A to Z

I'm a teacher.  I like surveys.  This one, courtesy of Janetha from Meals and Moves was most appealing.  It fits with my Saturday mood, so here goes ...

A is for age: 55, which sounds old to me.  I don't feel that old, nor do I act that old.  I have a 13 year-old, so old is not an option.  I also teach fifth graders, so I don't even know how to do old.  This is a good think.  Old doesn't have much to recommend it. 


B is for breakfast today: Chocolate chip pancakes.  I know.  Terrible - but they are #1 on my comfort food parade ... and my sick daughter asked for them today.  Poor baby.  I can deny her nothing when she's sick.


C is for currently craving: Grain burgers that I used to make back in the day.  The mix I used has disappeared from the organic foods section of the store, so I am on a quest to either find it on the Internet, or recreate it on my own.


D is for dinner tonight: Probably homemade pizza, or whatever the sick child requests.  She may want the kale soup I made last week, as she loved it.  I could go for that.


E is for favorite type of exercise: Swimming or biking.  Neither of which I can really do right now, but spring is on the way.


F is for an irrational fear: High bridges.  They absolutely freak me out.  Especially the high bridge over a chasm on the way from Mammoth to Tower Falls in Yellowstone Park.  I blame it for starting the whole bridge terror thing.


G is for gross food: Anything slimy.  I have horrible memories of these hamburgers my mom fried that had this gray slimy coating on them.  I don't know how she did it, but the memory still makes me shudder.


H is for hometown: Livingston, Montana.  It was a great place to grow up, and really beautiful.  I have the best memories of the mountains, the smell of pine trees, and the best star-gazing sky in the world.  I ran the hills and woods as a kid and did some absolutely ridiculous things.  It was great!


I is for something important: My family.  Always the top priority, even when they make me crazy.


J is for current favorite jam: Raspberry.  It reminds me of summers in my grandmother's raspberry patch in Minnesota.


K is for kids: Beautiful ballerina Bailee.  She's the most fantastic 13 year-old I know.  I am her biggest fan.  How did I ever get so lucky to have her in my life.  I also have a "son," Caribou ... a crazy American Eskimo dog.  He's a teenager too, but not nearly as civilized as his "sister."  I also have several other "dance daughters."


L is for current location: Our living room. 


M is for the most recent way you spent money:  Gas.  How painful!  I do lots of commuting and hauling, so the current gas prices have a big impact on me.  Today I'll be investing in Jamba Juice smoothies and an iced chai at Starbucks as well.  That sounds much better than liquefied dinosaurs.


N is for something you need: More time.  Maybe a new job.


O is for occupation: I teach fifth grade.  I love the teaching part, but hate the other crap.  Teachers in Idaho have been totally disenfranchised, so it's been pretty rough.  We get treated like garbage.  Hence the comment in N.


P is for pet peeve:   People who have children and then ignore them, putting their own agenda first.  If you can't put your child higher on your priorities, get a pet rock.  They won't care if you treat them with total disregard.


Q is for a quote:   This week - "Would you like the knife you just stabbed in my back returned, or do you intend to just leave it there?"  from FRAZIER.  This totally relates to some decisions made by our school board this week which are not only stupid, but abusive.


R is for random fact about you: I hate Idaho.  A lot.


S is for favorite healthy snack: Kale chips.


T is for favorite treat: Coconut M and Ms.  Coconut frapps from Starbucks.


U is for something that makes you unique: I'm a teacher, a writer, a web designer, and I'm on the staff at a ballet studio/dance shop.


V is for favorite vegetable:  Asparagus and kale.


W is for today’s workout: Chasing ballerinas around.


X is for X-rays you’ve had:   Too many to name thanks to sprains and several broken bones.


Y is for yesterday’s highlight: Coming how from work at the dance shop to find three dancers at my house making cupcakes, doing their nails, and getting hugs from all of them.


Z is for your time zone:   Mountain.  I have mixed feelings about the switch to daylight savings time.  I like the additional light at night, but I also like the early sunrise.  I hate the way the kids act though.  They're zombies for weeks afterward.


So - that's my alphabet soup.  I'm now off to medicate my child.  I then have to ferry dancers to a benefit performance for an all access playground.  It's only one dance, so I'm hoping we can get Bailee through it.  That's the rough part about dance - when you're missing a girl in a routine the whole dance falls apart.  Time for essential oils and home remedies ... then a trip to the doc if she doesn't improve.