...mostly because it doesn't mention what the record being broken is!
6/29/2009
6/27/2009
Baby Shower take II
I wish that I had brought my camera, or that I had pictures. I was waiting to post about this because I wanted to put some photos up, but I'd rather post about it now.
My sisters and mother in law threw me a second baby shower here in Utah. Again, I hate the word "perfect" because it's too stressful, but again, I would have to use it to describe the party. There was as chocolate fountain and yummy ravioli. It was in Becky's "club house". It was funny because she lives in condos that really do have a club house next to the pool, but I just assumed that she meant her condo when she wrote "club house" on the invite. I thought, well that's a little funny to call your house a "club house" but okay...
Everybody was so nice and generous. Unlike the shower at home, where everything was clothes and giftcards, most every gift given was something that I would have had NO way to transport back from Massachusetts, but that I still will need. Like bubble bath (which I have used...twice...even though it's supposedly for the baby), or a diaper trash can, or a mesh baby bath chair. I am really grateful to have in-laws and friends who care about me and support me in having a baby. It was really, really, really nice.
And fun! We had a pinata, which we all had to hit! Inside were chocolates and baby things, like spoons and tylonol and outlet covers. It was way, way fun. We used a cute, frilly baby diaper-cover as the blindfold. Ahhh I wish I had pictures.
Thank you to everyone who helped make that night so fun! I had an awesome time!
My sisters and mother in law threw me a second baby shower here in Utah. Again, I hate the word "perfect" because it's too stressful, but again, I would have to use it to describe the party. There was as chocolate fountain and yummy ravioli. It was in Becky's "club house". It was funny because she lives in condos that really do have a club house next to the pool, but I just assumed that she meant her condo when she wrote "club house" on the invite. I thought, well that's a little funny to call your house a "club house" but okay...
Everybody was so nice and generous. Unlike the shower at home, where everything was clothes and giftcards, most every gift given was something that I would have had NO way to transport back from Massachusetts, but that I still will need. Like bubble bath (which I have used...twice...even though it's supposedly for the baby), or a diaper trash can, or a mesh baby bath chair. I am really grateful to have in-laws and friends who care about me and support me in having a baby. It was really, really, really nice.
And fun! We had a pinata, which we all had to hit! Inside were chocolates and baby things, like spoons and tylonol and outlet covers. It was way, way fun. We used a cute, frilly baby diaper-cover as the blindfold. Ahhh I wish I had pictures.
Thank you to everyone who helped make that night so fun! I had an awesome time!
World Analysis of this Blog take II
Thanks, Nancy, for pointing out that it was only using the words from the one page. I was a little confused because I couldn't remember writing about buses quite THAT much. This one is more accurate.
Danny liked that his name was big.
6/25/2009
6/24/2009
The Bus at Summer School
So I'm teaching at a junior high summer school program for migrant kids. It's like a mini-student-teaching thing for my minor, TESOL (teaching english to speakers of other languages). It's very fun. Very, very different from the mostly white, middle-upper class, K-8 setting where I teach Arabic. The students at the summer school are a mixture between English Language Learners and bilingual Hispanic kids. Honestly, the very large majority of them are just bilingual kids who either failed a class during the regular school year and got recommended to come, or they just want a chance to have fun with their friends. Whichever the case, ALL of them like to socialize. Most of them are very loud and speak Spanish most of the time. And I really, really, really like teaching them.
And let me just state again that they are totally different from the students I teach during the regular school year. This is a different world.
The fact that these students are loud, speaking a non-English language, they dress differently from white kids their age, and they are in a summer school program automatically makes them suspicious characters. It makes them easy targets for accusations. If anybody makes a mess in the halls, it automatically becomes theses kids' fault. If they push each other a little in the hall, it automatically means they are causing a fight.
