A very honest wiww...

Girrrrrrrlllll... The things I do for my five readers!!! Today hubs is getting knee surgery  so I don't have to dress up/ put on makeup/ take a shower.... So here I am in all my gross glory..... I told my class I wasn't going to be at school today because every time I'm not at school my class chases the sub away... I have had 4 subs this year write me bad notes and my girl across the hall Michelle told me they said they wouldn't come back.... I'm telling you.... The kids into class are chasing perfectly qualified subs into unemployment.... I literally had one sub who only did a half day tell me."  I don't want to say it was awful.... But it was awful...." Now I know I'm painting a dark picture of my class... I really like them.... But they are VERY needy!!!!and by needy I mean they need feedback ALL THE TIME!!! They tattle, they ask you 765,897 questions a day... And btw.   They are huge.... I mean like 4 ft tall boys... BUT.... They are also.... Honest, innocent, hard working, and wonderfully smart.... So here's hoping I get a good note from my sub.... Fingers crossed... And of course we are linking up with Lindsey over atthepleatedpoppy.com and Sarah from tuckerup.blogspot.com

The need for unions...

Today is Lobby Day!!! That means in the state of Illinois we are lobbying for more money to go to educational institutions, more structured charter schools, and less income tax for poor families... I am running for union rep in my building... unions are a dying institution and I am trying like heck to keep this one alive... unions are very necessary so we can:
1. Have FAIR work hours and conditions.. our society still views teachers as "babysitters"... babysitters who dont' need health insurance, dental, fair work hours, or bathroom breaks... why does society still do this? because 85% of the teachers in this country are women... especially primary teachers.. if you find a man kindergarten/ first grade teacher... you are lucky... young boys need men.. I wish there were more in primary....but I digress...
2. Teachers are supposed to love working their jobs because they are with children all day.. Doesn't everyone love children??? And teachers just what? Play all day.... NOT!!! Teaching is some HARD WORK!!!. We are constantly being evaluated based on conditions that are out of our control, we are constantly being subjected to new (most of the time unproven) philosophies and have new procedures crammed down our throat, our employment is based on tests that have NO BEARING on the curriculum we are supposed to teach... so for all these reasons... we NEED unions to give us a little bit of shelter from the storms... unions keep a tab on our state legislators so they don't go hog wild with "experts" who want to push an agenda on first graders (i.e. gun control, charter schools, getting more money out of teachers retirements for senator's inaugural balls)
3. It was NOT that long ago that teachers had no rights.. and by this I mean:
 teacher used to have to prove to a nurse that they were actually sick if they called in sick
teachers used to have to spend every minute of the school day and beyond with students (breakfast, lunch, recess, after school tutoring) and if you had to use the bathroom... well there is a package of depends that you can use..(not an exaggeration)
4. Teachers were wives... they were just teaching to get out of the house and because of course.. they LOVED kids!!!! They didn't need increased cost of living pay, insurance, benefits... why do they need them now???

Now I know I'm right up here on my soap box... but I am passionate... KEEP UNIONS ALIVE!!!!

What I wanted to post while my phone was being difficult...

This is Casey and her boyfriend.. the nerd twins... she got new glasses and his are strangely the same....

Last week was Brady's birthday.... now.. if I had been incharge of it, I would have gotten him  a nice carrot cake or pumpkin cake... but you put my kids in charge and they're like, "What cake?? they only have vanilla and chocolate..."(they don't) they have carrot...

This is Cooper's watch stance!!! He looks out the window to find any squirrels who DARE come to  our yard... if he sees any funny business... hes ON IT!!!! He barks and barks until you let him out to go yell at them!!!!
Its Monday again my friends.. the beginning of a L O N G week.... I dont' have a day off for about a year....and its raining... wah wah!!! Have a wonderful day my friends!!!

The views expressed in this post do not reflect the views of the pooka reader...

I hate Mother's Day.... I always have... Ever since I was 9 and handed in a bunch of Campbell soup labels to get my mom a land o'lakes recipe box for mothers day.... I was so proud of it... But who really bought it? She did.... I will break down my disdain for Mother's Day
1." But I just really live my mom and want to celebrate her" .... Do you have to wait until Mother's Day??? We celebrate our mom every time we confide in her, ask her advice, ask how her day was, share a joke with her, you don't have to wait until Mother's Day
2. " my mom is old and may not have many more Mother's Days left".... Do we need to cart out the elderly to an overcrowded restaurant for brunch?! If your mom is old/sick.... Please spend more time with her than an artificial holiday....
3. " it's my first Mother's Day!!" Mother's Day was the day you gave birth... Everyone should have gathered around you and loved all over you... Sleep in and make dad bond with your new baby as a gift...
4. " but my husband really loves to make a big deal on Mother's Day".... Really???? I think he's just biding his time until Father's Day when he can do whatever he wants....

