I Heart Tug-of-War

Above picture: Me and my students. Rejoicing. Yeah, my feet are off of the ground.

Each year we have Field Day at school. The events are: Hoop Relay, Sack Race, Water Brigade, 50-Yard Dash, and Tug-of-War.
So this year my class got disqualified (if you can even get disqualified from school Field Day) from the Water Brigade. Let me briefly explain the Water Brigade: Each student holds a plastic cup. The student at the end of the line is standing by a bucket full of water. This student fills their plastic cup with water and transfers water into the students cup beside them. This goes on through the whole line of students. When it reaches the opposite end of the line, the water is transferred into another bucket. Basically, you see how much water survives the cup transfer through the whole line of kids. If it sounds lame, that's because it is. Apparently my class thought it was. It was hot and we just wanted that event over with. Or, maybe that was just me. We finished the event first and we were ready to high-tail it inside to take a water break. It was hot that day. An adult helping with the event came over to me and said, "Ms. Marcum, you have been accused of cheating." Um, what was that? Is she really going to tell me that me and my 25 kindergarteners cheated at a game that doesn't even matter? That we cheated at a game where there is no prize or point for that matter? I didn't even want to get into it, so I said something about letting another class win; we didn't care. We just needed to find water...away from the Water Brigade. Besides, we needed to safe our energy and rest up for the upcoming event...
To me, Tug-of-War is the one and only event that even matters during Field Day. I am a competitive girl. I want to win. Tug-of-War is the event that I always want to win. Tug-of-War is my event. I want to bring it. I want to own it, and so far, I have made that happen thus far in my teaching career. My class had been the kindergarten tug champs for the previous two school years. Could I go a third? I honestly had my doubts about my little bunch of kids this year. I just didn't know if we could work together to get the job done. However, after some pep-talks and extensive training sessions (just kidding about that last part...sort of), we were able to pull it together. Yep, three years and running. So, congratulations to me and all of my current and former kindergarteners for being tug champions! "Ain't nothin' gonna break my stride, Nobody's gonna slow me down..."

Words of Wisdom

In 20 years you will be more disappointed by what you didn’t do than by what you did.

-Mark Twain

Lunch Has an All New Meaning...

G’Day! Here’s some Australian slang for you, Mate...

Word: Lunch
Meaning: Okay, who farted?

This is what’s great about this one:
I’m a teacher and of course have to mention the word lunch everyday. Lunch now has a new meaning to me and brings a sweet little smile to my face. It’s a secret smile that only a crazy Australian enthusiast and lover of fart talkin' will enjoy.
"Okay, who farted?" is usually a question that I think to myself day after day being in a Kindergarten room. What is funny though is that children at the Kindergarten age don't yet find humor in flatulence. To them, it is just a necessary and unfunny human function. To me, it is the funniest sound on this Earth. Sadly, if gas is being passed in my classroom; I am the only one laughing about it. Does this show my level of maturity? Yeah, probably so. Oh well. They'll find it funny someday...hopefully.

Because 25 Just Wasn't Enough...

More random facts about...drumroll please…ME!

1. I hate for my toenails to be unpolished. Toenails need to be polished year round. Period. Now as picky as I am about my toenails, you'd think I'd have the same mindset about my fingernails, but no. My fingernails look like a gangly nightmare, and really, I couldn't care less. So there.

2.I want to hold a koala in my arms. BADLY. Like, more than anything in the world. Yes, yes, I know koalas are little brats, but who cares. I’m a brat too. Me and my little Koala Lou will love each other…more than anything. Koalas look so darn cuddly and I want this experience in my life! I know I mentioned this in the last random facts, but I’m just gonna have to say it again. It’s my dream to go to Australia. I have my passport and I'm ready to go! The problem is I need some serious travel funds and a travel mate. If you will promise to go to Australia with me; I will promise to love you forever. The end.

