Monday, May 31, 2010

Happy Memorial Day...

 



Remembering all past, present, and future Armed Forces that have put themselves in danger to make sure our freedom is maintained.
We are thankful for YOU!

Happy Memorial Day!
~chat soon!
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Thursday, May 27, 2010

last day...

today was the last day of school-for me. with kids. it was good.
i love my job. i love my summer. but, i don't like the last day of school, especially when i have a fantastic class.
as i explained today, i love them as my own. they know that. i think.
we spend more time together then they do with their parents. we click. or don't. either way. they are my kids for 9 months. and i love them.
i read the the max lucado book you are special. it gets me everytime. i explain the intent of the book and the purpose, using secular words, since i am teaching in public school. there is always one that gets it. that the book is talking about jesus. always gets me choked up.
it was a good day.
i'm glad it is over.
i'm glad summer is here.
i'm looking forward to a new set of bodies in august that will be 'my kids'.
got a cool job, i think.
~chat soon!

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Where did the time go?

So this...


Turned into this...


Today was Anne Clara's last day of PRESCHOOL! We will really miss Mrs. Kiessling.
Anne's favorite thing about her was 'she teaches me LOTS of stuff!'.
I can't stand the idea of her starting kindergarten. I just can't stand it.
Good thing I have a few months to get used to it.
Hopefully by then, the puke feeling will go away.

~Chat soon!

Sunday, May 23, 2010

a normal day...


today is Sunday.
nothing special going on.
ice cream truck came.
adam hit anne's bike with my car. niiiiiiiiice.
no one was on it. thankfully.
no cuss words were said, in the meantime.
the girls got new bubble guns, the easter bunny made lousy ones, so mom came to the rescue at target today.
there was 'a ball' held at dinner. complete with cinderella.
and....THE WATERMELON WAS SWEET.

hope your sunday was 'normal' too.
~chat soon!

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Old dogs, new tricks.

A few weeks back in church, Adam nudged me and pointed to a blurb in the bulletin. It was a announcement that a parenting class was coming in town and the speaker/teacher was the Director of Education for CCLS the school we are sending Anne to next year. I kind of shrugged and said, Okay.
After the service Adam started talking about Love and Logic and how CCLS uses it in the school as their discipline routine and maybe we should consider going. He was gung ho-so I jumped aboard and we wrote the check.
This past week I have to admit, I was dreading it. I was scared, nervous, and really afraid it was going to be one of those touchy-feely deals that makes you cry and look like an idiot in front of a whole bunch of strangers.
We drove to the church that was located about 45 minutes from us and started our first 2 hours last night. It was fantastic. The time flew by. I only got a touch teary ONCE when someone said something that hit kind of close to home.
The leaders gave us perfectly normal, no brain er type of strategies to use on our kids. Basically, a mistake is made, you use empathy, there is a 'natural consequence' and life goes on. In 'normal type of homes' it is usually, a mistake is made, it is greeted with anger, and punishment is given that is either a) inadequate because given out of anger or b) unrealistic in length of time or event. DUH! How easy is that.
I thought of how often times when Anne does something ridiculous and makes a mistake either socially or by making a bad decision how we scold her with loud voice and then punish her. She returns the emotion by yelling back OR doing another mistake.
I could go on and on. I won't because, I don't get it all quite yet and I don't want to mislead anyone.
I will say that if you EVER have the opportunity to either see presenters teach Love and Logic. Don't think twice. GO! OR if you can get your hands on set of materials either from the library or the bookstore DO IT!
It's amazing.
I'm positive that we will in NO WAY be able to implement all of the techniques into our family BUT we will try and continue to remember the most important thing....IN MOST INSTANCES...greet the situation with empathy instead of anger. Use few words. If nothing else, it will confuse the heck out of the kids. :)

~chat soon!

A very special thanks to Meemaw and Pawpaw who kept the girls for us...so we could go! We love you and appreciate it soooo much! West End our treat next week! :)

Friday, May 21, 2010

In awe...

