Long time no see.

Future highlights of my summer:

1. Hawaii - a parent of one of my students owns a condo on the big island in Mauna Lani. She offered it to us to use for a week and we're really excited! This will probably be the nicest vacation we've ever had. Oh wait, besides our honeymoon 5 years ago this is the only other real vacation we've been on!

Things I'm looking forward to in Hawaii: going to the seahorse farm, staying in a nice condo, having reserved beach loungers on the beach, seeing the volcano erupting, and a lot of other things.

2. Not going to work - so being a teacher is paying off now. It is so nice to work so hard, especially at the end of the school year, and then have the summer off. I need to think of some projects I can work on so I don't get bored!

3. Washington DC - Adam has to go to a conference in Maryland in August and I decided I would go with him and we would spend a few extra days in Washington DC. I am looking forward to visiting the Holocaust Museum and a few other Smithsonian museums. We also want to go to the Arlington Cemetery because Adam wrote the music for a self-guided headphone tour there! I'm looking forward to using public transportation there - I know people who live there may be annoyed with it, but here in CA it's difficult to use so I think it will be fun to experience it.

4. Baby showers and births - many friends are having babies these next few months and I am excited to meet their little ones. All of them are girls except for one that I'm not sure about. (I think/hope it's a boy!) I threw a shower for a friend that turned out so awesome! I will post pictures soon.

Hopefully I will get back into this soon! I got a Flip video camera for my birthday so perhaps I can make some videos of things that lots of you have wanted to see pictures of.

Hasta for now!

Crack of Dawn

On Friday, I treated the kids to a little ice cream party while we watched the recording of our annual Christmas musical.

I had dropped something underneath a table and had climbed underneath it to pick it up. I was wearing a clingy shirt that day, and thanks to the lower and lower rise of pants these days, I felt slightly drafty back there. I figured nobody was paying attention - they were all laughing at the video.

All of a sudden a loud voice booms across the room:

"Mrs. Green, I can see your butt!!"

Oh my goodness. Shock. Utter embarrassment.

My cute little autistic student comes closer to me and says in the same loud voice:

"Is it okay that I said I can see your butt?"

I said to her more quietly:

"That's fine, but next time maybe come over to me and whisper it."

One of my boys hears the conversation and says with a huge grin,

"We're all family!!!"

Yikes. Kami will make sure there are no wardrobe malfunctions ever again. :)

Come to this event!!!

Watch Pathway's Video

Hi everyone,

We just got our new promo video up on our website. Take a look - I think it's fabulous. If you know anyone who might be interested in a school for kids who learn differently/ mild-moderate special education students in the Orange County area, send them to my blog or give them this link:

http://pathwayschool.net/

No alcohol allowed

The other day, one of the girls in my class was telling me she was scared because she had to get her blood drawn at the dr. that afternoon.

She comes back the next day, proudly sporting her bruise.

Girl: And guess what?
Me: What?
Girl: My doctor said I can't drink alcohol.
Me: Well, of course not until you're old enough.
Girl: No, he said not even when I'm 33.
Me: Why?
Girl: *serious face* He said it will kill my brain.
Me: Oh.

I love the way adults explain complicated things to children with special needs. It shows such creativity.

Whoopee Cushion Boy

If you don't know who I am talking about, read my post a few back titled "December"...

Every morning for the first 15 minutes of class I teach social skills. The kids are grouped according to their levels. On this particular day, one of the teachers needed me to cover her class (the lowest level). So I had double kids in my classroom. I was asking the students from the other class what they were learning in social skills. Names have been changed, of course.

Anna: We have been talking about personal hygiene.
Me: Oh, that's great. Somebody tell me something they have learned.
George: Well, you should brush your hair every day.
Lisa: And wash your hands after you go to the bathroom.
Me: What else? Fred? (whoopee cushion boy)
Fred: (said with an incorrect pronunciation of "r")Well....*long pause*...you have to remember to brush your teeth...*devilish grin across face*...so your breath doesn't smell like HECK!
Entire Class: HAHAHA

Each day is awesome. I love my job.

Need a butt-kicking?

Read this book.

"Crazy Love" by Francis Chan. You can find it at a Christian bookstore, at Borders, at Amazon...pretty much any of those book-selling places.

Amazing. I can only read one chapter at a time. Be prepared, this is not a "feel good" book. Read it if you want to be challenged in an enormous way.