I'm watching the future leaders right now.

Right now, I'm subbing in an AP Calc class. Calculus is all Greek to me. There are 9 seniors, 2 of them I've coached, one of them is a neighbor and sits for my kids. They could have blown off today, it being a 2hr late start.

They had their books open before I had taken attendance, and all but shoved me out of the way, eager to get to the white board. Each of them took a problem and started explaining it to the class. The room is full of "You missed plugging in your D value." "No, look at your dA/dt, right here." "Is that right?" "Explain that again." "Can I borrow your brain next year?"

I love it. These guys get it! Self starters, motivated to do their best, understand, explain it to others, help out. And even though I've only had a small part in a few of their school careers, I feel proud of them!

These guys are going to be the 20% in the world that are the great leaders. Have faith that this generation is not lost!

Things that must be said.

This mostly has to do with random thoughts that pop up while I'm driving, that should be a tweet (twat? twat?) or a crackbook status, but since I'm not a texter, the thoughts go unsaid.

The first is that on my way to one of my sub jobs, on an old county country road, in the middle of nowhere, is an explosives manufacturing business. Really? They make explosives? I always wonder just how dangerous it is in there, because the building is relatively unassuming. And, I think, would this be a possible terrorist target? What if it's a cover for top secret government weapons? I mean, I pass it at least once a week, just what is it doing out there? By posting this, am I going to end up on a watch list? hmmmmmm.

The next is that sometimes I have a nearly uncontrollable urge to exit off the interstate while maintaining the same speed, blow past the stop sign, and shoot right back onto the on ramp. One of these days I may not be able to control it!

And finally, when I'm stressed out, I try to put a seat belt on, whether I'm in the car or not. I sit down, on the couch, at a desk, to supper, and I involuntarily reach for my seat belt. Not sure why.

I feel much better, now having said all that!

Recovering toddlers are crabs!

Last Wednesday, Addie hit a fever of 104.6 and threw up three times. I was gone to state dance competition, so my husband had to deal with her alone. Emily then got a fever and felt sick. The next day Emily was doing better, but Addie was still in the 103 to 104 range as soon as the Motrin wore off. She was a slug on the couch. She stayed that way until Monday morning, when it appeared that the fever was gone. It was a good thing too, because that evening was the Christmas Pageant she had been preparing for and talking about since the beginning of school. I called the school and said I'd keep her for the morning, just to make sure, and then she could come for lunch and finish out the day, and make her debut.

By 9:30 it was apparent that she was not doing better, and her temperature was back at around 101. She melted down at the slightest bit of resistance, and found herself in bed by 10am where she passed out until 1 when I woke her to drag her into the doctor.

It was one of those mommy-second-guessing moments. She's had a fever for 6 days, but it is lower, and really what are they going to do? But what sort of mother lets their kid have a fever for 6 days? I took her, and consequently felt stupid because he said whatever it was was on its way out and to call if it wasn't gone in two days.

So no pageant, and she stayed home the next day, where she spent the morning screaming at me anytime I told her something she didn't like. She could have moved into time-out she spent so much time there.

Finally, she was fever free for 24 hours and I shipped her butt off to school. It didn't go so well. Much to her aggravation, she learned that she had missed the pageant and was very upset the whole day. Her teachers sent a note explaining they "gave her a break" because of the trauma inflicted by her bad mommy not explaining she was going to miss it and didn't prepare her for her friends asking where she was.

Tonight, the class A melt down came at 6pm when she informed us she was not going to finish her supper, but would throw it on the floor, unless we stopped making the wrong kind of cookies! Screaming and kicking and crying ensued, quickly followed by a hosing off and chucking into bed, where she was passed out before her head hit the pillow.

I hope this is the last day! Her crabbiness has got to end!

I never do these things...

...because they take forever. But I thought it would be a fun blog post. There are some stupid questions that would be better replaced by something more meaningful, since it takes an eternity to complete anyway. But here is my "Getting to know you" crackbook chain activity:
You've been tagged (as have I), you have the honor of copying all these goofy questions, writing your own response, and tagging 25 other victims. You have to tag me so really you just need 24 more people. To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your title as "Getting to know each other!", tag 25 people including me (tagging is done in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish. (I actually tagged more people, just to spite them!)

