I'm A Craigslist Junkie

When we first moved into our house, there was so much we needed to buy. I found myself addicted to Craigslist on the constant search for a variety of things. After searching long and hard I found an EXCELLENT 7 piece rattan furniture set for our 3 Season porch:

Motivated by this purchase, I looked long and hard for bedroom furniture. The search paid off, because I got a STEAL on this lovely set:

 Then I thought a mirror would be a nice addition to the bedroom:

After much success, I started looking for ways to help organize all of the "stuff" that had accumulated over the past several years and found these 4 shelving units for a great price:

Needless to say, after HOURS of searching for a variety of things on Craigslist, I found myself pleasantly surprised. Now, with it being Winter Break, and having a long list of things to do, I find myself wishing for something to look for on Craigslist. The odd thing about this is that today the sun is actually shining. This should be instant motivation for me to get rockin' on all sorts of house projects. But instead, I'm sitting on the sofa after eating an egg, mushroom, onion, tomato, & cheese sandwich, trying to think of something to search for. This would be a lot easier if I had some extra money to spend, but I don't. So, we'll see how long I waste in my day-dreaming state before I actually get productive. I give myself another 45 minutes before I guilt myself into getting off the couch and accomplishing something that I know I'll feel good about doing.

Happy Thursday!

If I Were A Rich Man...

I'd create a public school where the teachers were allowed to share their faith and spread the love of Jesus to anyone who wanted their child to attend.

I'd buy a huge chunk of land a create as natural of an environment as I could for big animals. Then, anytime "seasoned" animals or neglected animals are going to be put down, they could retire in peace and luxury.

I'd buy another huge chunk of land and start buying out big animal/slaughtering farms and change the requirements to create natural living environments for these animals to live out their lives with the opportunity to roam, play, and enjoy the sunshine, as well as humane ways to put them down since I can't imagine being able to terminate the meat industry (which isn't necessarily what I want either).

I'd travel to all the countries that my Compassion children live in: Haiti, Peru, El Salvador, Philippines, and India to finally meet them face to face.

I'd build my dream house. Complete with a wrap around porch, secret room, and soundproof bathrooms.

I'd foster more animals than just baby raccoons.

I'd hire a great lawyer to get a friend out of prison. Accidents happen and it is unfortunate how an accident can make someone spend more time in prison than a planned crime.

I'd try to change the world. One good deed at a time. Multi-Millionaires and Billionaires, where are you? And why aren't more of you making a difference?

"I really do NOT feel sorry for you."

Yes. I do, indeed, say these words to my students on an almost weekly basis. Okay, not weekly, maybe monthly. How many times can you direct a child to do right, and still, they will do wrong? Some examples from my teaching career:

"Child, you need to keep your arms and legs untucked from your oversized T-Shirt... your arms and legs are there to help protect you if you lose your balance and fall." (After correcting this behavior several times a day over the course of a week): Child goes to music class and proceeds to squat on his chair, tuck his knees into his shirt, and then pull his arms into his shirt, looking like a rock waiting to be pushed off a hill. Well, child loses his balance, and goes head first off the chair and onto the hard floor. Hello goose-egg bump and a need for stitches. "I told you that you needed your arms and legs. I really do NOT feel sorry for you."

I am helping students with their writing assignment at a back table. An excited student asks for more lined paper for the creative story they're writing. I go get more paper. I return to a table with a boy crying because he cut himself. "How did you cut yourself while you were writing?" fully knowing that he had to have been fooling around to get cut. Well, he and his friend thought it would be fun to break their pencils while I was helping the other student. Unfortunately the pencil breaking didn't go as smoothly as planned and it cut him across the palm of his hand. "Pencils are a tool for writing, not a toy for breaking. I really do NOT feel sorry for you."

The YEARLY accident that happens no matter what grade or group of children you have: Students sit in their chairs tipping them so they are balancing all their weight on the front two legs or the back two legs. "Remember, all four legs on the ground." It doesn't matter how many reminders you give. At least four times a year, you hear a loud THUD and then crying. "Yes, when you don't sit on the chair the right way, you CAN fall. I really do NOT feel sorry for you."

"You cut yourself while playing with scissors?"
"You took out a chunk of your face from falling into a bookshelf while playing chase during library time?"
"You hit someone and they hit you back?"
"You tripped while running down the hall?"
"You stepped on a tack while you had your shoes off in school?"
"You pinched your skin in the binder rings after purposely opening and closing them to annoy your neighbor?
"You don't feel that good after eating chalk dust?"
"You stepped in cow poop while fooling around during the tour?" (At Dairy Expo)
"You feel bad because someone responded to the "Yo Momma" joke you said to them with a different "Yo Momma joke? You can dish it but you can't take it?"
"She's looking at you again?"
"She said you have brown hair? You DO have brown hair. What's the problem?"

I REALLY DO NOT FEEL SORRY FOR YOU!
BTW, I am writing all of this with a smile on my face. It's always funnier looking back.
Happy Tuesday! =)

3 Monkeys Mustard

Feeling a little strapped this year, and agreeing with the family to go light on the Christmas gifts, I've been taking time to notice the simple luxuries in life that would make GREAT gifts for people on your "I don't know what to get them" list:

3 Monkeys Mustard: Sweet & Spicy. This knocks your socks off in an awesome way. At $8.25 a jar, it's a great gift that goes a long way. It complements pretzels and makes a great addition to a chicken marinade, among other things.

Craft Store gift cards. Archiver's carries an amazing collection of paper (among other things) and Michael's carries just about anything you would need for crafts (except fabric) and has 40% off coupons pretty much every week. Make the crafty person in your life smile!

Traveling Coffee Mug. Make sure it's one that you can fit your hand into so it can get cleaned well- or, if it's for a guy, who cares how big it is? He'll just throw the whole "Not Dishwasher Safe" item into the dishwasher. Everyone could use another fun traveling coffee mug. When I say nice, I'm thinking those $15 ones at Target that have with random designs on them.

Fun Flannel Sheets. If you don't put on flannel sheets when the cold nights come, you'll never experience the true joy of crawling into your bed at night, and the pain of having to get out of bed in the morning. Seriously, most people don't pamper themselves with fun flannel sheets... why don't you give someone a smile for these cold winter months? =)

Bird Seed. Yes. A gift to feed the birds. Seed can get expensive, so why not gift your "hard to shop for person" a bird feeder and seed? Who knows what birds will come and visit during these cold winter months! Entertainment for hours- or at least a few minutes while they try and figure out what bird was just at their feeder!

And finally, give the gift of creativity. If you have an amazing way with painting, drawing, or any media (JSA), or can take pieces of wood and craft an amazing birdhouse, bird feeder, or piece of home decor, DO IT! Nothing beats a gift crafted from the heart.

If you want to make a difference out of our country, check out: http://www.samaritanspurse.org/ if you'd like to send your money to a world wise cause. Or check out: http://www.compassion.com/ if you'd like to begin sponsoring a child from another country. My 6 kiddos and I all share the same birth date. It's the one thing we have in common (other than lovin' Jesus!) and getting letters from them is truly amazing. One of my current Compassion Children from El Salvador, wants me to explain what a Raccoon is! I sent her pictures of my raccoon rehabbing adventures. Seriously, we CAN make a difference!