It's not like they are little angels. For example, they are either supposed to take the bus home all the time, or never. During the regular school year, teachers aren't responsible for making sure the kids get on the bus. But during summer school, we are. Yesterday, one of the girls who is supposed to ride the bus started walking away with her friends that walk home. We called out to her to get on the bus. She kept walking the other way. Finally, she turned around and started to walk back to the bus, but by that time the bus was gone. Since she knows the rules, it was pretty frustrating. Several phone calls later (to the administrator, the liason, and her mom)...
But sometimes, things that happen are absolutely not the kids' fault. For example, we ended up with a substitute bus driver last week. He dropped the kids off 15 minutes late, at 9:20. He asked the kids what time they needed to be picked up. They told him 11:45, but it's really supposed to be 11:50. That day, we didn't end up sending them outside to the bus until 11:52. But he had already driven away. But his job is to get the kids home! He's getting paid by the hour. And he leaves a bunch of kids to get home by themselves? He was obviously furious. Those 2 minutes of his time were so precious, how could we possibly waste them? My mentor teacher commented that had we applied his adolescent logic, we would have said, "Oh no. The kids are 15 minutes late. No summer school today!" But of course that would never happen. Several phone calls later (to the administrator who called the bus driver who called us)...
The main program administrator came to scold the kids today. It felt really bad, especially because today the students worked really hard and did excellent work. We read the first part of the story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, and then I had them act out what was going on. It was so hilarious. At several points in the story, the person who goes to the cave loads his donkeys with treasure. "Vaminos burritos!" The boys were on all fours. So funny! And the thing is, I think they understood and enjoyed the story!
So right after they had done such a great job, the main administrator comes in and tells everybody off for not riding the bus home, for writing gang signs on the bus seats, for carrying gang paraphernalia, for being loud, etc. He threatens them with closing the program. He also brought donuts (for some reason?). This was rigth before our usual recess break. But the boys felt so angry after his speech that they all got up and left without getting their donuts. About 10 minutes later, I was still in the classroom working on something on the computer, and they all came back in to reclaim their donut. I guess they had cooled down enough to enjoy it better.
When 10% of the student population gets 60% of the referrals to the office, there is something wrong with the system. Institutionalized racism? Nowadays? Sadly yes. Even the janitors are suspicious of these children. Granted, it takes a lot of getting used to; they talk loud, dress loud, and speak another language. I think that might be the hardest part for some people; just the fact that they spend a lot of time speaking Spanish intimidates some people. They wonder what they are saying, if it's clean or not, if they are saying something about you. Now, I don't speak much Spanish, but I have been in these students' shoes in that I lived in two different foreign countries where I didn't speak the language. Sadly, this does not make me immune to the institutionalized racism imbedded into teachers. At least I'm aware of it. That lets me be able to DO something about it.
And let me just state again that they are totally different from the students I teach during the regular school year. This is a different world.
The fact that these students are loud, speaking a non-English language, they dress differently from white kids their age, and they are in a summer school program automatically makes them suspicious characters. It makes them easy targets for accusations. If anybody makes a mess in the halls, it automatically becomes theses kids' fault. If they push each other a little in the hall, it automatically means they are causing a fight.
It's not like they are little angels. For example, they are either supposed to take the bus home all the time, or never. During the regular school year, teachers aren't responsible for making sure the kids get on the bus. But during summer school, we are. Yesterday, one of the girls who is supposed to ride the bus started walking away with her friends that walk home. We called out to her to get on the bus. She kept walking the other way. Finally, she turned around and started to walk back to the bus, but by that time the bus was gone. Since she knows the rules, it was pretty frustrating. Several phone calls later (to the administrator, the liason, and her mom)...
But sometimes, things that happen are absolutely not the kids' fault. For example, we ended up with a substitute bus driver last week. He dropped the kids off 15 minutes late, at 9:20. He asked the kids what time they needed to be picked up. They told him 11:45, but it's really supposed to be 11:50. That day, we didn't end up sending them outside to the bus until 11:52. But he had already driven away. But his job is to get the kids home! He's getting paid by the hour. And he leaves a bunch of kids to get home by themselves? He was obviously furious. Those 2 minutes of his time were so precious, how could we possibly waste them? My mentor teacher commented that had we applied his adolescent logic, we would have said, "Oh no. The kids are 15 minutes late. No summer school today!" But of course that would never happen. Several phone calls later (to the administrator who called the bus driver who called us)...