1. What time did you get up this morning?
6AM (I wish it would have been later!)

2. How do you like your steak?
Mooing

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
Eat, Pray, Love (sucked, IMHO) but loved the GNO

4. What is your favorite TV show?
Grey's/Desperate Housewives

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
I think I'm here! (except I could do without the cold and snow!)

6. What did you have for breakfast?
COFFEE!!!!

7. What is your favorite cuisine?
Anything my husband makes!

8. What foods do you dislike?
Lemon filled bismarks disguised as Boston Creme; that is just EVIL

9. Favorite place to eat?
Hu Hot... even the name is fun to say... go ahead, try it... HU HOT!

10. Favorite dressing?
Ranch

11.What kind of vehicle do you drive?
The Blue Eagle (AKA Town and Country short bus)

12. What are your favorite clothes?
My power suit with the pink cami and kitten heels!

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance?
The middle east or Rome

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full?
depends; if the coffee is 1/2 anything, it's bad. However, if the wine is 1/2 anything, someone is having a good time!

15. Where would you want to retire?
Someplace close to family, as long as I had money to travel

16. Favorite time of day?
10:09pm

17. Where were you born?
St. Joseph, Michigan

18. What is your favorite sport to watch?
Dance (IS TOTALLY A SPORT, MEL!)

19. Who do you think will not tag you back?
Well, I haven't tagged people yet, as I type this. And perhaps, by saying they will not tag me back, they actually will to prove a point, because if they are spiteful, like me, they will do it just to prove me wrong... so in that case...Jeremy, Heidi, Trinity, Levi, Adam... I apologize if I've forgotten anyone.

20. Person you expect to tag you back first?
Let's just see who has too much time on their hands... like me... right now.

21. Who are you most curious about their responses to this?
Probably my neighbors!

22. Bird watcher?
Only at my MIL's because she puts out a ton of birdseed, and word gets around! Some of those birds are so huge they need to go on a diet!

23. Are you a morning person or a night person?
Really? All morning people should be shot...

24. Pets?
2 cats, 2 kids, and a husband. The shedding is the worst!

25. Any new and exciting news that you'd like to share?
Baby 3... no, just kidding. Talk to me next year...

26. What did you want to be when you were little? honestly?
A marine biologist. 10 years of getting thrown into freezing cold water before 7am for swim team killed that dream.

27. What is your best childhood memory?
Traveling everywhere in minivans with the McKees

28. Are you a cat or dog person?
cat

29. Are you married?
9 1/2 years

30. Always wear your seat belt?
Yes

31. Been in a car accident?
Yes

32. Any pet peeves?
See #8 and #23. Also silly bands, spam, and people who go slightly under the speed limit.

33. Favorite pizza topping?
The works

34. Favorite Flower?
Lavendar and Lilac for smell, but the first tulip in the spring is the best. Oh, and all kinds of tiger lilies.

35. Favorite ice cream?
B&J Creme Brulee

36. Favorite fast food restaurant?
Does subway count?

37. How many times did you fail your driver's test? .
none

38. From whom did you get your last email?
The Scooter Store: I may be eligible to recieve a power chair or scooter at little to no cost... see #32...

39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?
Target, but how would that be different?

40. Do anything spontaneous lately?
Took an industrial tech class on a short, unauthorized, mini field trip to the back lot of the school to check out their progress on a shed they were building... I was impressed! Also, taught an Algebra class actual math!

41. Like your job?
Love teaching, want my own classroom sooooo bad!

42. Broccoli?
Yum

43. What was your favorite vacation?
The summer of continuous road trip: From MA to home in Iowa, to Colorado, to Devil's Tower, to Walldrug, to Badlands, to Mt. Rushmore, to Iowa, to Rock Island, to MA to Sweden, to MA. Fun!

44. Last person you went out to dinner with?
The Maquoketa Valley Dance Team!

45. What are you listening to right now?
Pachelbel Canon in d

46. What is your favorite color?
green

47. How many tattoos do you have?
none

48. Coffee drinker?
HELL YES!!!

49. What nicknames do you go by?
crudd, mom, mommy, coach, woman