Happy Almost Holidays my friends, and remember, simple is better!

What do you live in, A BARN?

Those words were spoken to me once and only once by my husband while we were dating. I hadn't put down the toilet lid. WHAT? A man telling me to put down the toilet lid? Who was I dating and was I really that lucky? I was a little embarrassed about being called out on that, but from that moment on I've always put the lid down. Wherever I am. Hotel. Friend's house. Family's house. If there's a lid, I WILL close it.

Enter Dusty's cats. He got his two cats after I convinced him that they'd make his apartment and his life more happy since he lived alone. Had I known he was going to propose in a few months I would have NEVER encouraged it. 4 cats? Seriously? Well, that's what we have.

The first picture are my cuddly, furry, lovable cats Top: Yahtzee, Lower Level: Ginger.

The second picture shows Dusty's cats: Defensive Mode: Smitty, Attack Mode: Rodger.

Wait, it gets better. Third picture: Devil showin' it's true colors:

With Dusty so Proper, you'd hope that his manners would rub off on his feline children. But, no such luck. His cats DON'T EVEN BURY THEIR POOP! Honest truth. We both consistently have the toilet seat down to prevent appearing like we live in a barn, and his cats will paw at ANYTHING around the litter box, refusing to get their paws dirty by covering their poop with litter. One of his cats pooped... you'll hear clawing on the wall. Another one of his cats pooped... you'll hear it scratching the side of the washing machine (found next to the litter box). His cat pooped... you'll hear clawing on the floor. NEVER are his cats' poops covered.

Experts say that cat owners should have one litter box per cat, per level of home. I refuse to have 12 litter boxes to clean. We used to only have two. One upstairs, and one on the main level. I have recently upgraded to 4. Two upstairs and two on the main level. They are all being used. But NO LUCK with his cats. Rodger and Smitty still haven't learned to cover their poop. This makes getting out of the shower an unforgettable experience when the most recently added litter box is in your "get ready to start the day" bathroom. So what do I do? I COVER IT UP!

They must not have gotten the lecture. I wonder how our kids will turn out...

The 27 Hour Day

I feel like I often get great ideas while working out. Well, today, I figured out an answer to almost all the problems with elementary education. Are you ready for it?

The 27 hour day! Don't roll your eyes yet, just hear me out. This is how it would work: School would start in the morning along with most other businesses. The school day would remain the same: Kids going to their "specials" classes (art, music, gym, library, reach, etc), staff meetings once a month, and of course the insanely growing Professional Development that we are given which will surely fix the problem with failing children (even though it currently takes away from our small amount of planning time which is necessary to be a prepared teacher).

But here's where it all changes. After the kids leave, elementary teachers have an extra THREE HOURS of UNINTERRUPTED preparation and planning. They can read all 27 of their students' Reading Response Logs. They can read all 27 of their students' Writing Journal entries and comment on them so the kids know they have an actual audience with their writing. They can correct the weekly homework, district-encouraged math workbooks, and any other student work that needs to be looked over. When all the STUDENT work is done, they can sit down and read the Lucy Calkins'  Reading Workshop Chapter to prepare for the following day's lesson. They can read the different assigned chapters from their 5 different reading groups so they can have a meaningful discussion with students about what they read the previous night. They can sit down and read the Writing Workshop Chapter to prepare for the following day's lesson. Please keep in mind that EACH of these daily chapters is typically 16 pages long (as well as the Reading Workshop chapters). They can read over and plan for the following day's math investigation and/or create student specific problem solving questions. They can look at the grade level standards for History and Science and create units or modify preexisting units that will captivate the students and encourage learning. They can change their bulletin boards more than once a year. Then, once teachers get home after work, they still have time for a good healthy workout, won't need chiropractic appointments to fix their broken backs from carrying so much work home with them every night, and can pursue their own personal interests- like cleaning the house, working on a hobby, or just taking a bubble bath guilt-free.

So what are the students doing while out of school? MANDATORY FAMILY TIME! Yes! Students MUST spend the extra three hours with their family: reading together, going over any homework together, playing games together, going places together - NOT R-RATED MOVIES, cooking together, volunteering together, and finding ways to promote learning in all areas of life.

All teachers reading this are laughing right now at the thought of three extra hours of work- we're already underpaid, but get this, since this is THE answer to our problem, teachers would get PAID for their extra planning and work, thus feeling motivated to be the best teacher they could be- our extra work and contributions would finally feel valued- WE WOULD FEEL VALUED.

Now, there is a big problem with this picture: What if BOTH parents are in elementary education and have children of their own? Yeah, that is a problem. Teachers' kids need family time too. I guess I haven't worked that one out yet. And in re-reading what teachers would do in an extra three hours a day, I wonder if it's actually enough. I'd be willing to give it a try.

But for now, I'll just continue doing pretty much everything I listed above in the amount of time that I have - or however much I can get done before getting too stressed out and bringing the rest home with me to taunt me from my backpack and make me feel awful for even considering to sit down a read a book of my own choice, write this blog, or watch a movie with my husband. I'll keep putting off doing my scrapbooking, organizing, and any other hobby interests I have to make sure that I'm prepared for my next day of teaching. But you know what? I'll still do my best to smile every day at school and let my students know that my job is to be the best teacher I can be and their job is to be the best learner they can be. The question is, how long can elementary teachers last with a lifestyle like this?

Now, I need to decide: Time with my husband or reading tomorrow's chapters for school... What would you do? You'd think it'd be an easy choice, but nothing feels worse than having 27 students staring at you or getting out of control because you're not prepared...

Happy Tuesday Night.

I Will Always Try

I save things. I don't always like this animal compassion that I have, but I always give in to the desire to save animals from an unnecessary death as often as possible. Sometimes it results in getting other people involved in my animal rescues against their will...

Hwy Q from Middleton heading to Waunakee: Just about dusk. I see a HUGE turtle on the side of the road. I watch him as my car approaches the stoplights just beyond, praying that he has already crossed the road and will not attempt to cross the four lanes of traffic to get to the other side. To my dismay, I see him in the rearview mirror start to head into the first of 4 lanes of traffic. The light turns green, no one else is around... so I put my car in reverse and pull off the side of the road. Once I'm up to the turtle, I see that not only is he a HUGE snapping turtle, but he is watching me like a hawk, turning his body to follow my every move. Who do I call? My dad. What does he tell me? In order to move a snapping turtle you need to pick him up by the tail. THE TAIL?! Are you kidding me? I tried, with fear showing in my facial expressions and actions. I thought I firmly had the tail, but the giant moved around, almost lunging at me and pulled its tail in- giving me a nice gouge on my finger. At this time a police officer happened to be driving along and spotted me. He turned around to see what the problem was. When he saw the turtle and heard the advice about moving it by its tail, he said a few choice words and said there was no way he was touching that animal. I told him I wouldn't leave until the turtle was on the other side of the road, and told him not to worry about me. I went to my car and emptied out my box of outdoor equipment (rollerblades, frisbee, basketball, volleyball, glove, softball, etc- you never know when you'll need those things) and the cop went to his car and came back with an ice scrapper (in the middle of summer). He used the scraper to force the turtle to go into the box. Eventually the turtle was contained and the officer carried it across four lanes of traffic and into the tall grasses on the other side. He maintained a good distance from the box as he released the turtle. When he handed me my box I thanked him. He again said a few choice words and we both went on our way. My mood: Happy.

