Seriously, you can't make this stuff up.....

If you've ever had a day where you think that nothing can possibly go right you're going to LOVE this... my Wednesday was such a bad day that when I woke up today I really did NOT want to get out of my bed.  Here's how it all went downhill!

The day started out pretty well, my husband was up before me and had the coffee ready when I got out of the shower... what a good man!  The kids and I were on schedule and headed out the door to find a FLAT tire.  Now I'm a home grown Idaho farm girl, a flat tire doesn't scare me at all.  It wasn't quite as flat as this picture I've inserted, had it been I do know how to change a tire... thankfully I only had to drive down to our shop to air it up.

Here comes problem #2.  In our shop, it doesn't seem to matter who uses the air compressor, it never gets shut off, so there is always air built up.  This means that if there is anything connected to the coupler (that's the slider thing at the end of the hose that allows you to connect different attachments) you better be holding on to it very tightly because the second you release the coupler it's going to go flying.  Once again, being a home grown farm girl this is all stuff I know.  For whatever reason... slick hands, no grip at my ripe old age of 30, or karma..... my grip was not good enough.  The coupler had a larger coupler attachment hooked in and it came flying out right to my foot at 250+PSI.  I'm pretty sure that my toe is broken!  Powering through and not wanting to be late to work I get the tire aired up and drive up the street to the school.

The day went on without any major problems.... until I'm walking down the hall on my way to pick up my 3rd and 4th grade PE class.  A student came out of the classroom not looking so well, I'm about to ask if he's okay when the poor kid pukes in the hallway, close to but thankfully not on me.  All I can think is that he must feel just awful.  As he runs in the bathroom I go to tell the teacher what has happened, unfortunately she already knows because it happened in the classroom as well.  So I take the kids to PE and the day continues to go on.

The end of the day comes and my kids are headed to their after school Catholic class, which means I'm headed home to actually catch up on homework!  What an idea huh, being caught up?!?  Yah... insert problem #4.... while loading the kids backpacks and my bag into the car I managed to hit the lock button and lock my keys in my car!  My car and house keys, my cell phone, my work keys, my laptop and iPad all locked in the car.  So I go back into the building to call that wonderful husband that made me coffee this morning to ask for his spare car key.  He has it on him and big bonus, he's seeding in a field that is only a few miles from town!  So I borrow my mom's car and head out to pick up the key.  I return to the school parking lot thinking things are going to be okay, I'll unlock my door and head home and still have some time to get a few things done before picking the kids up.  Nope, problem #5.... Scott's key will NOT unlock the doors, it won't even turn in the drivers side door.  SERIOUSLY!  I'm not making this up.  Wow!

At this point I'm ready to just sit down and cry.  So I walk back into the building and ask my mom to give me a ride.  She offers to call AAA and have them send someone to unlock the door for me.  On any normal given day this would be perfectly fine.  On this specific Wednesday however, I not only need to get the kids from their after school class, but I need to get my son to his pee-wee football game.  Knowing this my mom also offers to let me take her car.  So things are going to be okay... we'll get there one way or another.  On the way to the football game my toe is throbbing so bad that I think I'm going to cry.  I want to look at it, but with all that has gone wrong already in the day I'm afraid to take off my shoe.  The kids win their football game 50-0 and it's cold enough that my toe is now numb, time to go home.

I get back to my mom's house to find that the locksmith was finally able to unlock my car, YEAH!  So the kids and I head home.  It's already an hour past their bed time and they're exhausted so they quickly wash, brush teeth, change and hop in bed.  Things are finally starting to look up.  So with the kids tucked in and my husband on his way home I decide that I'm deserving of a glass of wine.  I've been saving this wonderful bottle of a carbonated burgundy wine that my mother-in-law orders from New York and gifted to me when I turned 30 this summer.  I get the bottle out, open it and turn around to get a wine glass out of the cupboard.  I turn back around to see that the wine is completely fizzing out of the top of the bottle and all over the counter.... SERIOUSLY!!

At this point I drop my head and walk away, I don't even attempt to clean up the mess.  My husband comes home, sees the mess and goes looking for me.  He finds me laying on the couch with a look of complete defeat!  Foot elevated with a bag of ice on my toes.  After hearing about my unbelievable day he goes into the kitchen, cleans up the fizzy wine mess and pours me a glass.  Okay so now the seriously is a good one, SERIOUSLY what would I do without this man?!?

