A (birth) Day in the Life of.....ME!

So, a blog that I blog-stalk (meaning, I don't know her, but still love her blog!) does "A Day in the Life of..." post and requested other people do one too.  Since today is Friday and I'm going to be out a few days next week (MLK day  and a looooong conference), so I decided that today was a good day to do it! 


So here is a day in my life!


5:40 AM: Alarm goes off.  Dog and Husband have somehow teamed up in the night and stolen ALL of the covers.  I fight in an epic battle to both hit snooze and move my 13 pound brick of a hairball and giant husband.  Fail, epic fail.  I hit snooze and fall back asleep with my scrap of sheet.


5:45 AM: Alarm refuses to stop beeping (WTF alarm?).  So, I finally just get up.  Dog immediately lays his Schnoodle head on my pillow.  It's freezing in my house (Come on So. Cal.!) and I shiver and and shuffle to the bathroom (I get ready in the bathroom on the other side of the house because stupid husband doesn't start work for about 4 hours).


Maximus literally sleeps this close to me every night.  He uses me for warmth during the winter and tries to cook me with his hair during the summer.


5:50 AM: I brush my teeth, but do so while putting on a sweatshirt. Seriously, when did I move to the east coast? The moment I have to take of the sweatshirt and jump in the shower is KILLER! My feet are seriously tingling when the burning, steamy water hits my frozen southern California whimpy cold feet.


6:05 AM: Out of the shower.  The cold hits me like a punch.  Why aren't we running the heater?  Seriously, Husband, let's get on that! Scratch that, it ended up being like 80 degrees today.


6:05AM - 6:30 AM: Blow my hair dry and straighten it.  I have the worst hair.  Good color (natural, thank you very much), but sucky way it hangs.  It's not quite straight, not quite curly.  It's odd-wavy-hair.  So anyway, I straighten it everyday.  It's annoying, takes forever, and seems like kind of a waste to do everyday, but whatevs.

OMG!  I love my pink stuff.  Funny story is that he straightener is not the best (or even all that good to be honest with you), but it is just seriously SO cute!  Priorities.  Honest.


6:30AM: Pick out my clothes. I'm a teacher, meaning I RARELY see another adult all day, but I still really care about what I wear. I am, however, super obsessed with shoes (I will post later this week with lots of pictures...I'm ridiclous) and skirts, so this is actually quite a process.

6:35 AM: I emerge from my closet all teacher-fied, husband had a gift waiting for me!

6:40 AM: I open birthday gift to find another charm for my necklace (good job Husband) and add it to chain.

Stop being jealous - today is my birthday, so that is why there is a present.  I WISH that husband gave me a gift randomly.  Also, please note the fact that the tissue paper is a crumpled up piece of computer paper.  Husband said he had to "mold" it to the right shape and was very proud of himself.  I have to admit, I was impressed that he even knew where I kept the gift bags, so GO HUSBAND!



Since we got married, he buys me a new charm (from Nashelle.com) for my necklace.  First year was a "B," second year was the heart, third year the "Brownell" with our anniversary date "07-07-07" on the back and this year the "VII" for our anniversary!

ALSO - I think my chest skin looks odd in the picture.  Someone please tell me it doesn't look like this in real life.  It's just a bad picture, right?  Anyone?  Anyone? 

6:45 AM: Leave the house.  This is the WORST part of my day for many reasons.  1.  It's cold out!  2. During the most of the year, it is like dawn.  3. I'm tired, and the worst of all - 4. HUSBAND AND DOG ARE STILL IN BED.  So unfair.  My life!

I realize that this is a bad picture for Maximus.  Contrary to what the picture shoes, he's not actually a demon.  Husband really is this cute though.  Even early in the morning.  He even wakes up every morning at an ungodly hour to say goodbye to his wife.  I know, I know....I'm a lucky, lucky girl.  You may resume being jealous.

6:50 AM:  Get in "Scarlett" (yes, my car is named Scarlett.  She's red and tells me where to go when I'm lost.  She deserves and excellent name) and realize that I have no gas.  That's the problem with a Prius, I only get gas like once every 3 weeks, so it comes as an unwelcome surprise in the morning...

