jennifer patel

Originally written in October, 2016. My co-teacher had a sub today. I was, at first, thankful because this sub was really nice and very interested in doing her job. She asked me what the kids were learning and asked a few clarifying questions to make her day (and mine) run smoother. I had zero voice today. As in I was whispering, with a few donkey brays every now and again for lower sounds. This worked out perfectly, as this sub was especially chatty. She was telling me all sorts of stories about her life and where she's come from, and where she believes we should be heading...both as people, a society, and a nation. I heard a lot of, "And I sure don't understand..." stories and a lot of, "I'm just too old for this..." commentaries. It's not that I didn't want to listen to what she had to say, it's that I really didn't have time to listen to everything she was saying. I was at a desk in my co-teacher's room, rushing to make a...

Yes, I voted. This election cycle has brought out the absolute worst in most people. Alex sauntered into our room at 5:30 this morning saying that his stomach hurt and he thought he was going to throw up. After taking his temperature (yes, fever) and emailing school that he would be home today, I was so super excited I would get an opportunity to take him to the polls with me to show him how our country's democratic process works. And since I never found the time to go during early voting, I would also show him how procrastination earns you a long wait in line on Election Day. Good thing he was spared the wait, as he was too miserable and wanted to lay down in the car while I voted. It's fine to lock your five-year-old in the car for 15 minutes, right? It's not 100 degrees in July and I hid him in the backseat. We had a plan of action. Since I lost my voice a week ago and it's just now making its way back, I did not participate in the lively conversations wi...

Hipster Hulk with a man bun This weekend was supposed to have been super fun! I agree with V when he says that Halloween gets better the older you get. V's friends were throwing a work Halloween party this weekend and I had it all planned out that I was finally going to be a Disney Princess. I have never been one in my 29 year of existence, so I logged onto Amazon and actually ordered the authentic Disney brand Pocahontas costume. Boo!-ya I played on the joke that the custodian at my old school used to call me the "little indian girl" which I knew no one at V's work would understand, and were probably wondering why I didn't choose Mulan. The answer is because I'm not Chinese...actually, I might be half...whatever... V, himself had ordered pieces for his Joker (Heath Ledger) costume and they had been coming in separate boxes to the house for 2 weeks. Alex was going to be the Hulk and we were going to go Trunk-or Treating at church with Grandma and th...

There are very few things I remember. Eighty-five percent of my memories are false memories. One hundred percent of my memories are memories of how I felt...not what actually happened. Included in the sliver of things I actually remember, accurately, is the book above: Popcorn by Frank Asch. I saw it at the library today when we went to get new books. I was so excited, I started telling Alex how great of a book it was and that we had to get it! "It's about a bear who has a Halloween party when his parents are gone and all the kids bring popcorn to pop...so they decide to pop it all...but it takes over...and they have to eat it all...Well, maybe it's not that great of a book, I'm just excited I remember having it read to me..." When I looked over, he had been staring, longingly, at the children using the computers the whole time I was talking to him. He will love it.

Millennials. The caption under the picture on Wikipedia reads " Millennials, who are digitally native, generally enjoy living and working in urban areas ." The picture is of people waiting near, what seems to be, a train station. They are all looking at their phones. >insert 'laughing face with two tears' emoji.< Seriously, because I don't know how to use emojis on blog posts. At best, Millennials take great pictures of their food? At worst, they're entitled and narcissistic. What's narcissistic about writing blog post after blog post about your life and your feelings? I mean, what about me? It's important. I never considered myself a Millennial, but it turns out, I am. Classically. I had a surprisingly tough time at college my first year. I was aggressively homesick and all that night before, last minute effort in high school that was rewarded with a spot in the top 30 of my class, was very unhelpful in a college setting. After my fi...

This past weekend, I escaped the city to a "Pilates retreat" with some of the ladies from the studio. We didn't actually do Pilates, but it was awesome to get away and drink, play games and relax. I ended up grading for five hours on Saturday but luckily I had the backdrop of the lake to look at, the conversation of friends to keep me company, and the promise of alcohol as a reward when I finished. One of the ladies made these awesome pineapple drinks she had when she was in the Dominican. She cored out the pineapple, mixed it with a banana, ice, rum and coconut and put them back into the cored out pineapples. It was genius. Refreshed for the upcoming work week. Happy October! #Sundayfunday

can you tell we're having trouble remembering to bring our water bottle home every night? I started putting a sticky note in Alex's lunch every day in hopes of making him smile if his day was stressful. They're just based on the books we read every day and the things he likes. I'm no artist, but the 5 minutes it takes after I put him in bed has been worth it. He can't tell me anything he does in school for the day, but he can tell me exactly what was written on the note. School is going well. It makes for exhausting week nights and hours long naps on Saturdays, but he seems happy. Is he learning? Questionable. Me: So what do you guys do when you get to class from the cafeteria in the morning? Alex: I don't know. My teacher doesn't speak English until after lunch. I think it's going well.

