Life and Times of the Sharp Family

Today I am thankful for the Western High School March Mustache Madness Competition. For fun, some guy teachers participated in a mustache contest.  The categories for the competition were "Best in Show" (the most Tom Selleck-like mustache), "Most Original", "Most Disturbing", and "Most Pathetic".  The contestants were required to be clean-shaven on March 1st.  We've all been enjoying watching the mustaches evolve throughout the month of March, speculating on who was headed toward each prize.   The Western Men's Original Mustache Inspiration for "Best in Show"    Another Inspirational Mustache  To make matters even better, I was selected as one of the Super-Secret Mustache Judges, so I got to be in on the entire decision-making process.  Today, we nominated four male teachers in each category and sent before and after pictures of the nominees to the entire staff.  Then, we held an unexpectedl...

I know it sounds crazy, but tonight I'm thankful for my bathroom floor.  When we moved into our house almost four years ago, both of the bathrooms were complete eyesores.  Both had carpet.  The upstairs bathroom had curtains that had the same print as the wallpaper and the ceiling paper...yes, you read that right.  There was wallpaper on the ceiling too.  The downstairs bathroom wasn't really much better.  In addition to the carpeting, it was filthy and painted an obnoxious yellow. The evolution of the downstairs bathroom has been a gradual move toward acceptability.  First, we replaced the yellow paint job with a nice tan.  A nice shower curtain from Ikea and some window treatments and we were nearly finished.  But, sadly, there was still the carpet to deal with.  So, we ripped that up and put in vinyl flooring.  At first, the vinyl flooring was great, but not long after it went in, it began buckling and peeling in several...

I was driving home today, and my heart sank as I heard an unidentified noise.  "What now?" I thought angrily to myself.  It seems like every other week we have had to deal with something or other with our van, mostly involving flat tires. I did the whole scientific method thing (after all, I am a science teacher) and (1) turned off the radio (2) listened intently (3) continued to hear unidentified noise (4) turned off heat (5) repeated steps 2 and 3 I laughed out loud as I realized that the noise that was bring me so much consternation was, in fact, my tiny baby (see yesterday's post ) who had fallen asleep and was sawing some huge logs in the seat behind me. I am so thankful that my baby was getting the rest she so obviously needed.  Thank God for big, big snores! Lord, thank you that my baby was getting some much-needed rest on the way home today.  Thank you that nothing was wrong with the van.  Finally, thank you for the comic relief you provide on ...

Today, I was getting AJ dressed.  I looked at the little zip-up sleeper thing I was putting her into and thought to myself, "Wow, it seems like she's had this outfit forever!" I looked at the tag.  It was a Carter's size 6 months.  It was before 6:30 am, so I had to check again, just to be sure. My little girl is SO tiny!  It's not that I favor small children, it's just that my other two kids were so gigantic, that I'm not used to it.  Breslin was wearing Carter's size 9 months before he turned 5 months old.  I love that AJ is so sweetly petite; she's so little that I sometimes forget that is she almost a whole year old.  I know she won't be tiny forever, but I'm so grateful that I can experience some of her tininess for a bit longer, if only because she is naturally on the small side. Thank God for a tiny baby! Lord, thank you for my tiny little baby, who is getting so big so fast.  Thank you that she is healthy and happy.  Th...

Tonight I am thankful that my kids are so entirely opposite when it comes to many things.  It has allowed me to fully experience the wide range of toddler emotion.  I has also helped me to appreciate their unique reactions to each and every situation.  I can usually predict fairly accurately how both Breslin and Dharia will behave in certain instances.  I love knowing that each will handle whatever comes their way with the personalities and strategies that God has given them.  I actually had been thinking quite a bit today about how fun it is to have two polar opposites in the house today when we sat down to eat dinner.  Just watching the two of them eating affirmed everything I just described.  There is Breslin, carefully spooning the soup from the bowl to his mouth, and getting visibly upset when he spills or the noodles slip off of his spoon.  Then, there is my beautiful wild woman Dharia, with chicken stuck to her face thro...

The note on the card said, "I love you babe!  You looked like you could use some flowers this morning. Colby" You know what, I really did need some flowers this morning. I am so grateful that my husband is so wonderfully observant. Thank God for Surprise Flowers! Lord, thank you for my husband and for his efforts in cheering me up today.  I am so blessed to have a man who loves me so much and who takes care of me when I need to be taken care of.  In your name I pray, Amen.

