127/365: New Shoes

May 7, 2011

I have been in need of some new running shoes for some time. (My old ones are older than Nick!) So, a couple of weeks ago I headed out to buy new shoes. The clerk at the store I went to watched me on a treadmill and saw that I have fallen arches and my foot elongates when I walk. He knew the perfect shoe to give me the support I needed, but we had to order them because they didn't have them in my size. Three weeks later (after finding out they were backordered until August, and the store was able to locate a pair in Tennessee) they finally arrived and I went to pick them up today. Yay for new shoes!

126/365: Spring Fun

May 6, 2011

Our grass was finally mowed and I wanted to take a picture to show the difference. Liam and Ben decided to play around in the freshly cut grass. What a couple of goofballs.

125/365: Rally at the Statehouse

May 5, 2011

Today was another rally at the Statehouse to protest the changes that Governor Kasich is trying to make to the budget and in laws that affect the livelihood of teachers and other government employees, as well as the quality of education to our state's public school children. I traveled downtown with two other teachers from my building to show our support on behalf of our colleagues across the state.

124/365: Field Trip to COSI

May 4, 2011

My friend, and classroom aide, Mary Beth went on our field trip to COSI with us today. Since my studens were placed into groups with our parent chaperones, we were able to roam around COSI together, catching up and checking on our students.

123/365: Teacher Appreciation Week

May 3, 2011

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week, and our PTO treated us to a week of activity and, well...appreciation. They provided breakfast for us, lunch, the students brought in strips of paper with what they liked about us, and they brought in a flower one day. These beautiful flowers are the compilation of the flowers that my students brought to me.

122/365: Rainy View

May 2, 2011

We have been having so much rain lately, this is the view I have seen more often than I'd like lately.

121/365: Night-Night Bear

May 1, 2011

Nick put his beloved bear to bed on his bench, all covered up with this blankets. This is so cute!

April Mosaic

120/365: Giant Eagle Frequent Flier

April 30, 2011

It seems like I am constantly at Giant Eagle for one thing or another. I don't mind too much. It's easy to get to, clean, friendly and has everything I need. Some people will say that Giant Eagle's prices are higher than other places, but the money we save on gas by using their Fuel Perks/Food Perks program makes it worth the little extra cost on food.

119/365: Grass Out of Control

April 29, 2011

It has been a very rainy April. We haven't spent very many days this month that it hasn't rained for at least part of the day. Since we rent our house, we don't have any control over when the grass gets mowed. This is my biggest pet peeve of the summer. I hate grass that gets too long. But, if this is the sign that summer is almost here, I'll deal with it.

118/365: Snuggle Time With Daddy

April 28, 2011

As Kevin was relaxing on the couch, Nick climbed up on top of him and snuggled in. How cute is this sight? I love moments like this because I know they won't last much longer.

117/365: When Is This Kid Going to Be Done Losing Teeth?

April 27, 2011

Liam lost another tooth at school today. It seems like he's losing at least one a month. He's going to run out of baby teeth soon...I hope!

116/365: Little Copycat

April 26, 2011

Kevin was modeling this t-shirt for a friend of his, and being the goofball that he is, was striking a funny pose. And Nick being the little copycat that he is, decided to mimic Kevin's pose. How funny is this kid?

115/365: Chocolate Bunny

April 25, 2011

Nick has really embraced the joy of candy this Easter. I think he ate almost all of the candy in his basket in a day. Keeping in mind that there wasn't a lot of candy in there to begin with, of course. He's taking his candy eating very seriously, asyou can tell by the look of intense concentration on his face.

114/365: Easter Morning

April 24, 2011

Every Easter, the Easter Bunny leaves clues for the boys to find their Easter baskets. The boys really enjoy this tradition. After finding their baskets, they then hunt for the eggs we decorated a few days ago. They were hidden inside due to the incredibly rainy weather we've had this week.

113/365: Strange Tomato

April 23, 2011

I was at Giant Eagle getting ingredients for tonight's taco dinner and came across this very strange tomato. I thought to myself, "That would me a great picture of the day." So, here it is. Needless to say, I didn't buy it. I left it for others to marvel over.