On Century Avenue, heading home after a number of disappointments, just about dusk, I came across the biggest raccoon I had ever seen in the middle of the road. It had been hit. I stopped my car, put on my flashers and approached the animal. It was on its back and was breathing heavily as it moved its feet in the air trying to move. I looked around and found myself alone on the typically busy road. I called my nearby friend with a truck who might run it over to put it out of its misery, but there was no answer. I looked at the raccoon and started balling right there in the middle of the road. I went to the back seat of my car and pulled out a plastic grocery bag. Using the bag to protect my hands, I began to haul the raccoon over to the side of the road, crying the entire way, apologizing to it for its predicament. Once safe on the side of the road, I watched it gasp a few more times, and then breathe his last breath and become still. My mood: Complete and Utter Misery. I went right home and cried myself to sleep.

On Gammon Road, early morning, heading to school (last week), I noticed a group of birds circling above the road in an unusual manner. As I got closer, I saw something white in the road. I figured it was a bird that had been hit. It was. Only, this bird was still sitting upright and looking around, but it couldn't move. I turned into the first possible place, keeping my eye on the bird and the cars that were hopefully missing it, quickly parked, and flew into the street. Thankfully the bird hadn't been hit again and I scooped her up and took her back to my car. A driver passing me gave me a funny look. I looked at the large (and surprisingly beautiful) seagull in my hands and wondered what I was going to do with it. I looked up at the crows waiting in the trees and told them, "NOT TODAY, CROWS!" Knowing I didn't have a box of sporting equipment in my car anymore, I did what any normal animal lover would do: I carefully set the seagull on the passenger seat next to me. With my foot shaking on the gas pedal, and my right hand petting the bird, telling it that it would be okay, I headed to school. Long story short, Animal Control came to pick up the bird. Having a very negative image of Animal Control in my mind, I was pleasantly surprised with how friendly the woman was who came to get my seagull. She was very optimistic about the bird and would be taking it to the Emergency Animal Hospital to be checked out. I'm pretty sure its leg was broken and it appeared to have an injury possibly from a pecking crow. I told my class it was our Thankful Seagull since it was the day before Thanksgiving. At the end of it all, my mood was: VERY HAPPY!

With plenty more stories to share, I'll leave you with my mother's advice to me over this Thanksgiving's visit. She said it would be wise to always have an animal crate and gloves in my car. And since my compassion for animals will never end, I think I'll take her up on that idea. Time to go to craigslist and find an animal crate.

Just for fun, here are two other pictures of "animal rescue" opportunities that I have had. I wish I had photos to go with them all.

My first litter of coons to rehab & release.

A partially blind dog I found stopping traffic
in the middle of Hwy 78. She hung out with me
for several hours before anyone claimed her.

The THAWP

I have some vivid memories of spending time with my cousins when we were all young. In a few of those memories, when my boy cousins would need a little "redirection" there was a heart-filled, solid, THWAP to the base of the back of their heads- given by their dad of course. Even though I found the THWAP a tad humorous, especially since it wasn't happening to me, I also semi-feared it. As I grew up, I found myself (once in a great while) using a very mild version of the THAWP when babysitting. It was never a hurtful THAWP, just a silly, "You know better, you doof!" kind of THAWP.

Well, this week, after one of my WONDERFUL students did something he wasn't supposed to, but there's no way I could be upset at him, I gave him a loving THWAP. I thought it was a totally fine, silly thing to do. We (the class) were all in good spirits that day. As I was walking back to the front of the room, I noticed that this student wasn't smiling... That's when the fear stepped in. Not the fear of getting THWAPPED myself, but the fear of kids saying that I HIT a student in my class.

I immediately tried to fix the situation, and with a smile I my face said, "That didn't hurt, did it?" He said, "A little." SHOOT! Full out apology, already imagining the phone call from his dad asking why I hit his son. My last comment was something along the lines of, "I feel really bad about that, I meant it as fun." He responded by saying very firmly, "Well, maybe this will make you feel better," as he walked directly over to me. I knelt down a little and prepared myself for a THWAP to the back of my head, fully expecting that's what he was going to do. Instead he gave me a HUGE HUG! "There!" he said, "Does that make you feel better?"

OMW. I love my students this year. I also dislike how I read into the small stuff too much. He was fine, the class was fine. I'm fine. But no more THWAPPING this year!

Completely Random Life

The days continue to fly by... Since my last post, my turtle continues to enjoy eating her feeder fish. Thankfully the bleach from cleaning the tank didn't get the best of her- I won't be making that mistake again!

And continuing on the topic of life, I got to see my sister over the weekend and help host her Baby Shower. 25 happy women in one house, all excited to celebrate the upcoming birth of her baby girl. When all was said and done, and it was only my sister and I hanging out, she gave me the opportunity to feel her baby moving in her round belly. I know life is a miracle, but I couldn't help thinking about a few X-Files moments.

Once I got back home, I was eager to use my 30% off coupon at Kohls. I'm in desperate need of a pair of new shoes (being able to touch your toes while having shoes on isn't a skill), black pants, a good fitting pair of jeans, and a winter coat (it's a little embarrassing when I go to put my hair up and strangers can see that I'm wearing a coat with holes under both arms). So after school today, I headed out for my amazing trip to Kohls, ready to spend money and come home with some great new items...

46 pairs of pants later, I discovered the same thing I discover every time I venture out to buy new pants: I'm short. The pants that fit me well are always too long. The pants that have the right length, are bulky everywhere else. Depending upon the brand & department within the store, my size ranges from 4 to 9 and in other clothing XS to XL. Feeling beaten and discouraged, I sauntered into the baby department. Let's just say that it's easy to buy super cute baby clothes when nothing fits you right. I think I'll have to make a return tomorrow. But I did wind up with a good new pair of shoes. =) I'll show them off to my students tomorrow. They'll be proud of me.

Speaking of students, does anyone want to read 27 writing notebooks and 27 reading response logs for me tonight? Yeah, I didn't think so. 

Happy Tuesday Night!

And then there were four...

That is Turtle Makena. Turtle is what we typically call her, but her middle name, Makena, means Smiling Happy One- given to her by a former student who adopted her for a summer. She is my classroom rescue pet (African Sideneck) that I've had for a couple years now.

When I first put in a live plant for her to enjoy, I didn't think twice about the snail we discovered that had been on the plant. We let it live. And what I wouldn't give to go back to that day and kill that snail. As the years passed, more and more snails continued to appear. Emptying out the rocks and cleaning the tank regularly did not help eliminate the snail problem.

This year, however, the tank developed more than just a snail problem. It got worms. WORMS! If I google diagnosed it correctly, they are Nematodes. Smaller than 3 millimeters and appear after continual over feeding. I warned my students that we can only feed her a certain amount of food each day, but it wouldn't surprise me if they figured it wouldn't hurt to give her a little more (she is a beggar)- or if a student fed it when it wasn't his/her job for the week resulting in more than twice the amount she should get. However it happened, the tank got disgusting. I cleaned it multiple times per week and it didn't get better. On top of that, Turtle wasn't eating. I've never seen her NOT eat. I think she gets that from me.

