I spent 3 days this week in Indianapolis, preparing for and teaching a 2-day class on building code requirements for doors (Woohoo!!). Even though it took me HOURS to create the presentation, something similar to an NFL playbook to keep the household running while I was gone, and a refill on my public speaking / flying prescription, it was almost like a mini-vacation for me. None of my students needed to be wiped, force-fed, or repeatedly told to do anything. My coteacher dressed himself, made it to breakfast on time without bribery or threats, and packed his own backpack without going to time-out. I only had 6 cubic feet of stuff with me so my room was always neat, and nobody left poop in the toilet or toothpaste in the sink. I went to bed between 10 and 11 p.m. instead of 2 and 3 a.m., with no feet in my face and nobody wetting my bed. I can’t remember the last time I had an hour to dress myself and get to breakfast. I did my hair, put on makeup, and wore clothes that nobody had wiped their nose on. And several times a day I heard how wonderful I was and people actually THANKED me for my time and effort.

I did miss my peeps but it was a nice change of pace.

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Aliya started ice skating lessons today with the Park & Rec Department (a bargain at $30 for 6 lessons!). I wasn’t sure how it was going to go since she had never been on skates before and had a steep learning curve. She looked so cute out there on her skinny legs. She LOVED skating and was really proud of herself for improving so much in one lesson.

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Last Friday at Adlani’s school, the PTO sponsored a visit from Eguie Castrillo, an awesome percussionist who happens to be the dad of Adlani’s classmate Diego. Eguie kept the almost-300 preschoolers, staff, and parents tapping, clapping, wiggling, and stomping along with the beat for about an hour and everyone LOVED IT! He had instruments from all over the world and showed the kids how they made different sounds. My favorite was an instrument made of keys (for obvious reasons). The highlight was a guest appearance from Diego, who is amazing on the drums.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmHO0KE09yA&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0]

http://www.eguiecastrillo.com/
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In case you’re wondering whether I’ve been abducted by aliens or have been leading a completely unblogworthy existence, I’ve not been taken to the mother ship and I have a big backlog of stuff to post. It has been a rough few weeks with waaaaaaay too much to do and not nearly enough sleep. I had a dentist appointment a couple of weeks ago and fell asleep in the chair twice! I woke myself up by snoring! The dentist told me that they once had a woman fall asleep in the chair at 2 p.m., and they turned off the light and left her there. She woke up at 6 p.m.!!! All I could think about was how many people would be affected if I took a 4-hour unscheduled nap. I paid each of the kids $5 to let me take a half-hour nap today, and it was well worth it. I snuggled up under two blankets on the couch with a big smile on my face and was asleep within a minute. I ended up sleeping for over two hours which is why I’m awake and typing this now.

Here’s what we’ve been up to…
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