3.Speaking of brats…People that know me know I’m a brat. I’m proud to admit that I am a brat. I know this about myself. My motto that I like to live by is: “Brats always get their way.” And they do. Most of the time.

4.I’m really not good at returning phone calls or emails. Talking on the phone and calling people I barely know or don’t know at all makes me nervous and really intimidates me. Now, about the email: Emails don’t intimidate me or make me nervous, no, it’s nothing like that. The fact that I’m not good about sending emails is because my email inbox is usually stuffed to the gills and I don’t have the capacity to send one out. Yeah, I hate deleting emails. I don’t know. Weirdo.

5.I hate wearing pantyhose. They are from the devil. That is all.

6.I love Hollywood gossip and trashy gossip magazines. I try not to make eye contact with these magazines when in line at the grocery store because I will want to buy them. All of them.

7.I used to have an outie belly button and hated it. I now have an innie after my surgery a couple of years ago. I didn’t know my necessary exploratory surgery would double as a bonus cosmetic belly button reconstruction surgery. Thanks for fixing it up right, Dr. D!

8.I’m terrified of starting on my Masters degree because I am such a procrastinator when it comes to school work. I’m procrastinator #1. When I go; I go all out. That's the way to live life, right?

9.I have never broken a bone, but I did have a pretty bad head injury when I was younger. I guess you could say I’ve dented/cracked my skull. Think about the corner of a brick building where two walls meet. The corners of the bricks are super sharp, right? Well, let me just tell you that they are. I fell back and busted my head into one of those corners hince the dented/cracked skull. This will sound bizarre, but I’d be interested to see my head shaved to see if the back of my head possibly looks funny. I feel like it would have a large dent or something, much like a valley. It’s probably for the best that I just don’t know. Let's hope I keep my hair. Always.

10. Apple slices and peanut butter makes for one of the best snacks ever. I also have a new found love for Hot Pepper cheese. It’s gooood.

11. I love doing little projects/things around the house like trying to repair something, decorating, scrapbooking, various craft projects. My trouble is in finishing these little projects. The procrastination and ADD combination starts kicking in and I’m left with several little un-finished projects.

12. My biggest fear is the thought of my house catching on fire. I don’t know why I’m so scared that this could happen.

13. I tend to think the best of people and put a lot of faith in what is said to me. Don’t make a promise or tell me that you’re going to do something and then not. That is a BIG pet peeve of mine. I hate when people “flake out” or don’t hold up and follow through to plans that have already been made. If we make plans, stick to them unless you have a good reason for bailing.

14. I love to watch HGTV and TLC. Any home show is fine with me! I also love LifeTime. It’s the Television for Women, you know. LifeTime movies are the best.

15. If I could pick any car to drive it would be a BMW or a Range Rover. Nah, I don't want much.

16. I think I’m a pretty creative girl. I have visions of some pretty spectacular things inside this great head of mine. My problem is not having a way to get them out. I can’t draw and can’t always explain my ‘visions’ well to others. Maybe it's that others don't want to understand my visions. Hmm. That is something for me to ponder.

17. I love shiny and sparkling things. Don’t even put rhinestones on something because I will throw it in my cart and buy it in a second. I am a sucker for packaging and for the way merchandise “looks”. Any shiny, metallic, or glittery box, bottle, bag, etc. totally appeals to me. I will be all over it.

18. One of my favorite things to do on Sunday is to look at sales circulars. I love being in the know about all the fantastic deals featured in the stores each week. The Target circular is my fave.

19. I love Easter. Each year my love for Easter grows and grows.

20. I hate the word panties.

The Single Life is, Well...Fabulous!

The most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you find someone to love the you you love, well, that’s just fabulous.

