Even though I did share this video on Facebook, I thought I would repost it here for those that are not on FB could see it. ENJOY!
Monday, November 22, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Once again...time has FLOWN by!
Well, here I am again writing about how horrible I am at blogging. HA! I look at it often, just don't think to write. There is so much to write about - just don't think about it at the time. Maybe I just have trouble figuring out which way to go with my blog. I don't want to think of it as a "diary" where I write all my inner most thoughts. Maybe I want to take the route of highlights...but then again - that is what I can use facebook for. :) I had thought about making a blog for my kids at school. But then again - I can't keep up with what I have to do on a daily basis there...how am I going to keep up with a blog?
Anyway - so here is the crazy update of what is going on with us :)
School was GREAT this week. I turned in my assessment! 6 months of work to prove that one of my students is able to the goals I chose for them. We have to do this assessment during their junior year so they may be assessed in some manner cognitively equivalent to their peers in 11th grade.
We also went on 2 field trips. What was I thinking?? Apparently I wasn't! We went to Cracker Barrel on Wednesday to wrap up a unit on money. We have been learning about having enough/not enough money to order off of a menu at a restaurant. The students were required to practice with menus at school to see if they had enough money to buy the food they wanted. If not -they had to make another choice. They also had to remember how to pay for their meal. I DO NOT pay for their meal. I asked the parents (or the bank- depending on the student) to send money in one dollar bills. They have to pay for their meal and give the correct amount. We use the "next dollar strategy" to pay. If your meal costs $5.69 sents...you give the cashier 5 one dollar bills and ONE MORE to cover the 69 cents. Most of my guys did SUPER! Some required a little more help. But that is OK as they are just learning the concept.
On Friday we went to the Very Special Arts Festival sponsered by JMU. It was a great day of arts/crafts, music, reading, and dancing for the students. We had a great time participating and seeing old friends from other schools. I will have to say I think my guys enjoyed the drums the best!! They were all smiles. :)
It was just a great week for them all!
As for home stuff, Rebecca has enjoyed playing outside many days this week. One the way home every day, she always asks "go outside mommy, go outside?" I always tell her we have to say Hi to daddy and Rascal, put our things away, and then go to the bathroom. most of the time that works. :) She really likes playing on her swingset and with her toys. I have a feeling that we will be spending a big part of the summer outside! Looking forward to bringing her pool out :)
We are already getting the spring outside to-do list started. We talked about it on the way home from church today. That darn list keeps getting longer and longer all the time. I decided last summer I wanted to dig up my bulbs along the sidewalk and replace it with something else. I got one side done :) I think I might want to go by the greenhouse near us and find something. Don't know for sure. I can't wait to let Rebecca run wild on the deck and I sit with a good book under the umbrella. YEAH RIGHT! I think I will be expected to play with her :) :) maybe read during nap time.
Anyway - so here is the crazy update of what is going on with us :)
School was GREAT this week. I turned in my assessment! 6 months of work to prove that one of my students is able to the goals I chose for them. We have to do this assessment during their junior year so they may be assessed in some manner cognitively equivalent to their peers in 11th grade.
We also went on 2 field trips. What was I thinking?? Apparently I wasn't! We went to Cracker Barrel on Wednesday to wrap up a unit on money. We have been learning about having enough/not enough money to order off of a menu at a restaurant. The students were required to practice with menus at school to see if they had enough money to buy the food they wanted. If not -they had to make another choice. They also had to remember how to pay for their meal. I DO NOT pay for their meal. I asked the parents (or the bank- depending on the student) to send money in one dollar bills. They have to pay for their meal and give the correct amount. We use the "next dollar strategy" to pay. If your meal costs $5.69 sents...you give the cashier 5 one dollar bills and ONE MORE to cover the 69 cents. Most of my guys did SUPER! Some required a little more help. But that is OK as they are just learning the concept.
On Friday we went to the Very Special Arts Festival sponsered by JMU. It was a great day of arts/crafts, music, reading, and dancing for the students. We had a great time participating and seeing old friends from other schools. I will have to say I think my guys enjoyed the drums the best!! They were all smiles. :)
It was just a great week for them all!
