Observation

I started my Observation assignment today. This semester I will spend 20 hours in a 2nd grade classroom in a local elementary school. The classroom teacher is supposed to be my mentor. I met her yesterday (she seems great!) and started today. I wanted to share a couple of the conversations I had or overheard while they were painting. I definitely made some interesting "observations" today!

Child A: I can't have Halloween.
Child B: Why not?
Child A: Because it isn't about Jesus.
Child B: I get to have Halloween.
Child C: You get to cebrebrate it.
Child A: I don't get to cebrebrate it. I want to, but my mom and dad won't let me.
Child B: What if you dress up as Jesus? Then can you have it?
Child C: I don't know anything about this Jesus person, but I am going to be a pirate. You should just tell your parents that you want to go. Then they'll let you.

It went on and on like that for a while until I just left their table! I mean, what do you even say to that?!?

Then I went to a different table and talked to a boy about his painting. He showed me his 4-yr old sister and said, "That's my sister. She's four. And she knows all of the cuss words already." His parents should be so proud!

Next table ... a little girl reading her book (because she's done with her painting already). She looks up at me with very intense eyes and says, "If I focus enough on one word I feel like I am psychic. Do you want me to tell you something?"

Uh.... no, I'm good! Or better yet, tell me how I am supposed to participate in these kinds of conversations!!

Permission Slips

I got a call from the guidance counselor at the boys' school yesterday. She wanted to let me know that she would be sending home permission slips for me to sign. Permission slips that give her permission to test the boys. Do you remember? The testing we did the first week of May? 4 1/2 months ago!?! She mumbled something about covering her barn door or back door or something like that! What?!?

So by that logic I should expect a permission slip in January for the field trip Chase took last week!

Burning the Midnight Oil

Or at least the 8:30 oil! I had a lot of homework to do over the weekend. A lot! Usually I don't procrastinate, but somehow I ended up starting a project at 7:00 last night. A project that is due today, by the way. At 8:30 Kenny decided to help me, and let me tell you ... thank goodness he did! I was creating a phonemic awareness mini-lesson with kindergartners as my target grade. My lesson is focused on rhyming words using the book Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy Shaw.

I will read the book to the "kids" (the other students at my table), then lead them in a shared reading using the poster. After the shared reading we'll cover some of the rhyming words with the picture cards. There's a lot more prep to the lesson that I am not showing here. Enough prep that it makes me wonder ... how much prep really goes into each and every seven-hour school day if it takes me almost two hours to prepare a ten-minute lesson for kindergartners?!?

Well, getting your sheep and jeep picture cards to be just the right size isn't easy if you are working on a project too late and wanting to watch the season premier of Desperate Housewives. Apparently it is easy if you are 7 and in 2nd grade. Kenny made this project seem like a breeze and I can't even tell you how much he helped me! I am thinking his favorite cookies might have to get baked this afternoon after we all get home :)

Update on Birthday Gift

If you read my posting on August 28 about my birthday gift you have probably been sitting on the edge of your seat in suspense every day since then ... right?!? Well, Lisa got her gift in the mail this week so now I can tell the whole world that my mom gave us each diamond tennis bracelets for our birthdays this year. I think she must have had a really good summer in the grooming business. Or it could have been a bad day that called for some SERIOUS retail therapy! Maybe she doesn't plan to give us anything for the next 10 years to make up for this gift. Or maybe she just really loves us! Thanks again Mom!!!

Chase's Day at School

We just got home. In the very short drive from the boys' school to the house I learned:

1. 5th grade boys already have beer preferences because that was the interesting topic of conversation at the lunch table today. Oh, and Craig's Grandpa's dog can open the fridge, get out a beer, open the beer, pour salt in it, and serve it to the grandpa. Yeah, right.


2. Don't send Chase to school on ART day with a brand new white Under-Armour t-shirt. At this point I am thinking it would be easier to turn it into a tye-dye shirt than it would be to make it white again.