Many moons ago, when Bath and Body Works first came around, there was a scent that I loved.  It was called Pearberry.  I used it throughout my junior and senior years of high school.  Then, I began to notice that they weren't carrying the scent as often any more.  In fact, one of the annoyingly perky employees at the Jackson store informed me that they were discontinuing the fragrance.  Starting about four or five years ago, my mom adorably began stockpiling Pearberry lotions and body washes for me.  Almost every time that I saw here she would hand over to me a paper bag with a couple of Pearberry items inside.  I would go home and stash them in a drawer, like toilet paper and canned goods in a bomb shelter.  I realized today that I am on my last Pearberry lotion and am about to finish off my last bottle of Pearberry body wash.  I had my post all planned out for today -- my sort of eulogy for the Pearberry fragrance.  I would ...

So often these days the word "bath" in our house is associated with toys and towels with hoods that have animal features on them.  And me getting soaked.  Tonight, I was grateful to be able to take a big girl bath. All of the kids were asleep, and the house was peaceful and quiet.  I had finally finished all of my sub plans for tomorrow and had my first chance to take a breath in what seemed like several days.  I decided to relax with a bath. I have always loved to take baths.  When we lived in our apartment on Dewey Street in Jackson, I remember hating the fact that I could never take a bath, because the bathroom only featured a stand-up shower.  When we first moved into our house, I took a bath whenever I could, even though the bathroom was by far the ugliest room in the house. After this crazy week that has driven me to tears on more than one occasion, this bath provided some much needed relaxation.  I poured myself a glass of wine, lit some c...

One of the things I love about my youngest daughter is her tendency to begin dancing to any and all forms of music.  Tonight, it was the music from one of those play laptop computer things.  It played the ABC song.  Over.  And over.  But the best part of it was that I got to watch my baby showcase all of her moves.  I even caught a few on tape. Thank God for my dancing queen! Lord, thank you for my daughter and the fun things she does that make me laugh.  Thank you for the smiles she brought to my face tonight.  In your name I pray, Amen.

Today was a hard day for me.  At first, I wanted to just be thankful that it was over.  But then, I thought that maybe went against the purpose of this blog, so I quickly decided to not have a pity party and pick something else.  It wasn't really that hard once I decided to stop being a turd.  So, I'm thankful that my dad was here to put the kids to bed tonight. We don't see my dad nearly as often as we'd like to, as he lives in Terre Haute, Indiana.  But, I can tell you without hesitation that my children are always beyond thrilled to see him.  He met me at home today after a very rough day at school and it was so wonderful to have him there to talk to and to help me entertain the troops.  He even brought pizza for dinner.  The best part about my dad being here tonight, I think, is that he was able to put both Breslin and Dharia to bed at bed time.  I remember my dad putting me to bed when I was little as a wonderful and specia...

AJ is nearly one.  I'm in denial, for sure.  It doesn't even seem possible.  She's too little! One of the milestones of approaching one in the Sharp household is the transition from formula to milk and from a bottle to a sippy cup.  Yesterday, Colby announced that he was going to pick up some Nuby cups (which are just a brand of sippy cup with a softer spout) from Meijer on his grocery run and my heart sank a bit.  I didn't feel ready for my little baby to be drinking out of a real cup yet!  But I didn't say anything, just sucked it up and prepared myself for my beautiful baby to become a beautiful toddler. When Colby came home this afternoon, he immediately poured some milk in one of the new Nuby cups and offered it to our darling girl. She would have none of it.  She burst into tears and was inconsolable until the bottle came back out.  So often I try to be tough in situations like these.  I refuse to give in just because of a ...

Sunday nights haven't always been something that I have been thankful for, but I am tonight. Colby and I began dating when he was finishing his senior year in high school.  After I graduated, I left Parma for Alma, Michigan, and Colby attended Western Michigan University in Kalamzoo.  We embarked upon a long-distance relationship, which became increasingly more difficult the more serious our relationship became.  By the time that I was a junior at Alma, Sunday nights were awful.  Colby and I had gotten to the point where we spent every weekend together, and Sunday nights symbolized the end of our time together and the beginning of another long week away from one another. One of our favorite songs during our dating days was "Wouldn't It Be Nice" by the Beach Boys, which said, "You know it's gonna make it that much better/When we can say good night and stay together/Wouldn't it be nice if we could wake up/In the morning when the day is new/After havin...

