A List of Do's and Don'ts for Back-to-School

Friends, I'm so thankful for a long summer every year when I don't have to work. I'm always sad to see it end, and I know it's coming to a close when I get bombarded with back-to-school ads and commercials.

source

I officially start again on August 23rd. In honor of my impending first day back, I thought I would repost something I wrote on a different blog of mine from a different lifetime.

Presenting:

What to say to a teacher for back-to-school, a list of do's and don'ts:


Things to say:

1. It'll be okay.
2. You'll be fine once you get in your routine.
3. The kids will be so happy to see you!
4. Are you having fun going back-to-school shopping?
5. It's so great that you got all that time to rest and recuperate!
6. I hope you have a great year and a great class! 
7. Wow, where did the summer go?
8. It'll be okay.

Things NOT to say:

1. Is your classroom all ready to go?
2. It's about time you got off the couch!
3. So... you'll start actually earning that paycheck now?
4. It's about time!
5. Don't be such a baby.
6. Aren't you soooooo excited to go back to school?
7. My kids have been wild! I can't wait to send them back to school!
8. Only 180 more school days to go until next summer!

Fun Weekend Links

Do you have weekend plans? My in-laws (and my 3 year old nephew!) are rolling into town. I'm so excited for the company! I'm sure baby William won't be put down at all :)

via

Here are some fun things I've found recently:

- From bookshelf to dollhouse. Brilliant.

- Summer Olympics from space. So pretty!

- Patterned 3D letter tutorial

- 21 pictures that will restore your faith in humanity

- Watermelon fizz drink. Perfect for summer!

Lovely Lust-Haves: Watches

Ever since having the baby, I've become a chronic clock watcher! How long since the last feeding? How long since the last dirty diaper? And so on.

So for today's edition of Lovely Lust-haves, I'm showcasing some fun watches:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

I want all of these! Which one is your favorite?

Bath Time

Little William, you're the one

Who makes bath time so much fun!

I'm so glad that William enjoys bath time! We have more hooded towels than days of the week and my favorite part is getting him out of the water and drying him off :)

Oh, and of course - the sweet, sweet smell of a clean and fresh baby!

Tickle Me Tuesday, 75th edition

Welcome to the latest edition of Tickle Me Tuesdays, where we all share what's been tickling our fancy

If you'd like to participate (and you know you do!!), here are the rules:
  

1. Write a short post with anywhere from one to five items that have been tickling your fancy recently. Please include pictures and links :)

2. Make sure to link back to the party in your blog post (you can grab the button or include a text link)

3. Come back here and link up your blog post!  

4. Visit some other links and HAVE FUN!

Turquoise Necklace by 4 Taste of Shabby Chic

Multicolor Scarf by Woman Style Store

Mini Wallet by Hello Violeta

Now it's your turn! What's been tickling your fancy lately?

 

<a href="http://yesteachercrafts.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s92/french_mk/tickle.jpg" /></a>

Screaming in the Night

It was 2:38 AM and William had started to fuss. I turned on a dim light, and started nursing in the rocking chair next to my bed.

I was sleepy. William was sleepy.

I looked down at his sweet little face, and thought of my husband for the 100th time that day. He was gone for the week, attending an international psychology conference in South Africa. Mom was there to help me with the baby; she was sound asleep in the room next door, her white noise maker blaring.

As William continued to nurse, I lazily glanced toward the crib. And then? In the span of a second: my whole body tensed, I caught my breath, and let out a scream!

There was a GIANT COCKROACH climbing up the side of the crib!

I kicked off my flip flop and whacked it twice - still screaming, and still nursing.

It lay on the floor about two feet away from me. As I tried to calm down and catch my breath (the baby now wide awake), I wondered if there were any more monsters hanging out by the crib.

Two minutes passed by. I glanced down towards the offending creature. His antennae twitched. Then it twitched again. Then it started crawling!!!

It was back from the dead!! Cue more screaming and more frantic flip flop whacking. I was almost in tears as I picked it up in the dust pan to throw it away.

All this to say two things: 
1. I'm so glad my husband is back home!
2. I sure hope I don't pass on any of my phobias to William...

So tell me.... what creeps you out to the point of screaming??

Learning the Hard Way

Just as I was feeling almost fully recovered from giving birth, an angry tooth made its' presence known in the back of my mouth.

Three months ago, I was eating my mini wheats and minding my own business when I chipped my molar. I chipped a major chunk of it off - like a quarter of the tooth - and I accidentally swallowed it with the rest of my cereal.

I was alarmed and a little concerned, but I didn't go to the dentist. I had some good reasons at the time, something about being pregnant and too busy.

My procrastination came around to bite me in the butt last week. The tooth became infected and I endured the most miserable and constant pain ever. Three straight days of popping Aleve and Tylenol ... wondering why it barely took the edge off, and just barely for an hour. The pain radiated through my mouth and even above my left ear. It was excruciating!

I found out that I needed a root canal. And I needed it FAST because I couldn't take the pain meds they prescribed since I'm breastfeeding exclusively. The closest office that could see me the soonest was thirty miles away. Since I'm breastfeeding exclusively and haven't started pumping or using bottles yet, I had to time the visit for between feedings.

Except that the office was so far away and the procedure so long (TWO HOURS) that my mom had to interrupt the procedure so that I could feed William.

But that wasn't the worst part.

The worst part was right at first when they gave me the novocaine to numb me up. My mouth went all slack and tingly, then the dentist dug right in. Except I FELT IT!! I wasn't numb enough! I was frantically moaning and waving my arms for her to stop!

 source

The absolute WORSTEST part (so bad that I'm making up words here!) was when she had to numb the nerve itself. A direct shot to the actual nerve. I gripped the dental hygenist's hands and screamed and cried as she did it. Worst five seconds of my life.

The bottom line here folks? Don't delay seeing a dentist. That whole root canal could have been prevented if I had had an underlying cavity filled as part of a regular visit. Sigh.

What painful life lessons have you learned recently?