3. Apparently Chase's school doesn't require parental permission for field trips. Chase went on a field trip to Fort Concho today and I didn't even know about it until after it had already occurred.

STARS program

Students and Tutors Achieving Remarkable Success

I had my first day in the school system today. I went to an elementary school on the other side of town to meet my two kids that I will work with throughout the school year. We'll work on reading all year. (This is different than my observation. I don't have my school placement for that yet.) The kids I worked with this morning were sweet and fun and I enjoyed it a lot. The drive there was a bit of an adventure. If you live in Fayetteville -- think Murchison. But I made it in one piece and made sure my car was locked when I got there!

Hired Help

Chase learned how to cut the grass over the weekend. He cut the entire back field that leads out to their 4-wheeler track. It took him about 2 hours and he earned $10. I am thinking that's pretty good money for a ten year old kid!

Thanks for your help!

I am almost finished with my resource file. I am very pleased with the way it looks. I am also looking forward to being done with it! I need to finish my Poetry, U.S. Presidents, Texas State Facts, and First Month of School files. Then it's done! Woo-hoo!

Making a mountain out of a molehill

We had a tiny problem with our air conditioner. Now we have a huge problem in our closet. A little bit of dripping and overflow water turned into this:

Which turned into this:

The problem with the a/c is fixed. That took about 5 minutes. The problem with the ceiling in my closet ... well, that'll take a little bit of work. Lucky me, I have a huge walk-in closet with 11-foot ceilings. Those metal rods you can see in the pictures -- when we hang clothes on there we have to use a ladder to get to them. The previous owner had one of those tools that you see in the department stores to get to the clothes up high on the displays. So ... un-lucky me ... this is not going to be an easy job!

HELP ME PLEASE!

I have a huge assignment to do. It is the first of many huge assignments I will have to do this semester and over the next 2 years. This first huge assignment is: a resource file that I am supposed to make and keep to use as a teacher. It will consist of ideas, songs, crafts, activities, etc. It has to be organized, color-coded, blah, blah, blah... I have to have 1200 cards in this file! Yes that is one thousand, two hundred cards! Our teacher gave us some great ideas in large files that I have spent the last four days formatting into 4x6 inch microsoft documents so that I can print my cards instead of handwriting them all. I sweet-talked the computer lab tech into printing them for me so that I don't have to use $50 in ink toner at home. So far I have 952 cards. That leaves me 248 short. No, she isn't going to count them. But I am pretty sure she'll be able to tell if I am almost 250 short. So ... if you have any ideas, please send them my way. I will take poems, songs, craft ideas, activities, book ideas, anything that would go with a school theme (seasons, holidays, first day of school, etc). And... even if you are someone I don't know who is reading my blog because you got to it through your friend's blog -- you are invited to participate also. I will take all of the help I can get here people! Thanks so much and have a great day. I'm going back to the dining-room table to color-code some more cards.

*UPDATE*
I am up to a little over 1,000. Thanks for the great ideas and websites. Keep 'em coming!

New Habit

The boys and I have a new habit. Airborne. Every day. Whether they like it or not!

We are two weeks into the school year and Kenny is sick already. I knew this would happen. We've been home together for 15 months. So going back to school now is just like going to kindergarten for the first time ... germs, germs, germs!!! Airborne is supposed to help boost your immune system. So we're all going to start taking it and hope it really works. I just looked at their website and apparently they have a new type of Airborne called "Power Pixies". Maybe it tastes better than what we have (it can't be worse!) If you want to send away for a free sample of Power Pixies go here.

9th day of school

So today was the 9th day of school. The end of the 2nd week. You'd think we'd all be used to our new schedules and settled in, right?!? Nope! Not us ...

2:30 AM
me: "Kenny, why are you out of bed and waking me up, honey?"
Kenny: "Mom, can you homeschool me?"
me: "Go back to bed and we'll talk about it tomorrow."