Remember when I wrote this ? I was making fun of the idea that anyone would spend money on something so silly. Admittedly, I spend money on frivolous things like getting my hair blown out at drybar, multiple workout memberships and various workout equipment. I rarely buy actual things though because I suffer from immediate buyer's remorse and end up taking it back. V, on the other hand, is exactly the opposite. He's like, I want all the things. "Do you really need that?" is a frequent question and irritation is a frequent emotion when I walk out to check the mail and see an Amazon box on the front porch. He works hard though, and who am I to tell a grown man how to spend his money. I hoard my money like Scrooge waiting for the Apocalypse. I guess we balance each other out. Until recently. V decided he had to have the 93'' bear from Costco. This led to a real marital fight. I'm convinced that the only reason Costco sells this item is to see whi...

Me: What is Forever Day? Alex: I do not know Me: What do you think it is? Alex: The day I was born? Me: That is your birthday. What do you think Forever Day is? Alex: The day I was born? Me: Did you always live with your birth parents? Alex: Ohhhhhhh, No. It's the day you picked me up. Me: Yes! The day we finally became our family.  Later in the car... Me: What is Forever Day? Alex: I do not know. It's uncanny how similar we are.

Nothing about this is a spoiler alert.  V and I have been watching the mini-series, The   Night Of,  on HBO.   I'm not really into crime dramas because it makes me think of ways, I had never thought of, that people get abducted and/or abused and/or murdered. I don't like going to sleep with those thoughts in my brain. But I don't like many shows on TV, so The   Night Of is one of maybe 2? shows V and I watch together. It's only 8 episodes, but I am ready for it to be done. The characters are train wreck human beings. My favorite part of the show has been John Turturro's character, John Stone. He plays a lawyer who hangs out near the precinct looking for potential clients. Sort of like ambulance chasing? He happens to be there when Naz Khan is brought in and charged with murder. But my favorite parts are the side stories of Stone's life...his eczema...the cat he took from the victim, but is allergic to...the relationship with his son that I can...

I don't believe in trophies for everyone, but I did buy a nice, encouraging card to start off Alex's school career. I put it next to the donuts I woke up at 5:15 A.M. to go buy...she gave me a free donut...take that kid, I still got it! He read it out loud: "You can't do it!" I said, "Son? Why would we buy you a card that said you couldn't do it?" Worst motivational card, ever. We took some pictures, loaded up the car and headed out! Here goes the next decade and a half! this is how i imagine elementary school teachers...that's a tough group of people! Dear son, I never thought I would be the type of Mom to cry when her kid started school (I am a teacher, after all and you've been to childcare for years).  Yet when I dropped you off this morning, I was fighting down the huge lump in my throat as I watched you quietly walk in to observe your new environment. I wish I could stay all day and protect you and keep y...

Incomplete review: A beautiful, spontaneous trip to San Francisco... A week in Galveston, NOT being attacked by flesh-eating bacteria... Britney, Bitch: Vegas... A visit from cousins... Korea Camp... #notpaleo Kiddie Park!... A complete rainbow!  (not pictured...double rainbow...)... Majestic Pegasus... Feeding donkeys... Catching sun every.single.day. Our first summer to use an entire container of sunscreen... Reading! I read 5 books this summer! More than in the past 5 years... Alex read 80 books!!! And general tomfoolery... This represents just a piece of what happened, but we decided it was the best 16 pictures to kind of summarize the summer. The end of summer has led us to drink as we prepare for a big school year! We'll miss you, summer. Until next year...Love, us.

That Ms. Linda. She had a weird sense of humor for her students...

All of V's fussing over his peach tree paid off this summer with his first, proud crop of peaches. Branches heavy with fruit The owl did his job Like everything else homegrown, they are delicious! So sweet! V believes that I owe him an apology for not believing in a viable crop 2 years ago. I never wished him failure, I was just highly doubtful that the creatures would leave the peaches alone...as evidenced by everything else we've grown. Surprisingly though, the biggest thing to go for the peaches have been ants. Great work, farmer V.

The second best thing that was going on in Vegas this past weekend was a Harry Potter Convention. It was right in our resort and this led to many character sightings. I didn't know what was happening at first when I saw a woman wearing a robe and carrying a wand. It didn't click as out of the normal but then I then saw Albus Dumbledore get on an elevator and yelled (from down the hallway), "Dumbledore!" as though it were the Backstreet Boys. I never did find that guy again. Going to a Harry Potter Convention is now of interest to me, though I didn't dare try to converse with them in character for fear of being schooled and fact checked. I must re-read all the books before attending. The only character I can really be (racially speaking) is Cho Chang. Apparently, she married a muggle (that's so me!). I will re-read the series when Alex is older and we will go together. So here is my US Weekly version of Wizards are just like us! "They show off t...

First Dance as Mr. and Mrs.  We traveled to Las Vegas to see two of our favorite people finally get married! Vegas is one of our favorite places to go for a long weekend. It's just long enough to get caught up in all the glitz and glamour of a city that is always active, and then to begin to miss a more stable kind of lifestyle...the one where you admit to yourself that you're not 20 anymore and can't run on <  4 hours of sleep. On our arrival night, we met up with a couple who we first met in Korea when we picked up Alex. They were there to pick up their son as well. So both of our boys have been in the United States the same amount of time...one living in Nevada and the other in Texas. They are both starting Kindergarten in the fall and had a great time playing! #Thriving We shared and reminisced our stories over dinner.  Alex's first self-taken selfie attempts. #shortarms #smallhands The next night was spent at Britney Spears. #Am...