7:40 AM: Drive up to school.  The bell rings in 10 minutes!  I never get to school that late, but there was a gas station stop AND presents!  Who doesn't mind being late when there are presents!?!  When I ran up to my door, there were many angry teen faces staring back at me (my cheerleaders have a game tonight, so they had all their stuff with them.  They were upset that had to stand there holding all of their stuff.  They have a LONG day ahead of them - I'm totally ditching the games - and won't be home until like 10:00 PM....)  Too bad, so sad.

WARNING:  My classroom is where school spirit explodes!  You can come into my classroom and know that I'm the cheer coach without even asking/knowing....

8:00: School starts.  The day is sort of a blur...My school is on block scheduling, so I only teah 3 classes a day.  However, they are freaking 2 hours long.  Sometimes it goes by like a flash and sometimes it draaaaaaags on and on.  Today was actually a pretty good one!

8:00 - 9:53 AM: I teach a 10th grade class.  This class is tough because it's almost 1/2 and 1/2 (regular Ed. and special Ed.).  It started out as a team-teaching class and then somehow morphed into me being a teenager-wrangler.  Again, my life! 



My lovely class (actually only 1/2 of my class....I had to sneak-attack the picture.  I was worried they would think I was crarzy and/or super old if I tried to explain the blog.....)



AHHHH!  I collected essays today!  WHY OH WHY?  I couldn't have chosen a scantron-subject to teach????  I'm always buried, buried, buried!

10:00 AM: Apparently word got out to my cheerleaders that today is my bday.  Two of my girls brought me a silly "birthday princess" headband and cupcakes. 

It made me extra happy to see these girls.  They are my first "4-year" girls.  They are seniors and I've had them on my team since they were freshman.  Seriously, I see these kids more than I see my husband.  They're too cute.

So, here's the first real picture I got of me all day.  And I'm wearing a ridiculous headband.  Awesome.  Needless to say, the headband came off as soon as they left.  Can you imagine teaching and being taken seriously with this on my head? 
I think not.

10:13 AM: My second class begins.  This one is a language development class.  I forgot to get any pictures...but just know that I was genius and they learned a ton.

12:04 PM: Lunch begins.  What lunch?  I have like 5 kids in my room working on their essay (HELLO? Teenagers!  The essay was due today during class, not after you suck up my whole lunch period).  I end up forgetting to eat lunch and don't remember until I am at cheer practice.  My life!

12:45 PM:  Cheer practice starts.  I change for the 2nd time today.  Now I am cheer-i-fied (this means I am wearing sweatpants and flip-flops.  I attempt to avoid all administrators.  Can you imagine?  I always figure that they won't see me all day when I am being all grown up and professional, but will see me when I'm being all dancy and inappropriate.  Go figure...). 

1:00 PM: My missing senior cheerleaders all show up with a sign that says "HAPPY 30TH BDAY MRS. BROWNELL"  (NOTE:  I am only turning 28, but they think it is HILARIOUS to say that I'm 30.  I told them that, in 10 years, they will realize how mean joke is.) and I left practice with hair full of confetti

So, it ended up being literally 80 degrees today.  It was like 60 degrees on Monday.  The girls were hot and whiny.  They seriously were the worst today and dropped like every stunt.  Happy Birthday to me.  SAD FACE!  Also, please see my sunburned nose in later pictures.  It's a good look for me.

4:00 PM: Practice is over. We go to competition in exactly 1 week and 2 days and they can’t even make their stunts stick. I try to be “supportive coach,” but am very disappointed in them. Even they are super frustrated and bruised up.

4:15 PM: Back up to my classroom to get ready for tomorrow. "Why," you ask, "would a teacher need to prepare her classroom for a Saturday?" "Well," I would answer, "because this teacher is crazy!" I teach a CAHSEE (California High School Exit Exam) “bootcamp” class on Saturdays, from 8 AM to 12 PM, to some of the ELD kids that struggle. I also have to collect all my cheer stuff for Sunday. You may begin asking yourself, “Why would a teacher need stuff for a Sunday. Last time I checked, teachers had the weekends off.” However, I would once again be forced to remind you that I am a lunatic. I have cheer practice this Sunday from 7 AM - 12 PM. My life!