As for home stuff, Rebecca has enjoyed playing outside many days this week. One the way home every day, she always asks "go outside mommy, go outside?" I always tell her we have to say Hi to daddy and Rascal, put our things away, and then go to the bathroom. most of the time that works. :) She really likes playing on her swingset and with her toys. I have a feeling that we will be spending a big part of the summer outside! Looking forward to bringing her pool out :)
We are already getting the spring outside to-do list started. We talked about it on the way home from church today. That darn list keeps getting longer and longer all the time. I decided last summer I wanted to dig up my bulbs along the sidewalk and replace it with something else. I got one side done :) I think I might want to go by the greenhouse near us and find something. Don't know for sure. I can't wait to let Rebecca run wild on the deck and I sit with a good book under the umbrella. YEAH RIGHT! I think I will be expected to play with her :) :) maybe read during nap time.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Water, pipes, and and a whole lot of wet towels
That sums up my weekend. :) I have to admit....it has been quiet around here this weekend, but definitely eventful. J informed me when I walked in the door on Friday afternoon that we have a big problem.....water in the basement that had leaked all the way to the basement stairs (which are carpeted mind you). We moved all the storage shelves and there was water everywhere. We thought of everything we could to figure out where that water was coming from. We cleaned it up and staged a dam if it happened again. We had no clue where it is coming from at that point. Later in the evening....MORE water. we just couldn't figure out where it was coming from. Went to bed....all OK in the morning. Very little water. We did noticed on Saturday that it appeared some of the water was coming up from the floor. We watched and watched. Later in the day.....MORE WATER! We couldnt' figure it out. Finally - after J's shower...we figured out any type of "forceful water" was causing water to come in.....washing machine, showers, etc.
Fast forward to Sunday.....I showered before church....no problem. Came home from church BIG PROBLEMS! Water everywhere. We discovered the problem....the waste water drain on the outside of the foundation has busted completely in two. At this point, we can't run any water for anything. As long as there is no water running...nothing is coming in.
Our neighbors were gracious enough to let us wash our clothes at their house this afternoon. :)
Our call for help to fix our water troubles will go out tomorrow morning. :) Say a prayer that it is fixed quickly and not too much cost.
Fast forward to Sunday.....I showered before church....no problem. Came home from church BIG PROBLEMS! Water everywhere. We discovered the problem....the waste water drain on the outside of the foundation has busted completely in two. At this point, we can't run any water for anything. As long as there is no water running...nothing is coming in.
Our neighbors were gracious enough to let us wash our clothes at their house this afternoon. :)
Our call for help to fix our water troubles will go out tomorrow morning. :) Say a prayer that it is fixed quickly and not too much cost.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
A special Visitor
We had a special visitor at worship team practice tonight. I will call him T. He is visiting his grandparents before returning back to school. He goes to a school for students with special needs. He LOVES to hear our worship team play. His face lit up while we played. He wanted to come and touch all the instruments. At the end, I had to sing something for someone and T was listening intently. Before I started, he busted out in his version of "Holy Holy Holy". It was so precious. I could tell he had a blast tonight. I heard him repeatedly say "I don't want them to quit" or something kind of like it. It was really neat. I am so glad he got to come.
Good day today. I found my missing schedules at school. I have looked everywhere for them! I really didn't want to have to do them over again.
So I go back to work tomorrow. YUCK YUCK and YUCK again! Oh well, such is life. My room is unpacked and I have all my lesson plan ideas either in my head or on paper. Let's hope it all works out after the first few weeks of chaos. :) :) My goal the first week - get everyone where they need to be without getting lost. :)
Good day today. I found my missing schedules at school. I have looked everywhere for them! I really didn't want to have to do them over again.
So I go back to work tomorrow. YUCK YUCK and YUCK again! Oh well, such is life. My room is unpacked and I have all my lesson plan ideas either in my head or on paper. Let's hope it all works out after the first few weeks of chaos. :) :) My goal the first week - get everyone where they need to be without getting lost. :)
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Time for school.....BOO HISS!
Well - in true fashion, my blogging stinks. Last time I wrote, school was out. Now, it is time for school to start. Summer has flown by so quickly. I feel as if my summer just started just a week or so ago.
