tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32404588826345082402024-03-19T01:47:30.482-07:00Writing About Nothing"I love talking about nothing... It's the only thing I know anything about." - Oscar WildeUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4053125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3240458882634508240.post-91045023528118505772024-03-18T05:36:00.000-07:002024-03-18T05:36:51.083-07:00Weekend<p> Friday I met Emma at Ulta after work. I told her for my birthday I wanted to go make-up shopping and I wanted her help. That girl hates a clothing store, but she navigates Ulta like a native. She steered me away from brands that were "not great" and when I was looking at one brand, she walked away and said, "They test on animals."</p><p>She asked me what my "goals" were. I didn't know.</p><p>I was clearly out of my depth. </p><p>We got some things that I may or may not be able to use properly and I got a teeny tiny bottle of Gucci perfume that I loved. (Teeny tiny so I wouldn't need a second mortgage.)</p><p>It was fun.</p><p>We had a little time so we walked next door to Nordstrom Rack. We both found some cute cute shoes so that was even more fun. Chipotle was close, so we walked there for dinner. I feel an ease and joy being with Emma that I wouldn't have believed possible when she was in junior high. She is a good time. </p><p>I went to use the bathroom and when I got back to the table, she was looking at her phone with a kind of stricken face. I said, "What's wrong!?!" </p><p>She said, "I want to be at that beach."</p><p>Mark and Adam were at a beach, flying a kite and sending videos. I was glad that was the only tragedy in her life at the moment.</p><p>From there we went to Clarissa's school to watch the play she directed and last minute played Jack's mother because the actor that was supposed to play her quit. </p><p>Clarissa started the drama program from scratch and I was so impressed with her. Most of the students had never been in any kind of show before, but they were up there on stage, singing and acting their little hearts out. At the curtain call, I looked at all those happy faces and the stage crew lining the wall and I thought, "Clarissa did this!" One person can make a difference in their corner of the world!</p><p>We sat by Marianne and Hyrum and Liberty and you've never met a more appreciative audience member than Hyrum. </p><p>Saturday I did my little household chores and reorganized the last bathroom drawer and went clothes shopping. When Adam used to regularly go to London, I would paint walls and move furniture.</p><p>Now, apparently, I shop. (I don't have anyone around to help me move furniture anyway.)</p><p>Jamie and Holly and I went out on the town Saturday night! We got burgers at Chom and in the car Holly got really mad at one of her kids over the phone. He's 13 and we bonded over parenting. I told her the gem of truth Geri shared with me: if you can let your sons live between the ages of 11 and 15, you can do anything. Jamie and I promised her it gets better.</p><p>It was fun to ride to Salt Lake City together and chat and listen to BTS, which Jamie insisted on because it is her daughter's favorite. Her daughter is currently serving a mission, but BTS keeps her close to Jamie's heart. </p><p>Who am I to doubt my life coach?</p><p>The Bored Teachers comedy show was 95% percent hilarious and 5% rude. I think in balance, that is too much rudeness for me and I wouldn't recommend it or go again. I think comedians who don't need to resort to crassness are the truly humorous. </p><p>I had a good time with my friends though. And it was fun being with so many teacher friends. In the elevator in the parking garage we were all comparing which schools we taught at. They are my people.