Toilet Phones, and Charley'isms

I've been a total slacker with the blog the last couple of days, but I've actually been really busy. Charley has had a cold or allergies (probably both) since Friday, which means she hasn't been sleeping well. Hence, I haven't been sleeping well! Last night was a little bit better, though, so I finally got caught up on some sleep, thank goodness. I was looking tired...VERY tired. And let's be honest, that's not a good look on anyone!

So, I have to get  caught up here a little bit. Saturday I was supposed to go to one of my oldest friends' baby shower. It turned out I had to work and couldn't go until later in the day, but I got myself all made-up and fancy before going to work...at the gym. I got Charley all ready and as I stood up, I heard a "Plop!" sound in the toilet. Sure enough, I had dropped my phone in the toilet. Yuck. Lucky for me it was just in water, but still, it's gross. I dried off the phone, thrilled it still worked, and was surprised I'd gotten away with dropping my phone in water with no real issues! Yeah, I was fooling myself. When I got in the car, I realized that my phone was leaking water. I hadn't thought to take out the battery and see if there was water INSIDE the phone. It was early, give me a break! So, I turned my phone off and took out the battery as I drove to work. When I put my phone back together before I went to the shower, of course, it didn't work. It worked a little bit, but there were clearly some disconnects, so I left it lying out, to try to dry it out. I drove to the shower...and 45 minutes later I still couldn't find it. I didn't have a way to reach anybody and ask for directions, so I was basically screwed. After an hour of searching, I gave up. I was SO disappointed to miss the shower. I LOVE baby showers! From there, I met my dad at an electronics store and bought a replacement iPad. I'm going on a plane this upcoming weekend with Charley, and if we didn't have an iPad, I think the whole plane would be in for it!  We got a mini this time, not just because it's more affordable, but also because I think it will be easier for Charley to carry and NOT destroy. Fingers crossed!

I know I've said in recent posts that I've really been in need of a break, lately. I noticed that the YMCA, where Charley and I go just about every day, had a parent's night out event. Basically, I could drop Charley off at 4 and pick her up at 7:30, without spending an arm and a leg. I took advantage. I went shopping with one of my friends, and was planning on meeting some of my girlfriends for drinks later in the evening. But by about 5:00, it became clear that I wasn't going to last for drinks. I was exhausted. When you look in the mirror and the dark circles under your eyes make it look like you have two black eyes, it's a sign that you need sleep. I needed sleep. I was bummed to miss out on girl time, because I really need a girls' night, but I needed to take care of myself. It worked out just fine, too, because Charley still wasn't feeling great, and I would've felt bad leaving her with a sitter after she had been occupied with other people all day long! When I picked her up at the Y, she was talking the ear off of one of the employees (go figure). She was happy as could be, but her poor little nose was running, and she was coughing. So I got her home, had her in bed by 8:30, and I went to sleep shortly thereafter. It was great.

She looks like she has sneaky intentions...

Sunday, I awoke, CERTAIN that my phone would be dried out and working perfectly! I turned it on. It worked!!! But there was only like 15% battery left. It wouldn't charge. Ugh. So, I went to the Tmobile store, and was told that I basically needed to get a new phone. Bye bye tax refund! Lucky for me, I had insurance on the phone, but they didn't have my phone in stock when I called the number, so somehow it worked out that I paid $150 and got an iPhone instead of a replacement for my old phone. BEST DECISION EVER! I'm a little addicted. The iPhone is AMAZING. Charley and I met up with my friend Sean and his daughter at the Mall of America after that. Charley had been talking about it all day. Sean and Haley went on rides, while Charley and I walked around, primarily people watching (which is an incredibly fun activity at the MOA), and it was nice. I just HATE the Mall of America on the weekends. I was pushing a stroller, but I was on a mission. Most stroller pushers at the MOA have a habit of randomly stopping, looking around, and talking to the group of 18 people they are shopping with, who are spread across the entire hallway so nobody can get by. Good thing I have quick reflexes, or I might have run over some feet! It was fun, and great for Charley, because she loves kids. It is really nice to have a few friends with kiddos for her to hang out with... But I was ready to leave after an hour or so!

I went to the gym Sunday night, and then again in the morning yesterday. Before we went yesterday, I had a couple of things to pick up at Target, so we stopped there first. Charley insisted on carrying the basket, which was her size, of course, so it extended our shopping trip by at least 10 minutes. When we went up to the checkout counter, Charley was rambling, as usual. She said to the cashier, "Oh my gosh, she is SUCH a dork!" I was mortified.The lady looked at me and asked, "What is she saying." I just replied, "I have no idea! Sometimes it's hard to understand what she's saying." But it wasn't hard to understand. It was clear as day. Thank goodness the cashier had missed it! Phew. From there, we went to the gym where Charley told the childcare worker who checked her in, "Usher is so HOT!" She was on a roll, I'm telling you! For the second time in 15 minutes, my face turned all kinds of shades of red. The employee just laughed, and said, "He sure is!" Ah well, at least she's not saying, "Oh crap!" anymore.

With all of the crazy stuff Charley says and does, sometimes I forget how smart she is. She really is a bright kid. And cute. Yes, I'm a mom, raving about how wonderful my child is...But when we got home yesterday, I got myself all set up on the couch, and Charley insisted on sitting next to me with her toy computer. She began "typing," and then said, "Good morning, James! How are you today? Mommy's teaching right now." She was talking into her computer, the way that I do when I'm teaching classes. It was cute. Then she looked at me and said, matter-of-factly, "Mommy, I'm teaching a class right now." She continued "teaching" for quite some time, and got very excited when my students actually started showing up to my class and she got to say hello. It was fun to watch, and just shows how she observes EVERYTHING.

