Monday – teaching 5th grade

Thursday – teaching preschool

Friday – teaching 4th grade

Tuesday evening – babysitting 5 children plus my own two

Wednesday evening – small group Bible study

Friday evening – babysitting for a seminar at church

Saturday all day- babysitting for a seminar at church

I might be a little bit busy in the next few days.  I hope you have a happy day (or week)!

Birthday season is coming up in my house.  It is still a few weeks off, but I’m trying to think of ideas for my kids birthday gifts.   My birthday comes in December and I’m not really worried about that.  I’m still enjoying cards from last year!

One girl will be 13 in October.  I can hardly believe that I will be the mother of a teenager.  That just seems weird. I’m ok with my own age, but it seems strange to have a child that old.  I’ve already got her gifts mapped out.  It will be a matter of pulling it off and not getting caught in the process.  I’ll share more about that after her birthday.  I don’t want any accidental slips from people that know us in real life. 

The other girl will be turning 10 on Thanksgiving day.  She is my “fair and equal” child.  She will see what her sister got and want something equally as cool.  My problem is two things.  1.  Life isn’t always fair OR equal.  2. I have no idea what to do for her anyway even if I was trying to be fair and equal.   It isnt’ so much the dollar figure as much as it will be the WOW factor.  Dollar for dollar I think I could manage, but the WOW factor is what is going to trip me up.  So.. I am sitting here looking at stuff online and trying to think about what she would like.  I’m having a bit of difficulty coming up with a WOW. 

It would be so much easier if there wasn’t the comparison.  Big sister doesn’t really compare.  I think each individual should be treated as an individual, but little sister weighs and measures.  That makes it hard!  This much I do know.  If it is lime green, big sister will love it no matter what it is.  If it is orange, little sister will love it.   At least I know what colors make them happy.  HAHA 

So, back to the looking at things for me.  Have a happy day!

Avast!  It be here.  Today be ye old talk like a pirate day.  Ahoy!!

Here be the place ye can get yer learnin bout how to talk like a pirate.  There even be a cabin boy page for the wee pirates in yer crew. 

I need to threaten the plank to the washing wench today so that me own crew won’t be trottin all around the ship in skivvies.  I need to be spending me day in the gally mucking up somethin tasty for the visitin crew members that will be coming aboard this night.    So long as the bilge rats have not plundered the pantry we shall be fine.  I might try to find some grog and announce that we will see what came out of the bung hole!  Arrrrr

We will be swappin stories or watching stories on the wide screen in the crew gatherin room.   Me and the other beauties will need to get crackin at swabbin the decks and hosin down the poop deck! 

Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum. 

Did you know that on Saturday it is “talk like a pirate day”?  Look it up,  I”m not lying.  So get out your arrrr’s and your treasure chests and your yo ho ho’s for Talk like a Pirate Day!

I love that day.    Hope you have a happy day today.

I taught first grade today, tomorrow (Tuesday) I’m teaching 3rd grade.  Sub jobs are starting to roll in.  Thank you flu season.  Yay for soap and water and hand sanitizer! 

My girls have both auditioned for a play and BOTH of them got parts this time.  Hooray.  I’m very glad.  They are in “The Unsinkable Molly Brown”.   Both girls are ensemble roles but that is ok.  Big sister actually has three parts and little sister has two.  Big sister is – saloon girl, Baroness of Auda, and girl #2    Little sister is – townsperson and maid #2   The maids work in Molly Browns house, so little sister has told me.  She is SO excited to get to act with the girl that will be playing Molly Brown.  I think they will have fun.  The show is in November.

I think I will pay a few bills and then go to bed.  I hope all of you are doing well and enjoying life.  I’ve been a little busy so I’ve not been around as much.  Oh well.. that is how it goes sometimes.

Have a happy day!

I have a daughter in fourth grade this year.  When I dropped her off the first day of school, I thought back to my own fourth grade year.  Fourth grade was a big year for me.  We had just moved to a new town during the summer.  My family was helping to plant a church in that town.  So it was a new house, a new church and obviously a new school. Naturally,  I was a little bit concerned about starting school with a bunch of kids that I didn’t know. 

A few days before school started (maybe even the day before!!), my family and a family from our church were having dinner together.  We were at their house.  Dinner wasn’t quite ready to eat yet, so the kids were all outside playing in the yard.  I don’t remember exactly what we were playing but I remember having a ball.  The dads decided to have a little fun with the kids, so they took the ball away from us and were playing keep away.  Eventually the two dads were throwing the ball over the house!  So of course the kids were trying to get the ball back.. and laughing the whole time.  It was a fun game.  I was running full speed around the house trying to get the ball and another kid was doing the exact same thing, but we were running in opposite directions.  It didn’t take long for the two of us running around the house to collide.  The other kids was just slightly shorter than I was.  His head smashed into my eye and we both went flying backwards.  (we were running after all)  He got up with a bump on his head and I got up with a black eye… that was huge!!  I’m pretty sure it chipped my cheekbone actually.  I can still feel that little divot of missing bone.  It was painful, but not a huge deal, UNTIL I realized I would be starting a new school with a giant black eye.  I was horrified!  I worried about that for a long time.  Turns out no one except me remembers that black eye.  I’ve recently been in contact with some of my fourth grade classmates and not even one of them remembered that black eye. 