</p><p>I was asleep when Adam got home, but he woke me up, as instructed, and I was happy to see him.</p><p>On Sunday we watched the Relief Society broadcast commemorating the birthday of the Relief Society during church instead of later. I loved it! Those are even more my people. I loved being reminded of truths I know and feeling love for the women sitting shoulder to shoulder with me in that room, love for my mom and sisters and daughters (including Anna!) and granddaughter and grandmothers and nieces, and love from my Heavenly Father.</p><p>As Sunday afternoon progressed, I felt more and more worn out. I took a restless nap and finally called off Sunday dinner. When Adam got home, we snacked and took a drive. My requirement was that I wasn't going to get out of the car. I was just tired. It was really nice to be with Adam again.</p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3240458882634508240.post-84265084591826181002024-03-15T05:43:00.000-07:002024-03-15T05:43:29.647-07:00Grateful Friday<p>Mark is on spring break this week so he joined Adam in going to Anaheim--for work, no Disneyland unfortunately.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgKo2KLYu9NSErZiU13R0GVSXwZgROZ0jMZuWmney2Tc8po7J_LpKQ8j8ZCgj9qjNEnGHtJ5pITpebpwFXs1QYJx6fmlm_2feiFc0XajHpGOWBIeETaLtcUpJjjN7FYglteODRkWp2H0naII9Xi5FLeNsvPL_mwz2Lzorbv1RHpYmAST9cknTGOLSvhJg74" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgKo2KLYu9NSErZiU13R0GVSXwZgROZ0jMZuWmney2Tc8po7J_LpKQ8j8ZCgj9qjNEnGHtJ5pITpebpwFXs1QYJx6fmlm_2feiFc0XajHpGOWBIeETaLtcUpJjjN7FYglteODRkWp2H0naII9Xi5FLeNsvPL_mwz2Lzorbv1RHpYmAST9cknTGOLSvhJg74=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I suggested maybe there are barbers in SoCal. Doesn't it seem really fun to be my offspring?</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div>They are sending me sunny updates and pictures, but I'm not without my own good time around here. Last night I had dinner with Marianne and Robert. It seems like every time they are in town, Adam is not and I'm sure Robert would rather have dinner with us rather than just me, but he is nice about it.<p></p><p>(Also, I forgot to give Emma's name at the restaurant. I said Thelma and when they were bringing the food, the guy called, "Elma?" I said, "Thelma?" He said, "Alma?" I said, "Thelma, with a th." He said, "Oh, Telma." I said, "Sure...." In the progression of phonics instruction, CVC words are first, followed by blends, but digraphs are third! Why does everyone struggle with my very phonetic name so much?!?)</p><p>Tonight I'm meeting Emma for shopping prior to my birthday, we'll get dinner and then go to the play that Clarissa is directing at the school where she teaches.</p><p>Saturday I'm going to a Bored Teachers comedy show at the Eccles in SLC. I'm going with my friends Jamie and Holly and I couldn't be happier about it.</p><p>In between all that I'll putter and do my little tasks and Adam will be home Saturday night. </p><p>Life feels pretty good and I'm grateful about that.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3240458882634508240.post-44923491694285825852024-03-14T05:25:00.000-07:002024-03-14T05:25:20.078-07:00Gee...thanks<p>Yesterday one of my girls brought a Chinese jumprope to school. They didn't exactly know how to do it so I taught them what I used to do at recess.</p><p>I showed them how to put it around their ankles and then stretch it between two girls. I demonstrated for them the jump routine I knew (Marianne taught it to me in our old playroom/Enoch's room).</p><p>One-two-three-four in out in on.