3:17 AM
me: "Kenny, why aren't you in your bed?"
Kenny: "Mom, please can you homeschool me?"
me: "Kenny, go back to bed. You need your sleep."

3:39 AM
me: "Kenny, please stop waking me up!"
Kenny: "But mom, why won't you homeschool me? WHY?!?"

At this point I get out of bed, give him a vitamin, tell him it's a sleep aid, tuck him in, and lock my bedroom door when I go back to bed. After that the rest of the day is a blur.

Exercise

Actually I should say lack of exercise! I worked really hard last spring to look good for the Army Ball. Then I went on vacation. Then I decided it was more fun to get a tan in the sun next to the pool than it was to walk/run in the 100+ degree heat of the summer. Now it's starting to cool off and I had big plans to get back in shape again. Well, it's not going to happen! I am way too busy with my 18 credit hours of classes at the college. And I just signed up for a program in the local elementary schools that partners students majoring in education with kids having trouble learning to read. I'll have two kids that I go see every week for the rest of the school year.


So...

If I promised to walk with you (Jennifer), I am sorry I won't be able to do it.

If I promised to go to the gym with you (Precious), I am sorry I won't be going there either.

If I promised to get skinnier with you (Aunt Kathy), well -- that ain't gonna happen if I don't do the first two things on this list!

And last, but not least ... if I am worried that you are going to get skinnier than me (Mandy), well -- you probably are. But I'll try not to be too jealous!

If anyone knows of a way to stay thin through the winter with the power of thought or really strong wishful thinking, feel free to send your ideas my way. I think I am going to need them!

Shih Tzu Grooming Lesson

I took PJ to the groomer on Thursday. I was worried all morning that they would not do a good job with her. I wanted her bathed and trimmed a little bit around her feet. Most shih-tzus end up getting short hair cuts because they are easier and end up looking like this:

I can bathe her and comb her out but I just don't know how to do the trimming.

I think they did a pretty good job. Her feet were a little too short, but I can't do it so I am not going to complain. She was very clean and looked nice.

When she was a little younger and her hair was a little shorter she went to Puppy Pals (my mom's shop). When they were done with her she looked super cute:

Someday when her hair has grown out all the way I will want to keep it styled like this:

It's only been two days since her grooming and already she looks like this:

Which is funny because it reminds Brian and I of a cartoon that we both loved as kids:

See the similarity? I think it's amazing how close they are. Maybe the artist for this cartoon had a liver colored shih-tzu at home whose grooming consumed way too much of his time too!

Birthday gift

My birthday was in July. The 20th to be exact. Last Friday (yes, late in August) I got a package from my mom that had my birthday present in it. It is wickedly awesome (yes, I really do still say that), and definitely worth the wait. Unfortunately, I can't tell you what it is because she bought something similar for my sister-in-law Lisa and didn't send it yet. Lisa's birthday was July 8. So, if you happen to be one of the people I see on a regular basis, ask me if you can see my gift. I will be happy to show it off. If you aren't one of the people I see on a regular basis and you promise not to call/email/talk to Lisa then call me and I will tell you what it is. If you are Lisa don't bother asking. I am not going to tell. Have you wondered why I haven't talked to you in a few days? It's because it is killing me not to tell you!! But trust me, it will be worth your wait too :)

Thanks Mommy!!!!

Second Day of School

Me: Good morning, Kenny

Kenny: Mommy, will you homeschool me?

Me (thinking about this and this): Let's have breakfast and talk about that one!

First Day of School

Today was the first day of school. They both had a great day. Their school seems really nice and so do their teachers. Chase changes classes just like a middle school kid. If you want to see their school click here. The website doesn't seem to be very up-to-date though.

I also started classes today. I enjoyed them, but parking was a mess. I am definitely going to get my exercise walking from the parking lots to my classes.