I've lost count of how many things went wrong so let's add one more thing to the list.... at some point during the day I also managed to chip my front tooth.  I don't know when or how but I do know it's chipped!  So here's to a better day.... broken toe and all!  Enjoy the laughs it's okay, I'm laughing now too! :)

Amazing Opportunity

This week I had the chance to attend a training for Khan Academy and implementing it into the classroom.  As someone who is very passionate about math I was super excited about this before I even left for the training.  All I have to say is that the training was absolutely AMAZING!!  Not only did I meet tons of great math and elementary teachers to network with but I took away an energized feeling about Khan Academy and using it as a supplement in the classroom.  Not only does this site have tons of math, but there is now science, art history, history, and computer science tutorials as well.  At some point, my superintendent would like me to present all of this wonderful information to the teachers I work with.  It's very exciting!  My two favorite areas include the Vi Hart videos... she's hilarious .. and the LeBron asks section which I can't wait to introduce to my son, he loves LeBron James.

So yeah for things that make you feel energized about something that you already love to do... in my case, teaching math!

Organizational Sunday

We spent our Sunday getting ready for winter by splitting wood today.  Thankful for good friends who come to help.  we cut down three huge maple trees in our backyard this summer after one lost a huge limb that nearly landed on the house.  We found out that it was rotting from the inside out so we decided to take down all three and start over on the back yard.  This resulted in a huge mess of wood that needed to be split and stack.  So while the boys split I stacked.  We ended up with quite the stack, we'll still need more, but we're well on our way to being ready for winter.  

Football & Fibonacci

After spending all day yesterday at a Pee-Wee Football Jamboree I came across this Foxtrot Comic by Bill Amend in my math book this morning.  I couldn't help but laugh so I had to share it.  Especially since my little football player is also a math whiz himself.  :)  The Jamboree literally lasted all day, and was followed by a trip into town for groceries and supplies for the princess's birthday party this weekend.  All day meaning we left the house at 8:30, drove for an hour and a half, then sat in the blazing heat until 3:30 watching the games. In between games us moms spent our time peeling off sweaty jerseys, pads and helmets.  Then trying to make sure the kids got enough water and some snacks in between.  Even with only one football player in my car it smelled like a boys locker room by the time I got home.  YUCK!  Sweaty smells and all though it was all worth it.

The pee wee team played 5 mini-games.  They won three and tied in two of them.  And as for my little QB who was actually playing running back and tackle (yes this could get confusing) he did wonderfully.  He proved that size doesn't matter if you follow technique.  He brought down several big kiddos.  I was able to capture this one on video.  My little guy is #23.  Enjoy and excuse my yelling!  I'm off to finish my math and then do some of my Sunday organizational items :)

Homework, Football and AAUGH!

It's been a crazy week!  Getting caught up on homework tonight has officially fried my brain.  I am worn out!     I had some fun with my Children's Literature class this week though.  We had to search out and find Patricia Polacco books.  I already have several in my own personal collection so this could have been very easy for me.... but who am I to take the easy road?  I mean it's not like I'm busy or anything!  ha!  So anyways, I went searching for Polacco books that I didn't have and I found several great ones.  My favorite was probably Rotten Richie and the Ultimate Dare.  Talk about a great story that any child could relate to in some way shape or form.  If you've never read any Polacco books I would highly recommend them.  They all have great story lines and lessons for kids.  They're just plain good reads!  You can find all of them and more information about the author at http://www.patriciapolacco.com/

Well that's it for tonight.... I have to get up early in the morning and do more homework before we head out to watch a day full of pee-wee football for my son.  It should be a good day... a very LONG day... but a good day.  I have to brag on my boy, last night at practice he took a very hard helmet to helmet (illegal hit for all of you non-football types) hit.  He was running the ball and even though in all reality he probably should have been knocked out from the hit, he held on to the ball (NO FUMBLE!) and got back up and went back to his huddle.   He's quite the little player.... given the week I've had I probably would have laid there and played dead!

Spinning

 

Seriously!  I need a laugh after today so I went searching for some teacher funnies.  I came across this and it reminded me of a fellow classmate in the math class I took this summer.... I just wanted to scream at the poor guy sometimes.

Needless to say it's been a frustrating week!  I'm exhausted and ready for it to be Friday.  I'm just not caught up on lesson plans and organizing at school and I feel like I'm stuck in a tornado.  I just start spinning when I get to work and it doesn't stop until around 3:30 p.m.

