(...continuing our list of 100 books...)
40. A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever by Marla Frazee (so fun!!)
41. Dinosaur Days by Liza Baker (based on a Harold and the Purple Crayon episode)
42. Mi Hermanita Es Súper by Kes Gray (we read in Spanish sometimes!)
43. Peter and the Wolf by Chris Raschka (an artist's rendition, complete w/additional character)
44. The Runaway Shopping Cart by Kathy Long
Monday, February 28, 2011
Saturday, February 26, 2011
When was your last random act of kindness??
I know I always think of ideas of things to do, but I rarely act on them! So I think it might be easier if I had a list printed up to help remind me of what to do. If I see it, I hope to do it more often. Please feel free to add more in the comments!! Thanks!
- sweep the snow of a few extra cars when you are done sweeping yours off
- shovel your neighbor's walk
(can you tell we got more snow today?!)
- buy an extra apple and share it w/someone!
- write a letter to someone and put a dollar in it
- take a pack of diapers to a new, or even not so new, mom
- send an encouraging note to someone in the service profession - a teacher, a nurse, a police officer, a fireman/woman, someone in the armed forces, etc...
- buy a brand new pack of colored pens (or stickers, or comfortable socks, or anything you think they would find useful and not have to buy themselves) and give them to a teacher you know
- drop some change in someone else's parking meter
- SMILE
- sweep the snow of a few extra cars when you are done sweeping yours off
- shovel your neighbor's walk
(can you tell we got more snow today?!)
- buy an extra apple and share it w/someone!
- write a letter to someone and put a dollar in it
- take a pack of diapers to a new, or even not so new, mom
- send an encouraging note to someone in the service profession - a teacher, a nurse, a police officer, a fireman/woman, someone in the armed forces, etc...
- buy a brand new pack of colored pens (or stickers, or comfortable socks, or anything you think they would find useful and not have to buy themselves) and give them to a teacher you know
- drop some change in someone else's parking meter
- SMILE
Friday, February 25, 2011
Photo Friday
I love pictures and there are not nearly enough of them around here lately! So I'm going to institute Photo Friday!
Moses has been getting into drawing and writing a lot more lately. I love seeing how his mind works through his art, as well as how he creatively spells things! This one is pretty sweet -
Moses has been getting into drawing and writing a lot more lately. I love seeing how his mind works through his art, as well as how he creatively spells things! This one is pretty sweet -
Kiss + Kiss
Love
Mom and Dad
This is another one of my new favorites - why let the snowpocalypse spoil your swing set fun?
Friday, February 18, 2011
P is for Protest
There have been protests in our lives on a global, state, local (in house!) and personal level this week. Citizens of Egypt took to the streets in the name of democracy, citizens of WI have congregated outside the capitol building to express their opposition to a budget bill, my daughter continues to stage her food protest and my muscles protest the fact that I have been working out again! I feel like everyone, everywhere is at odds w/each other!
(I do not wish to begin a debate here. I do not like politics, but that doesn't mean I don't learn about them. I am a teacher (just not working in a school right now) and I do have an opinion about all that, but I won't share it here. So don't bother leaving a comment about that. Thank you!)
Anyway - I was thinking today about all these protests and of course the one that affects my personal daily life the most Colleen's protests when it comes to eating. So many times people ask us what is wrong w/her since she has a G tube and she does not move as easily and strongly as other kids. She walks/runs w/a really strange gait and struggles to use play equipment that should be easy enough. Just the other day we were at the mall and someone asked how old she was. "Wow, she's really small for her age!" Um, yeah. You would be too...! The fact that people comment doesn't bother me. The fact that we don't really have answers bothers me! (We know nothing of her family's medical history.) Believe me, we've done all sorts of allergy tests, medical scopes, blood draws, XRays and MRIs. Nothing. Clear. Yet her progress is slow. Not enough. Concerning. Despite all of our progress w/the feeding team and our efforts to help her feel secure and safe when eating, we're still pretty much where we were a year and a half ago. I don't like that - my mind races down rabbit trails to find something, some kind of answer when people ask what's wrong. The other day I found info about sensory disorders. (You can find answers for everything on the internet!! We always joke in our house that there are no mysteries anymore. I'm not saying the answers are all correct, but if all you need is an answer, you won't be disappointed!) Back to the sensory disorders. I found 2 that fit my girl to a T. So now I am armed w/more questions for the therapists. Maybe this avenue will take us somewhere we can settle in and make progress. Maybe not.
