Up and at 'em!

5:20AM and I am completely dressed and ready to start the day. Too bad I have to let my kid sleep...and her day care doesn't open until 6:30. I guess those two extra hours of sleep on Monday really messed with my sleeping patterns.

If I didn't have to take my daughter to school I would totally be on my way to my classroom to start checking off the "To Do" list I made in my head while laying WIDE awake at 3AM! I finally gave up ANY hopes of falling back asleep (around 4:15) and got ready to face the day (I'll pay for this....if not tonight, for SURE by Friday evening).

Here is my checklist, that I hope to get through today (I'm sure all of the teachers out there can relate to some if not ALL of these):

1. GLUE STICKS, what the heck...I completely forgot to buy more glue sticks when I was at WalMart the other night! I swear my students EAT them. I know we use glue A LOT...I do Guided Reading, Guided Math, and Interactive Note Taking. But I constantly get on to them about not PAINTING and smothering the paper that needs to be glued. And despite the fact that we were down to one glue stick per table (kid you not), they were STILL "coloring" with them. So for now we are using bottled glue (which I detest). They also use too much...yes I teach third grade and they still use too much glue and I believe eat it. The problem is with bottled glue, it gets EVERYWHERE and when they use it smears and oozes out the edges, then the other pages in their journal stick to them. So now I REALLY need to pick up glue sticks.

2. Man, I still have those six kids I need to re-Rigby (Reading Level)...when am I going to fit that in?? I guess instead of meeting with small groups during Guided Reading today I can do that, oh no wait...I have someone  coming in to observe Guided Reading! Okay so maybe I can squeeze them in during BIG 5 and Morning Work, then again right after lunch...no wait we are trying to finish our Response to Literature (it's holiday related, so I really need to get it done before the break....side bar if you haven't read or don't know about a book called A Light in the Darkness....READ it with your kids, especially third grade..it fits in with our SS character traits, if you are familiar with Tumble Books, it's on there) Okay so I will cross my fingers and hope to get these Rigbys done.

3. CHRISTMAS ornaments! I haven't even started them with my students. I was going to yesterday but I had half a day planning...when I got back into my room for the second half of the day, I spent the whole time "redoing" the first half (if that makes sense), catching up, and trying to get through my fossil lesson...which brings me to #4

4. Should I or shouldn't I do imprints, casts, molds????Hummmm??? Now I wouldn't go ALL out and do the whole plaster of paris mess (I mean isn't the ornaments with mod podge and glitter going to be messy enough??) But I could get my students and early (by one day) Christmas gift of a small container of play dough (you know the ones you get for party favors). It could be fun and we could make the imprints...we have a few molds in our science tub. Maybe...ugh Christmas gifts...#5

5. What to get my students. I really hate to say this but....well I'm just going to put it out there...At my other school the bar was set pretty high when it came to what you do for your students for the holidays (Christmas, Halloween, etc.) So being that I was there for seven years I always gave my students a holiday plastic cup (from Walmart 4 for $1) filled it with a candy cane, new pencil, maybe an eraser, some candy, and a homework pass. We would also do this cute stocking fill. Where each student would bring in an empty stocking and 22 (or how many students) small items...22 packs of gum, 22 pencils, etc. I would then fill ALL the stockings and at our holiday party the kids got to go through them. Which brings me to the holiday parties...WOW...they were huge! The room moms (yes momS) would plan it, come in with food galore, a craft of two for the kids, and a student made teacher gift (that they made for you when you left/went on your 1/2 day shopping day), and a small presentation of a few gifts from me to my parent volunteers (yes that is plural). I tell people that the one year I was 7mths pregnant and went through the holiday party I swear I almost went into labor, twice! Well this year is very different. My new school the expectations are not as high...which can be good. I saved some money by not having to buy parent gifts (no room mom, no PIR mom, no folder stuffer). So one less thing on my list. My students don't really expect much from me either, I did get them a pencil and a homework pass...half of me says keep the expectations low...the other half says this kids would be so excited to get something. Therefore...do I run to the Dollar Tree after school today??? If so what do I get???

6. I really need to enter grades...I wanted to have that done before the break. But I really need to grade a few more papers (especially some that I left with the sub yesterday).

7. It's Polar Express Day on Friday! Which means I need to buy chocolate milk, yep chocolate milk. A co-worker said that she took her crock pot in to class, filled it with chocolate milk, let it simmer, spooned it into cups topped it with marshmallows and tada HOT chocolate! So much easier and not as messy as 22 hot chocolate packets) Anyway it's PJ day on Friday, so do I be a sport and wear the comfy PJ bottoms with a festive T-shirt, or maybe participate in Tacky Festive Shirt/Sweater day for the staff, or just wear a holiday shirt? 

8. Speaking of holiday shirts...where the heck are mine???? I have two adorable vintage T's (from Target 2years ago), one with vintage Santa and another is the Charlie Brown Christmas tree...I can't find them to save my life!!!!!!!

And the list goes on and on! I know some of you can feel me. Well it is now officially time to wake up my daughter and begin our morning of..."Go away mommy, I wanna sleep (on any other day she would be up), I don't wanna wear it, I want Dora panties" and so on! Have a GREAT Wednesday!