What we ALL remember though is the epic fight that broke out in our classroom in fourth grade.  I suppose that on occasions a fight is going to happen.  It isn’t the greatest idea, but it happens.  What was unusual about this fight in addition to it being in the classroom and not the playground was who was involved!   There was a boy in our class named Jerry.  He was usually a trouble maker.  He could be nice if he wanted, but typically, he was just finding ways to get in trouble.  We had a substitute teacher one day.  I’m sure the regular teacher left a note and put the names of the kids that were to be watched and the names of the kids that could help if needed.  With a sub in the room, you can bet that there were kids trying to get away with everything.  I remember sitting at my desk doing my work and hearing something that made me look up.  I noticed everyone in the class was looking at the same thing I was looking at.  The substitute had something in her hand that Jerry wanted.  Maybe a pencil, maybe something else… I don’t know.  But Jerry wanted it.  So Jerry grabbed her hand and tried to take it away from her.  There was this struggle between teacher and student.  Pushing and grabbing at whatever was in her hand.  Then hair pulling and yelling.  I’m sure my eyes were as big as saucers.  This kid in my class was having a fight with a teacher!!!  What in the world?!  She managed to break contact with Jerry and sent him to the office to tell the principal what he had just done.  And then, my heart stopped.  I know it did.  She called MY name and told me to follow Jerry and make sure he went to the office and told on himself.  As one of my former classmates said,  “She sent little Donna.  The smallest kid in the class who might have weighed 42 pounds soaking wet to follow Jerry to the office!”   I’m pretty sure I weighed more than 42 pounds, but I can tell you I was scared to death.  Jerry was already pretty angry.  He’d just gotten into a fight with a teacher and had to go to the office.  I snuck down the hall and prayed Jerry wouldn’t turn around.  I peeked over the banister as he went down the stairs to the office and watched him turn to go in.  I did not follow him!   I ran back to class and went back to my seat. 

Strangely, none of my classmates has any other memory of fourth grade except that fight.  Every single one of us remembers it in detail.  I was just glad no one remembered my black eye! 

What do you remember about 4th grade?

Have a happy day!!!

We had the Rice Krispie Cookoff the other night.  It was a lot of fun.  I took a bunch of pictures.  I’ll share a few with you.  We had so many varieties of rice krispie treats it was unreal!  Very yummy and I think we all went home on a sugar high, but it was still fun.

This was the whole spread of rice krispie treats.   Lets see if I can give you a quick tour.  Starting on the right side, there is the smores, right above the smores is the habenero (hot pepper) pan, then the round one decorated with skittles, then a peanut butter and chocolate covered pan in the front and center.  The two containers that look like balls are marshmellows in carmel sauce rolled in rice krispies, then chocolate and vanilla covered rice krispies.  To the far left is a pan of snicker inspired rice krispies.  One friend brought a plate of Krispie Kream donuts and a sign that said “I thought you said Krispie Kream, not Rice Krispies”  HA!  Behind the gal in the white shirt is a pan of chocolate rice krispies with chocolate chips.  A little more behind here is a rocky road batch of rice krispies.  Mmmmmm anyone hungry yet?

We had three judges that had to taste every kind that was brought and pick a winner.  The two teen looking girls worked together and counted as one vote.  The were not terribly fond of the habenero pepper krispies.  HAHA

There I am trying to serve all the kids while the judging was going on.  Actually, I was cutting some, while the gals in the green shirt and blue shirt actually served the kids.  See the wrapped package there.  That was the prize for the one that won the contest.  It turned out the chocolate covered rice krispies won the prize.  Guess what the prize was?!   A box of rice krispie treats!  HAHAHAHA

The men really liked the habenero krispies.  I had one and it was not as bad as I thought it would be.  It was hot, but it didn’t kill you.  There might just be a niche market for those.  Hubby loved them and plans on making more to take to the men’s retreat at church.  The kids pretty much avoided them.  My big girl tried one.. and quickly grabbed a glass of water.  But she didn’t cry, so that was good.

I think this was fun and we might do it again some time.   I love doing things like this with my church friends.

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On a completely different note, I am thankful to all the men and women in our country that give of themselves for the benefit of others.  Policemen, Firemen, Doctors, Nurses, Military service members, ministers and so many  more.  Thank you for making our country one of the greatest places on Earth.  Later today, we will probably make some cookies or bread of some sort and go thank them in person.  We try to do that each year on this date as our way of saying thanks!