One final note this morning...It snowed like CRAZY last night. Just one more reason to look forward to Vegas. 4 more days! Have a great day!

Alone Time= AMAZING!

I forgot to mention earlier that I had an awful, Minnesota insect experience last night. I was cleaning up after Charley had gone to bed, and went to put a washcloth from the tub in with the laundry. When I picked up the washcloth, a disgusting, inch-long bug, came crawling out from under it with lightning speed (or at least it seemed that way...melodramatic? Maybe a little...). It startled me, but I stifled my scream, because I'm kind of fond of the theory that anybody who wakes Charley up at night deserves to be punched in the stomach. So I ran around looking for a shoe or something to kill it with. This is why I need a man around...Not because I need a man to kill a bug. I can do that myself...But because I HATE using my own shoes to do it. My whole life, anytime I saw a bug, I'd grab the nearest shoe...as long as it didn't belong to me!  Ha! Is that bad? Anyway, I found an old shoe, went back into the bathroom, and of course it had disappeared. I waited for a minute or so, and sure enough, when it darted across the room, I got it with my shoe. Gross.

Tonight, I was actually pretty busy...but I had alone time! It was amazing. I took Charley to the gym after work, and of course she had a great time. Then, she went over to play with her Aunt Kelsey (whom she calls DeeDee), while I did a little bit of shopping. Do you have any idea how long it's been since I went shopping alone? It's been FOREVER! And I found it totally amazing how much easier it is to get things done when I was on my own. I got everything I need for my Vegas trip, including a cute little dress for Charley's photo shoot while we're there, and it took me about an hour. When I take Charley to the store, I know EXACTLY what I'm looking for, and generally don't have time to try things on...or if I DO try things on, I'm racing to do it, before she starts running wild. Tonight I took my time, and got exactly what I needed. It was amazing. I've known for awhile that I need to take more time for myself (more than just going to the gym...I wouldn't want them to catch on to the fact that at least half of my reason for going is for the free childcare...). Tonight just confirmed that. When I looked in the mirror as I tried clothes on, I noticed the dark circles under my eyes. I looked tired. Which is why I left the mall at 8:30, came home and put Charley in bed, and I'm about to go to bed myself.

By the way...the last couple of nights as I've been putting Charley to sleep, Oscar has come into the bedroom with us. It's completely silent in the room, except for the sound of Oscar licking his paws. It's the most awful sound. Like fingernails on a chalk board. It's just terrible. I tried throwing a pillow near him one time to get his attention, and make him stop. What happened? The pillow landed ON him, instead of next to him, and he didn't even pause for a half a second. It drives me crazy.

Okay, I promised a teaching story, so I have a quick one for you tonight. It was inspired by the poorly written emails I've received while dating online. When I taught in Las Vegas, the majority of my students were Hispanic. Many of their families didn't speak English at all, so most of my students had noticeable accents. I thought they were adorable, but found out quickly how difficult it made spelling. They spelled words the way they heard them. As one of their first writing prompts, I had the students tell me about their favorite candy. They had to describe it, tell me why they liked it, etc. One of my students wrote about his favorite candy...Sneakers. It took me a minute to process it, but when I realized he was writing about Snickers, I laughed out loud. Mostly because he DID spell it right, in terms of the way that he would hear or say the word. When I read the paper, I could hear his squeaky little voice, asking me for a Sneakers bar. Ha! On that note, goodnight!

Exhaustion and a New Swimsuit

Tonight, I'm just exhausted. Between Charley and work, I'm getting worn down. I'm going to bed early tonight, and sleeping in tomorrow. I hope Charley gets that memo! Fingers crossed. I think part of my issue is waking up early to go to the gym, but I really like going. I'm seeing results, too! There have been several times in my life where I've lost weight or just toned up, by getting my butt back in the gym. This is one of those times. Tonight I went shopping, and actually purchased a new swimsuit. It's the first time I've bought a bikini since I was pregnant with Charley, so it's a little bit of a big deal. Like most women, I avoid swimsuit shopping like the plague.  But I've been working hard at the gym, and it didn't look nearly as awful as I thought it would! In fact, shopping was actually FUN tonight, because the clothes didn't look terrible on me! Now if only I had the money to buy all of the things I liked...Come on tax refund!

It's interesting to me how losing even the smallest amount of weight can make a big difference in how people look, when weight training is involved. I remember my senior year of college, when I got back in shape. In the first semester, I lost about 20 lbs, and felt great. People commented, but I don't think there was that much of a difference in how I looked. Here's the funny part...In the second semester, I took a body toning and weight training class to fill up some of my elective credits. Suddenly, people were commenting on my weight loss like crazy. Some girl I didn't even know came up to me and told me how I looked like I'd lost 20 lbs, and she could see such a difference. How much weight do you think I'd lost? 2 lbs. That's right. 2 lbs. My enormous weight loss went virtually unnoticed, but I lost 2 lbs, and all of a sudden it was noticeable? It was crazy. But that's the way I feel right now. I'm not really losing weight, nor am I trying to. But with all of the training for the Tough Mudder, I can see changes in my appearance, and it's kind of rewarding. Definitely a good feeling.