112/365: Good Friday Family Time

April 22, 2011

Today is Good Friday and we all have the day off from school. So, this morning we all headed to the radio station with Kevin, then went to the Lennox movie theater to see Disney's African Cats. After the movie, we headed to Johnny Rockets for lunch. Yummo!

111/365: New Shampoo

April 21, 2011

Not only do I have long hair, but I also shampoo every day. This takes a toll on my hair. I find that if I use the same shampoo for too long, it's not good for my hair either. Well, this week I got a new shampoo and I can't believe the difference it's made in my hair. I was first introduced to this brand in college by my Freshman roommate, Jenette. I think this is one I'll keep coming back to.

110/365: Easter Eggs

April 20, 2011

Last year, we decided to do something a little different for coloring Easter eggs. We used paints, pom poms, feathers, and googly eyes and really decorated them. So, when given the choice, the boys decided that they wanted to paint the eggs rather than dyeing them. So, here are the finished products. Even Nick grabbed a brush and painted his own eggs.

109/365: A Dose of Vitamin D

April 19, 2011

Today was a terrible day. It was chilly and dreary and depressing. I had a major case of the blues. So, on my way home tonight I stopped at the tanning salon for a quick dose of Vitamin D. I know, it's not the healthiest choice, but that infusion of artificial sunlight made a world of difference.

108/365: Blooming

April 18, 2011

It seemed as if the tree in front of our house bloomed overnight. If you look closely, you can see the white groupings of blossoms amongst the leaves. They don't usually stay on the trees for very long, but they are pretty while they last.

107/365: Easter-Part 1

April 17, 2011

With my family in a different city than us, we've made holidays a little easier on ourselves by separating our celebrations. Today, I headed to Mansfield with the boys (because Kevin had work to do) for my niece's baptism and confirmation followed by Easter dinner at my brother's house. This picture was taken just before our Easter egg hunt. The boys are with my two nieces and one of my three nephews.

106/365: Enthralled

April 16, 2011

As we were watching The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader this afternoon, Nick plopped down on the floor and was very focused and enthralled with the action in the movie.

105/365: CiCi's Arcade

April 15, 2011

One of the highlights (for the boys anyway) of our weekly trips to CiCi's Pizza is the game arcade. The boys will usually bring their own money and play these arcade games. They usually keep coming back to the games that end up rewarding them with candy. Now Nick has gotten in on the action.

104/365: Harry Potter

April 14, 2011

Another perk of being married to a film critic, is you sometimes get your DVDs and BluRays before they are released to the public. Today, we received the BluRay of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-Part 1. Right before the Academy Awards, we received an awards screener of the movie (which came in two discs) and I watched it about a dozen times. It'll be good to watch it and not have to switch discs halfway through.

103/365: 4th Grade Concert

April 13, 2011

Tonight was Liam's 4th grade concert. He had been practicing and looking forward to this for weeks! He was excited for us to come, as he would not only be singing, but also playing the recorder, dancing, and playing the glockenspiel (as you can see in this picture.)

102/365: Holy Gas Prices!

April 12, 2011

I had to fill up my car on the way to school today. I filled up at $3.89 a gallon. Unfortunately, I think it's only going to get worse before it gets better.

101/365: Japanese Steakhouse

April 11, 2011

For the last three years, when we received our tax return, we have taken the family to the Japanese Steakhouse. The boys enjoy the chefs cooking at the table, especially the flaming volcano, eating with chopsticks, and just having a more sophisticated dining experience. We all look forward to it.

100/365: Sandals

April 10, 2011

I was so thrilled to finally cast aside knee highs today and wear sandals. I know that, living in Ohio, it's likely this won't last. But, I'm enjoying it while it's here.

99/365: Zoey

April 9, 2011

Today was my husband's cousin Nikki's birthday party/kitchen remodel reveal/baby shower. She is expecting her second baby, this time it's a girl, right between Liam and Ben's birthdays in June. Another reveal at the party was the baby's name, via her newly decorated nursery. What a beautiful room for little Zoey. I can't wait to meet her! After we've had three boys and Nikki and her husband Josh have a boy, Zoey will be the first girl on that side of the family.

