, cupcakes in cute chinese boxes, sweet & sour rocky-road (yum!) and this morning a thermos full of pina colada sorbet! yum! I have never been a fan of pina colada flavour...but this was DELICIOUS! I may just have to hire that kid to keep me in constant supply!

Not only have my children kept me well fed, I was also so blessed at lunch today when a boy I taught last year (who was actually quite difficult) ran up to me and asked if I needed any help with the massive box I was carrying. He took it from me and carried it all the way to my classroom, then came back for the key when I got stuck talking to a colleague. Who does that?!

I am convinced that I work in the most amazing place in the world!

In other news:
It's 1 week until we perform our rendition of 'Why Does the Sun Shine?' It is starting to look impressive! I can't wait!

Happiness in a Film Clip

I've decided my favourite band is Ok Go. Mostly because I just love their film clips!
Such amazing creativity! And they're not rude or crude or semi-naked. Just fun.
Here are my favourites:



Same song, different really amazing clip!



The treadmill one that everyone's probably already seen, but I still love it



Sometimes I wish life was this fun.
Actually life is fun, but not quite this choreographed.

:)

30 years

Today it is 30 years since my parents got married!
Weren't they cute!

My mum was just 22. oh so little! 

Congratulations on your "pearl" anniversary mum & dad!

30 Snails Had a Race...

This week has gone so fast! 2 weeks down, 6 to go until our Christmas holidays! Yay! (Although if weeks are going to keep passing so fast I don't know how to fit in testing, writing reports, three excursions, two gala days, Year 4 Graduation... oh and teaching).

This term we're doing a Science unit called "Science Experiments" (I know, super creative name). Each week we do some sort of amazing experiment and write about it. This week we poured water into our plastic test tubes, added a fizzy colour tablet & added oil... I so thought this would flop, I was sure my kids would think this was the most boring experiment. But the Year 3 teacher assured me that his class thought it was amazing... and so did mine!
Before each step I made them write a prediction of what they thought would happen. Some of their predictions were hilarious! One of my boys was sure that when oil was added that there was going to be a loud bang and an explosion... even after he had watched me pour the oil into every other test tube with no such reaction he still covered his ears & winced when I came to do his. They all thought it was incredible that no matter how many times you tipped up the test tube (they have lids) the oil would still rise to the top! Magic! I love the wonder kids find in the things we just take for granted!

Yesterday I gave my kids a Maths test. There was one particular question that at least 8 kids came to ask me about. Basically they hadn't actually read the question, so all I had to do was read it to them and they were like "oh! I get it" arrrgh! I quickly learned that question off by heart, and my aide and I were quoting at each other across the classroom "30 snails had a race. On the way 4 fell asleep. 2 ate snail bait and died. What position was the snail who came last?" Good times.

This evening I graduate! I've completed my 12 month graduate certificate in gifted education (yay!). Yesterday afternoon 3 of my beautiful friends spoilt me with a graduation celebration... pretty much an ice-cream overload - ice-cream, with a side of chocolate covered ice-cream & an iced chocolate mmm. After that I had dinner with 2 of my other gorgeous friends and two of my boys - Hayden & Morgan (I got to see all three boys this week!!!). I'm pretty sure I have the best friends in the world.

Well they were the highlights of my week. I will leave you with a picture of Seuss-Friday (our school is putting on Seussical the Musical next March, so each Friday we are allowed to wear our official Seuss shirts... of course I made a matching skirt)

The Wheels on the Bus

I was recently trying to help 2 boys at school talk out some problems they'd been having with each other on the bus to and from school. Neither boy was telling me the whole truth, their stories weren't even close to matching up and I was getting more and more confused as to what the actual problem was.
Me: "So what did L say to you on the bus?"
J: "Well I can't actually remember, but it was probably something mean."
Me: "L do you remember what you said that might have upset J on the bus?"
L: "I said 'I'm sorry and I hope that we can be friends'"

I thought I finally had a starting point of what had actually happened when J mentioned that a particular girl was sitting behind them... "Oh, so you were sitting next to each other when the problem started?"
J: "Yes, he was on the seat next to me."
L: "No, actually I was 3 seats in front of him and diagonal."
Arrrgh! I was laughing so hard on the inside!
I some how led them to some sort of resolution which included "ok boys, for the next 3 weeks you can't sit near each other on the bus."  Both boys cheered and said "YESSSS!" as if I had just told them they had won $1000 each. My brilliance amazes me! hahaha. Who would have thought that if you were having a problem with someone on the bus you could... um... sit somewhere else!