I took a class this summer. It started on June 8. It was a reading class. I am thinking about getting a second master's degree in reading. Don't know for sure yet. Regardless, I needed a class for recertification at the end of this year. Thought I would try to get two birds with one stone....start my degree and get credit for the class. Why not. I read so many Young Adult Literature books this summer. They were all great books and I enjoyed them. I have a whole new list of books to read!! I wish I could remember all the books I read in junior high and high school. I would go back and re-read them all to see how different the appear to me now.
The most difficult part of my summer (as many of my Facebook followers and friends know) was the sudden illness (on June 18) and death of my grandfather (on June 27). I have known him my whole life as "Marty". But he adopted the new name of "Dudah" when my nephew was finally able to talk. It has been hard, but I am sure it has been a little harder on those at home that saw him daily. I miss calling home and hearing him answer the phone just about every time and telling me "I was just waiting for you to call". I miss the way he would ask about Rebecca all the time and then laugh when I would tell him all the funny things she is doing. I love that my nephew got to spend almost 10 wonderful years with Dudah. I envy those years as Rebecca didn't get those. Bless her heart, she probably won't remember Dudah. She looks at his picture now and can say his name (as best as a 19 month old can), but it will be up to all of us to tell her about Dudah and how special he is to us.
We did go to the beach at the end fo July. It was Rebecca's first time at the beach...Oh - she had a blast. She would have been content to play in the water all day every day. She had no fear of the water. She would run down to it and keep on going if Jason or I weren't there to catch her. It was a nice relaxing time just Jason, Rebecca, and I. I'll put some pictures at the bottom.
Vacation Bible School at church followed immediately after the beach. Oh - that was a good time as well. We had a great group of kids. I was in charge of the special events for the day. We had a great time blowing things up, shooting balloons, and palying with ooey-gooey stuff. I also played in the band, the piano. Such a great week! We heard great Bible stories about Paul and Silas, and Elijah. We learned that God is Undefeatable, Unmatchable, Uncontainable, Unpredicatable, and Unforgettable. :)
Next step after VBS was getting ready to go back to school. Lesson learned after my first year of teaching: GO UNPACK YOUR CLASSROOM BEFORE THE FIRST DAY BACK! Oh my, that was a hard lesson to learn. I spend quite a bit of time before our first day back unpacking and reorganizing my things to make sure they are ready to go. Will be an interesting year, but a good one. I have 16 kids in my room this year. I have a plan. Will see how long before it actually kicks in and runs smoothly.
Well - my movie is about to go off. I am watching The Notebook. Ah - good love story. Jason went to bed so I thought I would finish the movie. As he would say "A chic flick." DARN RIGHT!! :)
I took a class this summer. It started on June 8. It was a reading class. I am thinking about getting a second master's degree in reading. Don't know for sure yet. Regardless, I needed a class for recertification at the end of this year. Thought I would try to get two birds with one stone....start my degree and get credit for the class. Why not. I read so many Young Adult Literature books this summer. They were all great books and I enjoyed them. I have a whole new list of books to read!! I wish I could remember all the books I read in junior high and high school. I would go back and re-read them all to see how different the appear to me now.
The most difficult part of my summer (as many of my Facebook followers and friends know) was the sudden illness (on June 18) and death of my grandfather (on June 27). I have known him my whole life as "Marty". But he adopted the new name of "Dudah" when my nephew was finally able to talk. It has been hard, but I am sure it has been a little harder on those at home that saw him daily. I miss calling home and hearing him answer the phone just about every time and telling me "I was just waiting for you to call". I miss the way he would ask about Rebecca all the time and then laugh when I would tell him all the funny things she is doing. I love that my nephew got to spend almost 10 wonderful years with Dudah. I envy those years as Rebecca didn't get those. Bless her heart, she probably won't remember Dudah. She looks at his picture now and can say his name (as best as a 19 month old can), but it will be up to all of us to tell her about Dudah and how special he is to us.
We did go to the beach at the end fo July. It was Rebecca's first time at the beach...Oh - she had a blast. She would have been content to play in the water all day every day. She had no fear of the water. She would run down to it and keep on going if Jason or I weren't there to catch her. It was a nice relaxing time just Jason, Rebecca, and I. I'll put some pictures at the bottom.