So earlier this week, turtle got relocated to a new TINY apartment. A 10 gallon tank with a new filtration system and heater while I worked on her 40 gallon home. She still wouldn't eat. Enough was enough. I went to the store, bought a huge container of bleach, and went to town. After all the original water was removed, I poured in the bleach. It was the first time I experienced JOY from death. I watched the worms wiggle and thrash around in the bleach until there was no more movement. I watched the snails fall off the sides of the tank and lay motionless among the gravel. Well, maybe it wasn't joy, but more of RELIEF!

Just to be sure, I let the bleach sit in the tank overnight. Kudos to the students that sit closest to her tank because it smelled of an over chlorinated pool for two days. Friday came and Turtle still wasn't eating. I was feeling desperate. I knew that our principal was going to let me in on Sunday to finish working on the tank, but I didn't want to wait. I emptied the bleach and the rocks and hauled the tank to my car. Brought it home, scrubbed it out, and hosed it down. Called school to see if the building was still open and raced back to school to reconstruct Turtle's home. I made a quick stop at PetSmart and did something I never planned on doing. I bought feeder fish.

Once I got the 40 gallon tank back into my room, I began to fill it up, one bucket at a time. I had also bleached and scrubbed down her basking log (I am REALLY hoping nothing survived through that since it didn't sit overnight in it) and returned it to it's proper place in the tank. I talked to Turtle as I removed the nice new filter and heater from her apartment to her home. I released the 5 feeder fish into the sparkling clean tank, put the basking light above the basking log and looked around to make sure I had not forgotten anything. It was time to return Turtle to her home.

I put her on her basking log and she hurried off of it and roamed with pleasure (I hope) around her proper home- free from the tiny 10 gallon jail she had stayed in for three long nights. And then I grabbed a chair and sat to watch the show- if there would be a show. I just wanted to see her eat one fish.

As I watched the fish swim around her, I saw Turtle look at me. It seemed like she was saying, "I've been alone in this tank for three years and you want me to EAT the first living thing you put in here with me?" But as I waited, I think she was saying, "Thank you for making me feel alive again!" I watched her stay still as a rock, only moving her little eyes to follow the fast moving fish as they swam by her. Suddenly, in one quick movement, her neck stretched out and snapped at a fish. Miss. I was excited. I watched longer. The second time: Miss. The third time: SUCCESS! She gulped that fish down and seemed excited to be a hunter. Seeing that it was just about 8:00pm on a Friday night, I knew I needed to head back home, but at least I had seen her eat. I knew she would have some food that would not rot in her tank for the next two days. I wanted to wait until there were three fish left, but I, myself, was hungry and wanted to get home.

Here's hoping on Sunday, when I go in to get some work done, that she'll be a renewed turtle. If all is well over the next couple weeks, I think we'll add a friend to her tank- one that she can't eat. That was the original plan before we got worms...

This was my FIRST turtle tank picture when I got her. There is that snail-bearing plant. And I can see that Turtle HAS grown quite a bit since I first got her. When I go in on Sunday, I'll take a new photo of Turtle in her home.

Back to Reality

Walked into my classroom that smelled like rotten garbage: Thank you practicum student for your Decomposing Banana Experiment.

Helped a teacher unjam a crumply paper-packed photocopier: Hello slice to the knuckle and gushing blood.

Ate way too many pieces of Halloween Candy given to me by my students: Good Bye morning workout.

Yep. I'm back to reality.
Time to Foos!

Bring It!

I'm feeling a little bit invincible right now. I know this feeling won't last, but I'll take it while I have it!

First of all, there has been the recent passing in the senate that teachers can now be observed, evaluated, and let-go based on student performance, lack of progress, and bad testing scores. I have mixed feelings about this. Instead of ranting and raving about the necessity to hold parents accountable, as well as keeping in mind that some children are just trying to survive each day, I say BRING IT! I welcome anyone into my classroom. Come see the environment we, as a class, have created. Come see my students greet each other eye-to-eye and take the time to listen to each other every day. Come see their Reading Logs, Writing Journals, and Red Hot Problem Solving Notebooks. Come listen to them as they participate in classroom discussions and activities while they learn about the world around them. Observe me. Evaluate me. And I dare you to let me go. (I told you I was feeling invincible!)

Secondly, I've started making working out a priority again. I've been mixing up what I do as well as making sure it gets done. Twice this week I worked out before school- and today, I worked out after school as well. I know it's not realistic to work out twice in one day, but hey, why not do it while I'm motivated to? I know it won't last forever.

Finally, over the past year, I've been cutting out the amount of alcohol I consume. I went from being a 21 year old who never had alcohol, to a 31 year old, finding it easy to make a delicious mixed drink at the end of a long day. Am I proud of that? No. Am I ashamed of it? No. Thankfully, my addictive personality didn't cling to alcohol and it's easy to pass on an evening drink. I just need to take the time to think about whether I really want it or not. Once I take two seconds to think about it, saying "No" is easy.

So, with having an AWESOME class this year and feeling confident that I'm making a difference, working out regularly once again, and passing on the quickly adding calories of an evening beverage, I'm feeling ON TOP OF THE WORLD!

Now I only hope that tomorrow my day goes well, I don't skip out on my workout (since I have to do it in the morning because of Foosball in the evening), and that I don't give into the temptation of a drink while playing Foosball at a bar. Ooosh. Maybe I posted this too soon...

Happy Wednesday Night!
What makes you feel invincible?

Big Bang Theory...

Well, if you're thinking that you'll be reading about debatable ideas, I've misled you. If you've ever seen the show The Big Bang Theory, you're quite familiar with Sheldon who is ridiculously unreasonable. However, he came into mind today while I was working out on the treadmill. 

There was one episode where Sheldon decided to leave all of his decision making up to the flip of a coin. Of course, it didn't result in preferable choices for him.

That's where the struggle of working out comes up for me. I want to work out, but I don't want to think about what I have to do. I want someone to make the decisions for me- otherwise I default back to a standard elliptical routine while watching T.V. or a treadmill run/walk. When I had a membership to the Princeton Club, I'd attend many of the classes offered there, a couple times a week. I also had a friend to help motivate me, and I knew I'd get a good workout in, with a variety of activities and muscle groups being worked without having to think about it.

Today, I wanted to do something different, but I didn't want to have to think about it. I did decide on a workout with music instead of the T.V. I feel that T.V. sucks me into a "bare minimum" kind of zone that doesn't give me the best results nor motivate me to do much after the workout.

So, I created (on a post-it) Rules of Random Run, got on the treadmill, and turned to a country station. Here are the "Think Free" rules:

Male Artist: Fast Walk (4.0 at incline 3)
Female Artist: Walk or Jog Backwards (2.5 at incline 3)
Male Group: Fast Walk at an Incline (4.0 at incline 7)
Female Group: Run Fast (6.0-7.0 at incline 3)
Mixed Group: Average Run (5.0 at incline 3)
Favorite Song: Run at an Incline (4.5 at incline 7)
Unfamiliar Song: Walking Lunges (1.0 at incline 3)

After an hour I had definitely done a non-typical workout on that machine. Thinking that I'd know all the songs and not have to do any lunges, I found myself doing two LONG songs of lunges- pretty sure I won't be able to stand up or sit down comfortably the next two days. I also discovered that there are a LOT of single male artists, so I did a lot of fast walking and only one song of an average run. I also got in a couple good lengths of walking backwards which I don't do as frequently but was definitely feeling in my legs, and thankfully got a favorite song, but didn't necessarily like the incline running (but I did it).