</p><p>One of my girls admiringly said, "She is old, but she can do it!" </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3240458882634508240.post-2571571619688652482024-03-13T05:42:00.000-07:002024-03-13T05:42:43.289-07:00Serendipity<p>Adam and I often drive by a vintage shop in Pleasant Grove. On Saturday I said, "I want to go there sometime."</p><p>Adam (because he's always game) asked, "Do you want to stop right now?"</p><p>I declined because I had to prepare to host a party.</p><p>Yesterday I got home and the cleaners were still at our house. I decided it was my moment.</p><p>It is a little store with even smaller booths, but all the pretty things gave me the hit of dopamine that I've been missing by not going to Snohomish, Washington on a regular basis.</p><p>In the winter I have lights on the mantle and then when I change stuff out, I take away the lights, but it still gets dark. I decided I wanted a lamp. At the vintage store, I got two lamps because I liked them both and I was not sure which one I would want to use.</p><p>I decided I liked this little guy on the mantle. Still not sure about the overall arrangement....</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi8kxDEJwoLSILbKEo_w_EeOHdStj8eaQ5_C-QMZ9ou1AA4cHrStkD3Y_tYCV9WLoW1PsCiz87U6rTlq--jAO4MQYgC2w_AG3x16V2FqKPgwG4EhxBHL49DhaopKTcsrAnAsj9GgpIs6ev6CUHwnZprZnhjRlbK88P4xxoTBmZBBA7mI6glqKZGtA_HW4id" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi8kxDEJwoLSILbKEo_w_EeOHdStj8eaQ5_C-QMZ9ou1AA4cHrStkD3Y_tYCV9WLoW1PsCiz87U6rTlq--jAO4MQYgC2w_AG3x16V2FqKPgwG4EhxBHL49DhaopKTcsrAnAsj9GgpIs6ev6CUHwnZprZnhjRlbK88P4xxoTBmZBBA7mI6glqKZGtA_HW4id=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><br />I put this one on the piano. Still not sure about the overall arrangement....<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg_sHNip8E2VICoiDcK4bXCzI2oWtZA_-rdpcchR1atB33IAc6Mi77ca2ht8PjamTGBrhs92ys1OIyXuJmapmCNL7WDbvVy46I6g9Sgy_O98TOoCOP4-RHqxBludIaqFFNib800KrybA94LfoH9IYHwT0MV_C64LZJdgM7aYq4oTMN6ta95t33ofiGuWHkC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg_sHNip8E2VICoiDcK4bXCzI2oWtZA_-rdpcchR1atB33IAc6Mi77ca2ht8PjamTGBrhs92ys1OIyXuJmapmCNL7WDbvVy46I6g9Sgy_O98TOoCOP4-RHqxBludIaqFFNib800KrybA94LfoH9IYHwT0MV_C64LZJdgM7aYq4oTMN6ta95t33ofiGuWHkC=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><br />I found a few other tchotchkes but my favorite find was this:<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsL6s_sVts6ZcKX0J3fYXrYfxXhKnZlAGFOD-YlI6L98HfY9Hgp_txKDwf1xoSj7iLDufBY6k9WK9X6MZPq_wved7GFrM07CYWVVrO-Va4FVqZjdGCUQGTF_lTEAvkNWC2q-5IRbx77DZX9EuRqM4EC9NTT3xfDFm3kTjNh5AflwHMzjSXs8RqJL7fGP9f" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsL6s_sVts6ZcKX0J3fYXrYfxXhKnZlAGFOD-YlI6L98HfY9Hgp_txKDwf1xoSj7iLDufBY6k9WK9X6MZPq_wved7GFrM07CYWVVrO-Va4FVqZjdGCUQGTF_lTEAvkNWC2q-5IRbx77DZX9EuRqM4EC9NTT3xfDFm3kTjNh5AflwHMzjSXs8RqJL7fGP9f=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br />It's a 1926 copy of the book! Adam read <i>Winnie the Pooh</i> aloud to me when we were dating. Our children adore it and now Braeden and Anna read it to QE. She loves it too.<p></p><p>It's kind of our family book.</p><p>Also, it delighted me because it was from a school library in Maine.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdLsywdJ816AGhPVxX3RmHuEArtT8uz0MvR62BE4aXwYF1ibjRK4dWazGK-kcCVOxV21letw1cYRqvQpDPNe8TYgfzqGH_HHShKlVqbm-Hq0yIfmjmhPTQrxQtxs4zYrAQTgygRaNv-cQPArf8uP2I-bgtg3atXvRzYB33PvTuFQkkQc53q0iKZLZtgnjT" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdLsywdJ816AGhPVxX3RmHuEArtT8uz0MvR62BE4aXwYF1ibjRK4dWazGK-kcCVOxV21letw1cYRqvQpDPNe8TYgfzqGH_HHShKlVqbm-Hq0yIfmjmhPTQrxQtxs4zYrAQTgygRaNv-cQPArf8uP2I-bgtg3atXvRzYB33PvTuFQkkQc53q0iKZLZtgnjT=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br />The thrill of the hunt! I love finding treasures I didn't know I needed.