Tuesday, September 26, 2006
I've Been Lax
Yes, I know that I haven't posted in a while..... Things have been busy with school, work, and the fact that it was my birthday on the 23rd and everyone wanted to see me but I didn't have the time!!!!!! Perhaps I post something tomorrow.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Unlucky Arithmetic: Thirteen Ways to Raise a Nonreader
1. NEVER READ where your children can see you.
2. PUT A TV OR COMPUTER in every room. Don't neglect the bedrooms and kitchen.
3. CORRECT YOUR CHILD every time she mispronounces a word.
4. SCHEDULE ACTIVITIES every day after school so your child will never be bored.
5. Once your child can read independently, THROW OUT THE PICTURE BOOKS. They're for babies.
6. DON'T PLAY board games together. Too dull.
7. Give little REWARDS for reading. STICKERS and plastic toys are nice. MONEY is even better.
8. Don't expect your children to enjoy reading. Kids' books are for TEACHING vocabulary, proper study habits, and good MORALS.
9. Buy only 40-WATT BULBS for your lamps.
10. Under NO circumstances read your child the same book OVER AND OVER. She heard it once, she should remember it.
11. Never allow your child to listen to BOOKS ON TAPE; that's CHEATING.
12. Make sure your kids only read books that are "challenging." EASY books are a complete WASTE OF TIME. That goes double for comic books and Mad magazine.
13. Absolutely, positively NO READING IN BED.
Written by Dean Schneider and Robin Smith. Taken from The Horn Book (www.hbook.com)
We read this snippet in class (Literature for Children) yesterday. The moral is two-fold:
If you don't READ the title, you may get the wrong information from this list and, secondly, READING--in any form--is important!!!
2. PUT A TV OR COMPUTER in every room. Don't neglect the bedrooms and kitchen.
3. CORRECT YOUR CHILD every time she mispronounces a word.
4. SCHEDULE ACTIVITIES every day after school so your child will never be bored.
5. Once your child can read independently, THROW OUT THE PICTURE BOOKS. They're for babies.
6. DON'T PLAY board games together. Too dull.
7. Give little REWARDS for reading. STICKERS and plastic toys are nice. MONEY is even better.
8. Don't expect your children to enjoy reading. Kids' books are for TEACHING vocabulary, proper study habits, and good MORALS.
9. Buy only 40-WATT BULBS for your lamps.
10. Under NO circumstances read your child the same book OVER AND OVER. She heard it once, she should remember it.
11. Never allow your child to listen to BOOKS ON TAPE; that's CHEATING.
12. Make sure your kids only read books that are "challenging." EASY books are a complete WASTE OF TIME. That goes double for comic books and Mad magazine.
13. Absolutely, positively NO READING IN BED.
Written by Dean Schneider and Robin Smith. Taken from The Horn Book (www.hbook.com)
We read this snippet in class (Literature for Children) yesterday. The moral is two-fold:
If you don't READ the title, you may get the wrong information from this list and, secondly, READING--in any form--is important!!!
Monday, September 11, 2006
Not Much Goin' On
Here I am, posting, when I have nothing of interest to write about. I allow myself few minutes at the end of the day to check my e-mail and blog site -- it's like a treat. :) I've had a long day (started class today) and it's nice to sit down and not do too much of anything. It doesn't last long though. I'm about to go pick out an outfit for tomorrow, write a note to Pete (I only see him in the mornings), scoop the litter, take my shower, and hit the hay. Hopefully my tired little head will be on that pillow by 8:50 or so. Here's hoping for a good day tomorrow!
Thursday, September 07, 2006
It's a moon thing
I was just helping Beaksterbeak (A.K.A. Roxy) with her newest blog and since I was in my own blog (helping via phone), I figured I might as well publish something tonight....
Here's a scientific study that you might like to read about (I'm the scientist):
Full moons make second grade students NUTS! When there's no full moon, they are much calmer. The study also goes on to say that when the second graders are nuts, their teacher feels very frazzled.
Please look at the calendar. Do you see a moon under today's date? Guess what??? It's a FULL MOON! So that means I'm:
A. Lovin' life
B. Frazzled and ready for bed
C. Excited for my day tomorrow
D. Wishing I was on summer vacation again
If you said B and D, you are CORRECT!!!! (Good thing today was payday!)
