3/31- Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ, who are you? What have you sacrificed?

Weight Loss for the Week: .5lbs

Happy Easter!!!!

This past week has been pretty good overall.  We had a short school week complete with a few activities for the upcoming 5K.  My group made a Harlem Shake video and our student members participated in the Easter Egg Hunt.  We had a pretty good time.  And the rest of the week was good, pretty normal.  I have two classes doing plays right now and I am enjoying watching them act their parts out and getting into them.  It reminds me why I love teaching.

Speaking of the 5K- you still have time to donate/sign up for it!!! It's next Sunday, April 7. Please join us in support of Memphis Catholic Middle & High School's 6th Annual "Education That Works OUT 5K & Spring Festival. This year's race is being held on Sunday, April 7th around the school's midtown campus.

The race begins at 2:00pm but the fun doesn't end there. We will also have a cookout to follow the race and festival activities that include snowcones, a dunk tank, facepainting, and games.Thanks to everyone who has already signed up and/or donated!!!! And let me know if you have any issues with the website.

http://www.racesonline.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=public.race_detail&race_id=6904

 

This weekend has been a busy and productive one- and I still have two more days of it.  We have been getting my grandmother packed up and ready for her move to her apartment this Tuesday.  I am almost always sore, but it will be done soon so I'm just pushing through and looking at the light at the end of the tunnel.  It's amazing to see everything in her house.  She and my late grandfather lived there for over 50 years.  My mom and her three brothers grew up there.  I went there after school every day  from kindergarten through 8th grade.  I stayed there during the infamous Ice Storm of 1994. I stayed for weekends when my mom was out of town.  It was always my home away from home.  And it just feels crazy to be packing up her life and part of all our lives.  Because it's not just things we're packing, it's memories and moments and feelings.  And while I totally advocate for her moving and getting to a better, safer place, I have to admit it that it's draining to pack up all these parts of our lives and to have throw out or donate so much stuff.  It's also cool to be able to get some of the furniture and odds and ends- (other grandkids, I am now the proud owner of the Monk "Thou Shall Not Steal" Cookie Jar)  I will be glad when it is all said and done and I can get back to focusing on my own upcoming move :)

 

Speaking of, I went to look at a few apartments this past Friday and it was so cool and surreal.  My mom came with me which I appreciated since she knew what to ask.  Some were nice, some were not so nice.  I'm beginning to get a feel for what I want and I'm glad to have a few months to get it all figured out :)

 

I got to go the Grizzly Game on Friday thanks to a good friend not using her season tickets.  I had a total blast and then my friend and I went to Beale and goofed off pretending to act like tourists.  I love nights like those, especially since such random times have become the rarity.  Last night I went to a surprise bridal shower- also a lot of fun!  I got to see a lot of people I haven't seen in quite some time- it was nice to get to catch up with so many people.  

 

Today, we had brunch, moved a lot of small items to Memaw's apartment, had snacks, played Phase 10 (I WON!!!), moved more stuff, had dinner and now I think I'm going to go soak in the tub and rest up before the next two days of more intense moving, packing and unpacking.

3/24- Sometimes, I get a good feeling

Weight Loss for the Week: 1lb

I am SICK of this cold weather.  It makes me want to stay in and curl up in bed.  I am tired of walking in the cold. I am tired of having to wear jackets and layers. I WANT SPRING WEATHER.

Okay, rant over.  The first week back to school was fine.  It's hard to believe we only have eight weeks left for the whole year.  It has flown by so quickly.  There is still plenty left to do for the year and I'm excited about some of the final units for each of my classes.  I hope the kids like what we're reading since I'm so ready to dork out over it all :) 

I did really well sticking to my planned out meals- my Buffalo Chicken is very tasty. I did eat out a few times throughout the week, but not as much as I did over the break.  I really only ate poorly on Friday since I noshed while chaperoning the middle school dance and then afterwards at Bosco's with a friend.  I did walk a few times and then I did my elliptical since I am just about done walking outside until it gets warmer.  It's amazing how this weather is just making me want to crawl in bed nonstop and sleep it out until the weather gets better.

