Friday, April 22, 2011

Happy Not Good Friday

I don't have the day off because it's Good Friday. I have the day off because it's "Spring Holiday."

Either way, I have the day off from student teaching.

I know I've told you absolutely nothing about my student teaching experience, and for that, I apologize. Let's just say it's been a roller coaster. Some days I feel like I would love love love to have my own classroom and teach little kiddos all day. Some days I feel like I would rather...not.

But hey, I'm five weeks into it. Three more to go.

And I have the day off today.

And it's Earth Day. Fun fact.

Since we didn't have school today, I talked to the class about Earth Day yesterday. Here's how our discussion started:

Me: So who knows what we celebrate on Earth Day?

Little girl who is pretty much the cutest/sweetest child in the class, with a lovely little smile on her face: It's to celebrate when Jesus died on the cross for our sins!

Me: No. Anyone else?

HAHA. Ah, me. Looking back on it now I probably sounded a bit rude to her. I just tried to avoid her answer entirely. But I still have no idea how I should have handled that. I probably should have said something like, "Well, sweetie, I think you're thinking of Easter, which is also this weekend, but we can't talk about that in school because there might be one or two children in here whose parents would be extremely upset if we did. They're the same ones who insist that we call tomorrow "Spring Holiday" instead of "Good Friday" or "Easter Break." I like to call that 'insisting on political correctness to the point of stupidity,' and it's a problem that a lot of people have. But you are right that that is what we celebrate on Easter, which 75% of Americans celebrate, so good for you! Now, who knows about Earth Day?"

Hmm...not sure how that would have worked out either.

The point is, I don't have to go in today. Which means I can tackle my ever growing list of stuff that I have/want to do. Which is awesome.

Finally write a blog post after a three-week hiatus: check.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

35 Things: March Update

Aaaaand....go!

6. Try a food I've never tried before - I'm a pretty picky eater, so I was moderately worried about this one. I also had to decide what qualified as "a new food," like, something I'd never ordered before at a restaurant wouldn't count. I had my mind set on trying guacamole (nope, never tried it), but then when I was presented with the opportunity to have a hot dog with some sauerkraut, I went for that instead.

Verdict: I didn't hate it, I didn't love it. It wasn't nearly as flavorful as I had always thought it would be. I don't know what I was expecting, considering the main ingredient is cabbage (fun fact), but I found that it added more texture than taste. And I didn't love the texture. But hey, I've tried it now. I still kinda want to try guacamole.

7. Create a meal plan - at least one week every month - yep yep.

12. Bake a new cookie every month - In honor of St. Patrick's Day/Girl Scout cookie season, I made some homemade thin mints. I really liked them! Recipe found here.

**Side note: Oh, and for the love, please don't use super dark chocolate. I dipped a few cookies in 85% cocoa content chocolate and whoa. Too much. Sometimes I just don't think things through. Of course it's going to be bitter, Katie! Sheesh. Side note over.**

25. Read 30 books - added three more books this month, bringing my grand total up to 10.

-The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls: This book pretty much gave me the creeps. I just wrote a pretty long paragraph as to why, and I just deleted it, because you probably don't want to read it. If I decide it needs to be said, I'll make it its own post. Deal? Okay. So, the creeps. 3 stars (good writing and fascinating (but creeps-inspiring) story).

-Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale: This was a quick read that had a lot of good things about it. Writing was a little juvenile in my opinion, but the main character was young and it's told from her point of view, so I can't really dock points for that. I liked it! 4 stars.

-The Princess Bride by William Goldman: I don't give 5 star reviews lightly, but wow, did I love this book. I can't believe it took me so long to read it, because so many people have been recommending it to me for so long. But I really enjoyed it. Don't be like me. Read it now. 5 stars.

35. Complete an act of service every month: done.


So, this month was mostly just keeping up with the stuff I do every month. I'm going to have to change that if I want to make it through this list! But with my student teaching in full swing, it's going to be tough. Stay tuned.