Okay, I totally agree now.

Today, I looked outside, and I thought for sure school would be in session tomorrow. The roads were getting clearer, the weather had stopped and we had already missed two days.

Then, the text from SPS Alerts. School cancelled Thursday. (Sponsored by AGCU, which cracks me up.)

I was a bit confused. And couldn't decide if I was happy or not. I mean, I know I won't want to make these days up. That part of having snow days really sucks. But, I also don't relish the idea of going outside at 7 am in half a foot of snow and spending the day in a classroom with kids who cannot have outside recess and have spent the equivelent of a weekend at home after only one day at school. So the third snow day was a bit of a drag, but also a bit of a relief.

Still, I was wondering why it was cancelled.

Then...I decided to drive to school to check on the pets (2 guinea pigs and a betta in my room, a goldfish and a turtle in Charles' room). I knew I'd have to go tonight or tomorrow, so decided to just get it done.

The whole way down Ingram Mill, Sunshine and Scenic, I thought "It's not great, but it's certainly not bad enough to cancel school."

But when I turned off of Scenic to come to the school, I realized just how bad the "secondary" roads still were. It has not been warm enough to get rid of anything, and the roads that aren't plowed are BAD. I spun out 4 times in one block on Walnut. I pulled to a stop at a stop sign and had to try three times to get the car moving again. That's a road several of my kids have to come down on their bus to school.

I am thankful that the administration cancelled tomorrow. I totally see why and agree with the decision. I am glad I drove to the school, so that any second guessing was put to rest. I am glad that the safety of our students was put above the need to get 175 school days in.

Thanks, SPS. I appreciate your decision.

late Christmas present? Early birthday present?

I am not sure why only the title of this post published the first time. I will try again!

My present was a wonderful, fabulous gift that made my whole week brighter. Here's the story:

Guy 1: Amber's birthday is in less than a month. We should get her a present.

Guy 2: You know, we really should. We've never given her one and she HAS been a loyal fan since she was 6.

Guy 1: But what can we give her that would make up for all the years we didn't give her anything?

Guy 2: I don't know...

:both guys thinking:

Guy 1: I've got it! We can fire Herm Edwards!

Guy 2: You're right! That would make her really happy! Let's do it!

(The previous conversation took place between the decision makers of the Kansas City Chiefs. Donald thinks I am nuts and this decision was not about me. He's totally wrong.)

Random update info

I've had stuff to write, but no real motivation to blog. So I didn't. Sorry for anyone who wished there was a post in the past couple weeks. Here is some of the stuff I may have written about if I'd felt like it.

Jax is getting better. No more twitching when touched and his fur is growing back. After all that, he caught a cold and sneezed non-stop for a week or so, but he seems to be over that, also. He doesn't mind his new food too much. The hardest adjustment has been not getting table scraps from Donald. (It's been as hard on Donald as it has been on Jax.

I got my SMART Board on Friday! It is wonderfully fun and I cannot wait to see how much fun my students have with it.

In related news, I am thinking I am too much of a teacher. Saturday night I dreamt of using my SMART Board. Sunday night I dreamt of teaching other people how to use it and also about playing with new Play-Doh with my students. Dreaming of school is just a little too lame for me to be ok with it.

Apparently my mind is REALLY into the SMART Board. I also got Play-Doh for my room on Friday night, we have not had any in our room this year. I know exactly how much my kids love Play-Doh. Having regular Play-Doh sessions will make them very happy. Apparently my mind was thrilled about that, too.

I took Gabbie roller skating last weekend. It was fun, she had a lot more patience and stamina for it this time (last time she was only 4, now she's 6). However, she also had more guts and tried to skate faster, resulting in a lot more falls. Combine that with her insistence on wearing a dress and tights instead of jeans, and she probably had bruises all over her behind and thighs from falling down on her skate wheels.

By my school, there was a sign advertising "Germin Shepherd Pupys for Sale." I am thinking the only way they spelled Shepherd correctly was by looking it up. They must have thought they knew how to spell the other words. Nope. A few days later they changed the spelling of Germin to German, but puppies is still spelled pupys. I am waiting for the third edition.

I think there my be more to say, but dinner's ready. Later.

Jax update

Well, Jax is definately sick.

He has the feline equivalent of shingles. Which means he is in a lot of pain, even if he is not acting like it and all of his nerve receptors are extremely sensitive. He got a cortosteroid shot today to help calm his nerve receptors and block pain. The vet said the effects of the shot should last at least a month, keeping him out of pain until the other treatment puts the shingles in remission.

After the shot takes effect, and he isn't in a lot of pain, he has to get a bath and comb out tomorrow to remove all the dander and stuff from his skin, so the lesions heal better.

The next day, after his skin oils have built back up, we have to put this oil treatment on his back to help knock out the shingles.

Just like in humans, shingles never go away, they just go into remission. Stress brings them back out. Meaning if we ever have a baby, move, get a dog, etc. he could flare back up. If that happens, we have to take him back and repeat the process.

The vet said that it probably was not his food that triggered the autoimmune response, but his kitty condo tower that he loved so very, very much. The carpet it is covered in is apparently treated with chemicals, and then when the cat scratches it, as it is meant for, those chemicals release and land all over the cat, in addition to being inhaled by the cat. Not good.

The vet says I can vaccuum and steam clean the tower and try it again, but no thanks. If it made him this sick, it can hit the dumpster. Its just not worth it.

In addition to all of that (like we need more!), he also is showing signs of feline type 2 diabetes. I had already bought him hypoallergenic food when all his problems started a month or so ago, but it is really expensive. The vet recommended some other options that are better priced (like 10.99 instead of 23.oo for 40 oz), but still better for him. Corn apparently is really bad for diabetic cats, since it converts to sugar quickly. He needs a grain free diet. No more Whiskas. I got him some of the new food, so we'll see how he likes it. He also cannot have any table scraps, which will break Donald's heart, since they love to share. The vet also said he should only be having 1/2 to 3/4 cup of food per day, not the 1.5 cups he has been getting.

Poor baby. This will be a rough change, between the bath, no table food, no kitty condo, switching foods again, and decreasing his food.

But to add insult to injury, he has to go back in 3-4 weeks for a rabies shot, too!