Like I said, I'm exhausted, so I'm going to keep this post brief tonight. I thought of a good teaching story this morning. I mentioned a student before, Jacob, who burned me with a hot glue gun. Well, I did some work with Jacob outside of school, taking him to gymnastics for open gym. At the gym, Jacob socialized with other kids, developed muscle coordination...it was good for him. It was fun, too, watching him introduce himself to the other kids, and join in on games and other activities at the gym. Sometimes, though, Jacob was a little bit off, and would try to "escape." By escape, I mean, he would run out of the gym, making eye contact with me the entire time. It was like he was saying, "Ha! Screw you, I can get out of here, and you can't catch me!" It was a game. I knew it was a game, so I didn't play into it. That drove him crazy. One day, when I was putting my shoes on, he decided he was going to escape, so he flew out of the gym, and down the hall. I followed him, walking slowly. He stopped before running outside, to make sure I was paying attention to him. I said his name, and calmly asked him to come back. He stuck his tongue out at me. So, instead of talking, I pointed back to the gym. He sighed dramatically, and slowly sauntered back toward me, and back to the gym. "Try again," I said. Basically, when he behaved inappropriately, I would make him start the activity over. In this case, he had to leave the gym appropriately (walking with me). He started walking by my side, then suddenly, he got a gleam in his eye, and made a break for it again. Again, I caught his eye, and pointed back to the gym. It took us 7 tries to get out of the gym that day. He might have been persistent, but I'm stubborn, and he learned not to test me, because I will ALWAYS follow through. I love that kid!

Catch Up!

Yes, she wore this in public...

Phew, it's been a couple of days since I've posted. It's gotten a little busy around here. Charley is full swing in her terrible twos. Happy as can be one minute, and whining (or screaming) the next, because her dolly is sitting on the wrong side of the couch (where she put it), or Oscar somehow offended her. I'm trying to get her out of the house as much as possible, because ultimately, we BOTH need it!

My dating life has been pretty uneventful lately. As much as I hate online dating, it's really hard to meet people any other way, considering that I work from home, and I don't get out much! So, I ventured back online yesterday. For a day. Every time I even think about online dating, I get overwhelmed. I don't know why I do it! Admittedly, the attention is nice. For about 5 minutes. But it is too much for me! Mostly because my profile was up for all of 3 hours, and I had over a dozen e-mails, and half of them were from guys with screen-names like "LonelyinMN," "LostLove," and "StrongLikeBull." I mean, seriously...If a woman's not attracted to men advertising their loneliness, what could they be attracted to, right? Ha! I know there are lots of fish in the sea, and LOTS of really good men who do the online dating thing. It's just a matter of finding a diamond in the rough. Like, for instance, a man who can spell at higher than a fifth grade level, and uses capital letters at the beginning of every sentence. Are those expectations too high? I don't think so. I have talked to one guy who seems cool, but I've been fooled before!  Anyway, this online dating stint has been brief, and a quick reminder of why it just doesn't work for me. I'm hoping the cute trainer at the gym realizes how awesome I am, and I can stop even CONSIDERING online dating. Ha!

So, as I mentioned earlier, Charley has been a bit of a handful lately. It's not her fault. She needs to be engaged all day, and when I'm teaching classes, she has to entertain herself. That's an awful lot to expect from a two year old. It's no wonder she has meltdowns. She's bored! I can't wait to get her into preschool next year. She'll love it. She has really been enjoying going to the gym, though. It's my break in the day, but it's her time to play with other people. Charley absolutely LOVES going to the gym. She always cooks in the play kitchen, and sings along to Old MacDonald. Every time she gets in the car, she starts chanting, "Usher, Usher, Usher!!!" Yes, my child likes Usher. If Usher or One Direction aren't playing on the stereo, I'm guaranteed a meltdown in the back seat. So, we generally listen to the same song all the way to the gym...and all the way home. Lovely. Anyway, I know I've mentioned this in previous posts, but I've learned to love the gym.

Do you people watch at the gym? I know I do. It's always amusing to watch people, and I imagine it's funny to watch me. Here's the thing...when I'm listening to music at the gym, I frequently mouth the words. I'm sure I look ridiculous! But I don't care, I do it anyway! I know I mentioned before that I related certain songs to specific people/events. As I was on the Elliptical today, Kesha's, Tik Tok, came on my iPod. I started laughing immediately. Why? Because when I was in Vegas, I worked at an awesome gym, and this song always made me think of, "Wednesday Bar Dancing Night." Basically, one of the other coaches, Alicia, and I, always worked with the upper level gymnasts on bars every Wednesday night, when almost everyone had gone home. I was pregnant, so Alicia did a lot of the spotting and climbing on mats, so I didn't have to make a fool of myself trying to climb around. Anyway, we'd always play this song, and Alicia would be standing on the mats, dancing like nobody was watching...Except people were watching. Alicia seemed to forget that all the parents sitting outside were watching her every move, as she shook her hips, and tossed her hair around. When she realized it, though, she didn't care. That's one of the things I love most about her! So, there I was today, running like a fiend, and as soon as that song came on, I started to giggle. All I could picture was Alicia laughing. So, I laughed. I can only imagine I look like an idiot, and make other people laugh as well. Ah, whatever, I don't mind being a source of entertainment for others.

 I booked our tickets for Las Vegas today, and it will be interesting to see how she does with her dad. She will be spending nights with me while we're there, but she will be spending full days with her dad and she hasn't seen him in several months. It will be good for both of them. And as I said before, I need the break! I'm really looking forward to seeing some great friends, and taking advantage of some time to myself! I have a feeling I'll be pretty busy, but I'm definitely excited for the trip! The flight should be interesting. Charley has gotten to the point where she knows what airplanes are, and she is excited about flying on one. However, it's the first time that she'll actually understand what's going on, and I'm not sure how she will behave. We've got to get a new iPad to keep her entertained on the flight...STAT!

Alright, no time for a teacher story tonight. Definitely tomorrow, though!

