odds and ends...

well it's been awhile since a post - i've hit one of those periods of "there's nothing interesting to write about". i don't want my blog to turn into a pregnancy blog by everyday writing about the weirdness of pregnancy but i also don't want it to be a teacher blog by everyday writing about school. but here's a little of both plus some other stuff.

weird stuff about pregnancy BESIDES getting a huge belly:
> random nosebleeds are not uncommon
> your hair stops falling out so when i blow dry my hair that has not been cut since september, there's no hair on the floor. which...if you blow dry a thick head of hair - you know this is shocking and amazing.
> your body makes something that helps your pelvic bones start loosening and expanding in preparation for giving birth but it unfournately affects all your joints. this can be hazardous. in the last two weeks, my fitness level has gone waaaay down. i was still doing a step class once a week and jog/walking around at recess here and there and all of a sudden these things give me great leg and hip pain. now i walk slowly on the treadmill if i get to the gym at all...and that STILL hurts.

this week, we've gone on TWO fieldtrips. both to vancouver which means...BUS. sigh. at least a bus with 60 3rd graders is a little better than 60 kids K - 7 like it used to be at ACS. but a bus nonetheless. we went to the symphony which was a good time. my students were fantastic - so much so that i closed my eyes for a bit of the concert since there were no kids to watch closely. :) science world was the other one which always makes for a good time.

have i already posted about how much i like Dog the Bounty Hunter?

at this moment, i'm lying on my couch hoping for a snow day tomorrow. what's with 15 - 20 cm at the end of february in BC? oh man.

etiquette tips...

things i wouldn't recommend saying or doing to a pregnant woman -

- saying, "wow, you're huge!"

- poking their bellybutton that has popped out. (this happened to me 3 times on one day once)

i'd like to think that you aren't the kind of person who would do either of these things but just in case - it's not appreciated by the pregnant person. :) (okay rach, if you ask first, you can poke my bellybutton)

sugar and red dye....

the craziest day of the school year is valentines day. yesterday, we had a little v-day party in the afternoon but the kids were already hopped up on sugar and excitement. all one of my students had for lunch was a rice crispie square and a granola bar! great...what a way to start off a sugary afternoon. all day there were comments about "i can't wait for the party!" you may be wondering what grade 3s DO at a valentine's day party...all we did was eat cupcakes, cookies, and chocolate, open our valentines, then played some 7-up. why do kids love that game? i remember loving it when i was a kid too. anyways - some of the boys were bouncing off the walls after all our sugary food. as a teacher, you know that its your fault that you let them eat all that stuff by having a party so you don't want to just be coming down on them hard at the party...but by friday afternoon in general? you're SO ready for a weekend. it was craziness.

but nonetheless...i survived and came out of it with some great chocolates. :)

the deal searching pays off...

craigslist is addicting. it's frustrating. it's fantastic.

i've spent the past few days emailing people about their strollers, baby bjorn carriers, car seats, stroller and car seat combos and jogging strollers. i've learned about stroller brands, read reviews, and have perfected my questioning.

strollers are really the item of choice on craigslist, i've discovered. there about about 10 - 15 new postings a day. if you're not on top of things, they're gone immediately. the other evening i found this great looking jogging stroller for $60 and i email the person and say i can come by the next day after work. the next morning, i get the reply that that would be great and to call her for the address. so during my prep a couple hours later, i call to get the address only to find out that someone else bought the stroller that morning. what? yesterday afternoon, two new strollers that i wanted were posted. i emailed them both and said that i could come the following evening to buy them. (yes, i wanted both of them) this morning i get an email from one of them saying that they sold it last night. oh my goodness. so frustrating. anyways - probably too many details BUT getting to the point...this afternoon there was a new stroller with car seat and base for $100! i saw this model at the Bay the other weekend for $450 +! i emailed and said i could come immediately and to call me. it felt a little pushy but apparently this was the way things needed to be.

got the call at 6pm and by 7:30pm we are the owners of a new Eddie Bauer stroller and car seat. it looks like it has been barely used. woohoo! so when craigslist comes through - it's great!

maybe you were wishing you could see some pictures? haha - well, whether you were or not...

the stroller!

the car seat

and the two together.

so new that there were pieces still in original, unopened packages!

and here's the baby that will soon be hanging out in our stroller.

diaper bags?

so it seems like a fun thing to get to pick out a new bag for when the baby comes.  the question is...can you buy a flowery bag since it's something that you're going to be carrying?  or does it have to be boy-y since it's for your son's diapers?  hmm...here's the one i want:

oh the calories...

my new favourite muffin at tim hortons is whole wheat raspberry. now i don't ever buy muffins from my counting points days...however...doesn't whole wheat raspberry just sound healthy?

i looked it up on the tim horton's nutrition chart today. the 2nd highest calories of all the muffins only stepping down for chocolate chip. even the fruit explosion muffins (yuck) are 40 less calories and lower in fat. sigh.

just so you know.

oh the baby gear

yesterday we had a pro-d day and i was finished at school around 2:30pm so i thought i'd head to the langley mall.  i have a $50 giftcard for this mall and had the brilliant idea that i should use my $50 towards baby stuff.  so i spent some time in the "baby gear" sections of The Bay, Sears, and Babies R Us.  apparently it's "baby week" at the Bay but the clothes are really too expensive to begin with so 30% off doesn't make for the most awesome deals anyways.  however, that said, i still bought a little outfit with matching bib with a Bay giftcard that i had also.  so cute.  

anyways - there is a ton of gear out there for these little guys.  the crazy strollers and car seats, cribs, crib bedding, $70 mobiles, playpens, swings, mats, etc.  i was a little overwhelmed.  needless to say, "my $50 giftcard will not cover anything.  :)  BUT it's nice to have a little something something towards it.  i went to a baby swap this last weekend (no, we weren't swapping babies) and there's just TONS of this gear, barely used, out there for sale.  now THIS is the way to go.  i didn't buy anything but it was nice to know that i can get it somewhere other than the mall.   i spent some time emailing people on craigslist today too.  

so the search for the gear is on.  the goal?  to get some good deals.  let me know if you see any.  i should put judy on the job.  :)  

if you like ricky gervais...

from the original, British version of "The Office"...then you should see The Extras. we've been watching them on dvd. the premise is that ricky gervais, an aspiring actor, is an extra on movie sets. every episode has some famous actor is it who is the star of that movie. the stars are pretty self-deprecating which i appreciate. kate winslet, sam. l. jackson, orlando bloom are just a few that i've seen. something i like about watching this series is that ricky gervais is actually a different character from the office - i was worried that that might just be what he's like in real life. but as it turns out...he really is acting. ha.