4:25 PM: Scarlett and I get on the road to head home. I am almost giddy. This is the earliest I have left....like ever.

4:45 PM: Sitting in traffic. I don’t usually hit too much traffic, but it is almost 5. On a Friday night. Usually I’m headed to my first of 2 basketball games right now or headed to a football game, so I forget what traffic is like on a Friday. It is 18 miles from my door to my classroom, so most days it's under 30 minutes. For a SoCal commute, that's pretty amazing! But, it just makes any day that there is traffic a total bummer.

405 Freeway

4:55 PM: I get home. I listen to a lot of podcasts, so the drive is not that bad. I live in Irvine, which is considered to be the “safest city in America,” and everything is so neat and clean. It’s a great reprieve from a classroom filled with teens, papers, and books (NOTE: I am an insane neat freak. If I could teach by video, and just sit in my perfectly neat classroom everyday, I totally would).

Home Sweet Home - One of my favorite sights everyday!  It means that I am officially in a teenager free zone!

4:57 PM: I walk in to my house. Dog greets me at the door. Actually, dog greets me lazily laying on the bed, but then runs like a terror to the door when he hears me. He is a dog. And, he is lazy. Though, he seems to be OK with it.

Maximus and his stupid bone.  He's had it since he was only a few months old.  He carries it EVERYWEAR!  Apparently that is the Shnauzer part of him.  He doesn't chew it or anything, just carries it and even uses it as a pillow!  It's getting pretty threadbare and I have tried to find another and can't.  Is it weird that I am worried when it finally falls apart that he will spend the rest of his little dog life looking for it????

4:58: TV goes on, to keep me company while the maid (me) does the laundry, and Chianti is poured. HEY. Don’t judge. It is literally almost 5 o’clock. AND it’s my birthday. AND it’s Friday. AND it’s good for my heart. AND I work with teenagers. If it were legal and socially acceptable, I would just mainline this stuff. That might be hard to explain at Back to School night, but whatevs.

TV-OK, stop judging me again. You know you love Jersey Shore. Stop lying to yourself. When they start yelling “T-shirt time” you smile a little bit. Even if it is smiling through gritted teeth. No seriously. These giant D-bag fools make like $5 million a year. No joke. Anyway, I need white noise for chores. AND I grade a lot of papers. Bad essays. I need some sort of horrible distraction.

No - I am not double fisting it.  I am totally June Cleaver-esque and I pour Husband a glass of wine everyday when I get home.  This way it has time to breathe and is extra delicious when he gets home.  Seriously, I am that awesome.

5:00-6:00 PM: Chores. I seriously do a few things around the house everyday. I think that husband may think there are cleaning elves that come when he’s not home. Now there is picture evidence. Look Husband! It’s me doing it!

Laundry.  How is it possible that 2 people create so much laundry?  I feel like I do it everyday.  Husband is a giant though, so his clothes take up that of 2 regular sized human beings.

6:00 PM: Paint my nails. Yes I know they look weird.  I've been doing them like this for like 10 years.  I like it and it's my thing.  ALTHOUGH, I have noticed several of my students starting to copy me!  ACK!

Ps - I know I have short and very fat phalanges. I have Arthritis, so they look all kinds of deformed.  Just go with it....

6:15 PM: HUSBAND IS HOME! The caps lock is because he is actually the first adult that I have seen face-to-face and/or spoken to all day. Well that and I kinda like him. And, he’s pretty cute. Basically this is one of the best parts of my day.

6:20 PM: Husband, Dog, and I enjoy a glass of wine before we head out for our date. (Alert - I do not feed my dog wine, though I do believe that, being a Brownell, he would love it. He chewed on a bone while we sipped our vino. Hang up phone and stop dialing the animal rights group). We chat about our day like grown-ups. It's beyond amazing. You have to remember that tonight I am being a bad, bad girl (ie ditching bball and making someone else go in my place. It's literally the first time I've done that in 4 years. I'M A REBEL!).