Fine-print, schmine-print

bah!

I have spent the last 2 months (well not 2 months straight) creating a photo book for my mum and dad's 30th wedding anniversary. It was a free photobook (snapfish.com.au), all I had to do was eat 3 packets of crumpets. But I don't feel bad about giving them a free present because I spent ages stealing, scanning, uploading & editing the photos.

Of course I have left it way too late, since their anniversary is next weekend. But just as I clicked "add to cart" I realised that I have made the 20x28cm book instead of the 20x20 one I was meant to make. ARGHH! Even though they are the same price, the voucher only covers the 20x20 one. bah! if only I had read that a little more carefully before now.

So anyway that's my rant. It'll be ok. maybe it can be a Christmas present. haha

In other news:
Tonight I went to "chicks at the flicks", it was heaps of fun! We saw 'Life as We Know It" and got showbags full of goodies!
Yesterday was Leonard's dedication. Oh he is soooooo cute! His parents wrote a song for him and sang it at church, it was the sweetest thing!
This week is super busy, but fun & on Saturday I graduate again :)

Ok bedtime.

The Grass is Green...

This week I literally noticed how green the grass is... and the trees and plants. Maybe it's because it's been non-stop raining lately. Wow! So much green everywhere! Green has never been one of my favourite colours, but I am growing in appreciation for the freshness and life it breathes! Anyway that's my random thought for the day, but it sort of relates to the end of this blog...I'll get there soon.

This week has been super busy, and exhausting, but so fun! It has gone so fast, but I feel like I've done a month's worth of planning and organising and teaching. On Tuesday I got told that I have a new role next year - GATs (gifted and talented) co-ordinator. eeek! so excited but nervous!

Today my cute class and I discovered something called 'energy beads' - they are these plastic beads that start white, but the UV rays from the sun react with the beads and they become brightly coloured (and go back to white when you are no longer in the sun)! Magical! My kids loved them! I made them get a 'white-bead' out of each container, which they thought was ridiculous (but they are used to me and the random things I make them do) & they threaded them onto a leather strap. Most murmured that they were probably 'glow-in'the' dark beads, but I gave nothing away & just sent them outside... and immediately heard shouts of "THEY'RE GLOW IN THE SUN!" So cute. We spent the whole morning discussing UV rays, testing whether they worked in water and glass and under mud (um...), how UV-protective my sunglasses are (not very) & whether sunscreen actually protects you from UV (it does). So interesting!

Ok we're getting closer to the grass connection...

Tonight my church started a '40 hours of Prayer' weekend. There are 10 prayer stations set up around the hall and you book in an hour to spend in there. I only got to 3 stations (even though I stayed well after my hour was up).

I started in the 'Tabernacle'. It was a tent with some candles and a wooden cross. It was amazing just to sit and contemplate the sacrifice of Jesus and the huge-ness of God! It's so easy to think of God in terms of what I can see and what I need. I think of God as the creator of our planet (which He is), of pretty sunsets, amazing animals and such, which is huge! But not even a blip on the radar of who God is! When I consider that our planet, of 7 billion other individuals (each with their own issues and relationships and dreams and such), could fit inside Jupiter 1000 times. My brain doesn't come close to fathoming this. But then Jupiter could fit inside our sun 1000 times. Our sun which is 93 000 000 miles away (I learnt this in the Why Does the Sun Shine Song). And our sun is just a middle sized star... in a galaxy  that is just one of numerous galaxies! anyway it made my head spin that the God who is so much bigger than all that loves us enough to send his own Son into the creation so save us! wow.