Backwards Leotards and a Unicorn

So, I coached all day yesterday, and it was a particularly fun coaching day. The kids are all back from Spring Break, so classes were full, and that always keeps things interesting. My last Saturday class, I co-teach with one of my co-workers,Steve, and it's my favorite class of the day. The girls are a little bit more advanced, and we get to work on some fun skills with them. I really do enjoy teaching higher-level skills. Maybe it's because I coached team for so long. But it is fun to watch girls come into class with bad round-offs, and a month later, we've got them doing round-off back handsprings with good form and the right technique. It really is a fun class. We had a few parents comment on it, too, because the kids have made a lot of progress. I think there's something to be said about team teaching in any setting. If you have a good team, it's so much more effective, because you can each play a role (I tend to be the "explainer," and Steve does more of the spotting), and the kids really do benefit. There has to be good coaching chemistry, though. I'll never forget when my friend Kellie stopped coaching, and someone new filled her shoes. When Kellie and I worked together, it was FUN. We found the same things to be cute and funny, and appreciated the quirks of all of the little ones we worked with on the training team. When she left, it just wasn't the same. When I co-taught in the classroom with Janine, and then with Sara, those were my favorite teaching memories, too. It's just more fun when there are two teachers!

 Yesterday was funny, in one sense. Several girls came in with their leotards on backwards. I can spot a backwards leotard from a mile away, from the front or the back. When I was coaching with my friend Michael one time, he asked me to tell one of his girls to turn her leotard around. I asked which girl, as I surveyed his group. He replied, "The one with the thong!" Haha! It's true, from the back, that's what it looks like, and it definitely can't be comfortable. The majority of the time this happens, the girls will say, "My dad brought me today," and their dads just smile, embarrassed...they don't know any better! One of the girls is a repeat offender, and wears her leotard backwards EVERY week. It makes me laugh every time!

While I taught my first class, Charley took her gymnastics class. My friend Blair actually came and watched her class, and confirmed that Charley was definitely distracted (she's significantly younger than the rest of the kids), but she was having fun. I was just pleased that she completed the class without running across the gym for a little visit! It was only her third class, and I know she'll get better. She loves it though! She was a lucky girl, too. After the gym, she got to go to my dad's house for awhile, and then Blair came by to pick her up for "Blair and Charley's Day of Fun," (I bet you can't guess what that came from). Blair said when she showed up, Charley was eating berries and ketchup. Gross! Apparently there was supposed to be turkey involved, but my dad had run out. Still, that's disgusting. So Blair got her ice cream at the mall. My kid is incredibly spoiled by all of her aunties!

After I finished working, and got Charley back from Blair, we went to the gym. My mom has been out of town, and told me to come pick up her car, so I could use her gas, because I will be picking her up at the airport. So we picked up the car before going to the gym. Guess what? It was on E. This is the second time she's asked me to use her car, and left it with no gas! Typical. Anyway, we went to the gym, which was surprisingly busy for 5:30 on a Saturday, and as much as I wasn't motivated to go yesterday, I'm glad I did.

I had plans to stay in last night, and that's exactly what I did. However, the evening didn't go exactly as planned. I had 3, 40+ minute phone calls with friends. Generally I get one of those phone calls a week! 3 in one night? I felt special. Actually, it was just really nice to talk to some of my closest friends, and catch up. Spenser told me he'd run into a family I used to coach and babysit for. He filled them in on the fact that I'd moved on from my marriage, and I'm in Minnesota, getting ready to start my own business, and I'm doing great. The mom asked, "How do you know so much about Lindsey?" Apparently the parents didn't realize when Spenser and I worked together that we were best friends and roommates. When he told her he'd been my college roommate, he said her jaw dropped. I guess it's unusual to some people that men and women can be COMPLETELY platonic, best friends, and not be a couple. I think he likes to tell people that we were roommates just for the reaction, because it's the same every time. Spenser does love to make people uncomfortable, so he enjoys that reaction! Ha! Anyway, I had some great conversations last night, and it was one of my most relaxing Saturday nights in awhile.

Okay, I've got a coaching story for the day. When I was in Kansas City, I was in charge of a preschool gymnastics program. That meant I taught preschool gymnastics for about 3 hours every morning. Preschool gymnastics is a totally unique world. The kids tell you EVERYTHING, which can be incredibly entertaining. You generally have at least one kid in each class who is extremely poorly behaved. In one class, "that" kid, was a little boy named Ethan. Ethan didn't listen. Ever. He did what he wanted, when he wanted, and usually had at least one time out per class. One day, he was pretty good for the majority of the class, which meant he got rewarded by getting to play in the foam pit for a few minutes at the end of class with the rest of the class. There is a slide that goes into the pit, and it was his favorite thing to do, to go down the slide. I was standing next to the slide, with my arm across it, because I wanted to make sure each child got out of the way before the next one slid down and landed on top of them. Of course, Ethan started to go, and I said, "No, Ethan. You need to wait for her to get out of the way." Now, my arm across the slide strategy had worked many times before, but this time, something went wrong. The little booger slid down on his back, instead of sitting, so he basically went under my arm. However, he didn't escape my arm  completely. His head was up, and he smacked his forehead on my elbow. I asked if he was okay, but he ran through the pit, like nothing had happened, so I didn't think much of it. Until he turned to look at me. My co-worker, Michael, said, "How did Ethan become a unicorn?" The kid had a pointy goose-egg on his face that probably stuck out two inches. It looked awful! Imagine walking him over to his mom after that one! The good news is, she'd heard me tell him not to go, and said, "That's what he gets! He wasn't listening." I felt awful, though. The next week, he was back to normal, and didn't hesitate for a second to go down the slide. Figures.

TGIF!

This was a heck of a week! It was busy, from Monday until Friday, without much time for a break. It was just long. By the end of the day today, I needed to get out of the house and have some girl time. So, I took Charley over to hang out with her auntie for awhile, and had a date night with Blair. Blair is one of my oldest and closest friends. We've known each other since we were 12 year olds, training to be counselors at Camp Kici Yapi. We grew up together, went to college together...we've experienced most everything together. And tonight, we had an amazing girl's night.