The main program administrator came to scold the kids today. It felt really bad, especially because today the students worked really hard and did excellent work. We read the first part of the story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, and then I had them act out what was going on. It was so hilarious. At several points in the story, the person who goes to the cave loads his donkeys with treasure. "Vaminos burritos!" The boys were on all fours. So funny! And the thing is, I think they understood and enjoyed the story!
So right after they had done such a great job, the main administrator comes in and tells everybody off for not riding the bus home, for writing gang signs on the bus seats, for carrying gang paraphernalia, for being loud, etc. He threatens them with closing the program. He also brought donuts (for some reason?). This was rigth before our usual recess break. But the boys felt so angry after his speech that they all got up and left without getting their donuts. About 10 minutes later, I was still in the classroom working on something on the computer, and they all came back in to reclaim their donut. I guess they had cooled down enough to enjoy it better.
When 10% of the student population gets 60% of the referrals to the office, there is something wrong with the system. Institutionalized racism? Nowadays? Sadly yes. Even the janitors are suspicious of these children. Granted, it takes a lot of getting used to; they talk loud, dress loud, and speak another language. I think that might be the hardest part for some people; just the fact that they spend a lot of time speaking Spanish intimidates some people. They wonder what they are saying, if it's clean or not, if they are saying something about you. Now, I don't speak much Spanish, but I have been in these students' shoes in that I lived in two different foreign countries where I didn't speak the language. Sadly, this does not make me immune to the institutionalized racism imbedded into teachers. At least I'm aware of it. That lets me be able to DO something about it.
6/20/2009
I'm sorry that I posted some really mean and hurtful things on my blog. It was never my intention to hurt anybody, and so it really, really sucks that I did. It's taken me a while to figure out why what I wrote was offensive, but I think I get it better now. And I really feel sorry. In the first place, a blog is not the right setting to voice certain feelings, especially ones that I shouldn't focus on in the first place. I have no way to justify the mean things I thought and wrote, and I'm sorry to all people who have never experienced pregnancy before, including men and the childless. I hope that the people I hurt will eventually be able to forgive me.
6/15/2009
100th Post: 2 Funny Pictures
So I just realized this is my 100th post on this blog! Go me! My goal for the past while is to update my blog at least every week, but that hasn't really happened. Maybe now that I've reached a nice round number, I can start implementing that goal. Hehe.
Danny is taking Evolutionary Biology right now, and I'm taking an online Geology class. So some of our material actually overlaps, like when we talk about...Evolution. Here are my best memories of class-related images I saw this week:
Here is Nessie, our Underwater Ally.
...and here is a picture from a slide from Danny's class titled "Natural Selection". Hehehe.
Danny is taking Evolutionary Biology right now, and I'm taking an online Geology class. So some of our material actually overlaps, like when we talk about...Evolution. Here are my best memories of class-related images I saw this week:
Here is Nessie, our Underwater Ally.
...and here is a picture from a slide from Danny's class titled "Natural Selection". Hehehe.
6/13/2009
Baby Shower
My mom threw me a perfect baby shower! I really hate the word "perfect" because it has such ridiculous connotations - but it really was perfect. (Danny's and my wedding day was also perfect, literally! It's really crazy that that is possible, but it really is. Even so, I try to avoid that word because it's just so...stressful).
Anyway, here are some photos she sent me of the baby shower.
We want to name our baby Jane. Here is the SUPER cute cake she got!
The cake was really a small cake with a bunch of beautiful cupcakes. I'm not going to lie; the icing on those things was really really good.
Ugh, I look so ENORMOUS! If we were playing hide and seek, Danny could just hide behind me! Sad!
Stealing a kiss. If I remember right, my dad was saying something like, "Just wait till Jane comes! She's gonna be such a kill joy!" when this photo was taken. Hehe, yeah (right).
