Dear Parents, Please check your child's backpack before sending them to school!

One of the great things about being an elementary teacher is that you never know what will happen on any given day. Today I was reminded about some of the interesting things that kids bring to school. Most all kids sneak things like trading cards, toy cars, stickers, etc. into their backpacks but recently I have had some kids bringing some unusual items.

Today I kept seeing some kids passing around a large silver coin. When I finally asked to see it, I discovered that it was a dollar silver coin from the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas, which happens to be where we are staing in Vegas this summer! I asked the kid if I could have it because I was going to go there before he would but he wasn't giving it up.

Also today, the little boy in my class that says he has alligators in his bathtub at home brought a "wallet" to school. It was clearly an old wallet from a family member of his because there were still things in it. One thing was a super cheesy picture of the kid and some other family photos. He also had some random business cards in there. So I decided to check them out to make sure they were "appropriate" for school. One business card was from an attorney. On the back there were some notes written including a court date and time and a reminder to bring the "arrest record". I wonder if the owner of the wallet knows his kid is showing this around school. My guess is no.

Some other funny things over the years have been a halloween costume under the uniform in February, firecrackers, inappropriate family photos, and most shockingly, some girl on girl pictures from a dirty magazine. All this to say, parents, please be sure you check your child's backpack before sending them to school. You never know what is in there!

Let the Countdown Begin!

After the longest week ever, I am officially starting the countdown to summer! Our school had TAKS testing this week and although my kids were not testing we were quarantined to our classroom all day to keep the noise level down. So, I am more than thrilled to announce that we only have 24 more school days until summer vacation!

In other news, Jay had to get a tetanus shot after getting shot in the leg with a bb gun. Needless to say, he and Chad are not allowed to play together for a while.

Bad Blogger

So Rosemond informed me that I am a bad blogger so this one's for her! Here are the highlights of our life so far.

Jay and I have officially made it to the six month mark of being married. Although it seems like we have been married forever we still love every minute of it. Anyone who knows Jay (or has heard stories) knows that there is never a dull moment in our house. He always jokes that we need "adult supervision" and sadly it is true.

We officially have 30 more school days left until summer! We are ready for camping, getting some projects done around the house, and most of all Vegas!! We are going back for my 30th birthday and are so excited.

Although I am ready for summer I cannot help but be a little sad to be sending my precious little class on. This is the best group of kids that I have had in a long time. They are so sweet and most of all hard little workers. They have come so far this year and I am so proud of them. One great thing about teaching first grade is getting to see the kids as they grow up through the grades. I am anxious to see how this group does the next 4 years at our school.

That's all for the Cunningham's for now!

Spring Breakin' It!

One of the best parts about being a teacher is the time off. Spring Break is one of the best because it is not so long that you get bored and not so short that you feel like you didn't even get a break. Jay had to work Sunday, had class on Monday and today, and goes into work for another 24 tomorrow. So needless to say, we didn't get to go anywhere. It's been a great few days getting stuff done that I am too lazy or tired to do on the weekends (oil change, getting my car inspected, etc.) Today, I took my nephew Spencer to the King Tut exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art. It was so interesting and being the history whiz that he is, Spencer taught me a few things I didn't know. So, if you have some time I highly recommend going!

Valentine's Day and Homemade Brew

I just realized that it has been a month since I updated the secret blog. So here goes...
Friday night, Jay debuted his homemade brew. The official verdict was that it was "not bad". I didn't try any but I guess it was okay because no one went blind or got sick. We had a few friends over and had a great time. Here are some pictures:

We all knew that Adam would enjoy it.

Sara was braver than I...

Yikes!

Saturday was Valentine's day. Jay and I agreed not to do gifts although he did anyway. However, he is not very good at keeping things a secret so he gave me the box of chocolates on Tuesday and called me at work on Friday to tell me he had bought flowers. Bless his heart.

We decided to do the dinner and movie thing so we went to an early showing of Gran Torino. Now let me admit that I usually do not know much about movies. I really don't pay attention to previews unless it looks like it is a girly type movie. So I thought Gran Torino was going to be an action flick. Boy was I wrong. I spent the last 45 minutes of the movie crying my eyes out. After the movie, my face was all red and splotchy so I suggested we hit the Sonic instead of going out to dinner. Two chili cheese coneys and some cheese tots later and we were at home watching Law and Order. I guess we're getting old after all.

Here are some funny kid stories for the week:

• I got a valentine to "Mrs. Cuttingham" instead of Mrs. Cunningham
• When I asked one my students if he wanted root beer at our Valentine's Party he said, "No thank you. I don't do drugs."
• One student in my class asked "Why do we have to celebrate Abraham Lincoln's birthday if he's already dead?"

Have a great week!!!

Beer Update

After letting Jay leave the beer on my kitchen counter to "ferment" for two weeks, it is now bottled up and sitting in the cabinet in the guest bathroom so it can "condition". It better not explode or we might have to have words.

In other news, I have a funny kid story. I have this tiny kid in my class who wrote in his journal this week the following entry:

"I am seven. On my birthday I will be eight. I will have to get a job."

So I ask him what kind of job he is thinking about getting. He replied, "I don't know, I guess I'll be a cop." This is the same kid that told me that his cat plays video games with him. Never a dull moment in the first grade.

Lazy

That's the only way to describe my Christmas break. I read four books, took two hour naps everyday, ate lots of food, and watched too much football.

It is no secret that Jay likes to drink beer. So imagine my excitement when I found the perfect Christmas gift for him. A "Mr. Beer" brew your own beer kit. I knew he would think it was cool but didn't think he would get as into it as he has. After he opened it, he carried around the instruction manual for two days showing people and reading up on it so his beer would be perfect. Since then, everytime I turn around, he is calling people telling them about his homemade brew. He's even trying to think of names so he can print up his own labels. Luckily, I am not a big fan of beer so I won't have to drink any.

Here he is hard at work with his brew.

It was nice to relax and get some rest but I am ready to get back to work tomorrow. I am sure all my little ones at school missed their teacher!