 6:45 PM: We walk across the street to the Spectrum. (Don't know what that is? Well it's a big outdoor mall that is walking distance from Casa de Brownell. We go here often.). The night ends up being balmy and there is an amazing breeze. Can.not imagine a better night.

 7:00 PM: We put our name in at the restaurant and then go to buy our movie tickets. We are seeing The Green Hornet (or Horne as the ticket says....hopefully we end up seeing super hero Seth Rogan and not a porn. Now I am concerned.) Movie starts at 9:50. Bedtime will be pushed back quite a bit.

7:30 PM: Still waiting for table. Slowly starving to death. Save me..... Pass time by making husband pose for pictures. He is a good sport, and I secretly think he likes being in pictures. Please see how awesome Spectrum is in the background. Come on people, I can WALK here! I heart my life!

When husband put this shirt on he exclaimed "I look so Chinese."  We bought him this shirt in China last summer for super cheap and it's like a XXXL (we were super huge freak giants in China).  It took me a moment to realize why my 6'4" pasty white husband would say he looked Chinese.  Then I got it. Shook my head in embarrassment that we are so old and lame jokes are actually funny.  Then smiled and laughed.

8:00 PM: Sit down for dinner. Could not figure out why the wait was so long, but Andrew had to remind me that it is a Friday night. It is seriously rare that I see one of those, so I keep forgetting.

9:00 PM: we walk around Spectrum.  It is such a great night!  We even stop for free birthday ice cream at Cold Stone.

So, I realize that I have pirate eye in this picture, but it's A. hard to use an Iphone for a self-portrait and B. Andrew is much taller than I am.  We have many a picture that cuts off one of our heads...

9:20 PM: We head to movies.  I end up sitting behind a group of teenaged boys.  So much for my teen free night.  (I go on to shush them about 3 times during the movie.  Each time husband tells me that I am "such a teacher."  I tell him that I think I'm too old for the movies.  The woman next to me yelled "Ouch" every time someone got punched.  It was a superhero movie.  Seriously, there were a lot of "Ouch"es yelled.  I need to just sit at home with my dog and wine to watch movies.

12:00 AM: Movie is over and was actually really good.  I was amused. I was entertained.  I thought Seth Rogan's character was very unlikable, but that may have been intentional.  Anyway, I would recommend it for some mindless fun.  Husband begins to yawn really big yawns.  I am somehow not all that tired (I am SURE I will eat these words when my alarm goes off at 6:30 on a SATURDAY).

Apparently I look ROUGH at the end of the night.  Yikes!  It has been, however, 18 hours since I got ready, so I guess there's that...

12:15 AM: We walk home.  Clearly my picture taking is trailing off, so I try to make up for it with some pictures when we get home.  Most of these fail miserably.  

Also, I realize I am no longer in the same day, but my days are long yo.

We were laying on the bed with the dog.  We kept telling him to smile, but he thought "smile" meant "try to lick my teeth"  I find any sort of dog-licking to be vomit-worthy.  I know their mouths are cleaner than ours and yadda yadda yadda... But for reals, that's gross.  He is a weird animal.

1:00-2:00 AM (I lost track of time...): Finally we head to bed.  Asked husband to take a picture and got a picture of both my face and his finger.  I guess he was jealous that he didn't get to be in the picture.  It happens.

Tonight I will be playing the role of "good video-game wife."  Please see the Firefall shirt.  I am so supportive.

Good night world and I'll see you in 4.5 hours.  To teach a test prep class.  To language learners.  Oh sleep, I always figure I'll meet you someday, but then somehow.....zzzzzzzzzzz

CHEATER PICTURE: I know this isn't in the same day, but look - husband made the bed while I was gone!  yay for Andrew!  Also, look how hard I'm working on this post!  I have been saying for YEARS that I was going to blog, and look at me working so hard!