The Life and Times of an SK Teacher

For those of you who don’t know, I am working as a senior kindergarten teacher’s assistant at an all-boys elementary school in Memphis called Presbyterian Day School (PDS). I wake up in the morning excited about work and I couldn’t ask for more than that in a first job. Here are some things I have learned in my month or so at PDS.

Clues That The Kindergartners Are Rubbing Off On You:

(1)  Your favorite snack is now pudding cups (fat free, of course)

(2)   You get so into the Sesame Street video your class is watching that the lead teacher kindly reminds you “Mrs. Edwards, it’s time for carpool.”

(3)  While putting book order forms in the boys folders, you seriously consider purchasing Caps For Sale, the Little Engine that Could, and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie… for future use J

(4)   You forget your husband can open his own drinks and tie his own shoes. (About 90% of the time spent with the kids I am doing this)

(5)  Your quads are sore from sitting in tiny chairs and looking kids in the eye.

  6)  You smell like hand sanitizer constantly and fear you might be coming down with Swine Flu.

(7)   When you are up past 9:45, it’s a late night.

(8)    You have gained at least 5 pounds. It’s so hard to resist the Star of the Week treats, as well as  the gummies, Cheez-Its, Rice Krispy Treats, and other kid snacks that are always around.

(9)   Your big victory of the week is designing a Hippopotamus paper bag puppet for next weeks craft project.

      You have zero tolerance for whiners, fakers, suck ups, and know-it-alls.

Here are a few pictures of some of our little SK angels. They are so cute, sweet, and entertaining.  

(Part of the playground that is dedicated to Price's mom)

Labor Day Weekend/ Football Season Begins

I must say I was skeptical on Saturday when I woke up to Sports Center instead of the Food Network. But for a weekend with nothing special planned, Price and I managed to pack those three precious days with lots of spontaneous outings and activities.

Friday night was spent watching MUS whoop South Panola with Lizzie and Bev. On Saturday we leisurely drove to Oxford, MS to continue our month long quest to find something to hang our lovely new All-Clad pots on. Price found the perfect piece at my favorite antique store, The Mustard Seed. AND, we only spent twenty dollars! After drooling over furniture we can’t afford (ok, Price sat in the car while I drooled), we browsed around Square Books and then headed homeward.

That night, we ventured downtown to the Memphis Heritage and Music Festival, which we will be attending annually from now on. It was a b.l.a.s.t. The event is put on annually by the Center for Southern Folklore and other sponsors. It was a smallish festival, taking up only a couple blocks of South Main. On the five or six different stages we were able to see gospel, folk, blues, Latino, funk, and rap groups. I must say Al Kapone (Al Kapeezy oH bOy!) was probably my favorite act.  I especially enjoyed seeing one of my neighbors, who is… ohhhhh… probably late fiftyish, getting crunk by herself to this Memphis rapper’s rhymes. And how could I forget the cooking stage! We had the luxury of sampling the most delicious mustard greens, cornbread, and peach cobbler we have ever tasted. I don’t even want to think about the calorie content in those few bites. We had so much fun on Saturday that we went back on Sunday after Ole Miss beat Memphis only a few blocks away from our apartment.

Overall we had a great weekend of togetherness, food, not cleaning, relaxing, food, football, visiting with my family, and food. I can’t wait for Thanksgiving break! 

Locovores

My passion for farmer's markets began in college during a sociology class taught by a granola eating professor. I became a regular at the Pepper Place Farmer's Market in Birmingham when I lived there summer of '08 and since then have become obsessed. I never thought I would find another one as great as Pepper Place, but a few weekends ago I went to the Memphis Farmer's Market downtown and have found my local food fix. 

The key to a good experience at the farmer’s market is getting there early. Not only do you get to enjoy the cooler morning temps, but you also get better selections and prettier produce. I am a morning person so I had no problem hopping out of bed to support our local farmers.

The Memphis Farmer’s Market is located at Central Station in the trendy South Main district. There are probably between 50 and 60 vendors selling everything from cactuses to blueberries to wind chimes. I loved seeing how the farmer’s market attracts people from all walks of life, old women, young families, and even college kids. It is interesting talking to the different vendors about what they grow and hearing their cooking recommendations. You can easily get suckered into spending a lot of money at the market because everything looks so fresh and pretty, and every vendor vows their product will be the best you ever taste. I never really go with a list of what to buy, but I always decide how much I want to spend and bring only the allotted amount of cash with me. Here’s what I got last week for only $12: Okra, lima beans, green tomatoes, an eggplant, red potatoes, and a baby watermelon.

The Menu:

Fried Green Tomatoes with Non-Local Tomato Chutney (from Bham)

Herb Roasted Red Potatoes

Lima Beans

Salted Watermelon

Peach Tea with a Punch (of Firefly Vodka)