So many times in life, there are problems we can't fix. Small children who have lived a long life in only 3 years time, family members who live away from us get sick and we can't help them, state budgets we can't balance, global conflicts we can't resolve...however, we can choose our attitudes. I tried to remind myself and others about that as I posted this for a face.book status:
Today I'm reminding all of you to choose love. Many times we feel like we cannot change the things in our life or we have no other choice, but we can choose our attitudes. Choose love! Work on loving and respecting those around you and I promise your day will be better!
I choose love.
(I do not wish to begin a debate here. I do not like politics, but that doesn't mean I don't learn about them. I am a teacher (just not working in a school right now) and I do have an opinion about all that, but I won't share it here. So don't bother leaving a comment about that. Thank you!)
Anyway - I was thinking today about all these protests and of course the one that affects my personal daily life the most Colleen's protests when it comes to eating. So many times people ask us what is wrong w/her since she has a G tube and she does not move as easily and strongly as other kids. She walks/runs w/a really strange gait and struggles to use play equipment that should be easy enough. Just the other day we were at the mall and someone asked how old she was. "Wow, she's really small for her age!" Um, yeah. You would be too...! The fact that people comment doesn't bother me. The fact that we don't really have answers bothers me! (We know nothing of her family's medical history.) Believe me, we've done all sorts of allergy tests, medical scopes, blood draws, XRays and MRIs. Nothing. Clear. Yet her progress is slow. Not enough. Concerning. Despite all of our progress w/the feeding team and our efforts to help her feel secure and safe when eating, we're still pretty much where we were a year and a half ago. I don't like that - my mind races down rabbit trails to find something, some kind of answer when people ask what's wrong. The other day I found info about sensory disorders. (You can find answers for everything on the internet!! We always joke in our house that there are no mysteries anymore. I'm not saying the answers are all correct, but if all you need is an answer, you won't be disappointed!) Back to the sensory disorders. I found 2 that fit my girl to a T. So now I am armed w/more questions for the therapists. Maybe this avenue will take us somewhere we can settle in and make progress. Maybe not.
So many times in life, there are problems we can't fix. Small children who have lived a long life in only 3 years time, family members who live away from us get sick and we can't help them, state budgets we can't balance, global conflicts we can't resolve...however, we can choose our attitudes. I tried to remind myself and others about that as I posted this for a face.book status:
Today I'm reminding all of you to choose love. Many times we feel like we cannot change the things in our life or we have no other choice, but we can choose our attitudes. Choose love! Work on loving and respecting those around you and I promise your day will be better!
I choose love.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Train
- order of occurrence leading to some result
- a line of combustible material laid to lead fire to a charge
- a series of moving mechanical parts (as gears) that transmit and modify motion
- to teach so as to make fit, qualified, or proficient
- to make prepared (as by exercise) for a test of skill
- to aim at an object or objective
- to undergo instruction, discipline, or drill
- a line of combustible material laid to lead fire to a charge
- a series of moving mechanical parts (as gears) that transmit and modify motion
- to teach so as to make fit, qualified, or proficient
- to make prepared (as by exercise) for a test of skill
- to aim at an object or objective
- to undergo instruction, discipline, or drill
DAY 1
I personally am choosing the second definition to motivate myself.
CHARGE!!!!!
(all definitions of the word cut and pasted from Merriam Webster's online dictionary)
More to come in future posts...
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Noisy books
(...continuing our list of 100 books...)
34. White Snow Bright Snow by Alvin Tresselt (the title alone ignited a discussion about why 'ite' and 'ight' sound the same in English...I love how my boy is learning to read and discovering the anomalies of the English language! Just wait until you get to palate, pallet and pallette! or pour, pore and poor! or rein, reign and rain! or raze, rays and raise! or seas, sees and seize! or wear, where and ware! or weigh, way and whey! Sorry. I could harp on homonyms all day. As an English teacher, they are sooooo annoying! But I digress...back to the list!)
35. And the Train Goes by William Bee
36. Curious George Visits the Zoo by Margaret and H. A. Rey
And I promise next time not to climb on the 'why-I-learned-another-language' soap box!
34. White Snow Bright Snow by Alvin Tresselt (the title alone ignited a discussion about why 'ite' and 'ight' sound the same in English...I love how my boy is learning to read and discovering the anomalies of the English language! Just wait until you get to palate, pallet and pallette! or pour, pore and poor! or rein, reign and rain! or raze, rays and raise! or seas, sees and seize! or wear, where and ware! or weigh, way and whey! Sorry. I could harp on homonyms all day. As an English teacher, they are sooooo annoying! But I digress...back to the list!)
35. And the Train Goes by William Bee
36. Curious George Visits the Zoo by Margaret and H. A. Rey
And I promise next time not to climb on the 'why-I-learned-another-language' soap box!
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