Adam and I have been spending a lot of time with Anne in the evening. After Kate is in bed, and quietness has fallen over the house we lay in bed and talk, listen to her think, and watch in wonder as she reads to us.
Yes sir. You read it right.
Read.To.Us.
She is five.
We have read to her almost every night for as long as she has been alive. Yet, we have never talked about how to read. Formally. That is.
The other week. There we were. Laying in the bed. Reading.
Anne casually says. Can I read to you?
Sure. Why not.
I imagined that she would give us a nice story about what is happening in the pictures (which I realize IS a form of reading...)Not so. She READ to us.
Plain as day.
THIS IS MAT.
That is what she read.
I almost cried. I couldn't believe it.
I was so not believing it that I found those words on another page thinking she had just memorized the page.
NOPE.
She read it again.
I have been a teacher for almost 12 years now.
I teach 3rd grade. I see kids ready ALL DAY LONG. BUT they usually come to me with the blocks already laid of their reading foundation. I don't often get to see the actual foundation being built.
It's amazing, simply amazing.
It makes me look forward to every thing else we will see her develop.
That's all for now...gotta get reading. ;)
~chat soon

Thursday, May 20, 2010

everything's alright.

 


Something happened, maybe the Good Lord heard my cries for help. Everything has settled down and we are okay. Kate is normal, Anne is patient. Momma is smiling and Dad is content.
Happy Thursday.
~Chat soon!
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Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Success!


Aunt Stacey graduated last night from Dental Hygenist School.
She's worked hard the last two years.
Happy Graduation 'Aunt Tacey'! (per Kate)
~chat soon!

Monday, May 17, 2010

the weekend that wasn't


OH MY!

i am recovering from the.most.wicked. weekend i have experienced in a looooong time.

courteous of-katherine.

that little monkey has done everything from trying to CLIMB the pantry shelves to biting the backside of her sister to almost getting us an escort out of church because SHE NEEDED HER BINKY.

she is out of control.

i know that it is 'just a phase' but do you think that this phase could send a mother to an early grave??? i think, my friends, its possible.

so along with the wrath of kate, we had rain, rain, and more rain. with that came children crying to blow bubbles, begging to ride bikes, pleading to play with chalk. to no avail, the rain just kept.on.falling.
PLEASE tell the Big Guy upstairs, that there is a sweet little family in Fenton that NEEDS the SUN!
adam snuggled with anne last night and praised her for understanding and patience with kate this weekend. anne's response? 'i'm just waiting, for when kate is bigger, and doesn't mess up everything, AND we'll be best friends...i'm just waiting.'
sniff.
~chat soon!

Sunday, May 16, 2010

pretty in pink...


Our rose bushes have FINALLY started doing what we planted them to do. :)
They are blooming up a storm. Anne is in love with roses. (or anything pretty as she told me a few days ago!)
~chat soon!

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Men...



Here they are.
Casey and Adam.
They have been friends for about 15 years now.
Friday afternoon, Casey came for a visit. Its fun to watch them. There is comfortable silence, joke telling, discussion of important things like old friends, politics, and the neighborhood liquor store going out of business (I have good ears. ;) ) You can tell their friendship is a long one and one that will continue...
We live in a comfortable house, have a decent deck, and a clean back yard. Casey comes and where do they go? The GARAGE.
They ALWAYS chose the garage. NEVER FAILS.
Something about sitting in a smelly old garage, very near the trashcans, lawn mower, the power washer box, and Barbie Jeep just does something for the guys, I guess.
Cracks me up. Every time. Just cracks me up.
It was good to see you Casey! Visit again soon.
~Chat soon.
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Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Whiney Wednesday...

