The Fire Marshall Cometh Plus Two Linkys in One Post!

When I got in this morning, I was greeted by the words:

"Just so you know, the Fire Marshall came through last night, so be prepared. The principal is coming around, telling everyone what they have to move and change!"

What other words could strike such fear in a teacher's heart more than "Fire Marshall"?! This is the first time in the three years that I've been at this school that we've had a visit from the Fire Marshall, so I had no idea what was in store.

I walked into my room, filled with trepidation. I checked my desk but there wasn't a note or anything, so I wandered the hallways, asking all the other teachers what they had heard and waiting for the principal to come tell me that I had too much on my walls or some such.

No one had heard anything about my room, so I tried to get on with my normal morning. Meanwhile my next door neighbor is busy hauling furniture out of her room. By the end of the day she had hauled out about 5 various pieces of furniture, from tables, to bookshelves to a dry erase cart etc. It was like that all through the hallway - teachers moving stuff out of their rooms, and trying to rearrange what was left. Seeing all of that, I got more and more nervous about what I was going to have to change in my room.

Well, lo and behold it was afternoon by the time I saw our principal. Here I've been waiting on pins and needles all day, and it's 2 o'clock before I see her on our side of the building! Talk about mounting tension! So I nervously ask her what the verdict was and she told me that I didn't have to change anything! Can you imagine the happy dance I was doing?!  Apparently all of my furniture is sufficiently far enough away from the entrances and that was all he was really focused on, since one whole wall in my room is windows I can apparently get away with the amount of paper I have on my other walls!

In light of my relief at my reprieve, I am going to celebrate and do two linky parties today!

The first is from 5th Grade Rocks, 5th Grade Rules. You probably already know all you ever wanted to about me, but just in case you're a glutton for punishment, here are my answers to the survey:

1.  Are you married, do you have a bf, or are you flying free as a single lady/man? 
I'm married AND I have a boyfriend! Well, that's if you count my youngest son who is constantly picking me flowers and asking me to marry him. He's going to be a pro at popping the question when he gets older because of all the practice he's getting with me! He even goes down on one knee sometimes!

2.  Where did you grow up?

Suburbs of Chicago/London, ONT Canada!

3.  Do you have any pets?  If so, what kind and what is his/her name?

I have too many pets, according to my husband, and I've shared pictures of most of them on here before. We have two beagle pups named Lola and Max, two cats named Tubbs and Mr. Nibbles, and a rabbit named Babbitty Rabitty. Ok, ok, you twisted my arm, here are a few pics:

This is Babbity last summer with my dog Panzer who had to be put down because of bone cancer. She loved Babitty but Babitty sometimes swatted her on the nose with his paws. He apparently has no idea he is a just a little bunny.

He also loves the camera, it's hard to take pictures of him because he tries to get really close to the lens. Here he's standing on his back paws to try to get to it!

Tubbs is our big boy. He likes to walk around meowing for no reason...continuously. He also likes to try to cram his body in the smallest boxes/baskets he can find.

4. What is a favorite tv show you are embarrassed to admit to watching?
I don't watch much tv, mainly just House, Once Upon a Time, Glee, Raising Hope and American Idol. I will also watch cooking shows liked Chopped and Iron Chef America (oh that's right! Alton Brown is my other boyfriend!)
  
5.  Are you a saver or a spender?

Spender unfortunately. Probably because I am addicted to clipart, books and feeding/clothing my 4 children.

6.  What is your favorite children's book?

So hard to choose! Here are a few faves:

7.  Were you the class clown, teacher's pet, or neither?


Neither. I was that painfully shy kid who never talks at all. The one who is so quiet that you sometimes forget she's there unless you make it a point to remind yourself to make sure you talk to her at least once a day.  I also had a really bad speech impediment from playing a game of "Cops and Robbers". I was the robber and my little brother was chasing me on his new motorized police motorcycle on Thanksgiving Day. I was wearing my black patent leather shoes and slipped and fell on my face in the street. We thought I had knocked my teeth out and then realized that they had just been smashed back up into my gums. Since they were adult teeth there was nothing to do but wait for them to reemerge, which they did, horribly crooked. I had to learn to speak clearly all over again!

8.  Who is your favorite athletic team?

None, nada, zilch. I am not into sports AT ALL and neither is my husband thankfully!

9.  Where did you go on your last REALLY fun vacation?

Disney World in Florida last Spring Break!! First time at Disney for the kids, it was a really fun trip, plus we got to meet up with my brother and his family for the day!

10.  Who is your favorite actor?  Actress?

Umm.. I have a few actors whose movies I boycott because I don't support their lifestyle choices (think short guy with a kooky religion and a last name that rhymes with ooze) but my favorites change a lot. Daniel Radcliffe is a favorite, along with Orlando Bloom currently. I'm also really bad with names/faces, so a lot of times I won't recognize actors/actresses and my husband has to remind me what other movies they were in!

11.  Tell about the last time you cried because you were happy.

I am not a big crier, but whenever I watch those "homecoming" shows and see soldiers reunite with their kids and see the kids start to cry I always tear up.

12.  What is your favorite season?
Winter! I hate the heat, so summer is out, fall and spring seem like summer in Oklahoma, so really winter is the only other season by default!


13.  What is your biggest regret?

None, everything I've done or not done has led me to this point in life. I have a wonderful husband and 4 great kid plus a career I love. How could I ever regret anything that led me to this?!

14.  What food do you just NOT like at all?
Seafood. Might have something to do with shrimping on the beach of the North Sea in Holland when I was on vacation when I was little. Shrimp look so much creepier alive than on a plate, why would I put anything from the ocean in my mouth after that?!


15. Who was your most memorable teacher, and why?
Mrs. Leeman, my kindergarten teacher because I wasn't afraid of her (and I feared most of my teachers growing up). She also read us Charlotte's Web and we had a guinea pig named Wilbur in the classroom. Also, Sister Catherine in high school, taught me 4 years of French and was so passionate about her subject. She was such a good teacher that even 15 years after graduating and not speaking any French in the meantime, I was still able to take a CLEP test and score the equivalency of 2 semesters worth of college level French!

I won't add another question to the list, because I think it's quite long enough, but please link up and let me learn more about you!

The next linky is from Mrs. Lirette who has an absolutely precious blog!

We're supposed to link up spring-themed posts, ideas, freebies, & products. Well, you can check my TPT Store for some fun spring products, plus don't forget my Easter Egg Addition freebie! I also created this fun freebie for you too! It's one of my favorite Spring poems, with a teacher copy for you to laminate and keep, a student copy for them to color and put in their journals or take home, plus the pictures and pocket chart cards if you want to print them out.

Baby Chick