I can't get over how enormous I look in these photos. It was really fun to see the women from the Springfield Ward. I grew up with most of these women serving in Primary or YW. I know them.
A side view, in my parents' living room.
The only game we played was we passed around my old sock monkey doll (that my mom actually made!) and each told a story about a toy that we had played with when we were little. Here I am talking about how the real polly pockets were tiny, nothing like the ones you see in stores now.
Anyway, here are some photos she sent me of the baby shower.
We want to name our baby Jane. Here is the SUPER cute cake she got!
The cake was really a small cake with a bunch of beautiful cupcakes. I'm not going to lie; the icing on those things was really really good.
Ugh, I look so ENORMOUS! If we were playing hide and seek, Danny could just hide behind me! Sad!
Stealing a kiss. If I remember right, my dad was saying something like, "Just wait till Jane comes! She's gonna be such a kill joy!" when this photo was taken. Hehe, yeah (right).
I can't get over how enormous I look in these photos. It was really fun to see the women from the Springfield Ward. I grew up with most of these women serving in Primary or YW. I know them.
A side view, in my parents' living room.
The only game we played was we passed around my old sock monkey doll (that my mom actually made!) and each told a story about a toy that we had played with when we were little. Here I am talking about how the real polly pockets were tiny, nothing like the ones you see in stores now.
6/12/2009
Sort of Freaky
So I follow my friends' blogs with google.reader. It makes it really easy to read or skim through all the various blogs I like. I really enjoy keeping track of people. It's kind of funny, but even people from High School who I didn't know that well - I like to read their blogs. They're just so interesting. Everybody has interesting lives that are so, so different from mine. Mine is interesting, too - yet sometimes it's really fun to imagine the lives of other people, you know?
So there have been about 3 or 4 people from my past lives (most of them from the dorms at BYU) who were just a little bit ahead of me, pregnancy-wise. I recently checked their blogs to find out that all of them have given birth. Augh! This sort of freaks me out.
I am 35 weeks pregnant as of last Wednesday. This means that our baby will be coming soon. I was especially interested in the photos my friends posted of themselves after labor. All of them looked exhausted. This freaks me out, too. This will be my first baby, and I don't know what to think about labor. It actually scares me a lot. Mostly the anticipation of pain. I wish it would just come and be over with.
Not yet - I need to finish my TESOL practicum and these 3 stupid online classes - but when those are done...please just end this anticipation stage! I'm sick of waiting!
So there have been about 3 or 4 people from my past lives (most of them from the dorms at BYU) who were just a little bit ahead of me, pregnancy-wise. I recently checked their blogs to find out that all of them have given birth. Augh! This sort of freaks me out.
I am 35 weeks pregnant as of last Wednesday. This means that our baby will be coming soon. I was especially interested in the photos my friends posted of themselves after labor. All of them looked exhausted. This freaks me out, too. This will be my first baby, and I don't know what to think about labor. It actually scares me a lot. Mostly the anticipation of pain. I wish it would just come and be over with.
Not yet - I need to finish my TESOL practicum and these 3 stupid online classes - but when those are done...please just end this anticipation stage! I'm sick of waiting!
6/08/2009
5th Year High School Reunion
So Danny and I were home for the weekend of my 5th Year High School Reunion. It was the weekend of my mom's birthday, and she also threw me a wonderful baby shower. Danny and I decided it would be fun to go to the reunion, too.
Secretly, I've always thought it would be awesome if I could go to my 5th year reunion and be the only one married with a child. Although this baby is not yet born, I was still the only one there married and pregnant. Danny thought it weirded some people out. When we showed up, a whole table full of people turned around and were like, "Whoah, there's Kate!" Funny.
Everybody was really nice! They were friendly, asked about what was going on, and I asked about their goings-on. Almost every single person I saw said the same thing to me, "Congratulations for everything!" Funny. I felt like saying, "Congratulations to you, too...I'm sure there's something you've done in the past 5 years that deserves some kind of congratulations!" I guess mine was just a lot more visual. This huge 8 month pregnant belly, and my loyal sidekick and companion, Danny. Yeah.