We went for dinner and drinks at Old Chicago.I hadn't seen her for awhile and we were definitely overdue for a get together. We were having fun people watching, while we waited for our table (which took forever, by the way). An older couple sitting at a booth clapped and cheered when we finally got seated, because they had noticed how we'd been waiting forever! I told Blair I wished we had been seated by them, because they seemed like a good time! It was worth the wait, though. Everything was delicious, and the conversation was awesome. We were going through our wallets, getting out credit cards to pay, and Blair busted out identification cards for her cats, asking if I had one for Charley. I started laughing so hard I cried. The cards were so cute, with her cats' pictures on them! Anyway, they certainly weren't expected, and I totally lost it. It was great. Just what I needed! We blasted music on the drive home, too, which was pretty much the best way we could have possibly ended the night. I love having friends like that.

I work tomorrow, which will be nice. I love my Saturday mornings! Charley is excited, too. She can't wait to go to gymnastics. She talks about it all week long! It's just about her favorite thing to do. After that, I'm looking forward to a nice, relaxing evening in. I can't wait to have a quiet night to relax on the couch. It's going to be amazing.

Alright, here's a teaching story for the night...My first year teaching, was my first year working in an Edison-School (it's a type of public school that receives some private funding from the Edison company). When I was in elementary school, we learned keyboarding in about fourth or fifth grade. As I went through school, we relied on computers consistently, and I became a pretty proficient typist, typing about 75 words per minute. Well, my students did not have time in their school day for anyone to teach keyboarding. So, on the days when we went into the computer lab, I would frequently type things quickly for my students who were struggling, mostly due to time constraints. They looked at me in amazement every time I typed, because they couldn't believe my typing speed. One day, after we had been in the computer lab, and the students had been working on their State Reports, I had three of my best students approach me at my desk. They had a little tiny comic book they'd made on lined paper, called, "Mrs. Pierron The Hyper-Typer Spider." They'd made a whole little book, complete with illustrations, about how I came to the rescue with my flying fingers. It was adorable. I still have the comic book, stashed away with the rest of my teacher goodies, and it always brings a smile to my face. 

One of "THOSE" Days...Margarita, Anyone?

Minnesota. In April.

A couple of months ago, I was talking to a friend of mine (also a single parent), about the days when you know you love your child, but you'd rather be anywhere in the world than with your kid. You just need a break. But you definitely don't want your kid to know you need a break, because let's be honest, that would just make things exponentially worse. Today was one of those days. It wasn't even all Charley's fault that the day was just a bit off. I blame the weather. When I first woke up, I looked out the window and saw a little bit of snow on the ground (nothing significant), so I got myself ready for the gym, got Charley fed and changed, and then I opened the door to walk out to the car. In the hour it took for us to get up and moving, several inches of snow had fallen. I just stared and asked myself, "Go, or don't go?" I ultimately decided to go, because Charley was all excited to see kids and play in the little kitchen. However, it took 35 minutes to get there, due to the snow. Ugh. That meant I had about 30 minutes to work out before I had to come home for work. Kind of a waste of time, but I did my thing, and drove home.

Work went well today. Until the last hour, that is. I had an hour long meeting at 4:30 this afternoon. Now, Charley is usually pretty good, but there's a reason that I schedule my classes in the morning. She's not crabby at 11, but boy is she crabby by the end of the day! Anyway, for the first 30 minutes of the meeting, my only job was to listen. She was a perfect angel. Then, almost on cue, when my half of the meeting started, there was some toy that she just couldn't find, and needed to find immediately. "Mommy!!!" she wailed. "Iced tea! Iced tea!" Yeah, I know she's a weird kid, trying to make iced tea, but whatever. Let's just say it was a loud, screaming mess, as I tried to talk my way through the meeting, apologizing profusely. By the time the meeting was over, I was so frustrated, I wanted to scream. It just reminded me why children are born to two parents. Sometimes one needs a break! Instead of screaming, I went back to the gym, where I could have the childcare workers deal with her for an hour. Smart mom? I think so! Except for the fact that I will, again, be incredibly sore tomorrow. An hour of silence, though? Totally worth it! She was, of course, perfectly behaved for the childcare workers, and was much better once we came home.

I was talking to one of my single-mom girlfriends this afternoon, about having male influences in our kids' lives. We are both in a similar situation, in the sense that our exes live out of state, so we are COMPLETELY on our own in terms of parenting. She mentioned that her ex had come to visit her son last weekend, for the first time in months. He didn't understand why his son didn't want to be alone with him. Ummm...hello, he doesn't know you?! Apparently her ex, whom I'll call Jake, thinks his son should know him, because he was there when he was born, so they have a bond. Ha! Another funny quip from this conversation... While Jake was there, my friend said she had to go change her son's diaper. He asked how she knew he needed to be changed. Her response? "Well, Jake, when he pees, his face turns yellow, and when he poops..." Ha! Love it! It just cracks me up, because I know several single dads who have it all together! Some are even more in tune with their kids than the kids' moms are!  How can some people be so clueless?

So, now I'm at home, relaxing with a SkinnyGirl Margarita. An incredible creation, that's for sure. And of course, I found Friends on Nick at Nite, so my evening just got even better.

