My Friend

I am so lucky to have some really good friends but I want to share about my friend Nadine. She is a remarkable person, wife, mother,daughter, and friend. Today I went to a birthday party she was having for her 9 year old daughter. She was having a webkin party. If you do not know what a Webkin is then let me tell you. It is a stuffed animal that has a code on his/her tag. You use this code to get on the computer to play games and get points to earn things for your virtual pet. Well it was the hottest party in town. Today we pampered our pet. You brought a pet or Webkin and you got a bed and blanket. You made a crown, personalized collar, and a decorated foam visor. Then you went to see Dr. McQuack to have Pet physical(wish mine was that quick and easy) and then you went to wash at the Salon. It was the most fun a bunch of young kids could have in a 2 hour period. I keep telling Nadine she would make a killing be a party planner! She is amazing and anal retentive and that makes her even better! Well I know Nadine checks my blog occasionally so that is why I am posting this~she always blows off compliments and she is her toughest critic so I am sending her kudos through my blog! Nadine you are wonderful! And today was so much fun for all the kids and the adults, too!

TGI Weekend

Why does it seem that the weekends fly by so fast! We have had a busy one just running errands going to birthday parties and getting ready for my son's 11 birthday! I hate to see how time speeds up the older I get. I would love to slow the weekends down because that is when my family is all together doing the things we enjoy! I want the times with my children to last becuse they are growing and changing daily! I want to always be able to hold my youngest and rock her to sleep~She is 6 and fast outgrowing my lap. I hope that we will build fun traditions and good memories that last them a lifetime. So they can pass them down to their children! Hope you have a good weekend! Enjoy your family!

There are 3 kinds of Eggs

Someone wrote a book about All I needed to know in Life I learned in Kindergarten~ well they must have been a teacher. I learned about the 3 kind of eggs we have in the world from a 5 year old Hispanic child. We were talking about Easter and hunting eggs and my student "Dana"(name is changed)explained she had been hunting the not real eggs. I tried to clarify for the other students and said, "Oh you were finding the colored plastic eggs?" NO! Not those the not real kind! I was quickly told. Well in trying to understand what she was telling me I learned about the 3 kind of eggs. (1) Fake eggs also known as plastic (2) Chicken eggs (3) The not real ones that you have to "crap the shell". "What?" I said. "Don't you mean the ones you crack the shell because they are boiled?" "NO! I didn't say that you have to "crap the shell~you know they are white and green kinda!" OH now I think I get it. Dana you mean these are eggs that you get from a chicken or buy at the store and you boil them! Then you "CRACK" them. She quickly let me know that those eggs did not come from a chicken they are not real and yes~you crap them open! Well as there are 4 adults in my class rolling on the floor I tried to get her to say "crack"~she reminded me that is what she is saying and that no chicken to going to give me an egg like that! Well to say the least I think that she was talking about a boiled egg and it is white and the yolk if not broken does have a slight green look if boiled for awhile~however at my house we crack and not crap the shell on a boiled egg. I never did convince her that it was a chicken egg not I am going to show her how to take an egg show her it raw and then boil another and show her what will happen. But as for me I had a smile on me face all day! Dana is quite a funny child who is very expressive! I hope everyone had a great Easter!

Things you learn at school!