It's raining today.
I like rain, in small amounts. (not like Missouri had in the fall, or winter, or spring to be exact!)
It is kind of a 'grounding period'. After several BEAUTIFUL days it's good to have a dose of rain.
It settles me, makes me realize that I gotta get stuff done. It's not all play, all the time.
Unfourtunatly, my list has about 876 things to do in a very short time.
It will get done-it always does, and once again, I'll go visit my hair friend, Lisa and she'll do her magic to cover the effects of stress on my hair. :)
So...that's all I got.
I sat at a red light too long this morning and some cranky driver honked at me. That bugs me. It really does. RELAX. If you're in that big of a hurry, you proably should have left just a smidge earlier. ;)
I lost my insulin pump bag. It keeps my goods. I have a second stash for cases like this but... I don't like losing things. It makes me feel irresponsible and ditzy. I know it is just mis-laid or stuck in something that I just knew was the PERFECT SPOT. It will come up.
There are about 11 days of school left and there is NO WAY I'm going to get it all crammed in. NO WAY.
I left my cell phone at home on the dresser. I was running a little behind and was very cold this morning so chose not to get it. I'm feeling a little disconnected as well as gitty because no one can find me in the cell world. ;)
People's opinion about me not texting is bugging me today too. I'm sorry. I don't have time, if you need me call. I'll be happy to speak to you. I'm sure it is a luxury beyond luxury. BUT, I'm good. No cable, no text. It's just me! :)
I think that is plenty of whining on this whiny Wednesday.
One more diet coke and I'm SURE my demeanor will start to come around.

~Chat soon!

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

perfect pizza...

Anne and Adam have a new tradition...
Pizza making.
So much fun.
Tonight, Adam thought Kate could join the fun. Anne said "SHE DOES NOT KNOW THE RULES." Not sure what the rules are. But, apparently, Kate can't abide by them. ;)
~Chat soon!





Monday, May 10, 2010

mothers day recap...






Mothers day was good.

I don't really get into these types of days.

I have an old friend that says I'm 'no fun' because of it.

That is okay. Maybe so, but on the flip side as I said to my mom and mother in law this morning. "Mothers day is very hyped up. TV makes it feel that heaven will collide with earth in this beautiful display of appreciation and love."
I, personally think, that is a HECK of a lot of pressure on husbands and kids.

This very blunt statement was AFTER Kate pooped her diaper in the middle of the restaurant, all diaper changing stuff was in the car, I had forgotten wipes, but had napkins (eww.), the restaurant that we chose to go to with the family was late in getting us seated, making some of us a little cranky, Anne doing what appeared to be a canon ball onto the very nice couch in the front of the restaurant-not totally terrible, BUT the lady sitting ON the couch, looking like a twin of Queen Elizabeth, wasn't quite as fascinated as Anne was...just a few highlights! :)

That being said. The heavens and earth nearly collided and I enjoyed a wonderful Mother's Day. we had a fabulous morning at church, a wonderful brunch, a heck of a nap and a great visit with my sister via Skype.

The point is, I'm a momma every day. 365 days out of the year. I feel the honor of it by watching my girls be the best little chicks they can be. I don't need a random Sunday in May to point it out. (although, it isn't terrible.... ;) )

I hope you had a great day too.


~chat soon!

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Happy Mother's Day!

4 Generations...
to all the moms I know...
Mothers are the place where love
Emerges from the earth,
And happiness rings out like bells
In honor of our birth.
Mothers are the sun that lights
For life our inner sky,
So we may know that we are loved
And need not question why.
Mothers are the moon that shines
Upon our black despair,
SO even when we weep, we know
that someones always there.
Whatever fear, or stress, or pain
Might them to anger move,
We know that underneath the storm
We have, always, their love.
*Sent to me by the TRIGR study for Mother's day...no author noted. *
~Chat soon!

Friday, May 7, 2010

BRING IT ON!


Oh maaaaaaaaaaaaaan.
I just counted the days left till summer break...
fourteen
that's right ladies and gents...FOURTEEN.
14 sweet days till nothing-ville.
I mean there is stuff to do, but its only if we really want to.
I LOVE THAT FEELING!
If this summer is anywhere near last summer,
I WILL BE IN HEAVEN!
giggles, beautiful weather, vacations, weddings, swimming, catching fireflies, icecream cones, chalk, painting concrete with water..oh man, oh man, oh man.
Now, don't let me fool you.
There are fights, crying, thunderstorms, cold pool water, firefly-less nights, dropped icecream cones, broken chalk...yucky stuff.
But I'm SOOOO ready for it.
14 days and counting....(oh and some disagree-that today is not over so it is technically 15 days. But, I'm here and am not planning on going home, so there you have it.) 14 days!
~chat soon!
**disclaimer. i only count the days that i have to attend work, weekends are free. they don't count!**

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Prayers of thanks...