Anyway, if you want to try something different that makes the decisions for you, but has better results than Sheldon flipping a coin, give this a try- switch up the rules to what you're comfortable with and see if you like it. I know I'll be doing it again!

Happy Saturday!

Time Flies...

I am always amazed at how fast time passes the older you get. Where did the last week and a half go? How is it that some weeks I can "post" just about every day, while other weeks not at all. Well, here's a summary of what has been happening on my end of the world:

Watercolor Painting Class has ended. I didn't make my goal of painting a sunflower, but here are three of my class assignments. I did learn a lot about various ways you can use watercolor as well as things you can add to the paint to change the texture...

 As far as teaching goes, I'm back in action doing lessons with my students- I LOVE IT! We just finished our Thank You Card to Arena Cheese for their cheese donation on our Cheese Tasting Day. We wrote wonderful notes to the owner and cheesemakers to let them know which cheese was our favorite and to thank them for their generosity. Here's how the card turned out:

I don't know if you can rotate pictures on here, but you get the point. We wrote our notes on various sized circles to try & make the inside look like swiss cheese.

Foosball has also started back up again, so my Thursday nights are no longer free. I don't have any pictures of our team this year, but I did find one of me and Elvis/Zig/Chad - He's the one who keeps the Foosball League up and running. I also have a thing where if there's a wall behind me, I like to prop my foot up on it while I play... Don't know where that originated.

And even though I want to write more tonight, my husband just got a fire going in the other room and I'd rather play some Foosball, Dominoes, Sequence, Mille Bornes, Rummy, or Skip-Bo with him. =) Happy Friday Night!

Run Like the Wind!

We've started a walking/running club during recess at school. This is quite comparable to the marathon challenge that I give to my students in the months of April and May each year: 131 laps around the playground (26.2 miles). The number of kids that walk/run each day continues to grow.

Today, I hauled two girls around with me who typically are stirring up trouble and talking about other people. They laughed as I hooked arms with them and drug them for the first part of the lap. They happily walked with me the rest of the way and picked up their pace when I told a group of other 5th graders who were becoming a mob on the track that if I beat them, they'd all owe me recess. =)  They picked up their pace, some holding up their pants as they ran, to complete before me. A few continued doing laps as I went on to interact with a few more kids on the course.

On my last lap, I caught up with two stellar running students. One student was in my class last year, and I consider him to be the PERFECT student: Always follows directions the first time, does his classwork and homework AND turns it in on time, has a great attitude no matter what we're doing, has a wonderful sense of humor, is kind and friends with everyone, and knows how to say things that make people feel better. Anyway, they saw me coming and I could feel a race coming on...

I booked it to catch up with them and then put my "I WILL beat these 5th graders" running legs on. I didn't run like the wind- I more so pounded like an elephant as I made my legs move faster than ever, determined to beat them. Each year my students say I'll never outrun them, and every year I feel the need to prove them wrong. I did not want this to be the year that I lost. I was pretty sure I made the mistake of running a much longer distance than I normally do, but I think that's what helped me in the long run... I felt my heart pounding, my lungs about to explode, but I worked my way past those two boys running for all they had and I won. I WON!

But then it took at least 30 minutes for me to regain my breath and start feeling normal again. I wonder if I'll be challenged to a race tomorrow...

Missing...

I MISS my students. I miss telling them my stories. I miss making a fool of myself in front of them when teaching them something new and trying to come up with ways to help them remember a concept. I miss randomly bursting into song when one of them says something that can be connected to the lyrics of a song. I miss demanding their attention when I ring our bell and watching them turn and smile at me when the bell rings. I miss being the one to help them solve their problems.

I LOVE teaching. I have a student teacher. I SO APPRECIATE her. No classroom should be without two adults. Honestly, to truly reach all the children who are neglected at home, a classroom needs at least three teachers in the room at all times. This week and last week are my student teacher's full weeks of teaching. I am supposed to be "unavailable." I am having a hard time with it. I want to step in and redirect the children who are distracted. I want to be the one reading the read-aloud book and becoming the characters by changing my voice in the book while they eat their snack. I want to be the one encouraging them as they read, write, and solve problems.

So, in thinking about all of this, I AM in the right profession. I LOVE what I do. I also NEED the summers to wind down from one school year and wind up for the next. A teacher cannot work 8-14+ hours a day for an entire year- the summer is the only breath of fresh air they get.

I could do without the piles of correcting that comes home each night, the upset parent phone calls, and the endless prep work that needs to be done each day, but really, what else can I do? If there's a job opening that allows me to be creative, keep decent hours, never take work home with me, and know that I'm changing lives in a positive direction, PLEASE contact me. Otherwise, I'm where I need to be and can't wait to be back in action on Monday.

If you know a teacher, thank them for all they do to make learning FUN and MEANINGFUL!
Happy Tuesday!

SUCCESS!

I just got home from my second to last watercolor painting class feeling pretty happy. I'm happy to get my Monday nights back again, but the real reason that I'm happy is because I achieved my goal when I first signed up: To make new friends.

Mary, Yvonne, and Kathy. Three women who have the ability to light up the room when they smile, make a stranger feel welcome, and appreciate the simple things in life. Even though the conversations during class were a bit limited, I have no doubt in my mind that these are spectacular women that I hope I will spend time with in the near future- perhaps on other artistic adventures.

Even better, they all have Facebook accounts. Seriously, how can anyone dislike Facebook (except for its ability to suck you in when you first sign up)? Being able to reconnect with friends from grade school, keep in touch with friends who have moved away, and feel like a jump away from family, is priceless. Having just left my painting class 30 minutes ago, I've already found them and "friend-quested" them. I hope they'll have me.

Next on my "to do" list is either a sewing, quilting, or different art class. However, if anyone happens to have Rosetta Stone: Spanish just sitting at home collecting dust, I'll gladly take that off your hands for a bit and put relearning Spanish on the top of my list.

What is on your "to do" list?
Happy Monday!

It's Not Worth It...

Today has been a day full of practicing patience. From going to Sam's Club, grocery shopping at Woodmans, and dealing with drivers who think you can read their mind, it has been a long day. At Sam's Club I noticed a man with random pieces of masking tape on his back. I looked around and no one around him was making him aware of his sticky situation. So, I stepped up and took the tape off of his back, letting him know why I was touching him. He was probably in his 50s or 60s and was very nice. He thanked me twice and let me know that he didn't need the tape adding to his dorkiness. I liked him. BUT THEN, the guy in the check out line in front of me, started talking politics. He wasn't nice. When he found out I was buying snacks for my classroom, he commented on how kids are all messed up these days and how social workers are screwing up the system. I bit my tongue and just said that maybe some responsibility needs to fall on parenting, but there's no way we can have a perfect world. I have always found it wise not to get involved in arguing against other people's beliefs- especially with strangers in a public place.