Today I'm grateful that, for God, perfection is not a requirement. A lot went on today.  I found myself in a constant mental battle with the thoughts in my head threatening to destroy all of the positive things going on around me. I volunteered to work the registration table at the Yeti Chase 5K run today.   I was disorganized and messed up some of the online registrations. There weren't enough t-shirts for everyone who registered today.  I should have told  someone about all of the people who were calling and asking about online registration. I ran in the Yeti Chase 5K run today.   But I should have run faster and pushed myself harder. I helped with the post-race activities.   Which meant that I wasn't keeping a close enough eye on my  kids or taking the time to talk enough with my  friends or the parents who helped work the race. I had friends and family over for lunch after the race.   But my house is filthy and I can't c...

For the past two days, I have been attending a conference in Detroit, whose goal was to teach educators how to integrate new technologies into the classroom to make teaching more effective.  I have been bombarded by new, exciting tools and amazed by what other teachers are doing to help their students learn.  To be honest, it was all a little overwhelming. But, it was also wonderful.  I am just teeming with ideas of things to use in my classroom to help my students be more successful.  I won't bore you with the details, but you should know that I am thinking big and that some of my former perceptions about mobile devices in the classroom have completely changed. It was a breath of fresh air.  I am so thankful for the opportunity I had to learn about all of the amazing things out there for teachers and so grateful for the teachers who were willing to share their strategies and insights for using these things successfully.  I have a new zest for teachin...

Today I am thankful because I got to ride on the Detroit People Mover.  For 50 cents I got to use the mass-transit and ride around in a circle.  It was great fun.  It even dropped us off in Greek Town where I got to eat one of the best burgers I have ever had in my life.  It was fun to feel like a city girl for just a moment. Thank God for the Detroit People Mover! Thanks for the fun I had with the mass-transit today.  It was fun to do something different.  Thanks for letting me be amused by simple things.  In your name I pray amen.

Joan Boyer owned and operated the Joan Boyer School of Dance and Gymnastics for 52 years before she retired in 2008.  I started my gymnastics career at one of her day camps held at Lumen Christi High School.  After a parent-teacher conference in which my parents were told that I needed to expend more energy outside of school, I was enrolled in the week-long dance and gymnastics camp and fell in love.  At the end of every session, we had to run a full lap around the indoor track.  When we made the full circuit, there were Popsicles waiting for us.  To this day, when I walk into Lumen's gym, I think of Popsicles. After my summer camp experience, I quickly became a student at the Joan Boyer School of Dance and Gymnastics.  I worked my way up through the ranks and was a member of the Rainbow Team, where I got my first taste of what real competitive gymnastics was like.  I remember Joan teaching us 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th positions, patientl...

It's March and that means lady bugs.  I hate them.  There's just something unsettling about seeing bugs in your home.  Every year we are plagued with lady bugs.  This year we have the special misfortune of being pestered by box elder bugs too. But this year is different because I have my dustbuster.  Last year I didn't and the only way to get rid of them was to squash them with a tissue or haul out my thousand-pound Kirby vacuum cleaner with hose attachment (no easy feat, by the way).  Now,with ease and efficiency I can take care of these beasts and rid them from my home.  It's a wonderful feeling, that is until they come back.  They have a habit of showing up in exactly the same locations throughout my house.  But, they'll be gone for good soon (or at least for the year), so I take comfort in the fact that it's almost spring, which is why they are here in the first place. Thank God for the dustbuster! Lord, thank you for my dustbuster ...

Seriously, that hair! Maybe she was trying to make me feel better because I thought that I was having a bad hair day, I don't know.  What I do know is that every time I looked at AJ this afternoon, I started cracking up because of that ridiculous hair.  Poor baby.  She really isn't feeling well.  She's been running a temperature since we got home this afternoon.  And, obviously, she didn't want her picture taken.  But, every time that I looked at her, I smiled and laughed.  The sweet girl would always smile back. Thank God for that hair! Lord, thank you for my darling daughter and for her ability to make me smile today, even when she wasn't feeling well.  Thank you for her crazy hair that suits her personality so well.  Please help her to feel better.  Thank you for giving me AJ, Lord.  In your name I pray, Amen.

Today I'm grateful that we broke out the Play-Doh.  I loved watching what they created and seeing the smiles on their faces.  Early this morning, I sat with my beautiful children at the kitchen counter, sipped on my coffee, and gave them my undivided attention.  Thank God for Play-Doh! Lord, thank you for Play-Doh and for the opportunity it gives my kids to be creative.  Thank you for the quality time you gave us this morning together.  To me, it was a sweet moment and a blessing to my day.  In your name I pray, Amen.

