Summer vacay with girls, chickens and a donkey

I am love Love LOVING spending these early summer days up at my sister's. There are so many reasons to be estatically happy. The most important reason is that my sister is my BESTY. Like, love-her-to-death-walk-a-million-miles-barefoot-over-thistles besty.

Another reason is that I get to spend all day and night with my daughters and neices....it's so totally lacking in testosterone around here. It's just all girly and stuff. In fact, we are in such a dry spell of testosterone that we did something really crazy. Before I tell you the craziness we commenced in, I should give you some front-loading information: we raise our own chickens for eating. We raise them so that we don't have to eat large factory commercial chickens. We eat happy chickens.

We decided to not gather up all our chickens and bring them to the processing plant. This usually involves me being covered head to toe in chicken doo doo because the birds are too big to get my hands around and I have to hold them like a football. This year instead of bringing the chickens to the processing, we brought the processing to us.

We put the word out about this cool humane chicken processing operation, and wouldn't you know the men came gathering around. Who knew it would bring out the men? But oh, it did. It wasn't long before the men had lined up lawn chairs to watch. Seriously, I'm surprised there wasn't popcorn.

Making Chicken: a Spectator Sport.

I could snort over how totally testostoney it was, except that the four girls and I also were sitting in lawn chairs. The blondie next to me? It's my daughter Bails. She's not covering her eyes. She's sighing because it's taking too long to get the show on the show.

It made us all a little hungry.
Like I said, we like to eat happy chickens.

Speaking of testosterone, we also had the challenge of getting Cash, Mr. Miniature Studly Donkey, into the barn so that his hooves could be done. We love manicures, but Cash not so much. Isn't he just sweet looking? Here is my niece Ally calling him and tempting him with treats.

Did I also mention that it's beautiful here? Reason #3 that I'm ecstatic to be where I am...

We tempted him all the way to the barnyard before he bolted away with a belly full of treats. Naughty Cash. Did you know that donkeys are very, very smart? Sheds a new light on the word Jack Ass.

So what do four girls do when they are on summer break with their teacher mommy/auntie? Decoupage!! We spent mucho dinero on paper, modge podge, brushes and polyeurathane.

The only problem with crafty-making is that you have to actually finish the crafty. I'll post pics of the finished products if  when we get them done.

Misadventures at Walmart

I am spending this first week of freedom with my sister at the lake. While my sista picked up a few supplies at WallyWorld today I watched this while waiting in the car with my naughty bagel-eating dog...

These poor dudes were unlocking their truck with an assortment of locksmith tools including a hanger, a driveway marker, and a folded up pack of cigarettes. It wasn't exactly funny, but it was highly entertaining. I can be amused because I have locked my keyes in my car many times.

I have the bulk of my stuff moved into my new classroom. This is a huge improvement over most years, when i shove everything into my cabinets, just like I used to clean my bedroom when I was a kid.

Did i mention that I am organizing a student garden at school?

Oh my Owls!

 I was shopping for my daughter's most-excellent fourth grade teacher (and now my 4th grade teammate), and I found this! Owls? Yes, please! This is what my sweetling made for her teacher, which completely outshone the lovely little gift I had picked up. It is a duct tape wallet, monogrammed to boot! My girl even tucked a dollar in it.

 

Today was our last day of school, and my last day teaching first grade for a couple of years. I feel gleeful and heavy-hearted. Change is good, but change is hard. I will miss my firstie teammates. Next to Christmas eve, I think the first night of summer vaca is my favorite time on the entire year. I even like it better than my birthday. There is a whole summer of potential stretching out in front of me. I can't get any more time off than I have right now. I usually crawl into bed and crack open my well-read copy of Twilight, and stay up until 3 am reading. But thanks to 50 Shades I have no desire to read about Edward and Bella because 50 Shades totally ruined Twilight for me. Not because 50 is better, it is because it is the same story with lots of sex. The only real difference I can find is that Edward/Christian hurts women during sex, but one feels guilty and the other one likes it. Maybe I should sneak downstairs and snag Twilight anyhow. It doesnt seem right to break with tradition.

Score

We had our big extravaganza-lalapalooza-firstie-fabulous field trip today. We went to the zoo AND the children's museum. It was an over the top, crazy exhausting, sunshine blinding day. Since the kids all get to walk around with their chaperons, my teammate (and emotional anchor) Maren and I got to spend the day reflecting together in the sun. Who could ask for me than that?

No one got lost. No one forgot their lunch. No one got eaten by lions or witnessed monkeys doing unfavorable things with their privates (why, oh why, do they ALWAYS do that when you bring small children to see them? Little freaky hairy exhibitionists. Sick). 

It was a successful day.

I've been thinking about those little monkeys. They make me a little uncomfortable, to be honest. And do you know what makes me REALLY uncomfortable? Sock monkeys.

And that segues into.....

linky! Thanks for sharing  Sharing Kindergarten

Since monkey are obviously not my favorite things, what are?

Red patent leather Danskos

iPad

dirty hands and feet

paint chips

and peacocks.

What are YOUR favorite things? Link up and share!

ALL Fired Up.

I have a valuable job.

I pass knowledge on.

I improve lives.

I better the world.

Rinse and repeat.

Making (naughty) Words

A cautionary tale... Do not let your young students play with you paint-card-making-word sets without supervision. You may think (incorrectly) that they Will keep the sets together. They won't, and before you know it a little sweetie will bring you the uck family with the onsets for the at family, and will point out the f on that card and inform you that there is a "bad word".

 It's a very sad day for teachers in WI. I feel utterly demoralized. Its a good thing we are made of stronger stuff than bad politics. A good teacher is a good teacher, no matter who makes the rules.

 My hubs is telling me about Venus and how he forgot to make a sunscope today. How cool is a curious mind? I am wholly inspired by him to remember how much I love to learn and in turn love to share what I've learned. 

A sweetling asked me today why Mrs. Teacher-next-door's class is always in control, as I stood with my arm aching waiting for my little buggers to "show me five". I want to feel like a good teacher again.

My Go-To Girl

I started the morning on a really bad foot (wait...bad note? wrong foot?). Let's just say I made the mistake of looking at my work email and read an email from a parent. ANYWAY, the point is not the email. The point is my Go-To Girl.

If you don't know Miss Squirrel, you need to immediately run and check her out. She is a first grade teacher-extraordinaire. Not only is she wise and full of good ideas, she made me laugh. Little chuckles, smiles, full on belly-busters. I love her wit, the voice of her writing, and her wacky sense of humor.