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
A School Day Vignette
A large sigh............. Gotta love those kids, right? Here's a good one:
Earlier today I was talking to my kids (about what, I can't remember) and mentioned Mr. H.......... (name deleted for anonymity). One of my kids asked, "Who's Mr. H..........?" and, before answering, I asked the same question to the group (everyone was on the floor; I had just read a story): "Does anyone know who Mr. H.......... could be?" One child answered, "Your husband." "Very good," I replied. Then, one of my more outspoken kids shouted out, "I bet he looks like you!" Well, I must have had a quizzical look upon my face and was about to answer, "Well no..." but this kid beat me to the punch. "He looks like you 'cause you have a boy's haircut and it's like a man." Oh boy. I was shocked and peeved all at once. I just sat there and stared at him for a few seconds before I told him he was very rude. Can you believe that? Out of the mouths of babes doesn't apply here--that was downright rude. I've gotta work with him and his manners. (There have been other incidents before this one: last week he untied a decorative bow at the bottom of my shirt while I was standing there talking to him. Again, I was shocked and said that I couldn't believe he had done that, touched my shirt, etc. He looked genuinely sorry and mumbled something about his brain and hands not talking to each other. Geesh.)
Kids.......
Earlier today I was talking to my kids (about what, I can't remember) and mentioned Mr. H.......... (name deleted for anonymity). One of my kids asked, "Who's Mr. H..........?" and, before answering, I asked the same question to the group (everyone was on the floor; I had just read a story): "Does anyone know who Mr. H.......... could be?" One child answered, "Your husband." "Very good," I replied. Then, one of my more outspoken kids shouted out, "I bet he looks like you!" Well, I must have had a quizzical look upon my face and was about to answer, "Well no..." but this kid beat me to the punch. "He looks like you 'cause you have a boy's haircut and it's like a man." Oh boy. I was shocked and peeved all at once. I just sat there and stared at him for a few seconds before I told him he was very rude. Can you believe that? Out of the mouths of babes doesn't apply here--that was downright rude. I've gotta work with him and his manners. (There have been other incidents before this one: last week he untied a decorative bow at the bottom of my shirt while I was standing there talking to him. Again, I was shocked and said that I couldn't believe he had done that, touched my shirt, etc. He looked genuinely sorry and mumbled something about his brain and hands not talking to each other. Geesh.)
Kids.......
Monday, September 04, 2006
Labor Day Weekend
As always, the weekend has come to a close. No matter how many days I have off, they always seem to fly by. Not that I'm complaining though--my kids have been great and I'm looking forward to going back tomorrow. A four day week will be nice too!
My weekend. Let's see.... Friday when I got home Pete and I drove to the Chevy store to pick up his car (he's been having tranny trouble). It took us almost an hour and a half from start to finish as there was a lot of traffic (it didn't help that we left at 4:30 either).
Saturday was supposed to be a terrible day. Lots of wind and rain were predicted but hardly any came. My parents drove out to see us. After visiting for a little while, we all drove to Manchester (I drove Pop's car with Mom, Pop went with Pete in the truck--my parents were leaving from Manchester to go home instead of driving back to our house). We all went to eat at Hops (yummy!!!) and then Mom and I went to JoAnn Fabrics while Pop and Pete drooled in Circuit City. Mom was going to make me some new living room curtains for my birthday until we figured out that it would actually be cheaper to buy them! I need 8 yards of fabric and it was running anywhere from $8.00 to $25.00 a yard! We'd also have to buy 8 yards of liner fabric, pleater tape, etc. Way too much $$$! I think I'm just going to dry clean my current ones. (Cat hair city!) After JoAnn's we went to Cape Cod Crafters and then to Christmas Tree Shop. It was very crowded but we picked up some great stuff (got a $15.00 tent like cat carrier for the truck). Saturday evening we took it easy.
Sunday: After church, Pete and I drove up to the Yankee Candle Flagship Store in South Deerfield, Massachusetts. It took us about an hour and a half to get there; it rained the whole way. Pete and I spent several hours in there checking everything out and smelling countless candles. Of course, we picked up some samplers for ourselves and some of the large jar candles to give out as presents. At the register, we got a $15.00 gas coupon (whoa!) so, of course, we topped of the tank (gas anywhere is cheaper than CT!). While Pete was filling up, I thought that maybe we could check out a little country store in Vermont that I had seen in a pamphlet in Yankee Candle. Seeing as it was only 1:30 and pouring rain (what were we going to do at home anyway?), we decided to drive up there. After driving an hour North of South Deerfield (which, remember, is an hour and a half away from home), we made it to The Vermont Country Store in Rockingham, Vermont. What a great place!!! We browsed for about an hour. We finally picked up some stuff to eat (I hadn't eaten lunch yet--only had a scone with Pete at Yankee Candle). I purchased a block of horseradish cheddar cheese (for later), some cubed Cabot cheddar, little wine crackers (on the sweet side--they're like little pretzle stubs only white. Dee-licious!), and some salted, smoked herring. Pete also got a root beer, honey sticks, and a generous hunk of chocolate-peanutbutter fudge. We ate the cheddar cheese, crackers, and fish in the truck before heading home. Pete didn't eat very much of the fish. Man, was it salty! It tasted great with the crackers and cheese. Afterward, my mouth and tongue felt like they had shrunk about 2 inches! We left the Country Store at 3:30 and pulled into Pete's mother's house at almost 6:00 (she was on the way home and I was dying of thirst). We visited for a little while and were home by 7:30. Pete and I both slept like rocks last night!!
