Ugh. That stinks! I found out before break that one of my coworkers is unvaccinated... I was sure she was.

Nope! I'd like to know, too. There's a whole flock that hangs out here so I'll get some photos. When it snows, my yard is covered in duck prints, very cute.

Duck, again!

I love chickens! They're beautiful and plucky and adventurous 🙂

Let’s laugh 🙂 on the plus side, the zombies didn’t seem too aggressive! ha.

I had a dream last night that I was at school and there was an actual zombie outbreak. In the dream, I finally ran out of the school but then thought, "Even if I make it home, this zombie outbreak is probably going to become a worldwide pandemic soon." 😬

Wow, getting home at 6 with substantial homework? That sounds awful. Spending 3-6 pm doing something he loves sounds awesome.

Love this.

I've been putting a spoonful of miso paste into chicken broth, and then adding whatever random things I have around - thinly sliced zucchini, scallions, broccoli, etc, sometimes throw in shredded chicken from a previous meal. I love the flavor the miso gives without having to add anything else. I'm sure it's not authentically Japanese at all but it tastes great!

I have some like this and I like them a lot. The ones I like are called "Posh" by BeHealthy. I wear for a day at school, then let it sit for a few days before wearing again. They're lasting a long time! The kids' patterns are really cute. https://behealthyusa.net/apps/bundles/bundle/73906

I'm so confused about whether tofu and other soy products are healthy. I think I heard a long time ago that soy is unhealthy for women, but is there any truth to that? I'd like to start cooking some more Japanese dishes.

I feel you! Unlike many of you, I don't know anyone who has had covid... or at least nobody who's told me they have. Well, I guess I know some students, but I don't count them because I don't teach them directly. I have a feeling I'll know some people soon enough...

Yes, definitely! Sometimes days just feel blah and it's really hard to get started on anything. I've been doing a lot of online shopping/browsing to take my mind off of work.

Same here... argh.

I think 2 or 2.5 hours is my max to be happy. I could perhaps go 4 hours but it would have to be a really amazing destination 🙂

I'm also really nervous about going back. I just plain don't want to! Our school is estimated to have 75% of kids with at least one vaccine dose. Since it seems that two doses plus a booster are necessary for any decent protection, it feels like most of the kids are unvaccinated. We didn't have a ton of covid cases until recently, so it definitely could rip through the school in January. Ugh. I'm a special ed teacher and I know that at least three of my students that I spend significant time with aren't vaccinated at all. I ate lunch outside until it got too cold, and I was semi-okay with taking my mask off to eat in my classroom with my ed tech, but now... maybe I should stock up on "things to eat and drink when I get covid" supplies. 😕

I agree!

Interesting... it's been so crazy to see omicron develop and take over in such a short span. I can't stop hoping that an even "milder" variant will come along soon.

If omicron is so contagious, does that mean the next variant will have to be even more contagious to dominate?

Definitely go for it! Someone I worked with gave me a bed that her cats didn’t like, and my cat has been using it for 7 years!

Yes, they did pass a vision screening. I think the suggestion to use stories with numbers/letters is a great one. I started making my own, and he's learned three new numbers... but it took three weeks to learn the three new number names. Well, at least it happened! I guess it's not too bad considering he hasn't learned them in the previous two years of trying. I've not heard of Touch Phonics! I agree with this wholeheartedly! Thanks for this. I forgot about Dragonbox Numbers! I'm curious about the Reading Mastery. Will check out. Thank you for your ideas!

I think it's definitely difficult for his teacher. I don't see him as extraordinarily hyperactive, but the academic gaps make it hard to include him. Yes to speech. He also doesn't know all of his letters... maybe 10 of them at this point, and they've been at it for preK, K, and now half of 1st. We are working on phonemic awareness. I'm not sure if LiPS would work yet since he doesn't know the names of the letters. I can't remember if it's possible to do LiPS without letter names. Thank you for these suggestions! I'll report back.

Your teen is fantastic! She knows you well, I think 🙂

Oh my gosh this is awesome!!!

I love this!