Vacation Bible School at church followed immediately after the beach. Oh - that was a good time as well. We had a great group of kids. I was in charge of the special events for the day. We had a great time blowing things up, shooting balloons, and palying with ooey-gooey stuff. I also played in the band, the piano. Such a great week! We heard great Bible stories about Paul and Silas, and Elijah. We learned that God is Undefeatable, Unmatchable, Uncontainable, Unpredicatable, and Unforgettable. :)
Next step after VBS was getting ready to go back to school. Lesson learned after my first year of teaching: GO UNPACK YOUR CLASSROOM BEFORE THE FIRST DAY BACK! Oh my, that was a hard lesson to learn. I spend quite a bit of time before our first day back unpacking and reorganizing my things to make sure they are ready to go. Will be an interesting year, but a good one. I have 16 kids in my room this year. I have a plan. Will see how long before it actually kicks in and runs smoothly.
Well - my movie is about to go off. I am watching The Notebook. Ah - good love story. Jason went to bed so I thought I would finish the movie. As he would say "A chic flick." DARN RIGHT!! :)
Monday, June 15, 2009
School's out!
School is finally out! I am ready to enjoy the summer - even though I have to read it away. I am taking a class this summer on young adult literature. WHOO HOO! I need a class to recertify and I am thinking about another master's degree down the road. So - why not kill two birds with one stone. :)
I have so many things that I want to do this summer. Number 1 - spend time with Rebecca! :) That is an obvious one. I have some things that I want to do with her. The first being get that pacifier away from her. She only uses it when she sleeps, but I am ready to get it way before she gets too hooked on it. I started today with nap. She cried a little, but quieted down quickly. Not sure if I want to try night time yet or not. HUM.... Will see.
Let's see - number 2 - get my house clean. :) :) :) Really clean. Not just the vaccum the middle of the floor clean. move the furniture clean. I have been working really hard to get rid of stuff that we don't use or need. There is room for all of the remaining stuff now. :)
Number 3 - plan ahead for next school year. YEP - you heard it. Already thinking about school. It is never ending. I am always thinking about how to make things better for the kids. First step - have to find a new aide. One of my 3 aides has left. We are interviewing this week. Hopefully we will have a candidate by end of the week. :)
Time to read - I guess cleaning will have to wait. Cleaning can be done when Rebecca is awake. Reading is just too hard to do with her wanting all of my attention.
Tata for now :)
I have so many things that I want to do this summer. Number 1 - spend time with Rebecca! :) That is an obvious one. I have some things that I want to do with her. The first being get that pacifier away from her. She only uses it when she sleeps, but I am ready to get it way before she gets too hooked on it. I started today with nap. She cried a little, but quieted down quickly. Not sure if I want to try night time yet or not. HUM.... Will see.
Let's see - number 2 - get my house clean. :) :) :) Really clean. Not just the vaccum the middle of the floor clean. move the furniture clean. I have been working really hard to get rid of stuff that we don't use or need. There is room for all of the remaining stuff now. :)
Number 3 - plan ahead for next school year. YEP - you heard it. Already thinking about school. It is never ending. I am always thinking about how to make things better for the kids. First step - have to find a new aide. One of my 3 aides has left. We are interviewing this week. Hopefully we will have a candidate by end of the week. :)
Time to read - I guess cleaning will have to wait. Cleaning can be done when Rebecca is awake. Reading is just too hard to do with her wanting all of my attention.
Tata for now :)
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Sign Language class
So I had sign language class tonight. I can't believe we are already talking final exam. I take mine on April 28. I have learned a lot. I know there is much more to learn, but that will take time. I would love to take level 2 but there isn't a community college class offered within 2 hours of my house. I might check the other colleges to see what they have to offer.
Anyway - what I wanted to post about. Tonight in class, we played the telephone game. You know that game - you whisper something to the person next to you and it goes down the line....who knows what it is by the time you get to the end. Well - we did it all in sign! It was so much fun!!!!! It really helped me to read and then process what was being said and then repeat it. I actually wouldn't mind doing it again another night!
Anyway - what I wanted to post about. Tonight in class, we played the telephone game. You know that game - you whisper something to the person next to you and it goes down the line....who knows what it is by the time you get to the end. Well - we did it all in sign! It was so much fun!!!!! It really helped me to read and then process what was being said and then repeat it. I actually wouldn't mind doing it again another night!
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