Anyway then I went to the painting station and painted the two verses that were swimming in my head:

Psalm 8:3-4 "When I consider your heavens, the moon & stars that you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?"

&

Hosea 11:8b "My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused." Hosea is such an interesting book! I love this picture of a God who can't give up on his people even though they have given up on him so often!

Lastly I went to 'post a letter to God' table. I really felt I needed to pray about the singleness of my beautiful friends & I, so I wrote God a letter about it. Being single and in your late 20s has such a stigma attached to it and I have spent many nights crying to God about this - the 'what's wrong with me?' , the 'it's not fair!', the 'where's my prince charming' etc.
Tonight I prayed differently, it was a bit of a culmination of the last few months of pondering and praying and learning and reading I've been doing.
I thanked God for this season. I prayed that God would continually remind us of his love, our worth in him, the ministries, relationships and opportunities that are unique to being single. That he would help us to not believe the lies satan (& the eharmony ads) tries to throw at us.
It's so easy to see the grass as being greener, to want what we don't have (random side-note: I was talking to 2 friends with one year olds the other day. Both were complaining about their kids were constantly mucking around with the phones and remote controls. One said "it's like whatever he's not allowed to touch is what he constantly trying to play with," the response of my other friend was so true: "isn't that we all do, even as adults? we're never happy with what we have, we're always want what we can't have!"), to cry when the girls that you used to lead at kids club get married, to not want to give the snuggling baby you kidnapped back...

But as I prayed I realised how important it is to notice how green your grass is. (Mine is super green right now! literally & metaphorically)

Heigh ho, heigh ho, it's off to work I go! Yay!

Back to School today!
Oh I love my job! I work with the most amazing people, it was almost like a family reunion coming back after 2 weeks of holidays!

Term 3 seems like it was months ago, but once I got into my classroom it was like I had never had a holiday (in a good way). My kids are so fun! I really like them! This morning I got them to write expositions (persuasive essays) on whether students should wear a school uniform. My favourite was a very passionate (she even used capitals for emphasis) "when we don't wear the right uniform we get DEHYDRATED by the teachers!" Um, yes that's right, if you wear the wrong shoes to school we take all liquids from you! haha.

During the holidays our Junior School playground almost got a make-over... but the special rubber stuff they were putting on the ground became bubbly (it's not meant to), then the guy got gastro and now the foreman's apparently quit, so they only got a 2 metre strip done, so the term has started with the playground roped off... BUT there is an amazing new 3 metre tall 'spiderman' climbing frame in the playground! I so can't wait till we the kids can play on it! It looks like this, but is red with blue web:

It's such an interesting shape! Of course, I made a lesson out of it! We spent the afternoon discussing 3D-shapes, edges, corners, faces (even invisible ones), polygons (did you know that the 'gon' in polygon actually comes from the word for 'knee' hehe! so 'polygon' = 'many knees', my kids love that definition), pyramids, prisms and -hedrons. I got the kids to count how many edges the new play equipment's frame had, and come and get that many matchsticks off me to make a 3D model of it. Well we obviously need to work on counting in my class, some kids only needed 18 sticks, while others asked for 54. hmm. Well we're going to finish the models tomorrow, I'll try and take some photos to post.

After the kids went home I had to make my own model (curiosity was too much for me!). It was harder than I thought. But I did find out that there are 20 (invisible) triangular faces, 30 edges and 12 vertices on our spider-ball.  Anyone know what shape this is called? Google had to help me out with this one. It's (don't tell my kids, this is their homework for tonight)... an icosahedron.

There ends the maths lesson for the day.

I meant to clean my room today...

Does anyone remember this book from 20-ish years ago? My little sister owned it.

Pretty much the story is about a little girl who "meant to" clean her room, but she kept getting distracted... by a rollerskating sheep, a pig in desperate need of a bath, a roaring lion and so on.

This is the story of my life.

