merry christmas.

sick of toilet woes? me too. i'm back. i'm just sitting here relaxing enjoying the 2nd best day of the school year...the day we get out for christmas break. it's such a joyous feeling. this week has been the longest week ever...capped off with my class party which is always a beating. it's only 30 minutes long, but it feels like forever. my favorite part was when i looked over only to see one of my students chugging a plastic thing of juice as the others were standing around him chanting "go! go! go!" he polished it off and let out the hugest burp i've ever heard from a child, which happened to be the 3rd burp of the party. being the grown up in the room, i had to let them know the rudeness of belching, especially when others were trying to enjoy their ever so tasty grocery store cupcakes. yuck. quick side note...i've noticed this year that kids aren't embarrassed (at least mine aren't) when they burp or pass gas in class. it's like a game or a way to get attention with them. i remember people getting ridiculed and laughed at, but now kids don't even laugh. they just keep about their business and hold their noses. i've had to give a lecture on this as well. i did receive the best christmas present i've ever gotten from a student this year...a twenty dollar bill. i almost gave it back because i thought it must have been a mistake. another girl brought me a stuffed animal that had its nose chewed off...that's more like it. my sweet kids...those are really the best gifts.

on the homefront, i've been busy preparing for the holidays. i've thawed out two cheesecakes for holiday parties, done lots of online shopping, downloaded the original super mario bros. on wii, and even decorated my place. i only decorate every other year, so it happened to be this one. i always have to weigh the pro's and cons of putting up a tree to make sure it's really worth the effort. as i pulled out my junk this year, i decided that the table cloth that had served as my tree skirt since '01 would have to go. i made my own tree skirt out of felt and glue. it's alright. i had some leftover materials, so i decided to make stockings for jon and myself. those are real cute. they are pictured here.

i'm all packed and ready to go home. i'm excited to see my fam...especially little anna. in case i don't blog before then (highly likely), merry christmas!