Tonight we had one of my favorite nights -- Spaghetti and Meatballs Night!  My mom and Bob host us and feed us the most delicious of meals roughly once a month.  Bob is Italian and makes the sauce and meatballs from scratch.  I wear my stretchy pants so that I can gorge myself without restriction. As we left this evening and were getting on the highway, my heart sank as I realized that something was definitely very wrong with the van.  With three sleepy kids and a husband who had to get up very early in the morning, I braced myself for the worst.  Sure enough, we had a flat tire (our third one in as many weeks, but, hey, who's counting?). Earlier in the day, we had made room for my bike in the back of the van so that we could drop it off at the bike shop for repairs.  That meant cleaning out the van.  Read: our spare tire was at home in the garage.  After all, what were the odds that we would need it this one night? I did the only thing I co...

When I was in junior high and high school, I used to read the anthologies of several comic strips, including Garfield, Fox Trot, The Far Side, and Calvin and Hobbes.  I remember reading them by the light of my bedside lamp, trying to stifle my giggles so that my parents wouldn't come bust me for staying up too late reading (the horror!). Calvin and Hobbes, especially, resonated with my sense of humor.  I found the strip simultaneously witty, funny, thought-provoking and perceptive.  I collected all of the anthologies, but somewhere between then and now, I either lost them or gave them away.  I told my husband about my tendency to read them from cover to cover, and how I was sad that I no longer had them.  Not too surprisingly, for Christmas, I received The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book from Santa. I have been slowly working my way through the book, and tonight I was reminded of Calvin's finicky eating habits and of his gift fo...

Don't get me wrong.  It's not that I hate the parents of students, or that I dread meeting with them.  I actually kind of like seeing the parents of my students and getting to talk to them about what is going on in class.  What I don't care for are the seriously long days that parent-teacher conferences entail.  After a full day of teaching, we stay until 6:30 meeting with parents.  Tonight when I got home, I was starving, sleepy, and grumpy because my kids were already in bed for the night.  Oh, and I had a headache.  Call the whambulance for me, would you? But, as I walked in the door, it hit me: this was the last night of conferences for the 2011 season.  So, am I grateful that parent-teacher conferences are over?  Yes.  But not for the reasons you might think.  Tonight marked the end of the parent-teacher conference season which means spring and spring break are coming.  It also means that I do not have a...

This morning was hectic, as usual.  This was exacerbated by the fact that Breslin was staying home with Colby because he was running a fever.  It disrupted our routine a bit, but we still managed to get the girls loaded in the van and head out on time.  When I turned around to back out of the driveway, I caught a glimpse of Lou Lou.  The girl was rocking her sunglasses. At some point during our shuffling out the door, she must have found them and then waited to don them until she was in her car seat. I couldn't help but laugh when I saw it. I still do every time I think of her sitting back there like a rock star in her shades.  It was a much needed bright spot to my morning.  If you can laugh heartily before 6:30 am, you know that's a good sign. I am so thankful that my daughter provided me with an opportunity to laugh this morning. Thank God for AM sunglasses! Lord, thank you for Dharia, and for her unique ability to make me laugh.  Tha...

Did you know that today is officially "Unique Name Day"?  That's right, it's today's bona fide holiday, along with Mardi Gras and Pancake Day.  I know this because each and every weekday, I log on to www.brownielocks.com  to see what the day's official holidays are.  Then I pick my favorite and write it up on the board in my classroom underneath the date.  The students get a kick out of it.  Okay, they might just find it mildly amusing, but sometimes that's the best I can do. Today being "Unique Name Day" got me to thinking about my own name, my husband's name, and my kids' names.  I am thankful that we all fall underneath what I consider to be the "unique name" category.  I always appreciated having a name that was different growing up and wanted my kids to be able to enjoy the same feeling. I have had a lot of people ask me where I got my kids' names from, so perhaps I'll take a moment to explain that here: Bresl...

Tonight we had a great time as a family at Tractor Supply Company in Albion, Michigan. It all started when my wiper blades stopped working.  I know, I know, we talked about this already.  But since I left my keys in the car at the Sharps' house on Saturday after the wiper blade incident, I had no keys today.  This meant that I had no way of getting into the locked house today when we got home from school.  It also meant that I couldn't go to the bathroom all day at school, but that's a separate issue.  These are samples from Breslin's "Clifford Journal" for tonight. Anyway, since I couldn't get into the house and was standing outside the door freezing with three kids, I decided to call my husband and ask if he wanted to meet us at McDonald's for dinner.  He was coming home late from a meeting at school and thought that this was an excellent idea.  We loaded back up into the van and drove to McDonald's.  On the way, we ...