This school year had been an adventure!Just when I think I have seen and witnessed it all~another student steps up to surprise me again! Yesterday a student that I have received less than 10 days ago reminded me how a 5 year old thinks. Tina* (I changed her name) has a difficult time staying in her chair, completing a task that take over 1 1/2 minutes,has no impulse control, and extremely challenged in maintaining an attention to any topic. Nope~I did not say she was ADHD~I am not a doctor and can not diagnosis this condition. But if I were pretending to be a Dr for the purpose of this blog~you bet your bottom dollar she is ADHD to the extreme. Tina came to me with a very long list of referrals to the office from her previous school(double digits). But I have grown to love Tina ~she has gotten under my skin. Her life has been rough with a lot of foster care and moving around. Who couldn't help love this child. She is not mean or hateful~she just can't stick to any one thing without an adult to guide or hold her hand through the task. Now let me tell you about our day. Tina was at center time with her partner so that she goes and does what she is suppose to do. However, my para was sick and she is the glue that makes this partnership work. I was trying to complete my last reading group of the day when I noticed Tina was at the writing center with glue. I don't keep glue a the writing center it was suppose to be on the shelf. I asked her to put it up and she did. I explained that the writing center was for writing. She put up the glue. Within minutes I looked up she has a different bottle of glue~I again told her to put it up and told her we didn't need glue today. Again she put it up. While trying to complete a running record of a child's reading from my group I again saw another bottle of glue~instead of saying anything. I got up took the glue and said to Tina to clean up and sit down. I reminded her that 3 times I had told her not to use the glue. She told me she found those glue bottles that she didn't get the glue out again! I asked her to clean up and si down because I was almost finished and it was time to get ready for lunch. I went back to finish with the student I had been working with when I heard a loud "oh, my Lord!" When I turned to see Tina again with a bottle of glue with the entire top off because the top wouldn't turn and a new bottle of glue 1/2 gone. It was on her paper, the table, her shirt, and the floor. Nothing that fussing wouldn't matter and killing her wasn't going to help the "sticky" situation. I stopped reading went to the table to clean. Oh she helped but kept telling me I needed to get better glue bottles~ I cleaned and the students got ready for lunch! Well at lunch Tina and I sat together to discuss the fact of the matter. She apologized and was sweet. I reminded her that I had told her three times that she was not suppose to have the glue. Her sweet brown eyes looked up at me while she hugged me with pizza covered hands and innocently said~"Well, I guess you should have told me four times." I smiled hugged her back and said"yep~I guess that might have worked!" You know she was probably right if I had told her 4 times instead of 3 I probably wouldn't have cleaned up glue! I hope you are smiling~because that means that Tina has touched your heart as much as she has touched mine! Have a great night!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I have always enjoyed this fun day! But 14 years ago this day became even more special to me~I met my Hubby! I met him at a local Pub and had nothing to do with him for 2 months. But when I finally gave in to his quite charming ways~I was engaged within months and married him that December~Nope I don't recommend this type of courtship but......I am truly blessed because this Irishman was meant for me and I am so grateful! Wishing you and yours a truly blessed day!

Easter is coming!

Well my family and I are getting ready for the new tradition we started last year! Glow in the dark Easter Egg Hunt! All you need is a flashlight, basket and a bunch of plastic eggs with a strip of reflectice tape. My children had so much fun that last year we hid eggs up into the summer! This year we have invited our extended family~two couples that are closer to us than our own family and their kids to join in the fun! We are excited that they will come and join us for supper and the HUNT afterward! The best part is the only kids that know about the fun is mine! I hope they keep their mouuth shut~but some how I doubt it! I know we will have so much fun! These two families have provided mounds of supports to Jay and I these past 2 years. Jay was hurt at work by his boss~to make a long story short~Jay's boss has lied to us and so many and has refused to pay any of his bills. Our friends have been their for both of us and listenedd when we were frustrated, tired, angry, etc. We can only hope that they know how blessed we feel having them on our side! I know that Jay and I hope we can always be there for them and their families! Enough of the sappy stuff! I will try to get pictures of Friday nite! If your get bored with the same old egg hunting You need to try this it provides fun for ALL ages!

It seems like Forever!

I have been all out of sorts. I have had the flu and I have had a hard time getting back in the swing of things!I haven't visited anyones blogs nor have I written anything for weeks. We have had girl's weekend! The boys went over night for a campout at a state park and Sara Michael and I have had a little girl fun! We enjoy this time away from the boys~don't get me wrong we love them but we need down time. I have had such a week. I have had a student that was suspened for destroying my classrom and she returned on Friday. Friday went beautifully as I expected as this child just has these few times where she has major tantrums~but this isn't about her it is about me! I got to have her grandmother in my room all day too! I also got a visit from another set of parents on Friday to help me with their child. It made me feel like everyone was watching how I teach and I was under the microscope but the other parents came because we had talked the day before because of my concern that their child has extremem difficulty staying on task. I do not think that she can control her lack of attention but I did not know they were going to visit on Friday while this other lady was here! You would think that I would be happy that Friday was over but Monday I get to have this child that was on suspension Mother all day! She couldn't meet until Monday for us all to get together and establish a behavior plan. And while I am venting I had a new student enroll on Thursday that has many issues on her own. I do not listen to other teachers when they complain on student's behavior~but this young girl has been through so much from foster care and back with her parents, and she is immature and can't stay in one place for more than a minute. I have always ended up with lower students at my request because of my educational backgroud but this year not only do I have students with academic issues but behavior issues and I am the inclusion classroom for our mild and moderate intellectual kids. I have had a very tough year and I am ready for summer~I am not usually this way. Normally I love teaching and the challenges that I meet. I know I am blessed to have the students I have because I have something to gain from them and they have something to gain from me. This year I don't think I am providing them what I am suppose to~I feel like I am letting them down. Oh well enough of me focusing on me! Hope you sprung forward your clocks and have a wonderful day!

Back From the Land if the Ill

Well~It happened! I go the flu. I tried to tell myself I had a viral infection but....I know that I just lied to myself.I now have all the love and compassion to all of those poor folks who have had the flu! i do hope that you are feeling better. It has taken 2 weeks but I am back among the living and will be back to my blog soon!
Stay Well and aaway from those nasty germs!
S~