I've got a quick teacher story for you tonight. My second year of teaching, the school I worked at was still on a year round schedule. That meant that there were several weeks during the year that I was off, and needed to sub in other classrooms to keep making money, because technically I was a long-term sub, and not on a contract. Anyway, there were several times that I subbed for music class. Now, there were two different music teachers at my school. One was fantastic, and great with the kids. She was always doing fun things with the students, and classroom management was never an issue. The other teacher, however, was not exactly known for her classroom management skills. She was, of course, the one I subbed for. I was prepared for the worst, because every time I'd ever walked by her classroom, all I heard was yelling, and arguing. However, it became clear on day one that the kids really weren't the problem at all. I cranked up the music and danced around and sang songs with those kids for a full week, and they treated me like a celebrity. I thought it was awesome. No behavior problems whatsoever, because it was FUN and controlled. That tends to be my style... So, one day, one of my co-workers and friends, Dayvin, came knocking on the door of the classroom, with a brownie for me. I thanked him, and turned back to the class. They had been playing BINGO, and stared in awe as I received a little treat. I looked at the kids, and said, "Okay, what's next?" From the back of the room, I heard a thick Hispanic accent shout, "Eat the cupcake!!!!" When I glanced in the direction of the voice, I knew just who it was. It was the exact person who you would picture, obsessing about food. The student, who I'll call Jose, was about 50 lbs overweight, grinning from ear to ear, and practically salivating at the thought of something sweet. I laughed, and we got back to BINGO. But now, every time I eat a brownie, I can hear his little voice, ordering me to "Eat the cupcake!"

Never Tell a Pregnant Woman (not me!)....AND Adventures of a New Teacher

I have a lot of friends who are pregnant right now. Two of my closest friends, and my older sister are all pregnant with baby girls and due in June. I'm so excited for all of them, even though I know that means my wallet is going to be even emptier than it already is. Anyway, for my two girlfriends, these babies will be their first, and for my sister, her second. As they have gone through their pregnancies, I've gotten to hear a lot of their annoyances with husbands, and people in general, making comments that aren't appropriate or just piss them off. One thing all men, especially men with pregnant wives, need to remember is the fact that pregnant women are ALWAYS right. It doesn't matter if they say it's raining outside when it's actually sunny and clear. They're right. And you better not tell them they're wrong, or you will endure the wrath that might include lack of conversation for several days. I was talking to my sister this evening about things people say to pregnant women, and it brought me back to my pregnant days. You'd be surprised what people say to pregnant women. It's shocking.

I'm not a very big person, so when I got pregnant with Charley, I showed RIGHT away. Apparently, that meant there must be twins, right? Well, that's what everyone was telling me. I especially loved when I was 3 months along and this woman who was like 5'11" and skinny as a rail told me I looked the way she had at 6 months. I was like... Sweet! Thanks lady! You've got nearly a foot on me, so clearly more room for the kid to go. I, on the other hand, at 5'3" (on a good day) didn't really have anywhere for the kid to grow, but out. Plus, my family is known for having big babies. My grandmother is a twin. She and her sister were BOTH 9 pounds at birth. Torture, much? Anyway, I got lots of comments like that. A whole lot of, "Oh my gosh, I can't believe you're still working! You look like you're about to pop! When are you going to have that baby?" Ummm....let me tell you, when you can't sit, walk, stand, or lie down comfortably, nobody wants that baby to come out more than a pregnant woman. I wanted to say, "I was hoping I would have had it yesterday, so I wouldn't have to lug a bowling ball around, thanks." I refrained, from comment, though. Ha!  I was so grateful for the beautiful (and thin) parent of one of my students who said, "You're 5 months along? You look amazing! At 5 months, I looked like a whale!" She'd made me so happy, I wanted to cry. I probably did. And I'm not much of an emotional person!

My general advice when speaking with pregnant women is as follows:
1. Criticize NOTHING. Do not comment on anything unless it is a compliment.
2. Do not mention how she looks, unless you're planning to tell her how amazing she looks.
3. Don't mention weight. Not your weight, your kid's weight, CERTAINLY not her weight. Just avoid it at all costs.
4. Don't call names, or say no to anything in the last few months. Just do as she requests. Or you will pay the price. Ha!

With all that said, I think I was a pretty calm pregnant woman. I just whined to my also-pregnant friend about the stupidity of people's comments. We commiserated together.

Okay, here's a teacher story for you today. When I started teaching in Vegas, it was November, and the students had already had 6 teachers. They were a handful, to say the least, but I liked the challenge. Anyway, I had several sets of  siblings in my class, because we were on a year-round track schedule at the time (one group of students would be out of school, while other groups were in school). Basically, if a student had a twin, or a sibling who was older/younger than them in the same grade(which wasn't uncommon in this school), they had the same teacher so they would be on the same schedule. Anyway, I had a brother and sister pair in my class. I'll call them Terrell and Tanya. I think I'd been in the classroom for about two weeks, when Terrell was messing around when we were walking in line to go to recess. He was one of the cool kids, and always putting on a show. Remember, these students had already had 6 teachers, so I was dealing with a lot of bad behavior, but Terrell wasn't really much of an issue. I did notice another teacher give Terrell a look, though, when I called him out. I didn't think much of it, because the teachers were still judging my ability as much as anything else. So, Terrell got called out in line. Not a big deal. I dealt with him, and we all moved on.

Several class periods later, I was teaching writing when I heard a pounding on my door. Not a knock. It was POUNDING. I opened the door to see another teacher (whom I hadn't yet been introduced to). She was big, and she was intimidating. "I need Terrell, please. Now!" she barked. I watched all of the color drain from Terrell's face, as Tanya sat there grinning from ear to ear. Terrell slowly crept toward the door. "Get out here!" the teacher bellowed at him. "Hurry up!" I'm not going to lie, the woman scared the crap out of me at the time. I got everybody working, and walked over to Tanya. "Who is that?" I asked. "That's our Auntie!" she exclaimed, clearly thrilled to watch her brother get pulled out of class for a scolding. It made sense to me then. She didn't want her family embarrassing her at school! Minutes later, Terrell reemerged, with tears in his eyes, avoiding eye contact with everyone. His auntie held the classroom door open, and hollered, "If you have ANY trouble with him, you just let me know." She glared in his direction. I smiled, nervously, and replied, "Okay!" The next day, I received a hand-made card from Terrell, which stated, "Dear Mrs. Pierron,
I am sorry I was not behaving. I will not do it again. I will listen in your class ALL the time. If you have any problems with me, you can call my auntie. Love, Terrell" Classic.