I got a Christmas tree growing kit in my stocking for Christmas this year.  It was a cute little ecologically-conscious gift.  You get a bamboo pot and inside is some soil, some seeds, and some directions for growing your very own Christmas tree.  There was just one problem with this amazing gift: I kill plants. It's true.  My track record is sketchy at best.  As I'm typing this, I'm looking at the ivy up on the shelf whose leaves are looking a bit on the crunchy side.  I have managed to kill off at least a dozen or so hanging baskets.  My tomatillo plant last year grew to gigantic proportions, but yielded no tomatillos.  Shoot, even my hostas die off from being eaten down to the nubbins by hungry woodland creatures.  I have the best of intentions, I just have a hard time keeping plants alive.  I call it my "black thumb of plant death".  I desperately want to have plants (prefererably living) and a garden....

Today did not go as I planned. I had to wake up early this morning to be in Troy, Michigan to judge the Regional gymnastics championship held at Troy High School.  It was raining and gross.  About 10 miles down the road, the windshield wipers were going full speed.  Up, down, up, down! Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak!  Up, Down, Up! Silence. Uh, oh. My wipers were done. With pouring, freezing rain coming down, I couldn't see a thing.  I had to slowly drive off of the very next exit, where fortunately, I was able to trade my vehicle for a Sharp family vehicle whose wipers did work.  I am so thankful that (a) My inlaws weren't too mad that I called them before 7 am begging for help. (b) I got to trade my Saturn for their Rendezvous for the day (good trade for me). (c) I actually still made it to the meet on time. (d) The rest of the day I had the song "Wiper Blades" by Heywood Banks stuck in my head, which made me think of all the other Heywo...

Tonight, we had a lot of fun.  We were invited to the birthday party of two very special kids at Blast Off Bounce Zone in Hillsdale, Michigan.  I'm thankful for our night at Blast Off because it meant that we got to see our friends Kevin and Tricia, who are very dear to us and who we have gone entirely too long without seeing.  You know how that goes.  It was so nice to catch up and to celebrate their beautiful children at their birthday party. I'm also thankful because I got to watch my wild woman, Dharia Lou, climb her tiny monkey butt up the Roaring River slide (which is just huge) and hurl herself down the steep incline with little to no concern for her personal safety.  To get an idea of just how ridiculously large this thing is (especially for a 2 year-old), you can see the Roaring River slide in the background of this picture of Blast Off.  Of course, my Lou Lou refused any adult help and went down about a million and a half times, each...

Today was our final day of MME testing at Western High School.  Our testing coordinator and guidance counselor  always brings in homemade goodies for those of us who help with giving and facilitating the tests.  She makes the world's best zucchini bread, homemade jam, banana muffins, and homemade pickles.  I love how she grows the ingredients in her garden makes everything from scratch, and then even cans at home.  It's so earthy and green, and I wish I could be more like that. The pickles are especially delightful.  They are crisp, tart, and delicious.  My favorite part is that they are packed in quart-size Mason jars with the stems still on.  I won't lie to you, I look forward to the homemade pickles every year.  It's really not fair.  She is the one who does all the work, yet she thanks all of us for what we do during testing by bringing in these treats.  What a sweetie!  Those homemade pickles made my day today. ...

I had the pleasure of writing a letter of recommendation for a young man today who is one of my advanced chemistry students.  He is motivated, responsible, gifted, personable, and has integrity.  When he asked me to write the recommendation, I agreed without hesitation.    Today was an especially rough day for several reasons.  I think it's enough to say that from pulling out of the driveway this morning, everything seemed to be going wrong (we had a flat tire).  I truly felt like some mysterious force was out to sabotage me this day.  I was determined not to give in.  But as the day progressed, I felt myself slowly succumbing to the feelings of ineptitude and despair resulting from my many failures.  Just as I was leaving school, I set out to give this student his completed letter of recommendation.  It was after school and he was at play practice.  I wanted to make sure that he had it before he left...

Movies at my fingertips, Shows from thin air, We can watch Super Why Anytime, anywhere. I learn cool stuff from Pawn Stars That I repeat to my friends, Romantic comedy or drama tonight? Well, it just depends! Modern Family , Ugly Betty , At the click of a mouse, Weeds , Lie to Me, Every episode of House. On our computer, or through the Wii, in the mail, That little red envelope Makes us smile without fail. Entertainment whenever, (For hours if we're able), It's so nice to have Netflix, Since we can't afford cable! Lord, thank you for providing us a way to save our entertainment dollars through Netflix.  Thank you for the quality time Colby and I get to spend using this service.  It's silly, but we appreciate the respite it sometimes gives us at the end of a long day!  I especially appreciated it while I was down sick this week.  In your name I pray, Amen.