For all the organizing I've done here at home getting things taken care of I haven't had the chance to do that at school and that's what I need to do.  Guess I knojw where I'll be spending some time on my weekend.... well after the Pee Wee Football Jamboree that I'm told will last ALL day!  Yippie!  Here's to spinning.....

Sunday Organization... Freezer to Crock pot

I'm often asked how I manage it all.... working, kids, farmer's wife, full time student, and now pee-wee football which takes a minimum of 4 nights a week.  Well for me, it's all about organization.  During football season that means my crock pot is my best friend.  Not only that but freezer to crock pot meals become a huge necessity!  A couple of weeks ago I took a morning to throw together several freezer / crock pot meals.  The few hours spent doing this was so worth it.  I now have 10+ meals in my freezer just ready for cooking.  My family is actually getting fed a meal at night instead of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  It's been wonderful.  So here are a few of my recipes:

Teryaki Chicken - split the following between two gallon size freezer bags:

2 cups chopped baby carrots

1 red onion chopped

2 large cans of pineapple with juice

4 garlic cloves

6 chicken breasts

1 cup of teryaki sauce

To cook:  empty bag into crock pot, add an additional 1/4 cup of teryaki sauce to pot.  Cook on low for 6-7 hours.  Serve over rice.

Hamburger Soup - for each crock pot meal put the following in a gallon freezer bag:

1 lb browned hamburger - I season mine with salt, pepper, garlic, and add chopped onion as well.

2 cups chopped baby carrots

2 cups peeled chopped potatoes

1 cup frozen green beans

3 cups beef broth

1 clove garlic

1 package Lipton onion soup mix

To cook: empty bag into crock pot, add water to cover veggies if needed.  Cook on low for 6-7 hours.  You can also add a little red wine for a deeper taste.

Chuck Roast - add the following to a gallon size freezer bag:

1 3lb chuck roast - you don't have to but I like to salt and pepper the roast and sear inton both sizes before putting into the bag, I think this helps seal in the juices.

2 cups chopped baby carrots

2 cups peeled and chopped potatoes

1 large onion quartered

1 can tomato sauce - or 1 can V8

1 cup beef broth

2 tbsp lemon juice

Any other veggies you want

To cook: empty into bag and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

BBQ Chicken - split the following between 2 gallon freezer bags:

2 green peppers, sliced

1 red pepper, sliced

1 medium zucchini, chunked

4 garlic cloves

6 chicken breasts

15 ounce can of tomato paste

1 tbsp brown sugar, Worcestershire and mustard per bag

1/4 tsp salt per bag

To cook:  on low in the crock for 6-8 hours.  Shred chicken when done.  Serve with rice, egg noodles or on a hearty chibata roll with cheese!

Philly Cheese Sandwiches - add the following to a gallon size freezer bag:

1.5 lbs sliced beef - you can use roast beef for this, or do like I do and thinly slice up a few steaks

1 green pepper, sliced

1 medium onion, sliced

1 cup sliced mushrooms

2 cloves garlic

2 cups beef broth

1 tbsp Montreal steak seasoning

To cook:  on low for 6-7 hours, serve on hoagie rolls with pepper jack or provolone cheese.  You'll have extra ajus dipping sauce in the crock pot too.

Other ideas:

Spaghetti Sauce:  when you make spaghetti, double the sauce you make and freeze half of it.  Rewarm in on low for 4-6 hours in the crock pot, then all you have to do is make your noodles.

Taco Meat:  when you're making tacos double your meat and freeze it.  Add it to the crock pot to rewarm.  You may need to add a little extra water so it doesn't dry out.

Other Tips:

If you're going to do it like I do, gather all your ingredients and chop all your veggies first.  Brown any hamburger you'll be using in one big pan.  Then go through and prepare your bags all at once.  It speeds the process up.

Make sure to label your bags.  The recipes I use usually last for up to 6 months in the freezer, and while mine are usually used up within 2 months, sometimes it's hard to tell exactly what is in the bag after a month or more in the freezer.  So unless you want to play, "What's for Dinner tonight?"  label!

Note:  I'm an avid pinterest follower, several of these recipes I've found on other blogs and then tweaked this way or that to fit my family's needs and tastes.  Some of the recipes are uniquely mine.  Enjoy!