I didn't notice a single other person besides Danny and me that wasn't drinking. This meant that as the night progressed, they got friendlier and friendlier and stinkier and stinkier. It was interesting; probably one of the only experiences I've ever had where I've been around drinking (and many flat out drunk) people and not felt like I was somehow putting myself in a bad situation. It was the reunion, not a secret, backyard party. One person specifically mentioned how they don't normally drink, it's just that they are around High School people and it brings back memories of them being rebellious and sneaking alcohol. That made a lot of sense to me.
Danny got to see what High School was like for me a little bit better. I was NOT popular, in fact, did not have very many close friends at all. The people who I care about from Williston are my teachers like Mr. Hing, Mr. Luikart, M. Blanchette, Susan, Marcia, etc., who I have kept in contact with. But lots of people still remembered my name (and I remembered theirs too, which surprised me!) and were friendly.
All in all, I had a good time. I'm glad the night didn't last too long, though.
I feel pretty satisfied, too. I've accomplished a LOT during these last 5 years, even though I will graduate in August and most of them have already graduated. Comparatively, I've got a much more clear outline for the rest of my life than almost anybody who was there. I had to explain to somebody that after the baby is born, I will stay home and not work. I think the idea of getting married young, having kids young, and being a stay at home mom are just completely "out there" for a lot of my old high school peers. Honestly, I feel secretly proud of my goal to be a mom, even MORE so because it seems to unnerve these other people. That's probably not a very mature thought process, though.
We ended up swing dancing for one of the dances, and an old couple came up to us and said that it made them really happy to see us dancing to Big Band. That kind of dancing is still alive and well in Provo!
Secretly, I've always thought it would be awesome if I could go to my 5th year reunion and be the only one married with a child. Although this baby is not yet born, I was still the only one there married and pregnant. Danny thought it weirded some people out. When we showed up, a whole table full of people turned around and were like, "Whoah, there's Kate!" Funny.
Everybody was really nice! They were friendly, asked about what was going on, and I asked about their goings-on. Almost every single person I saw said the same thing to me, "Congratulations for everything!" Funny. I felt like saying, "Congratulations to you, too...I'm sure there's something you've done in the past 5 years that deserves some kind of congratulations!" I guess mine was just a lot more visual. This huge 8 month pregnant belly, and my loyal sidekick and companion, Danny. Yeah.
I didn't notice a single other person besides Danny and me that wasn't drinking. This meant that as the night progressed, they got friendlier and friendlier and stinkier and stinkier. It was interesting; probably one of the only experiences I've ever had where I've been around drinking (and many flat out drunk) people and not felt like I was somehow putting myself in a bad situation. It was the reunion, not a secret, backyard party. One person specifically mentioned how they don't normally drink, it's just that they are around High School people and it brings back memories of them being rebellious and sneaking alcohol. That made a lot of sense to me.
Danny got to see what High School was like for me a little bit better. I was NOT popular, in fact, did not have very many close friends at all. The people who I care about from Williston are my teachers like Mr. Hing, Mr. Luikart, M. Blanchette, Susan, Marcia, etc., who I have kept in contact with. But lots of people still remembered my name (and I remembered theirs too, which surprised me!) and were friendly.
All in all, I had a good time. I'm glad the night didn't last too long, though.
I feel pretty satisfied, too. I've accomplished a LOT during these last 5 years, even though I will graduate in August and most of them have already graduated. Comparatively, I've got a much more clear outline for the rest of my life than almost anybody who was there. I had to explain to somebody that after the baby is born, I will stay home and not work. I think the idea of getting married young, having kids young, and being a stay at home mom are just completely "out there" for a lot of my old high school peers. Honestly, I feel secretly proud of my goal to be a mom, even MORE so because it seems to unnerve these other people. That's probably not a very mature thought process, though.
We ended up swing dancing for one of the dances, and an old couple came up to us and said that it made them really happy to see us dancing to Big Band. That kind of dancing is still alive and well in Provo!
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