My weekend was pretty nice.  I slept in on Saturday and had a very relaxing day complete with helping Memaw do more packing.  I rented some movies and vegged out for the night.  Today, I ran errands, did lessons and grades, and then went to a baby shower for MK.  It was so nice to see everyone there and catch up and ooh and aah over all the adorable baby gifts :)  It's fun getting to spoil my friends' kids.  It's crazy how it no longer seems odd to have friends having kids. 

Now, to finish a little more prepping.

3/17- And I shoulda just shown up and said, "Get in this car, let's run!"

Weight Loss for the Week- 0lbs

I will be sad to see Spring Break go.  On the flip side, I am pretty excited for the units I'm about to start with my students.  I'm nerdy like that.

I had such a nice and productive Spring Break.  I finally got my work pants and jeans hemmed and taken in- yes, that's right, they were falling off my booty and I've been using safety pins for a few months.  My students were even starting to make comments.  It was time to get all that altered and ready for the last quarter of the year :)  I didn't think it through all too well though since I decided to go ahead and hem my new jeans at the same time.  I've had no pants all week.  And my capris and shorts had gotten too big after being taken in a few times, so I finally donated them.  And I only had one seasonally and activity appropriate dress.  I've been rocking my exercise pants all week.  As comfy as they are, I miss real pants.  I look forward to getting those back soon.

I will be fine for work tomorrow, never fear.  I just got a nice new skirt and a really cute dress.  The dress is for more social events I have coming up though.

I did plenty of touristy activities this week.  I went to the Dixon, the Botanic Gardens, the Brooks, the Pink Palace, and the Zoo :)  I took a ton of photos, act surprised. The flowers are just starting to bloom at the Dixon and the Botanic Gardens and they're so pretty.  I look forward to going back in a few weeks to see what else is blooming.  I just love Spring!  The Brooks and the Pink Palace were fun as always, definitely some good exhibits at each.  I may try to take one of my classes to the Brooks since they have a visiting exhibit on The Odyessy and we'll be reading that in a few weeks. The Zoo was pretty fun too.  My mom and spent a few hours walking around seeing all the animals.  We also went the Stingray Bay and pet the stingrays!  It was so much fun; they're so soft! Some were really friendly and one kept splashing people.  Fair warning, if you go, bring an extra shirt. We got soaked and ended up getting shirts at the gift shop.

                                                           Daffodils at the Dixon

                                               Saucer Magnolias at the Botanic Gardens

                                                      Outside the Brooks

                                                        The Pink Palace

                                                     Petting a stingray at the Zoo

Finally, I have been able to spend time with most of my friends this week (well, the ones who were in town).  I went out to dinners, lunches, drinks, and a few movies.  And that would be why, despite my daily walks and walks around all the sites, I only maintained this week.  I ate too much tasty crap.

I'm back on track though. I have planned my meals for the week- including snacks since I noticed that's been an issue the last few weeks for me.  I am trying a new crock pot recipe and will let y'all know how it turns out.  It's Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken.  I love buffalo chicken and this is a WW recipe for it.  I'm going to put in on a salad instead of a sandwich though since I've been doing that when I get it at Lenny's the past few months. It smells really good, but it won't be done until a little after 8pm.

That's all for now. I'm going to enjoy the last bit of my break :)

3/10- Vacation, all I ever wanted

Weight Loss for the Week: .5 lbs

This past week was pretty decent, a little crazy, but fine overall.  It was the week before Spring Break meaning we were all ready to get through it as fast as we could.  So, the students were a bit hyper and the teachers were a bit more frantic than usual.  To top it off, I gave unit tests in all but one class and had to give standardized tests on Friday in three classes.  The unit tests were on par with my students' normal performance.  Only time will tell if it was wise to give a standardized test on the Friday before Spring Break or not.  They were all pretty focused since I told them I would give them a grade on it once I got the scores.  They don't need to know it will be all of 5 points so it can't do any true damage or benefit to their grades.  I just needed to make sure they stayed on task for the whole test.