*Sidenote- Yes, it's true the teacher who glared at Terrell in line TOTALLY tattled on him. Who tattles on a 10 year old? Ha!

Do Certain Songs Remind You of Anyone?

This really isn't intended to be today's post, but it's kind of fun, so I thought I would share. So, I recently found my old school iPod. Not an iTouch or anything fancy like that. Just an iPod, and I've probably had it for 6 + years. Anyway, I was going through it because it has a lot of music that is not linked to my iTunes, and I was kind of interested to see what I was listening to, years ago. I plugged it into the car on my way to the gym, and Usher's Yeah! came blaring through my speakers. I was instantly sent back to my junior year of college, with Eric Jantzer blasting this song at his apartment, and singing along just about every weekend night. Awesome. Then it hit me. I know I've talked about songs and music playing a role in my life, but are there songs that make you think of certain people? Sometimes I hear a song, and I think to myself...."_____ really needs to listen to this song. It might get him off his butt!" or,  "Ummm, perfect breakup song. I need to text ___." Generally, anything by Zac Brown Band and Lady Antebellum can tell the story of my life, or make me think of people that are/have been important to me. But there are other songs that I've listened to, danced to, rocked out to in the car, etc. with certain people, and every time I hear "that" song, I can't help but be a little bit nostalgic. I've got a ton of friend-music references. I thought I would share a few, mostly for my own enjoyment, but maybe you'll find them amusing!

Faded- Soul Decision- This brings me back to driving around in the Bug, with all of my high school girlfriends. I heard it the other day for the first time in a LONG time. I still know all the words. Other songs that make me think of riding in the Bug with my girls include Aaron's Party (don't judge, we were teenagers, and I can still bust out an awesome Aaron Carter rap), anything by Backstreet Boys, N'Sync, BoyzIIMen, etc. I'm also reminded of a certain O-Town song, Liquid Dreams. I'm a smart girl, but can be naive at times. I'd been listening to that song for weeks, before my friends had to EXPLAIN to me what it was about. For some reason it had never clicked! We didn't listen to that song anymore...Ha!

1,000 Miles- The Proclaimers- This song makes me think of Lindsay. It was like an anthem when we were kids. On her 29th birthday, they played it for her at the bar, and we all danced like we were 16 again. I loved it.

Anything by Miranda Lambert- Miranda Lambert makes me think of Rena. So does Sugarland for that matter. Badass women. Maybe that's why Rena and I like them so much. Amazing.

Dixie Chicks and Jo Dee Messina- Blair. Blair and I are notorious for singing There's Your Trouble and  I'm Alright  at karaoke. Alcohol doesn't even need to be involved. I do have a vivid memory of singing karaoke in Katie Pretty Eyes' garage. I was on the mic wailing Goodbye Earl for everyone to hear, as Katie and Anthony did an interpretive dance. That was a moment I'll never forget. Ha!

Dirty- Christina Aguilera- Anthony and Blair, you know where this is headed. Let's just say I can't even hear this song without picturing Anthony dancing with me (or without) in my dorm room on Halloween freshman year. This song got a whole new meaning, when we went to the club for Blair's birthday. I'm not sure anybody could actually handle the details of this one!

Roll Out- Ludacris- This song brings me back to Mexico, on Spring Break, my senior year of high school with Blair, Ben, Brooks, and Brennan. Blair and I hadn't exactly done much drinking in our time, but on this trip, we learned about alcohol. The hard way. I still can't drink tequila.

It's Your Birthday- 50 Cent- This one goes back to another Spring Break, when I went to Cancun with Ann, Blair, Kelly, and Anthony. This trip marked the first (and last time) Ann and I ever danced on tables! Hey, we were young. Besides, in spite of that indiscretion, we were actually the tame ones on the trip!

Anything by Kenny Chesney- Kellie and Spenser. When I think of Kenny Chesney, I immediately think of Kellie. Not sure why. Maybe because we always listen to him when we're riding together? Spenser comes to mind here, because he doesn't know anything about country music. Every time he rode with me, I'd ask, "Who's singing THIS song?" if it was one he'd heard several times. His answer? EVERY time, it was Kenny Chesney. Typical.

Praying for Daylight- Rascal Flatts- Rascal Flatts make me think of Ali Baker, and my dear Pretty Eyes. Not sure why.

Rap- ANY rap- Janine. I didn't have any REAL rap on my iPod, but when I hear rap on the radio, my New York buddy comes to mind.

Damaged- Danity Kane- This one reminds me of going to pick up Kelsey at the airport when I was in Kansas City. It was our anthem for the week! I still love this song.

What I Got- Sublime- I can't help but picture Allie pulling into the driveway with her big white Jeep, and Sublime bumper stickers on the back. This is an oldie, but goodies.

These songs/artists came to mind because they were all a part of my trip to the gym today. I think I should stick to the old iPod for awhile. It definitely provided a trip down memory lane, and started my day off the right way!

I Can't Feel My Legs...

