10 Things Thursday

10 things you can bid on if you come to our school auction tomorrow night...

1. a kayak
2. a cowboy cooking package complete with certificates for wild game
3. at least 3 beautiful quilts
4. trips and outings to several places around the country
5. a Kroc center birthday package
6. home improvement and auto packages
7. this lovely bed (but don't outbid me)
8. certificates for food and fun
9. yummy baked goods
10. a squirrel hunt! (Really.)

For a full list of live auction items go here. There will also be a silent auction with hundreds of items. Join us to have a great time and to support Christian education .

Blessed Sunday

Today is my dad's birthday. We had lunch with him and gave him cards and gifts and told him "happy birthday." But it just doesn't seem enough for someone who has loved me so very much my whole life. Someone who has spent his days from the time I was born when he was only 18, working to take care of me. He has loved me through childhood and the teen years and into adulthood. He has held me when I needed to be held and laughed with me more times than I can count. He has told stories and played music and let me play hooky. He has taken me fishing and on trips and given me priceless memories. He has sat with me in waiting rooms and sat in waiting rooms waiting for me. He has prayed with me and for me and over me. He has loved my children more than words can say from the moment he heard they were on the way and has shown them more love in their short lives than many people feel in a lifetime. He has encouraged me and guided me and helped me become who I am today. He is my dad. And that is such a wonderful blessing.

I love you, Dad.

Show and Tell

I guess I'm a hillbilly at heart. Here's why. This morning on the way to school, I saw a car with vanity plates that said HIMAINT. "HIM AINT?" Shouldn't it be "HE AINT?" And him ain't what? I just couldn't figure it out. Until I realized that it wasn't HIM AINT, but HI MAINT. Ooohhh. HI MAINT, like high maintanance. Now I get it. Kind of, anyways. Because HI MAINT, I ain't.

Now for Show and Tell...

My Little Pony and a Barbie fairy that can fly...all shared while P. was wearing her Hannah Montana wig that she had convinced all the preschoolers was real.

American Girl doll named Katelyn

stuffed anteater and a bottle (of milk, not ants) to feed said anteater...and a loose tooth.

two Lego cars from McDonald's that can come apart and "will come to pieces if you blast them"

a purple stuffed lamb

two more Barbies

and some other stuff. At this point in the year, I've pretty much seen it all and tend to lose interest after a while.

10 Things Thursday

10 new or soon to be released movies I want to see...

1. Oceans--3D underwater adventure. What's better than an underwater documentary? One in 3D of course!
2. The Bounty Hunter --Gerard Butler and Jennifer Aniston are exes who run into each other again. Hilarity ensues. Will they fall in love again? My guess is yes.
3. Babies --Documentarians follow the first year of life of 4 babies from around the world. So cute. And fascinating for the mommy in me.
4. Ironman 2 --Just because it's fun.
5. Letters to Juliet --A young woman helps two long lost loves reunite while finding love herself.
6. Robin Hood --Another remake of this classic story starring Russell Crowe.
7. Ondine --Colin Farrell. Ireland. That's enough for me.
8. The Karate Kid --Remake of the 80's favorite. Starring Jadan Smith and Jackie Chan as the wise karate sensei.
9. Ramona and Beezus --I read all of Beverly Cleary's books when I was little and can't wait to see what they do with two of my favorite characters.
10. Eclipse --In the last seconds of New Moon, Edward told Bella he'd change her into a vampire if she'd marry him. Will she or won't she?!?! Will she do the smart thing and go back to Jacob?!?! I'm dying to find out!

Newby

I have a new student in my class today. Yes, it is almost the end of the school year. 35 days left if you're wondering. But this family is enrolling their daughter in kindergarten next year and since I have half preschoolers this year they thought they'd get her used to the idea of school now. I have to admit that yesterday when the school secretary told me she would be starting today, I was a little concerned. I have a challenge already with teaching such a diverse group of students. Some are already beginning to read while some are still barely putting two sounds together. And now I would have another one who I knew nothing about. After I thought about it, though, it's not such a big deal. One more little body to line up and keep track of and pass papers to. And besides, whatever she learns these last few weeks will be helpful for next year. Then this morning she walked in with mom and dad close behind. I showed her where to sit and gave her a writing practice paper like the other students were working on. I could tell that both she and mom were a little nervous. But as I introduced her to the class, D., one of my most challenging boys, said, "Welcome to our class, A." How sweet is that? I think it really helped A. and her mom feel more comfortable. The other girls were really nice to her, too, and included her right away. And I can tell that she will do just fine in my class.

But what really got me was when she came over to me to ask a question about her paper and her little hands and voice were shaking from nerves. As soon as I saw that, I started staying close by her so that she felt more comfortable. I talked to her and told her what we would be doing next and patted her shoulder. Because all I could think about was Julianna in 3 years. What if it was Julianna walking into a classroom of strangers and me nervously leaving her there? What if it was Julianna whose hands and voice were shaking? What would I want that teacher to do? Well, I'd want her to stay close and talk to her and pat her shoulder. I'd want her to do whatever it took to make her feel welcome and comfortable. So that's what I did. And for the next 35 days, A. will be a part of our class. And I'm happy to have her.