Then I went to Woodmans. I love kids, don't get me wrong, but they need guidelines while in public places. I don't like tripping over kids who are chasing each other down the aisles. I don't like people who can't figure out if they should turn down an aisle or not, and I don't like people who block an entire aisle with their body and cart, even though they see you waiting to pass them (this doesn't bother me so much if the store isn't busy). But one thing that makes me smile time and time again, is when I smile at an elderly person who is a bit slow-moving with their cart, and say, "excuse me" as I pass them with a kind nod, and a smile. Their smile and acknowledgement of me truly makes my day. I wonder if they are sick of all the rudeness that exists in the world today.

Then I started my drive home. I'm sorry, but I cannot read your mind. If you are planning to turn, please use your blinkers. If you want to get somewhere faster, passing me at a crazy speed and then cutting in front of me, only to arrive at the same destination at the same time, doesn't help. And if you have cruise control, PLEASE USE IT! 60mph.... 55mph...50mph....60mph....65mph...50mph... Good heavens, no wonder there are so many accidents these days- actually, I'm surprised there's not more.

Then I went out to eat with my husband. We went to our local establishment which was quite busy after the Badger game. We got a waitress we didn't recognize. She wasn't good. Actually, she was pretty bad. The people behind us were appalled by her and didn't leave her a tip because of how rude she was to them. Then, we got incomplete food and no silverware to eat with. She said she'd be right back with silverware, but didn't return for 15 minutes. Thankfully, the table behind us let the bartender know we needed silverware to eat, and he helped us out before she got back. No smile, awful service, and a snooty attitude. Bah.

Then my husband and I got in the most ridiculous "tiff" ever. I'll blame it on our bad waitress. Once we got home, I took a bubble bath, knowing it's not worth being mad over, even though I kind of want to be. But in the end, I have the choice of forgetting the disappointments and frustrations of the day and enjoying the rest of the night. So I'm moving on with my day- past is the past. I'm now ready to enjoy some foosball with my husband and then play a game in front of the fire.

Why hold on to stupid stuff that happens? It's just not worth it. Oh, and BTW, Rodger, one of my husband's cats who is sitting on my lap has AWFUL breath. I guess I'll let that go too. =)

Happy Saturday night!

I want to be like Aaron Rodgers

Aaron Rodgers' mom shares a recent conversation she had with her son: (and I have no idea why my font won't change to what I want)...

"He said, 'My goals have changed, Mom,' "Darla Rodgers said." 'I don't really desire anymore to be the best quarterback in the NFL because I want to be remembered as one of the best men who played quarterback in the NFL.' " 

Seriously, can Wisconsin have a better QB representing our state? I must say that this year I, too, have changed my perspective on teaching. I don't want to be just another teacher, or a good teacher- I want my students to remember me as the one teacher who made a difference.

But how does one work on accomplishing a goal like this? Here's what I've come to conclude, which also exposes my past, current, and future goals:

1) STAY POSITIVE: Focus on what you CAN DO instead of on what you can't. Remind students of all they can do, and what they can do to be proud of themselves.

2) HELP ANYONE WHEN AN OPPORTUNITY PRESENTS ITSELF: Whether it's a fellow teacher; past, current, or possibly future student; any adult that works in the building; I will help if I can. A few minutes to help another  doesn't put me "out" at all.

3) COMMUNICATE WITH PARENTS: This is the first year I contacted all my families within the first two days of school (except of course the families who had disconnected or no-longer-in-service numbers, as well as my two Spanish speaking families because I didn't want to risk embarrassment with my broken Spanish skills). However, I did (within a week) get through to all families - except my two Spanish speaking families, who might be a little upset with me, which will make me know for future reference that I can't let language barriers stop my communications home. But because of these immediate contacts, I feel so much more at ease talking with them about anything that might be happening at school.

4) SMILE AND LAUGH A LOT IN FRONT OF CHILDREN: Attitudes are contagious. I want mine to be one that's worth catching. It's also hard not to smile when someone else is.

5) BE HONEST AND SILLY WHILE EXPRESSING A SENSE OF URGENCY: This is the time to hook kids onto school and their future education. If one can't have fun while teaching, one should not be teaching. Unfortunately, I know some teachers who never seem to smile, and I know of a past family (probably not the only one) who doesn't like me as a teacher because I "just like to have fun." Well, sorry to that family, but if you can't have fun in elementary school, there's a problem.

6) LISTEN TO UPLIFTING MUSIC ON THE DRIVE IN TO WORK: How can you not want to make a difference after listening to 30+ minutes of encouraging music on the way to your job every day that makes you want to reach out to others and change the world, one person at a time?

7) APPRECIATE EVERY LIFE YOU ENCOUNTER: Everyone was given life for a reason. If we can't see past children's problems, home life, or horror stories, we just become another person who didn't make a difference.

So, yes, I want to be like Aaron Rodgers. I don't want to be the best NFL QB, but I do want to be one of the best teachers that my students will ever remember. Every moment, interaction, & conversation COUNT.

Thank Goodness

Life is full of countless "what-if" thoughts. Typically I find myself trying to steer clear of them because you can't change the past and often "what-if" scenarios are not worth dwelling on. However, over the past few days, I've come to realize there are positive "what-if" moments.

What if I hadn't have gotten rear ended on my way to school a few weeks ago? I probably wouldn't have kept my eye on a driver flying down Hwy 14 who would've slammed into me while going at least 60 mph as I waited to turn onto the road home, most likely sending me into the oncoming car. THANK GOODNESS I got rear-ended.

What if I wouldn't have risked asking a group of women at my watercolor painting class if I could sit with them my second week in? I know I would've lost an opportunity to enjoy the lives of three very interesting women (two of which are 70- but I NEVER would've guessed it) who I am growing to admire more and more after each class. THANK GOODNESS I took a risk.

What if I didn't get a student teacher this year because I was too afraid that I wouldn't be a good mentor? I wouldn't have realized how much I've learned over the years I've been teaching and possibly never seen myself as a "good" teacher. I finally feel like I know what I'm doing in the classroom. THANK GOODNESS I opened up to a stranger.

What if the frustrated parent didn't come into school to complain about her child missing recess? I wouldn't have realized this child is not telling his parents the whole truth about not using his class time wisely, therefore never completing his assignments, and having the weekend to complete one of them (which he promised he'd do- but didn't) allowing me to address this situation right away at the beginning of the year to prevent future miscommunications. THANK GOODNESS for upset parents.

What if I had a great self image when I was younger and never struggled with a weight problem? I don't think I'd ever know what it was like to conquer something that was life changing, allowing me to be proud of myself. THANK GOODNESS for hardships in life.

"What-if" thoughts, just like the way you approach life, can be positive or negative. My goal is to continue to look at my "what-if" thoughts in a positive light, helping me to appreciate where I am in life, instead of wishing away things that have happened to me. THANK GOODNESS for the ability to choose how you react to life circumstances.

Sunny Sunday!

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of discovering that one of our cats had vomited on our bed. It might have been okay if it was just on the sheet or the corner of the comforter, but no, since the bed was not made that morning, the vomit started on the fitted sheet (soaked through to the mattress protector), continued to the sheet itself and then down to the comforter that was partially on the bed and the floor, and somehow found a way to stick to the bed skirt. The only thing not effected were the pillows. So, EVERYTHING got washed. Unfortunately, the mattress protector ripped to shreds in the wash (I'm not sure how- it was a regular wash and dry item), but everything else came out nice and clean.