-Sex and the City

I recently finished watching all six seasons of Sex and the City plus the movie. When the show aired on HBO and was in its prime, there was so much hype surrounding it. I heard so many girls talking about how much they loved the show. First of all, I didn’t have HBO, so I couldn’t watch it that way. I had to wait until re-runs came to TBS. I caught a few shows here and there, but never quite understood the fascination in the appeal of this show. I just didn’t get it and didn’t think it related to me. Maybe I thought I didn’t relate to the characters, the big city life, the fabulousness that was their lives…blah, blah, blah.
Like I said, I recently finished viewing all six seasons. I guess that gives you an indication that I finally “got” the show. I fell in love with it, actually. After beginning Season One; I was hooked. I was sucked up into the fast-paced Manhattan life ready to follow the story lines of Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha. Maybe the fact that I am now in my mid-twenties (actually, I’m beginning to make the cross over into late-twenties..oh yikes) helped me to better like the show. Possibly it is the fact that I have been single for so, so, so long, enabled me to find similarities in myself and these characters. Who knows how this new love affair between myself and this show began. I’m just glad it began. I found these characters to be quite relateable and I wanted them to be my friends. Desperately.
In using the coined ‘word’ of the series, Sex and the City is truly ‘fabulous’. The show is so real and personal. The storylines are so creative and weave so seamlessly together to make for a wildly entertaining and relateable story. The writers of the show push the envelope a bit, but I feel that it is appreciated by the viewer, because it’s real stuff. It’s the stuff women really go through. Of course I’m not living in a great apartment in Manhattan, buying $400+ Monolo Blahniks (on a teacher’s salary–right!), and going out every night. I mean, dang. I don’t even have 3 close girlfriends to go out with. Sad. Yeah, that’s really sad. Let me know if you want to be my friend.
Despite all the blatantly obvious differences between me, the normal kindergarten teacher that resides in BG, and these four glamorous, gutsy, Manhattanites, there were still many ways that this show provided me with some normalcy. I’m a single gal and I have a life of my own outside of a man, like the characters on the show. It just reminded me that, hey, I’m okay. If these 30 and 40-something ladies can live the single life and flourish, so can I. The characters cherish the person they are. They know themselves, what they want, and they do what they love. They have careers and live independent lifes. They also cherish their friendships with each other and see each other as soulmates. How incredible it must be to have such a close-knit bond.
Episode after episode reminded me of who I am and who I want to be. I am comfortable in my shoes and am enjoying walking the single path in them. I cherish myself. I love myself. Most importantly, I have taken the time for me to get to KNOW myself. I know that I will some day find someone to share the fabulousness that is me, but for now I am happy and perfectly content with being in a relationship with me, and only me. I. am. fabulous.

Um, Is This It?

Tonight began yet another season of The Bachelorette. Jillian was introduced to 30 potential bachelors tonight. The guys were laying it on thick and givin’ it all they got. It was a bit pathetic. I mean, is it really necessary to freak out that much over the ‘first impression’ rose. Come on guys. Not necessary. Jillian seemed a little bored with her selection of males and the conversation. I was even more bored. Out of the 30 guys, there were 3 that I would have possibly been interested in getting to know. Yeah, 3, and because I’m shallow it was based on looks alone. Am I really that picky? Yes. I am.
Let’s just hope that this sad selection of bachelors does not indicate what is left in the dating pool in the great U.S. of A. If so, it makes me very sad. Guess I will continue on happily in my single ways.
I’m just sayin’.

25 Random Facts About Me

This was a note that I posted on my facebook profile. I thought I’d post it on here as I feel it gives a pretty good insight to the world that is me.