Now I realize this is an unpopular opinion.... But it's like a 6 year old is supposed to what?! Get a job to get a gift??? No... He's supposed to make a card at where? School??? Well good luck with that when map testing is a high priority... Don't bet there's time to honor mom....  Now don't get me wrong.... I love moms I love women.... I just hate the pressure of trying to make someone feel special or the pressure of someone trying to make me feel special....  Let me get a pedicure and go to Ross and it's a very happy Mother's Day......

Dear.....

My second installment of letters.....
1. Dear hubsband, I am very happy you are home... even though I act like a beast... I love you very much and I need you here....
2. Dear Casey,

This little inconvenience will be over soon and you will be better for going through it.. this is learning... 19 suuuuuuuuuuuuuuucks!!!
3. Dear Cooper,

You are soooooooo cute!!! But you have to CALM DOWN~~~~ every time you hear a fire truck, you don't  have to inform the entire neighborhood!!!
4. Dear Mrs.Bruce's Class, REMEMBER!!! our Map test is on Monday and Tuesday... "Frozen" with popcorn AND soda is on the line!!!!
5. Dear Bed, I cannot WAIT to stay inside your warm covers until like 12:30 on Saturday and Sunday... I miss being with you in the morning....

6. Dear Pookapookapooka readers, I apologize profusely for missing "What I Wore Wednesday"... not because you missed my fabulous outfit of baggy jeans and a shloppy sweater that I wore to hubs. procedure, but because its supposed to be a staple!!! I am committed to WIWW!!!!
7. Dear Jack, You looked so old in your McDonald's uniform.... when did that happen???
8. Dear Summer, I am looking sooooooooo forward to seeing you very soon!!!!

Technical difficulties!!!

I know my five readers of this blog are like, "What the heck??? Where is Pooka??"  Well... by no fault of my own... I was having technical difficulties... for some strange reason, my pics were not being emailed by my phone... So I sent the pics to twitter and then my phone figured out that I had outsmarted it and then magically sent the pics!! Take that phone!!!  But we are back up and running with today's and now  yesterdays outfit...

with my little photo bomber Cooper.....

Now.. important info for your weekend...

1. I watched "True Tori"... the Tori Spelling docudrama in which she chronicles her entire marriage breakdown (which ANYONE would do.. if your marriage is crumbling... PLEASE tape it and put  it on Lifetime).. and I want to say... this may be the best television I've ever seen.... she is suuuuuper skinny... she is on the verge/ or crying the whole time... Dean.. the husband, looks seriously like the biggest creep... this is GREAT TV!!!!!

2. My hubsband got a filter put in  his leg because hes having surgery on his knee on Wednesday and he has had blood clots before, so they did this procedure for a safe surgery... now... this device probably cost about .20 to make.. it looks like a little umbrella without the hood... and the person who invented it is probably a multi billionare....

3. My alphabet countdown begins on Monday... so each day on my blog will be a letter... We do the countdown from z-a  so Monday we ZOOM into the countdown.... 26 days of school left... so that means 26 days til summer!!!!

Tuesday....

Good Morning lovelies... its Tuesday... as of next Monday.. this guy only has 26 days of school left... now I know 26 seems like a small number.. but alas no... 26 is the biggest LONGEST number in the world... because these last days of school sound like this:

"You only have 26 days left in first grade... if you're not ready for second grade.. they won't take you!!" ( a highly.. highly unlikely event... but I gotta use what I got)

"We have been in school for 150 days and I still have to tell you how to line up?? Outrageous!!!"

"If you turned in your homework, give yourself a pat on the back.. you are getting ready for second grade"

"Do you think the second grade will take you if you can't keep your hands to yourself??? They won't!!"(they will)

so its bascially alot of threatening with events that will never happen... but don't tell my first graders that... as much as they know.. they could be in my class again for next year... a fate worse than anything they can imagine!!!!!

Have a  glorious day today my friends!!

Monday...Spring... Bears...

Good Morning Lovelies!!! It is FINALLY spring here in the midwest.... I couldn't be happier about it... I hope you all had a wonderful wonderful Easter... I also hope you all watched "Mad Men" last night.. we are in the final stretch.... Today my puppies and I got to go to see the movie "Bears"...Very Good!!! The main character was a good mama!!! Its not easy being a bear... and these bears were SOOOOOOO cute!!!! I highly recommend "Bears"... I also highly recommend "Mad Men"... also... lately.. I've been watching like 3-4 episodes of "Bob's Burgers" on netflix before I go to bed.. its becoming part of my nightime ritual.. kind of like my bedtime story... I also recommend Bob's Burgers on Netflix...

Dedicated to... my mom...

Look at this fashionista..... its my mom... 2 years ago she passed away... April 20..think losing your mom is hard, but you prepare for it your whole life... you always know you will outlive your parents...and  when it happens you have to reconcile it in your head... like, " she was sick".. she had little quality of life, she was deaf, she couldn't drive,etc"... but its still a loss.. its still a hole... but for her...its new life.. its glory.. its freedom from a body that didnt' work anymore... I know shes free.. I know shes with God and shes safe. and most importantly... I hope shes waiting for me... So Happy Birthday to my mom for the day she was born into new life with God.... Easter... a new life...