Today (Labor Day): Not too much going on today. I went grocery shopping this morning, did 2 loads of laundry, helped Pete wash 3 windows, made a casserole, took a walk with Pete, and ate the casserole (lots of cheese, eggs, bread, and butter--almost like a souffle), and..... here I am. I'm about to go upstairs and figure out what to wear for tomorrow.
Well, that's it. There's my weekend in a nutshell. Let's hope my week at school is just as exciting but uneventful. I've got a GREAT group of kids. I told them on Friday that they're one of my best classes yet. I hope I didn't count my chickens before they hatch though. I'd hate to ruin such a good thing!
I hope everyone who reads this blog had a great weekend too!
Until next time.... :)
My weekend. Let's see.... Friday when I got home Pete and I drove to the Chevy store to pick up his car (he's been having tranny trouble). It took us almost an hour and a half from start to finish as there was a lot of traffic (it didn't help that we left at 4:30 either).
Saturday was supposed to be a terrible day. Lots of wind and rain were predicted but hardly any came. My parents drove out to see us. After visiting for a little while, we all drove to Manchester (I drove Pop's car with Mom, Pop went with Pete in the truck--my parents were leaving from Manchester to go home instead of driving back to our house). We all went to eat at Hops (yummy!!!) and then Mom and I went to JoAnn Fabrics while Pop and Pete drooled in Circuit City. Mom was going to make me some new living room curtains for my birthday until we figured out that it would actually be cheaper to buy them! I need 8 yards of fabric and it was running anywhere from $8.00 to $25.00 a yard! We'd also have to buy 8 yards of liner fabric, pleater tape, etc. Way too much $$$! I think I'm just going to dry clean my current ones. (Cat hair city!) After JoAnn's we went to Cape Cod Crafters and then to Christmas Tree Shop. It was very crowded but we picked up some great stuff (got a $15.00 tent like cat carrier for the truck). Saturday evening we took it easy.
Sunday: After church, Pete and I drove up to the Yankee Candle Flagship Store in South Deerfield, Massachusetts. It took us about an hour and a half to get there; it rained the whole way. Pete and I spent several hours in there checking everything out and smelling countless candles. Of course, we picked up some samplers for ourselves and some of the large jar candles to give out as presents. At the register, we got a $15.00 gas coupon (whoa!) so, of course, we topped of the tank (gas anywhere is cheaper than CT!). While Pete was filling up, I thought that maybe we could check out a little country store in Vermont that I had seen in a pamphlet in Yankee Candle. Seeing as it was only 1:30 and pouring rain (what were we going to do at home anyway?), we decided to drive up there. After driving an hour North of South Deerfield (which, remember, is an hour and a half away from home), we made it to The Vermont Country Store in Rockingham, Vermont. What a great place!!! We browsed for about an hour. We finally picked up some stuff to eat (I hadn't eaten lunch yet--only had a scone with Pete at Yankee Candle). I purchased a block of horseradish cheddar cheese (for later), some cubed Cabot cheddar, little wine crackers (on the sweet side--they're like little pretzle stubs only white. Dee-licious!), and some salted, smoked herring. Pete also got a root beer, honey sticks, and a generous hunk of chocolate-peanutbutter fudge. We ate the cheddar cheese, crackers, and fish in the truck before heading home. Pete didn't eat very much of the fish. Man, was it salty! It tasted great with the crackers and cheese. Afterward, my mouth and tongue felt like they had shrunk about 2 inches! We left the Country Store at 3:30 and pulled into Pete's mother's house at almost 6:00 (she was on the way home and I was dying of thirst). We visited for a little while and were home by 7:30. Pete and I both slept like rocks last night!!
Today (Labor Day): Not too much going on today. I went grocery shopping this morning, did 2 loads of laundry, helped Pete wash 3 windows, made a casserole, took a walk with Pete, and ate the casserole (lots of cheese, eggs, bread, and butter--almost like a souffle), and..... here I am. I'm about to go upstairs and figure out what to wear for tomorrow.
Well, that's it. There's my weekend in a nutshell. Let's hope my week at school is just as exciting but uneventful. I've got a GREAT group of kids. I told them on Friday that they're one of my best classes yet. I hope I didn't count my chickens before they hatch though. I'd hate to ruin such a good thing!
I hope everyone who reads this blog had a great weekend too!
Until next time.... :)
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