TODAY, I woke up on crisp, clean sheets, with the neighbor's chickens clucking, the cats sleeping beside me, and the sun shining. IT WAS A GREAT DAY! Dust and I cheated and watched church online this morning while drinking coffee, I ran into town to run some errands, came home and made a cheese spread (recipe from Alton Brown) before heading over to Dust's grandparents' house to pick some pumpkins from their patch and enjoy a fantastically filling dinner. Missed a run with my dear friend, but will hopefully make it up sometime this week.

Now I'm going to relax a little while the Brewers finish winning and then flip to the Packers to hopefully see another win. Why can't every day be this relaxing and productive at the same time?

Wonderful Wisconsin

I have a love-hate relationship with Wisconsin. The only dislike I have for it is the LONG winters. I think I could handle the winter just fine if snow didn't effect the roads or if the roads weren't full of winter-rage drivers thinking their vehicle will never spin out or lose control. I could also live without my nose hairs freezing in a funny way when it's just THAT cold outside.

But today, I felt much love for my home state. It was BEAUTIFUL today. The morning started with a leisure back road drive to and through Devil's Lake with my GPS husband behind the wheel. He has the ability to drive somewhere once and then map it in his brain so that he literally becomes his own GPS. On the drive, I saw such a splendor of complementary colors and simplistic beauty that I had to take a picture.

This is THE picture of Wisconsin.

One of the destinations during this drive was Ski Hi. I wanted to get my annual Apple Turnover and Apple-Cinnamon Donut. We got our treats, along with a five pound bag of Macintosh apples (to make Hough Apple Pie), and a gallon of apple cider, and walked through their apple orchard. We took a different route home with the windows open and I enjoyed every minute of it.

When we got home we worked outside, taking advantage of the warm weather. Today was one of the days I LOVE Wisconsin (also on the days when the Brewers, Badgers, and Packers all win).

Just keep your shoes on!

I've come to the conclusion that the key to staying productive is by first putting on your shoes and then keeping them on. Yesterday I did just that, and got an insane amount of stuff done- never feeling overworked.

I started my morning with a cup of coffee and no direction for the day. It was as soon as I walked out of the kitchen with my coffee that I looked into our 3 season porch and was horrified that I couldn't see out the windows. Were they frost covered or just really dirty? I decided that this would be the day I would wash the windows in our home. Four hours later, I had only completed the porch windows, but was very satisfied with the result. Had someone told me that morning that it was possible to actually feel a film residue on the windows left from chemical cleaners, I would have thought them ridiculous. However, as I wiped and wiped and wiped (with my homemade cleaner), trying to get rid of the streaks that kept appearing, I slowly noticed the "waxy" buildup being removed, and felt a nice, clean and smooth surface underneath the rag I was using. As I went from window to window, I found the same thing happening. You CAN feel the difference between a truly clean window and one that has clear build-up on it.

I kept my shoes on.

Then I noticed the porch needed a good cleaning, so I picked up and vacuumed, ending with a BEAUTIFUL place to hang out on this sunny Sunday.

I kept my shoes on.

While walking outside to check the deer camera for any visiting raccoons, I noticed pine cones had completed covered a part of our yard after the strong wind storm. So, I got the wheel barrow and picked them all up, piling them high and counting on their sappy exterior to keep them from falling off. After completing that task, I needed to find out how to remove sap from my hands. I googled it... BUTTER! I used butter, got sap-free hands within seconds, and looked around.

I kept my shoes on.

The kitchen needed some tidying. I cleaned the kitchen, emptied the dishwasher, filled it again, and put away the items that were finished air drying. 

I kept my shoes on.

Since it was dinner time, I decided on chicken fajitas. YUMMY! I sat down on the couch with my homemade fajitas to eat and watch a little T.V. BUT... I kept my shoes on!

With the shoes on, I didn't feel ready to call it a night. So, after eating, I went into the basement and cleaned out my workout area, put accumulated items away, and completed my coaster wall (see Cheap, Frugal, Thief blog). I hauled the vacuum down there and vacuumed up the cat hair, random millipede bodies (where did they come from?), and was proud of my clean work-out area.

At this point, I felt VERY satisfied with my day and concluded my night with a Netflix movie. With my shoes off, I sharpened about 75 pencils with a small hand sharpener, resulting with two decent sized blisters. I finished the movie and hit the sack.

A productive day all because I kept my shoes on...

Cheap... Frugal... Thief...?

I just might be all of the above, but probably not in the way you're thinking. I don't have expensive taste because I can't afford to. Having been taught the importance of "Delayed Gratification" and "Pay in Full," I have only ever had three "loans" or payment plans. The first was my student loan from college which I amazingly (and thankfully) paid off in a little over two years. Keep in mind that I worked like crazy, had no new clothes, and didn't have much of a life during that time. The second is the house loan that I share with my husband, and the third is for my car which should be paid off around this coming May.

So, what does someone collect who doesn't like to pay big bucks for anything? (Except Christmas gifts- I love giving gifts!) I'm not talking about my collection of classic board and card games, or the insanely large collection of erasers that I have from growing up, but instead a collection that began when I turned 21. Coasters. I collect coasters. When I lived in my apartment, I used them as a border to go around the second bedroom. As I added more and more coasters, I went around the room a second time and a third time. However, when we moved into our home, I wasn't sure where to put this crazy collection of miscellaneous coasters from all over the world. I eventually settled on the wall in the basement where I work out. That way, while working out, if I happen to spot a repeat coaster, I can take it down and replace it with a new one- but that's only happened once.

Tonight, I decided to put up my pile of recently collected coasters and was thrilled to finish off the wall. I figured that this would be a good time to practice adding pictures to my blog. Enjoy!

Leaving Comments

Several friends and family members have told me they are having a hard time leaving comments on my blog, so I looked up how to do it through the help link...
Who Can Comment?

• Only Registered Users: if not logged in already, visitors will be prompted to log into Blogger before leaving a comment. If they don't have an account, they can create one

Oooohhhh! Create an account- it's free, and I'd LOVE to read any and all thoughts or comments- if anyone actually reads this.

Thanks!

You Might Be a Loser If...

With the husband gone for the weekend, it seemed to be a great time to spend a few extra hours at school playing catch up- or CLEAN UP more like it. So I did. After getting our THIRD changed schedule for the school year, my student teacher and I mapped out what next week would look like, completely rearranged the students' desks, and then she took off for a packed weekend with her boyfriend's Nebraska fan family coming over to their place for the big game this weekend. I looked around the room and wondered where on earth I should start. Books. A child's education begins with the power of words, so to my classroom library I went. I sorted, reorganized, and separated at least 300 books. So there I knelt, on the carpet with my shoes off... avoiding what I call the "poop stain" which is actually the mark on my carpet left from a spilled root beer float that a parent brought in for her daughter's birthday. It took 8 years before I got a noticeable stain on my carpet, and for that, I am quite proud. However, I'm a bit disappointed in myself for forgetting on a daily basis to bring my carpet cleaner to school to take care of it... I HAVE to do it before Open House, or my parents might change their opinion of me.