Have a happy day

My banner has been disabled!  boo……… I liked that glittery butterfly.  I suppose now I”ll need to make a new one.  Or maybe someone would like to volunteer to make one for me.  YAY

We are having a rice krispie cook off tonight at our small group Bible study.  AFTER the study, we will all sample the creations of the cooks in the group.  Basic rice krispie treats is how we started, but then mix ins or other creative ideas will come into play.  My girls are busy right now making a rainbow rice krispie treat… in a bundt pan with krispies and Skittles.  Hubby made a batch with … habenero in it!  That should be interesting.  Mine is smores and krispies!  YAY!  We shall see what all shows up.  Should be a tasty evening.

I hope everyone has a happy day!

My family is all going off to a water park today.  Little sister hasn’t ever been.  Hubby hasn’t been since high school.  Big sister has gone a few times with friends.   I’m staying home.  I am not a big fan of being in the sun.   I burn really easily. 

So, I have the house to myself.  I can do whatever I want.  I wonder what I should do.   If you had the house all to yourself, what would you do?

I’m going to finish the two loads of laundry left and then…………….  I’m not sure!   

Chick-fil-A is giving away free chicken sandwiches today to anyone wearing a team logo on their shirt.   So grab your fan wear and head off to Chick-fil-A for some free food!

Have a happy day

This is a long weekend.  My kids do not have school on Monday.   It is Labor Day, the day that we stop and honor all those working in our country.  Also, we have cookouts, retail sales, one last trip to the pool, Jerry Lewis’s telethon and other such things.

Tuesday the kids go back to school.  And a whole lot of people are debating, discussing and wringing their hands about a speech that President Obama is set to deliver to the children while they are in school.  The outcry, outrage and political jabs are increasing and are really pretty intense.   I can see why some people feel that this is a horrible idea and I can see why others think this is really no big deal.   Other presidents have spoken to kids before.  President Bush was in a school reading a book to children the day that our country was attacked by terrorists.  I think I remember seeing photos or short video clips of several presidents interacting with school kids. 

I am going to share my thoughts on this.  I am not going to get into all the politics of this because frankly, I’m not really interested in that.  AT ALL!!!    My thoughts on this are more of a PARENTING line of thinking.

I think it is a great opportunity for our children to hear our President.  He is the leader of our country, like him or hate him, doesn’t change the fact that he is our President.  I’ve read and heard from various sources that his speech is going to be more of a story of endurance and sticking with something.  “Stay in school.  Study hard.  Work.  Yes, it’s hard, but it is worth it.”  That sort of speech.   Those are things I already tell my kids.  So it wouldn’t be anything new for them. 

Here is the other thing.  My kids are young and impressionable.  So it is my job to protect them from harmful things and to train them to face difficult situations.  What better opportunity than this?   If they listen to this speech, you can be assured that we will talk about it when they get home from school.  Here is why.  I want to teach my kids to think for themselves.  They need to do that in the security of the home.  If we don’t ever have opportunities to discuss things or debate things, they will not have that skill when they leave home.   So they hear this speech, and find something really interesting.   My hubby and I will ask them WHY they think that is a great thing.  Defend your thoughts.  We will share our reasons for agreeing or disagreeing with what the President says.    I want to have the comfort of knowing that my kids were given room to disagree with me and make up their own minds, but did so with knowledge and thought, NOT just because someone said so.    I have met many young adults and adults for that matter that just follow a certain party because that is what someone they deemed important does.    So if my favorite celebrity says this is cool.. then it must be cool.   I disagree.  If something is cool, it should be because I think it is cool, not because someone tells me that I should think it is cool.  Can you see what I’m talking about?  CHOOSE who you follow and have good reasons.    That doesn’t just come naturally.  It has to be taught.   All that to say, I think this speech will allow for some really good talking points between kids and parents. 

I did not vote for President Obama.  There are several things I do not agree with him about, but there are a few things I think he does well.  I would welcome discussion with my children about this kind speech at school.  I would NOT keep my children home that day.  If you don’t know what is out there, how can you agree with it or defend against it?  Watch, be careful, talk to your kids.  Keep the flow of conversation open.  THAT is what matters.  If you are actively parenting your children, you must give them opportunities to do things that will help them learn.  Teach them from home where the environment is controlled instead of sending them into the world (or off to college) without teaching them how to sort through and think things out.  It is a life long skill.  I would much rather have my kids learn this when they are small instead of waiting till they are 20 when the stakes are much higher. 

My youngest daughter will not see this at school. Her principal thought it was much to  volatile of a speech and would distract from the classroom learning that needs to happen.  I have no idea if my oldest girl will see it or not.  I hope so!    I remember watching Challenger launch and then… explode when I was in school.  I remember watching Presidential speeches from school. I remember learning and talking to my parents about these things.  It was good.  Parents should be involved in thier kids lives and teach them the skills they need to get through life.

Have a happy day!