Whalts your style???

Have you ever seen the show "Four Houses"? Its on TLC Saturday mornings... it has 4 people go and tour each others houses and rate them... the people always have some kind of "syle" for their house... I always think,"Whats my style?" when I watch the show... I don't know if it has a name... I just want you to know when you see it... its supposed to look that way.. it wasn't an accident, or an afterthought.... Here it is....

this

is the walking in from the front door I got the yellow chair in the corner from Goodwill yesterday for 50.00!!!!

Next.. if you look to the right...

All the magazines are showing these faux mounts... I love mine.. got it at HomeGoods...

moving on... 

the In Transition side table... this is supposed to be clean and uncluttered... I'm failing at this...but the giant B? My favorite thing in the house.

..

I have such a thing for shabby chic.. but I can't decorate the whole house with it.. this table in the hall is my outlet for all the white things I want to display....

moving back to the living/dining room....

this is the entryway... very small... usually covered in shoes.... if you didn't notice... I've got a real thing for Letterrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrssss.... LOVE WORDS!!!

This is outside Casey's room next to the fireplace...

My couch.. the blanket I got from decorsteals.com

This is the bonus room (aka hubsband's bedroom... I snore...) and 

extra bathroom.the chair??? verycomfy..... 

so thats it.. I would say about 89% of it is from Goodwill/Salvation Army... the rest.. Ross, HomeGoods...

Another copycat outfit...

Good Morning Lovelies.... Today's outfit comes to us c/o Amanda over at goatandlulu.blogspot.com.. I know.. 2 in a week... but she put up this outfit a couple of weeks ago...

it was so cute I could NOT resist... Amanda dresses so cute I have to steal all her outfits... she even made the t-shirt in her etsy shop... goat and lulu.. so if you would like to copy her.. go to Etsy and order one... they are so in right now!!! Today I'm linking up with Brynn from w orfor her third Thursday threads...

projecting...

Good Morning Lovelies!!! Time once again for What I Wore Wednesday over at tuckerup.blogspot.com and thepleatedpoppy.com.. I've got kind of a low key what I wore today... the weather continues to act hinky... today's high will be 55??? Maybe??? So I gotta be prepared....

The news of the blog today is Jack got a job!!! He got a job at McDonalds... he is super excited about it... he has no idea.... I am thinking it would be horrible to work at McDonalds... but his experience is not mine... I have to remind myself of this.. its HIS journey..  not mine... this job may be GREAT for him.. he may have a wonderful time... I just can't project my feelings about how I would feel about working at McDonalds onto him... thats the mission today... no projecting...

Have a wonderful day my friends....

Dedicated to.... My hubsband.....

Good Morning Lovelies!!!!! Today, on this snowy (Yes.. April 15.. snowy) day is my anniversary.... my 20th anniversary!!! Can you believe we have put up with each other this long??? SWOOSH!!! But in that 20 years I have learned about myself, about the world, about relationships, about love and about patience... I am SO proud of my marriage.. I am SO proud to be Mrs.Bruce!!  I am so proud of our family and the things we can do together... The last 20 years have been the best years... not all have been happy happy joy joy (just read Sept-Dec blog posts...) but I wouldn't trade that man in for anyone... hes my pooka... So happy anniversary to the number one Pooka.... my hubsband!!!!

Confession: I'm an asshole....

I know I know... We don't use cursing in the blog but it's the only word that fits..... I never thought I would be one if these people but here I am.... My big dog Colby got into a fight about two months ago with my bmoc Brady.... Brady bore the brunt of the damage.... They got into another fight about two weeks later and again Brady got really hurt... Soooo we decided colbie could go live with jacks friend... He lived there for about three weeks... Long story short... He nipped someone and was right back on our doorstep..... Now we all knew if he lived with is him and Brady would get into it and I know from dreaded experience it takes about 1.6 seconds to start.... So we brought colbie to the anti cruelty society where he will go back to the rescue we adopted him from.... He'll be put back up for adoption.....
But I feel like we totally failed colbie.... In my heart I know colbie couldn't stay here because if he hurt or god forbid killed one of the other dogs I wouldn't be able to forgive myself... Please pray for colbie!!!!! He deserves the best life after all he's been through.... And I absolutely feel like an asshole for abandoning him......

The evolution of a so so outfit...

Girrrrrrrrrrrrrlllllllll... this morning was a rough one... I thought I had the outfit for today all mapped out.. it all started with Amanda over at goatandlulu.blogspot.com... she put up this outfit...

which we have seen before... so I tried to imitate it... 

try #1

ok... close.. but not quite right...

so we made some adjustments...

uggggh... no.. still not right.. look fat... lets try again...

ok.... but willl I be warm enough???

so then we have the winnning outfit....

not wonderful... not terrible.... 

Have a wonderful day my friends... my spring break is over.. back to my puppies.....