Ticks...

Ticks are bouncing around... they're EVERYWHERE... and... it's only... APRIL. (sigh)... ticks are HORRIBLE down here (oh my gosh I sound like a southerner- "Down here"... what's next- "soda"? NOPE. FORGET IT...) anyways... ticks... they're bad. Last summer my friend Mekala and her husband went camping with their dog... they woke up COVERED in ticks... seriously- COVERED... like, several- ON THEIR FACE (and all over everywhere else...) Caleb comes home from the field covered in ticks as well... I'm more afraid to snuggle up to him than I am Daisy! ;) jk... I have (knock on wood) NEVER gotten a tick on me... NEVER. I am horrified of them... (almost as scared of them as I am horses...) the other day my students went outside for recess... one of my students was rolling around in the grass and I told him to stop b/c there were bugs/ticks... he didn't listen (what kid would listen to an adult when they're rolling down hills at school?!!?) The next day, this little boy came up to me-apologizing. He said that he was "Sorry for not listening and that I was so smart..." because when he got home he had several ticks on him that his dad had to get off... I told him that I was glad he was ok... and that he learned his lesson (for the day at least) to listen to me... he then proceeded to go to the library and check out a book all on ticks... we read the book/looked at pics (GROSS!) as a class and talked about lyme disease and staying healthy/preventing ticks/etc... then, it was time for... RECESS! My eager kids lined up to go outside... but then they got outside and would NOT leave the "comfort" of the sidewalk... (seriously?!) Imagine... about 15 students standing on the sidewalk... toes BARELY on the grass... it was a sight to see... however, this poses a problem... my kids "earn" recess outside by behaving well in their special classes/being good in my room...well, now that they're afraid of playing outside I'm a little fearful of how they might behave... I need to stop blogging and find other ways to keep my kids behaviors in check.. without recess or breaking the bank to buy "prizes".. agh, the joys of teaching :)(Did I mention that Caleb and I FOUND A TICK... ON... OUR... COUCH?!) Yeah... it was just "chilling" there while we were folding laundry... SWEET. Welcome to KY... HOME OF THE TICKS.