Overheard...

...on the playground today.

"You can play four square with us, but if you get out you're OUT! It's prison rules!"

Blessed Sunday

Today's blessing: SUNSHINE!!!

10 Things Thursday

10 silly things that make me happy...

1. Glee (And when you read that, you must sing it!)--I love Glee. Laugh if you want, but I do. It's silly and fun. There's singing and dancing. And even though I do not yet have a tee shirt with "Gleek" bedazzled on it, Glee makes me happy. It's like a mini-musical every week.

2. And speaking of musicals, they make me happy, too. Grease, Hairspray, Mamma Mia, Oklahoma, The Phantom of the Opera, The Sound of Music... What's not to love? Great music. Cool costumes. Endearing characters. And did I mention the music?

3. Werewolves--Especially giant, hairy, vampire chasing werewolves.

4. Historical novels--I can't begin to count how many books I've read, but my favorites are historical. Castles, horses, knights in shining armor. And if it's based on actual people or events, I love it even more.

5. Julianna's songs--She loves to sing and dance and makes up songs all the time. This morning the title of her original composition was "Be the Yogurt." And yes, it was accompanied by a dance.

6. Clearance sales--Finding a great deal makes me happy. If it's on something I really need, it makes me really happy.

7. Coconut cream pie. Need I say more?

8. Music by Jason Mraz or Mandisa or Rascal Flatts or Hootie and the Blowfish.

9. Naps. On those very rare quiet afternoons when I can lay my head on the pillow and drift off to sleep without a care in the world and wake up refreshed and ready to take on the world.

10. And last but certainly not least, butterflies. Butterflies make me happy.

Reason #73...

...why I love teaching kindergarten.

They still fight over who gets to sit by "teacher" instead of over who has to.

10 Things Thursday (Plus one little Adam story)

Julianna has started taking her socks and shoes off every time we get in the car. I don't really blame her. I'd never wear shoes if I didn't have to. But yesterday on the way home, she took them off and Adam started saying, "This little piggy went to market. This little piggy stayed home..." "Aww," I thought, "How sweet." He continued, "This little piggy ate roast beef. This little piggy got eaten by a wolf." What?!?! "This little piggy got hit by a truck..." Umm, yeah. I'm pretty sure that's not how it goes.

Now on to 10 things...

10 words my kids know that I didn't know at their age.

1. DVD--I was a teenager before my parents even got a VCR. And nobody actually bought movies. They were rentals.
2. DVR--Are you kidding me? You watched it when it was on or you didn't watch it. And you had to sit through the commercials, too.
3. Cell phone--My family was on a party line when I was little. The thought of having your own phone in your pocket would have been very futuristic.
4. Computer--I took typing in high school. Typing. Not keyboarding. And I went through college without the internet. My research was done in the library with a stack of books in front of me.
5. Satellite TV/Cable--We had 4 channels. 4, not 400.
6. Cartoon Network--And on those four channels you could watch cartoons after school for an hour and on Saturday mornings. There were no 24 hour cartoon channels.
7. Gameboy--Our handheld games were paper and a pencil to play tic tac toe or hangman.
8. iPod--Ever heard of a boom box or a Walkman? And there were these little rectangular things called cassettes that you could put in them to listen to your music.
9. Google--There was no googling in the 70s and 80s and even part of the 90s. You can google it.
10. Playdate--Really? You didn't used to have to set up a date. You just played.

What words do your kids know that you didn't?

Peeped

As if coming back to school after spring break wasn't hard enough, it turns out that the day we came back is also the day after Easter. Less than 24 hours after a bunch of 5 year olds have hunted eggs in an adrenaline induced frenzy and consumed enormous amounts of candy. They showed up this morning still buzzing from Peeps and jelly beans. Have you ever seen an ant farm? That's what a kindergarten classroom looks like on a normal day. On a sugar high day, it's like the ants have been eating nothing but, well, Peeps and jelly beans. I'm exhausted. And on top of all that it rained. Now I fully admit that I love a rainy day now and then. Sitting in my rocking chair under a fuzzy blanket reading a good book drinking a cup of tea looking out the window at the rain falling. Nice. But inside recess where my Peeped-up kindergartners are intermingled with older kids who have eaten half their body weight in chocolate? Not nice. Not at all. But tomorrow is a new day. And maybe, just maybe, all the Peeps will be out of their systems.

For more on Peeps, check this out.

Blessed Sunday

Today, on this Easter Sunday, I must write about the greatest blessing of all...Jesus. I don't know how people live without him. Life is hard. Sometimes really hard. I don't know what I would do, how I could live this life, without the joy and peace and love and hope that comes from knowing Jesus as Lord and Savior. There have been days that I didn't think I would make it through with him. How could I survive without him? But blessing upon blessing, I don't have to. I am his, today and everyday, because on a Sunday over 2,000 years ago, he rose from the grave after dying for me. And some day, some sweet, sweet day, I will thank him face to face for that and so much more.