<p></p><p>I came home and Adam was home. He had come home early to prep for bishopric meeting. He had noticed though that the disposal under the kitchen sink was leaking. He took it all apart and spent about an hour cleaning and reassembling because it was really gross and stubborn.</p><p>When he was finished, he asked me to fill the sink and let it drain so he could make sure it was not going to leak. I said, "I'm impressed you even know how to do this. I would have no idea how to fix that."</p><p>He said, "Well, first I get a little mad and then I figure it out."</p><p>I guess that's a good formula for success!</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3240458882634508240.post-45607268183954496772024-03-12T06:28:00.000-07:002024-03-12T06:28:53.465-07:00Professional Development Day<p>On Saturday at our little party, Jamie confessed that she was stressed about our PD day. She said, "I am supposed to be making a presentation that has a theme from <i>The Bachelor</i> and I've never seen the show."</p><p>I said, "If I know you, it will be amazing."</p><p>Jamie doesn't do anything halfway.</p><p>It all came about when people were a little punchy from a long meeting and leaning into alliteration and when someone said we were going to talk about data at our PD day, someone else called it a date with data and Matt <i>went with it</i>. Make it Bachelor themed!</p><p>But he put Jamie in charge. She said she went around the building and talked to anyone she could about the show so she could make her presentation. </p><p>We had a short break and she marshaled the coaches and set up lights around the library and had rose petals and champagne flutes on the tables and Matt wore a suit. (He was quick to point out he was not the bachelor, but the host.)</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnQVZd3heT7BjHziIFSoC_C4DF5HLqtXmWksAZI1UsfEl3BD1LFIlHDmasUZWqy4wzpHn8wjQNVstk8AtOAEXbMY64a5rXSiJWtOYklPwvecjPf7eBdbNvG8QOtrkszRlgBNfBo6-6VR8l0dk4ekjHt7eVkgW1VdKAZ6M_-1pAO945YtYlNVVBKq6SLET6" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnQVZd3heT7BjHziIFSoC_C4DF5HLqtXmWksAZI1UsfEl3BD1LFIlHDmasUZWqy4wzpHn8wjQNVstk8AtOAEXbMY64a5rXSiJWtOYklPwvecjPf7eBdbNvG8QOtrkszRlgBNfBo6-6VR8l0dk4ekjHt7eVkgW1VdKAZ6M_-1pAO945YtYlNVVBKq6SLET6=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhTeHdxj973G6a8lMJ-m1Bg60Tn6Rui1xgc8sgxGJp7H05V69e6WUA1okLO37IO3z2C9v-fuikjPVh1r6xNYh6F3ZzgyqZMxB68sKS_ZZh6nwvIPDUREMPwRikUjJPqiJO0qL3gLolxtl_kbaoHUJ8kLdriy8Q5TF9rrva9S8mqXYlMhS09gsbNNHT1yKVD" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhTeHdxj973G6a8lMJ-m1Bg60Tn6Rui1xgc8sgxGJp7H05V69e6WUA1okLO37IO3z2C9v-fuikjPVh1r6xNYh6F3ZzgyqZMxB68sKS_ZZh6nwvIPDUREMPwRikUjJPqiJO0qL3gLolxtl_kbaoHUJ8kLdriy8Q5TF9rrva9S8mqXYlMhS09gsbNNHT1yKVD=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br />They came around and poured us sparkling cider. And then Jamie gave a really great presentation that was just about data but it was very helpful and well done and data matters to us so it was good.<p></p><p>Everyone got a rose at the end. </p><p>Later, after Matt had changed back into casual clothes, he gave us a presentation on RISE test ethics (that's our state test). One of the teachers said, "This was a perfect opportunity to play the clip of "Let's Get Ethical" from <i>The Office</i>."</p><p>Matt said, "OK, fine. Play it." And she did.</p><p>School can be heavy sometimes. We have lots of really struggling students and lots of heartbreaking situations. It can be hard and exhausting and <b>a lot.</b></p><p>It can also be really fun. When you have that many creative people who bring their whole heart and soul to their job and don't take themselves too seriously, it is a good time.