Last night, I started off by talking about staying up late to have some time to myself. Well, I stayed up a little bit TOO late last night, and slept past my wake-up time to go to the gym. Ugh. Not to mention I was kind of crabby all day. Apparently I DO require a certain amount of sleep! Anyway, I made it to the gym tonight, and I ran 4.5 miles in 35 minutes. Yes, you read that right, 4.5 miles in 35 minutes. For runners, that probably seems like nothing, because it's not like I was running a 6 minute mile or anything. But those of you who know me are fully aware that I HATE running. I despise it. Short girls, with short legs are meant to do gymnastics. Not run. Kellie and I talk about this all the time. We did gymnastics for a reason! We're short, we can go really hard for short periods of time...but we absolutely HATE cardio exercise. So, needless to say, for me to run any distance greater than a mile without stopping is a feat for me. Apparently this whole "consistent cardio routine," serves a purpose or something. Whatever. I just don't want to be the idiot at the Tough Mudder in July who craps out at mile 2! With that said, I'm fairly certain I won't be able to walk normally for several days. I told someone the other day that I actually like being sore after a workout. I got the whole, "Are you crazy?" look in response. I had to explain that if I don't feel just a little bit sore, I don't feel like I did anything in the workout. Is that weird? Maybe it's just me.

"Stop taking pictures, there's a cupcake in this bag!"

Naturally, after the gym, I had to go out to dinner and ruin all of the hard work I'd just done. Well, actually, Charley and I are back at my dad's house dog sitting again, and there is an awesome restaurant around the corner that has a great Greek salad. I LOVE Greek salads. Paymon's in Vegas anyone? They have an awesome Greek salad, and Janine and I will likely go there as soon as I get in town! Yummy! Sorry, ADD kicking in... Anyway, I was so excited not to cook, and was really looking forward to the meal. Sure enough, we walked in, just to find that it was no longer on the menu. Sad day for me. So, instead of being a good girl and getting a salad, I got a veggie sandwich and probably erased all the work I'd done at the gym. Oh well, it happens!

As much as I have been enjoying training MYSELF to get into shape, it's way more fun to train the girls at the gym. I honestly love the gym I work at. I've worked at some great places in my life, and had the pleasure of working with great people over the years. I've always been the more laid-back coach, who gives a lot of corrections, but is definitely approachable. Well, at this gym....I'm the MEAN coach! I think I come off that way because I'm so stinking loud, and I will call anybody out, at any given time if they're messing around. Plus, all of the other coaches are SO nice. Incredibly nice. I'm nice, but not THAT nice. Ha! I'm not really mean, but I tell all the kids I am, and when they're new, they usually believe it. What I really should say is that I'm strict. I ALWAYS warn them that I'm picky. I am. I've learned from a lot of good coaches with incredible technique, and I've become very picky. I'm also sarcastic, so if kids don't get sarcasm, I have to be careful not to hurt any feelings! Anyway, I brought this up, because I got quite a few new students in my class yesterday. I jokingly told them I'm the mean coach, and I'm very picky, but if they do what I ask them to, they'll be incredibly good little gymnasts. While I was spotting at a station, I noticed two of the girls talking. One was a girl who has been in my class for awhile. She used to kind of run the show (which does not work for me), but she has gotten so much better over the last few months. Anyway, she was talking to one of the new girls. I overheard her saying, "Oh, Lindsey's not mean. She's strict. Kind of like a teacher at school. But she's too nice to be mean." Ha! It was sweet. It gave me a little warm-fuzzy. She might have taken that statement back, if the conversation had taken place after conditioning though! Anyway, I love my little gymnasts, and that was just a reminder as to why I do what I do.

I said in yesterday's blog that I'm excited to go to Las Vegas. Here's a big reason why...This Minnesota April has been horrendous. We're expecting snow tomorrow. Accumulating snow. Seriously? Did the universe forget that it's April? I mean, come on, cut me a break. It's my first Minnesota winter in 10 years, and it's been brutal! Another snow, means another thaw, which means MORE ALLERGIES. Ugh. I can't wait to be in that fabulous Vegas weather! Just watch, it will probably snow while I'm there.  I'm also looking forward to having a little time to myself. Charley is going to get to spend some time with her father. A significant amount of time (5 or 6 days). Not that I won't see her at all during that time, but he will be the primary parent on those days. I don't even remember what it's like to just relax and do nothing. It's going to be marvelous. I took a couple of days off of work, too, so when I'm not administering tests, I'll be lying by the pool with a gossip magazine in hand. Although I'm about 4 years disconnected from celebrity gossip, so I probably won't even know half of the people in the magazines. But still....Heaven!

 Okay, a teacher story... I've talked about working in a low-income school when I was in Las Vegas. Coming from Edina, let's just say it is a totally different world. I remember my first after-school event, when the parents were going around to meet their children's new teachers. When we were all in the multi-purpose room and the principal was explaining what was going on, and welcoming parents to the school, the teachers just surveyed the crowd. There were women in pajama pants, and others dressed like they were going out to the club. There were men with pants down to their knees, and shirts with swear words on them. I looked at my friend and just said, "They know this is a school, right?" She laughed, and nodded. Anyway, I came to expect that kind of dress, as I worked there for several years. One day, when I was doing my student teaching (yes, I was forced to student teach even after I had my own classroom for two years), I walked the students out to the line. One of the parents came up to me looking for her son. As I turned to look at her, I was in shock. Remember, this was an elementary school. The woman was in booty shorts and a white sports bra. That's it. And she was NOT a slight woman. I passed off her son, and watched her walk away, in complete shock. One of my past students came up to me and asked, "Ummm....Ms. Pierron....are we allowed to wear JUST a bra to school?" "No, honey, you're not," I replied. She whistled, cocked her head to the side, in the direction of the mother, and said, "Well then she better get out of here! Because I don't think ANY of us need to be looking at that." Took the words right out of my mouth.