I am... (I am about to confess something huge & if you know me in real life I know you will be so shocked you will fall off your chair...) I am... reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaally bad at tidiness. I am the opposite of a neat-freak. Not because I don't care, mostly because it just doesn't occur to me to tidy & put things away AND when I do put things away I forget where they are, whereas if I leave them filed on the floor I know exactly where they are AND there are usually a billion other things I could be doing (such as visiting cute babies, hanging out with amazing friends, watching tv, facebooking, sleeping or even marking or programming...).

Anyway, I decided these holidays to be super selfish (but not in my usual super-selfish way - which would be to visit, hangout and catch up with everyone I know) and stay home and clean. I have spent 3 whole days tidying, sorting, chucking, building shelves, sticking things up, washing & vacuuming. I have discovered so many treasures - for instance who knew one person could accumulate 3 hole punches, 7 pairs of scissors and 15 rolls of tape (fifteen!?!!).

Just because I am so proud of my cleaning efforts, here are some photos of the finished, tidy bedroom of mine...

Oh yeh, not too bad... doesn't really look that spectacular, you might think.

Ok, well here are the before pictures...

please do not lose all respect for me.

I am good at other things...

*deep breath*

This was my bedroom day 1 of these school holidays...

 

Eeeek! Oh I'm exhausted just looking at those photos.

Just be glad I didn't also share the photos of my lounge-room and kitchen! (but trust me, they are also super tidy now!)

Well there you have it. Confessions of a serial um...messy-person (hmm), with 6 more things to high-light of her holiday to-do list!

Also I found this quiz so you can find out if you are a neat-freak (though I think it is one of those things you have usually worked out by the time you are a grown up...

My Type of Gardening...

This afternoon my dad showed up at my house with his mower and whipper snipper.
It's back to dad mowing my lawn these days (since my lawn-mowing neighbour died a few weeks ago). I could save up and buy my own mower, but i think deep down dad likes helping out at my little house... maybe.

My role was the whipper snippering. I'm not super good at it... considering I've only done it about 5 times before. But, this time I did manage to avoid the hose and tv aerial cord (um...). I did, however, accidentally slice one of my rose plants...oops!  Of course this inspired me...

One of the things on my to-do list these holidays was to sort out my garden. I have learned that when you leave your garden to its own devices for 4 years it tends to become a little unruly. Well, holding that whipper-snipper gave me amazing super powers of gardening... I whippered everything! It's the quickest type of gardening there is! Yep my "garden" has been been cut down to size and looks really tidy! I am aware that cutting weeds just means they'll grow back even meaner (sort of like shaving)... but for today I don't care. There's one more thing I can high-light off on my to-do list (high-lighting is happier that crossing things off).

Well I'm off to bed. Hopefully I will be able to move in the morning! My arms were so jelly-ish this evening from the whippering, it was even hard to lift fork to mouth... oh dear, definitely need more weights training at the gym :)

My Three Boys

This year 3 of my besties had baby boys within 3 months of each other.
I think they are the cutest little people in the whole world & love hanging out with them so much!

This is Hayden

This is Leonard

This is Morgan

Sometimes (um...ok, so maybe constantly) I wish I was a mummy, but that is not my story for now. I love that being single and kid-less (apart from the 26 kids I spend 30 hours a week with) means that I get to hang out with my gorgeous boys and their amazing mums heaps!

Hayden and Morgan

I soooo love their snuggles and smooches and watching their new tricks each time I visit... giggles and rolling and sitting and hair-pulling and growing! I love that even though they are still under 6-months, they already have their own little personalities. Hayden's my snuggler, he's loves the airconditioner and wall-hangings. Morgan has the funnest giggle & finds everything hilarious. I don't get to see Leonard as much cos he lives so far away. He didn't like me until last Saturday, but he sure made up for it, I got soooo many slobbery kisses and tons of cuddles!

Hanging with Morgan

Smooches from Leonard

I love dressing them up, finding cute toys & clothes for them when I'm shopping, bathing them, bottle feeding them, hugging them, watching them play, taking them on adventures, trying to teach them to say "Aunty Kaye" (it's never too early)... I love having these 3 boys in my life! 


Oh they make my heart so full!