98/365: Exercise and Baseball

April 8, 2011

When I am on the elliptical in the morning, I usually just listen to music on my iPod. Well, this week I decided to "surf" the channels to see what was on at that time of day. I discovered a re-broadcast of the previous night's Cleveland Indians baseball game. I'm not a huge sports fan, but I would have to say baseball is my favorite. I grew up with my my watching all the Indians games during the Spring and Summer baseball season.

So, when I put on the game and listened to my music, I discovered it was the perfect visual distraction. I can still listen to my music, and I know what's going on in the game, because all of the stats are on the screen, without having to listen to the commentators.

97/365: Stepping

April 7, 2011

This week, I took a step class for the first time. I really enjoyed it. It was nice to add a little variety to my morning workout. Then, as I was teaching about the Statue of Liberty this week, one of the facts that we came across was that there are 354 steps to the crown. One of my students asked how long that would take to walk up. So, a teachable moment was born. I borrowed 4 of the steps from our gym teacher and timed each student walking the steps for a minute. We will then figure out how long it will take based on the steps they take in a minute.

96/365: Door Collage

April 6, 2011

One of the perks of being a film critic, my husband often gets posters of the movies he's seen. The boys enjoy getting these posters, but have not really had a place to put them. Well, he decided to decorate the door of the bathroom in their bedroom with some of the movie posters he has gotten over the years.

95/365: Planning

April 5, 2011

With only 8 weeks of school left, I need to make the most of the time I have left with my students, and to make sure I have covered all of the curriculum I need to cover. In order to do that, I need to be organized in my planning. These are the materials I need to get and keep myself organized.

94/365: Camera Shy Goose

April 4, 2011

The boys and I went to Kohl's to get some jeans for them and on the wall running alongside the building was this goose. I kept my distance, only getting close enough to take a picture. Apparently, she's camera-shy as she hissed at me when I aimed my camera in her direction.

93/365: Words With Friends

April 3, 2011

My new obsession is Words With Friends. Right now I just have the free app for my iPhone. I've got games going with my husband and my friend and colleague, Cathy. I also have pass and play games going with my two oldest sons. This is a great way to help build their vocabulary. My oldest was so excited when his teacher used the school iPod Touches for their "Word Wednesday" activities and played Words with Friends in class. I'm a pretty good speller and have always enjoyed playing Scrabble, so this game is a good distraction and time-waster for me. Maybe too much so.

92/365: Grilling Out

April 2, 2011

One of our favorite things to do during nicer weather is grilling out. Kevin has this amazing recipe for meat marinade. When it looked like it wouldn't be frigid or have precipitation, we decided that we would grill out tonight. As usual, it was delicious! I can't wait for Spring and Summer and more opportunities for grilling.

91/365: Creative Drawing

April 1, 2011

Yesterday, our school was visited by illustrator Steve Harpster. He turns numbers into animals and letters into monsters. He has written a how-to book that shows the reader how to do what he does. His books were available for sale at my school and several of my students ordered one, or both, of them. I decided to give them the chance to practice during Writer's Workshop time today.

March Mosaic

90/365: The Last Snowy Day?

March 31, 2011

Yesterday, it started snowing. We weren't expecting it to stick, but it stayed through the night. March decided to come in like a lamb and out like a lion. Hopefully, this will be the last we see of the white stuff. I am more than ready for Spring to arrive.

89/365: Skyline Time

March 30, 2011

Kevin was so busy trying to catch up on work today that he just wasn't able to get dinner going. Since it is Kids' night at Skyline, we decided that would be dinner tonight.

88/365: Subway Dinner

March 29, 2011

Kevin had taken the boys out to McDonald's for dinner, so it was my chance to get whatever I wanted for dinner. My go-to is always Subway. I get the grilled chicken breast sub and baked BBQ Lays chips. Yummy!

87/365: New Supplies

March 28, 2011

Today was the first day back to school after Spring Break. I surprised my class with not only a new room arrangement, but also new supplies. I filled the supply tubs with new packages of colored pencils, crayons, pencils, glue sticks and erasers. It was nice to start the last leg of the school year with fresh materials.

86/365: Waiting

March 27, 2011

Every Sunday, my husband's parents take the boys out to dinner. Recently, they started taking Nick too. They call when they leave their house, giving the boys time to get ready. The boys then sit in front of the door watching for Grammy and Papa to show up. They are so cute.