1. I enjoy talking and tend to be long-winded, so just prepare yourself and understand that some of my “random things” have some lengthy explanations. Enjoy!
2. I have a love-hate relationship with milk. You will never, ever catch me drinking milk. The taste of milk disgusts me. If you want to watch me gag, just throw down an icy cold glass of milk in my presence. I hate when people eat a cookie or a piece of cake and then say, “You know what would be so good right now?” I cringe because I know what is coming. I nervously reply, “What’s that?” They proceed to answer, “A big glass of milk.” This is the point that you will regret saying that because you now have my vomit all over you. Those that know me well know how revolting I think milk is and know to never drink it in front of me or even joke about offering me any. I also hate the smell of milk. I cringe when one of my students ask me to open a milk carton. This is usually why I drop my students off and retreat from the cafeteria as quickly as possible to avoid this happening. If milk makes contact with my skin, I want to cry because the smell seems to linger. Maybe the smell is so noticeable to me because I’m so aware of its stench.Now here is the love part of the relationship: I LOVE dairy products. Ice cream, cheeses of all kinds, yogurt, sour cream, and cream cheese…these things are just heavenly. Yeah, I can’t figure it out either…it is bizarre.
3. I have a seed phobia. The most disgusting seed-filled food in all of the land is the strawberry. I have tried to make myself eat a strawberry several different times during my life. Each time has had the same end result. I nibble one little bite, gag, and almost throw up. I do not eat any type of berry, tomato slices, cucumbers, watermelon…anything that is in contact with seeds. Now I probably seem like a really picky eater to you, but I promise I’m not. Milk and seedy foods are pretty much the extent of my pickiness, even though those are both very common, well-liked foods by the majority of the population.
4. I have a very bad nail-biting/finger chewing habit. Wow- after typing that it sounds even worse to me. I have done this for as long as I can remember. I HATE that I have this habit. I have had many failed attempts to break this habit. Even the cactus flavored nail drops didn’t work.
5. This one is no surprise, but I love my dog Daisy as if she were a child that I birthed.
6. I am a strong-willed, stubborn, independent woman. Sometimes I may be a bit too much so for my own good.
7. Some of my favorite words are: compilation, creature, maniac, moron. When these words are used in sentences, they crack me up. Oddly they all begin with the letters c and m. I just realized this.
8. I have insomnia. No, seriously. Not being able to sleep when you want to really is a miserable feeling, but I do enjoy the night time. I have always been a night owl. I feel like I am most productive at night. If I wasn’t a teacher I could always work 3rd shift at a factory.
9. I am very much a planner and list maker. I like to know details about everything. When going somewhere I want to know who is going to be there, what I am going to be doing, what I should wear, what everyone else will be wearing, etc, etc. I guess we could call that worrying too. I live by a list and keep a calendar constantly in my purse. I have gotten better with the list making and calendar keeping though. I was far worse in high school. If you want some good laughs take a look at my old agendas from high school, which I still have, of course. I used to write down everything!
10. I actually enjoy cleaning. I like for things to be orderly and organized. Well, everything but my garage. I just don’t really care how it looks.
11. I have white hairs sprouting from my head at an alarmingly fast rate. I never noticed a white hair on my head until last school year. I give all the credit for each little white hair to a little boy that almost gave me a nervous breakdown last year. Thanks L.G. Thanks a lot. Each day when I look in the mirror, these white hairs shine the brightest and I am able to fondly remember this child…Promise me that you will still be my friend and not make fun of me too much if I am completely white-headed by age 27, which I fear, I will be.
12. I don’t handle stress well (again, reason for my multiplying white hairs). Throughout my life when I have gone to the doctor for random issues, I always hear the same thing…”It’s due to too much stress.” Stress has contributed to some pretty bizarre things for me. I know Alison will testify to this.
13. I am super jumpy and startle very easily. Please don’t ever try to jump out and scare me on purpose. I am being nice by warning you. You will regret scaring me when I blow out your eardrums from screaming so loudly.
14. I have super-sensitive skin. There have been times when I have been lightly touched by another person and the outline of their handprint was left on my skin. I whelp up and break out easily.