There truly is nothing more amazing then the power of prayer.

Today, I have prayers of thanks. (I'm sure the Good Lord is thankful himself, I am a perpetual litany of please help!)



*Shannon, my friend from work, whose husband has been deployed for 6 months is coming home tomorrow. He will be able to celebrate their wedding anniversary and meet their son for the very first time. (the anniversary, not the first, but still able to celebrate on the very day...)

AND

*Kara, our dear friend, Casey sister, gave birth to her fourth child, a son, Finley Michael. 2 pounds. He was born at 27 weeks gestation. Continued prayers are needed, but so thankful it has come this far!



*Wrapping up my ELEVENTH year of teaching. I really feel each year is a gift. My job is amazing, no matter what I say on any given day. I am very thankful for the challenges, as well as the joys.



~Chat soon!

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

because...


sometimes you just gotta, stop and smell the roses! (or tulips!)


Monday, May 3, 2010

Will you read to me?


Last week I went to hear a speaker talk about reading, and getting parents to be able to get their kids at home. I went for two reasons. I'm a parent, and I'm a teacher. I get the dreaded question of 'how do I get him to read at home' all the time, and the answer isn't really all that easy.

Gary Johnson put it all into words and it was awesome and simple. How cool is that.

I am going to share it because I think it is important. I know a whopping 5 people read this blog, but maybe somebody will fall upon it and be able to use it...
Here are the steps of how to get young kids to read.
*this is word for word from his presentation...*
1. They'll do what you do.
How easy is that? Sit down, read. Even pretend. Just do it.

2. Make it easy to read.
Eliminate the things that make it hard (t.v.) 2/3 of kids don't read because they have a tv in their BEDROOM. Why would they want to read???? GET RID OF THE BOOB TUBE IN THE KIDS ROOM (he is a huge proponent of that!)

3. Good choice/bad choice at point of boredom
Your child is bored and cranky. It's close to bedtime. They really should be doing something constructive INSTEAD of watching tv. Encourage your child to make a choice. Read with dad or go to bed? If you read with dad, you get popcorn, go to bed, it's lights out. They will generally pick the reading. If not, let him go, try it again another night, he'll come back sooner or later. :)

4. Side by side
Read side by side. Snuggled up. They won't remember necessarily what was read but the moment shared. Gary says it blurs the line between loving dad and loving to read. (so sweet....)

5. Stop?
Don't stop at the end of the chapter. Stop right before. It entices the child to want to keep reading OR will keep them interested for tomorrow's reading time.

6. Stuff to read at all points of boredom
Crucial to make it easy to read. The breakfast table is the best place, whether it is the cereal box, comics, or the book that was being read the night before. Don't make the books hard to access at home. Spread them out for the little ones.

Really, this is the easiest concept, but besides saying to the parent across the table at conferences, 'it really helps just to read with him', I didn't have much.

Mr. Johnston also shared that the majority of families stop reading to their children at the age of 5, when the start kindergarten. If it is continued to the age of 10 the children are proved to be children who LOVE reading. AMAZING!

Sunday, May 2, 2010

weekend...


I have mentioned time and time again that Adam and I are a team. We take the team approach on just about everything.
This weekend, my team member went to visit a friend for his birthday. I always get silently giddy for a brief second thinking of all the stuff I can get done.
Wonder when I will figure out that NEVER happens.
Friday night, went to dinner with some friends and the chicks.
Came home. Played. Tornado sirens started blaring.
Everyone downstairs. For FOREVER.
This time was super scary. (as if all the others weren't)
Adam keeps me calm. He wasn't here so it hit the fan. (only on the inside)
Didn't sleep either night. For no good reason.
The girls were on toddler overdrive. Questions, screeching, questions, screeching, messes, fighting, questions, screeching.
We made it though.
Adam is home and all is right with the world. :)
~Chat soon!
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