I'm done at noon on MWF so I'll have plenty of time to do my studying and get my errands done before I pick up the boys from school. Waiting until 2:45 was torture today. Leaving them at school after being together for 15 months was harder than the first day I sent each of them to kindergarten. Although I think I was the only one who felt that way because they sure didn't seem to miss me as much as I missed them!

Texas Friends 101

Last night Brian and I had a couple of people over to watch UFC 74. I decided to take a few pictures to help out my family and friends back east with name/face recognition. It seems that I'll be talking to someone on the phone and instead of being able to say "Kelly and I took the kids to the pool" or "Jennifer and I went to Hobby Lobby" I end up saying "The other first sergeant's wife" or "The commander's wife" So this posting is Texas Friends 101. Now you'll be able to put a face with the name :) The above photo is all of the girls: Precious Jumper, me, Kelly Ludwigsen, and Jennifer Starr.

This is Eric and Kelly. He is the B Co. 1st Sergeant. I have also referred to him as "the hunter" and "the family that lives in our neighborhood" Brian and Eric were platoon sergeants together at Fort Meade in 2001 and they were also at Fort Bragg at the same time as us, although Eric was in 3rd Group, not 7th. They have three kids: Austin (10), Hayley (8), and Matthew (6). Kelly is a speech pathologist and librarian. In their spare time they like to ... he he he ... just kidding!

This is Scott, Jennifer, and Skylar. Scott is Brian's commander. I am done referring to Jennifer as "the commander's wife"! She is the funniest blogger I know. They have four kids: Ashlyn (8), Hailey (6), Owen (3), and Skylar (7 mo.) We never knew them before we got here, but they have filled us in on lots of funny stories about their adventures all over the world. They have been stationed in Alaska and Hawaii and are still trying to decide where to go next. Fort Bragg is too muggy, Fort Lewis is too rainy, Germany is too far away, .... suggestions anyone? (Amber, this is where you vote for Italy)

This is Will and Precious Jumper. He is Eric's commander and the most recent addition to our little group. They just got here last spring. Will has a 12-yr old son from his first marriage and they have a little one due to arrive in early December. Brian, Eric, and Scott have 11 kids between them so Will & Precious have a little bit of catching up to do!

Chase and Austin

Hayley L. and Ashlyn

Matthew and Owen

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Kenny and Hailey S. are not pictured because Kenny fell asleep before the end of the night and Hailey was too tired to pose for me.

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Ok, that's it. No more explanations involving adjectives or adverbs or anything like that. All you get from now on are names. If you are confused, just pretend you aren't!

Ebay as entertainment

Jennifer sent me an email this morning with a link to the (second) funniest ebay listing I have ever read. The first would have to be the guy who listed his ex-wife's wedding dress a couple of years ago. That was pee-your-pants hilarious and if I can find a link to the story on the internet I'll post it. Anyway, if you want a good laugh, check out this lady's ebay listing for some pokemon cards. Sadly, her grocery store trip really reminds me of recent shopping experiences Jennifer and I have had together, but you know that misery loves company, right? So that makes it even funnier. Here's the link to her listing: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130144061675description

And if you look at the places I visit you'll see her blog has been added. It's called "Because I Said So" and I am sure it will continue to be a fun place to get a good laugh.

Ok, I just did a search for the wedding dress guy and guess what I found .... Yep, www.weddingdressguy.com Seriously! If you decide to go, the link to the original ebay ad is on the left, near the top. And now that I've read it again I will have to say that the pokemon card lady is probably funnier. Or maybe I can relate to her better than I can relate to wedding dress guy. Either way, it's nice to know that ebay is a good source of entertainment once in a while, instead of just serving as a funnel for Brian's hard-earned money.

Priceless

Cost of tuition for fall semester: $2,250
Cost of fees for fall semester: $799.32
Cost of books for fall semester: $362.85

Being busy every minute the boys are at school: What the heck was I thinking?!?