Needing a break from "book" work, I went to my desk which was piled high with papers and things that needed to be sorted. Once I could see the top of my desk, I moved to the kidney table which was also piled with more paperwork. When the kidney table was done, I crossed the room to my rectangular table - you guessed it - that was also piled with paperwork and clutter that needed to be organized. When that was done, I looked at my three broken electronic pencil sharpeners that have no "home" and thought, UGH. These need to go. But I can't throw them away. Maybe they'll still work. Even though they didn't work last year, perhaps they've miraculously revived themselves and are ready to sharpen pencils once again. I put them in my take-home bag. Seeing them in my bag encouraged me to bring some unsharpened pencils home with me. I've got to make sure these sharpeners don't work somehow- I might as well take 100 pencils home to try- right? (Are you starting to understand what kind of person I am?)

As 9:40 PM rolled around, I realized, I needed to go. Not that I was done with my work, but truly, our custodian was probably ready to stop worrying about a teacher wandering around the building, and honestly maybe even hoping I'd just leave so she could be done for the night- who knows. I grabbed my backpack (Jansport that has lasted me since High School), my take-home bag, and a bag of library books that needed to be returned; said good night to Turtle and my fish, making sure their weekend feeders were ready to go; and locked up my room thinking, "I'm glad the building will be open on Sunday so I can finish getting ready for next week."

OMW- What is my problem? AND Thanks to my 14+ hour day, I've delayed my "return to eating healthy" diet and instead enjoyed a multi-cheese, grilled cheese sandwich for the first time in years. I guess I'll start fresh tomorrow. Now for this week's episode of Project Runway...

Happy Friday Night!

Secret Bursting

I have always given Dusty a hard time about not being able to keep a secret when it comes to gifts he has gotten for me, his family, or his friends. He finds something great, orders it, and as soon as it arrives he will deliver it- often unwrapped. I, on the other hand, LOVE having secret gifts and waiting to deliver them at just the right moment, all beautifully wrapped. But today, I'm pretty sure I am experiencing the kind of excitement that goes along with planning something wonderful for an unsuspecting person, that you JUST CAN'T WAIT to share with them. Today, this excitement is for a student.

This year, I'm making it a priority to read my students' writing on a daily basis (except for this past week since we have been editing and revising pieces that students want to publish as a final copy). In reading their writing each day (versus weekly) I can quickly see who is and isn't writing, who struggles or excels in getting their thoughts down on paper, and who could use a little extra motivation. The best part, however, is when you read something a student writes that lets you into their personal world that helps you understand them a little better. Two weeks ago, a student wrote about a life long dream... A dream, that upon reading, I realized I could help make come true. Thinking about it for the past two weeks didn't excite me as much as today when I started to put my plan into action. ALL I WANT TO DO IS TO TELL THIS PERSON WHAT I'M PLANNING! I'm trying not to, but I want to call his/her household TONIGHT and let the parents know of my planning. I want to spill everything. Now. But I won't. Not yet. Until, maybe tomorrow? Even though this "gift" won't truly be delivered for several more weeks.

I wonder how long I'll last...

Children are Watching

Kids imitate what they see and experience. If cussing is common at home, they tend to be caught cussing at school. If they play violent games or watch violent movies at home, they turn their lunch bananas into machine guns and pretend to shoot other children. If parents don't care about school work, more often than not, they don't give two hoots about their homework. If their actions are not monitored, they WILL find access to inappropriate things and talk about it with their peers. HOWEVER, if children see their parents taking the time to read, they will probably follow suit. If they see their parents go out of their way to help others, they will understand the power of kindness. If they are taken on a variety of excursions to learn more about the world around them, they will experience the joy of education. If they see their parents making decisions to avoid "adult content" while they're around, they won't know stuff they shouldn't know in 4th grade. Children are watching and imitating- be sure you're CONSISTENTLY modeling what you want them to become.

Watercolor Painting for Friends

Realizing I wanted some friends in the area, and knowing that I always enjoy learning new things whether it be Sign Language or miscellaneous art classes, I decided to sign up for a Watercolor Painting class that was about 5 miles from home. I tried to get a few neighbors to sign up with me, but was turned down with the excuse that "their side of the street" wasn't artistic. Boo. So I went alone. Tonight was my first class. I am pleased with the kindness and acceptance I was greeted with, however was disappointed that everyone was in their 60's (except a son of one of the women who I think was in his upper 30's, early 40's).

Everyone scattered to different areas of the home and I found myself alone in a basement room, painting in silence. The directions were to paint a positive painting using wet-in-wet and dry brush, but I had never painted with real watercolors before, so I wanted to play around. Then I was too stingy to open up a second color, so I painted completely in shades of blue. Before too long, I found out we were to share our paintings with our classmates, and I was the only one who didn't complete the assignment of a sunset with tree silhouette positive painting. Grade for following directions: FAIL. But I got a feel for how watercolor works and have given myself homework to complete the class assignment this week. Perhaps I'll even post it when I'm done. My goal is to paint a sunflower that I'm proud of by the end of the class. I've got 5 weeks...

Anyway, it was a LONG day. I got to school around 6:30am, hit the grocery store after school, then came home and went right to class until 9:30pm. I'm tired. I'm also very thankful for my student teacher who is the main teacher for the morning's lessons- I just get to pop in and add comments and directions as needed. Sweeeeet! Now it's off to bed for another early morning at school. Good Night!

Mille Bornes, Anyone?

Have YOU played the French "driving" card game called Mille Bornes? If not, find it and play it because it is truly a good time. I grew up playing this game and other "classics" as I call them. Recently, my parents came over for a grill out and Mille Bornes was recommended for the game to play by the fireplace. I remember thinking of introducing this game to Dusty earlier in our relationship, but I never did, thinking he would find it "lame." However, I should've realized that it would be a good game for him since it deals with road hazards and driving issues during your pursuit to be the first to travel 1000 miles. Dusty and I played this game tonight- he won.

So, now I'll admit another one of my problems: I collect old card games. I'm not a crazy collector or one that hunts these games out, but instead I'm the "Come Across Them" collector. Every time I find one at a garage sale, Good Will, St. Vinnies, or other thrift store, I HAVE to buy it. Seriously, who can pass up a classic game for typically under $1.00? NOT ME! Just a couple months ago I added my third Mille Bornes card game to my game closet, after just adding my third original UNO game as well. Who can see an original UNO game with all cards accounted for, for only 90 cents and say, "No?"

Unfortunately I collect more games than I play, and who really needs more than one copy anyway? If you happened to walk into my classroom, you might notice 8 sets of RACK-O on my shelves... yes, another "collectible" for me. This way, I can teach all my students at once and then they can all play at the same time! If you looked in my desk drawer, you'd find several versions of Old Maid hiding out. This game is great for pairing up students in your classroom- instead of pulling sticks or pre-arranging partnerships, why not leave it up to the characters in Old Maid? But in my world, if you get the Old Maid, you get to choose the group you work with. Then everyone wants to be the Old Maid. Nice, eh?

But from UNO to Boggle and everything in between, if it is a game I played growing up, chances are that I have not one copy, but two or three. Ever play Aggravation? A couple copies of that are on my shelves as well...