85/365: Cars

March 26, 2011

Yes, I know, these are not all cars. But, according to my toddler, they are so I'm going with it for simplicity's sake. I was sitting in my chair with my feet up and along comes Nick with his various vehicles. Before I know it, he returns with cars and trains and Zhu Zhu pets and lines them up down my legs. He does this all over the house with all kinds of cars and trucks/

84/365: Meatballs

March 25, 2011

As my husband pointed out a few days ago, most of my posts either have to do with exercise, food, or school. I've been consciously trying to avoid that, but sometimes that's just what is on my mind. My husband is the cook in our house. I can follow a recipe, and my food usually turns out just fine, but cooking isn't really something I enjoy. He does. Well, tonight he was going to be out and I needed to fix dinner for the boys and myself. We had the fixings for spaghetti, and that's a pretty simple one for me, so that was what was on the menu. But then the boys asked if I could try meatballs (as that is what Kevin was going to make when our spaghetti dinner was aborted a few days ago.) I had the recipe, I'd seen Kevin make them before, so I thought I'd give it a try. They turned out REALLY good. In fact, when I packed up the leftovers, there were only 3 meatballs left! That's a pretty good compliment, I think.

83/365: COSI

March 24, 2011

Today, I took the boys to COSI (Center of Science and Industry) here in Columbus. It is a great place to explore and learn about all things science. We've been there separately many times through class field trips, and I took Liam and Ben there earlier this year for the traveling Titanic Artifacts exhibit (which was pretty awesome.) We even decided to get a Family Membership so that we can go any time we want. I decided that today we would go. Kevin had a lot of work to get done (after all, HE isn't on Spring Break, we are) so I got the boys out of the house to give him some peace and quiet. One of the permanent exhibits is the "Oceans" exhibit which has a submarine that the kids can sit in. Liam and Ben climbed in and looked around. They really enjoyed their day.

82/365: African Safari Wildlife Park

March 23, 2011

Our Spring Break mini-road trip continued as we headed East to Port Clinton, OH. Normally, a popular summer vacation spot for all of the Lake Erie based activities. At this time of the year, there are few things open for business. One thing we did find was the African Safari Wildlife Park. It is a drive-thru African animal park. We paid our carload admission and were given two cups of animal food then drove through the gates. We were almost immediately greeted by a herd of deer. They come up to your car and know that, if the windows are rolled down, you have food for them. They eat right from the cup. It was amazing to see these deer, alpacas, buffalo, and ox up close. Several of them stuck their heads right into our open windows! The boys had a blast and, in spite of the rain and hail (yes, it hailed while we were there) we went through three times! Each of the boys took turns sitting on my lap in the front seat so that they could have a chance to hold the cup for the animals to eat from. Nick really didn't want to hold the cup or get that close to the animals, but he did enjoy putting the carrots into the cups for the animals to eat from. I think we'll definitely have to go back when the walk-through part of the park is open.

81/365: Pollyeyes

March 22, 2011

We decided, after looking at brochures picked up from AAA and visits to the web sites of various convention and visitors' bureaus, that we were going to head to Northwest Ohio; Toledo to be exact. This was great news for me, as it meant we would be passing through Bowling Green, OH. Bowling Green is the home of Bowling Green State University, where Kevin and I met. One of my favorite places to go whenever we happen to pass through BG is Pollyeyes. They have the most amazing breadsticks. It was a tradition in college, that on the day my roommate and I moved into our dorm (or later, apartment) we would order Pollyeyes breadsticks. Now, it's a tradition for our family, as our boys are also big fans. Not only does Pollyeyes continue to offer our much-loved original breadsticks, but they have now expanded into stuffed breadsticks. This time, we got cheese-stuffed breadsticks, which aren't complete without the trio of dipping sauces-marinara, ranch, and jalapeno cheese. Yummm, I'm craving them again!

80/365: Chipotle for the Family

March 21, 2011

We got so busy planning what we were going to do and where we were going to go for our overnight trip for Spring Break, that time got away from us and we weren't going to be able to make dinner and have it ready without it being way too late. So, we decided to just get takeout. I've already established that I love Chipotle. Now, it's obvious that the rest of the family does too, even down to the littlest Carr.