15. I had a bad experience when getting my wisdom teeth cut out. I ended up having 6 wisdom teeth, and one is still up in my jaw because it was so high up that my sinus cavity was cut open when the doctor tried to extract it. The healing process was a fun one.
16. I don’t hide emotions very well…I wear them on my face. It’s my truth factor. If I am mad, you will be able to tell. If I don’t like something, you will be able to tell. I guess if looks could kill…
17. I was once in a car that was on fire. The under-carriage was in flames and the car was close to exploding. The firemen said that it was the hottest car fire they had put out that did not end in an explosion. That was definitely the scariest yet most miraculous moment of my life. I firmly believe that God sent a guardian angel to save us that day.
18. If I could travel anywhere in the world it would be Australia. I am determined to make it there one day! I have had my trip to Australia planned since I was in elementary school. I sent off for an information packet in 6th grade and still have an Australia bumper sticker that was sent in the packet.
19. One of my biggest goals for myself is to submit a manuscript and get published. I would absolutely love to be the author of a children’s book. I love to write. I think the fear of rejection is holding me back. I appreciate and can accept criticism, but my writing is so personal to me that it would be a big blow. I’m afraid I would give up easily once rejected. Yes, I know that even best-selling authors get rejected over and over.
20. My brother, Adam is one of the funniest people I know. Actually, I like to think that we’re both pretty funny people. We both share a true appreciation for all things humorous, even if they are only funny to us. Our favorite conversation topic is bathroom humor and all things relative to turds. Sorry if I just offended anyone, but surely you find a little bit of humor in those things as well.
21. For some reason I am able to easily attract the eyes of male Mexican restaurant servers. My old pal Alejandro was ready to make me his wife.
22. I hate that I try to be a perfectionist. It is exhausting to feel that I always need to try to do everything “right” and “the best”. I am WAY too anal, controlling, and OCD for my own good. I am also very competitive. Not necessarily with sports…everyone knows that I am no athlete (shut up Adam). If Adam gets the chance, he would love to tell you my 5th grade basketball story. This is why I don’t play sports. I can admit that I am no good at them and know I will not be the best, so what’s the point?
23. I only hope that I can have as much spunk and energy as Sophia, Dorothy, Rose, and Blanche when I am older. I absolutely love The Golden Girls. On any night during the week, yes, during the school year, I am up watching the shows on Lifetime from midnight until around 1:30. I own all of the seasons on DVD, but it’s just more fun watching them on Lifetime. I have insomnia, remember? I have to do something during the times I can’t go to sleep.
24. When it comes to cake mix, brownie mix, and cookie mix, Mr. Duncan Hines is my man. I have to support a BG man! However, my favorite cake mix is Pillsbury’s Funfetti mix. Pair that with Mrs. Betty Crocker’s Party Chip icing…it is a dangerous combination. I know that Adam, Natalie, Ashley, and Melody also share the Funfetti love with me. So anytime you want to whip up a cake or cupcakes for me, now you know what kind I like!
25. I don’t think that I am good with relationships of any kind whether it be dating, friendships, whatever. I think I’ve just been burned too many times that I’m afraid to commit to others and I have a trust issue. I am awkward and shy when I first meet a guy that I am interested in and am terrified at the thought of first dates. I’ve had my heart broken; no, make that smashed, and I don’t have much faith/confidence in finding another guy that won’t do the same thing to me again. I know there is one out there though, so I have no worries. I am really okay with the single life. I have LOVED having this time to myself to get to know myself better. Okay, really I’m just holding out for John Krasinski. If he doesn’t work out, Paul Walker is my back up plan.I’m not really good with friendships either. I am intimidated by other girls. I don’t have very many girlfriends. For some reason it has always been hard for me to have friends that I am really close to or consider to be a “best friend”. It is hard to find those few close friends that you can truly trust and depend on. Also, throughout my life almost every best friend that I have ever had has moved away and it has been so incredibly hard each and every time. Everyone I get close to leaves me!I feel SO blessed and thankful for my close girlfriends that I do have. You know who you are, and I love you girls!
Okay, sorry that was SO long, but I did make it clear in #1 that it would be. Hopefully you enjoyed that and don’t now regret getting to know more about the weirdness that is me. This was actually pretty fun. I could easily write 25 more…