 Oh, and we got to end the week on a pretty fun note. We had a Pie the Teacher/Student raffle to kick off our 5K events.  One of my juniors decided to pie me.  It took awhile to get it all out of my hair, but it was pretty fun and totally worth it.  All the teachers and students who got pied were good sports about it. 

If anyone would like to register for the 5K or donate to it, that would be fantastic :)  A $20 donation will get you a t-shirt that can be shipped/delivered to you.  And if you register, you get the t-shirt and a food voucher for the race- and you get to come out and have fun with the students and faculty at my school.  We're kind of a big deal :)

The 5K is April 7, 2013.  That is a Sunday.  Registration starts at 12:45.  The race begins at 2pm and all festivities end by 5pm. Here is the link to register or donate.  If you do either, please remember to put my name down on the line for the person you know at the school- thanks!

http://memphiscatholic.org/ai1ec_event/etw-5k-race/?instance_id=289


I got some of my regular exercise in and stayed on track with my points for the most part.  So, that was successful.  I made sure to pre-plan my meals and my snacks which is the main thing for me.  I tend to get off track when I don't plan ahead because I start losing track in my head sometimes and forget the exact number of points everything was, especially if I haven't had time to log in and plug in my food.

Now, it's Spring Break and I have planned some things I need to do and want to do for the week.  I am staycationing this year and intend to visit a few of my favorite Memphis museums and gardens.

Time to relax and enjoy sleeping in tomorrow :)

3/3- So, take this wine and drink with me, let's delay our misery

Weight Loss for the Week: .5lbs

This week was much better in regards to planning ahead with food and exercise.  I should have exercised a bit more, but I got so busy, I just lost track of time most days.  My Chicken Paprikash was delicious to eat throughout the week :)  It made me miss my European vacation.

School was fine this week- finishing up units like a mad woman as we approach Spring Break.  We have unit tests, writing practice, performance assessments, and standardized testing this week to end out this quarter.  We will all make it and it will all be done by Friday at 3:30.  Which means that Friday at 3:35, I will be about ready to fall asleep for a few days.

I had a very fun and active weekend.  My mom and I went to Pinot's Palette Friday night and painted a cotton landscape.  It was a creative and relaxing way to start the weekend.  Saturday, we helped pack Memaw up some more- and I got to bring some things I am getting from her home- thanks, Memaw!!! Saturday night, I went with my mom and Kerry and her family to Condomonium to support Choices, a women's health organization.  It was so much fun! It featured dresses and accessories made of condoms.  So much creativity abounded.  And the food was from a lot of Midtown restaurants, so it was a tasty night too.  Today, Kerry and I had some nice brunch, I went with Mom and Memaw to pick out Memaw's new couch, and I have been lesson planning and grading like a fiend.  I'm done with everything that needs to be done. Now, I'm working on stuff that has to be done by Friday.

Ok, now onto new news.  My school is having its annual 5K fundraiser- Education That Works Out! I will be walking along with most of the faculty and students at the school. I am working to raise money for it.  The goal set by the school for all participants is $100, but I would like to raise more if possible.  If you would like donate, that would be fantastic!  I will provide the link below- make sure to say the person you know is Kaitlin Thackery- thanks!

If you are in the area and would like to join in on the festivities, you are of course welcome and encouraged to do so. It is April 7 and starts at 12:45.  It is $20.00 to register (that gets you a t-shirt, a food voucher, and lets you run/walk the race).  If you would like to join us, that would be awesome :) Again, make sure you put down that you know me- much appreciated.

Here is the link: http://www.racesonline.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=public.race_detail&race_id=6904
Let me know if it doesn't work properly.

Now, back to grading.