</p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3240458882634508240.post-12930421762478554122024-03-11T06:18:00.000-07:002024-03-11T06:18:33.633-07:00Weekend<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">I know you've been on pins and needles, but </span><span style="text-align: left;">I think I finally got the rug situation resolved.</span></div><p></p><p>The second rug I bought was a better size but had a weird stamped on design and looked thin and cheap.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgy28T02X0l_PUlMuIu4Emd3iDBPSYx6l-tEbcpBw9naPwYMRmHXG7wGfouCjl3DYyerqImT-b-I37PyQT3QSs88TTBv2daMMYNFF9BrnqsLKPzSheE0rX0aQc0040HYzDI-hp_V-6w9bs_AUROFi5yNQOnQRO4t_5CWPXLEPQlxWyUTqp4CmY65JuRPi1g" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgy28T02X0l_PUlMuIu4Emd3iDBPSYx6l-tEbcpBw9naPwYMRmHXG7wGfouCjl3DYyerqImT-b-I37PyQT3QSs88TTBv2daMMYNFF9BrnqsLKPzSheE0rX0aQc0040HYzDI-hp_V-6w9bs_AUROFi5yNQOnQRO4t_5CWPXLEPQlxWyUTqp4CmY65JuRPi1g=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Friday night Adam and I went to At Home to look for an alternative. We walked past the seasonal display where there were a few fake plants mixed in with the bunnies and ducks and Adam said, "Oh, maybe I should look at fake plants here." (He is low-key thinking about decorating the bishop's office and I'm over here saying <i>put me in coach</i> because I want to decorate it, but he's giving me a solid maybe to everything I suggest. Also, it hurts my heart a little that he doesn't want a real plant. He thinks he would kill it.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I said, "The fake plants are over there." </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I turned one way and he said, "The sign says bathroom stuff is over there."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I said, "But the bathroom<i> textiles</i> are over here."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I got two rugs with the intention of sewing them together. No one in the world has a bathroom like ours apparently. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next stop was to look at fake plants and the plants were exactly where I thought they were too.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We have been to At Home <i>maybe</i> six times ever. I had never looked for bathroom rugs or fake plants there. How do I have stores I rarely go to easily mapped in my brain but not roads I travel every day?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We were stopping at Trader Joe's on the way home and Adam took a road that seemed like a strange choice and I asked, like I often do, "Where are you going?"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">He said, "State Street."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And sure enough pretty soon there we were on State Street. I know where places are (as long as I have been there SEVERAL times) but I only know my one way to get there (unless I have been there MANY MANY times). Adam has it all mapped in his brain like I have At Home mapped in my brain.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I don't have to tell you which brain is more useful. But hey, let me know if you are wondering where the bathroom rugs are at At Home....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here's our bathroom now. I gave up on the sunburst rug idea although I really liked it. I sewed those two yellow rugs together and that is the end of that.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjX1mHvpT3OtrmWmHuAOowL_9DyrnaOfu24HFszEd1Sewg3PFepQ3jfD9TzNeA9Us2VPuOgtCD-5-guLAiSqpkidtTDQihBBiRO4GEvJzfQw9Y6FfVq51HZSZbB8csiEJx4xYbc3vRtAsy0i21Qkvemi0_W6HlupIgb6vIoExy48Qh9pK1ZuLEANPRuyQaC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjX1mHvpT3OtrmWmHuAOowL_9DyrnaOfu24HFszEd1Sewg3PFepQ3jfD9TzNeA9Us2VPuOgtCD-5-guLAiSqpkidtTDQihBBiRO4GEvJzfQw9Y6FfVq51HZSZbB8csiEJx4xYbc3vRtAsy0i21Qkvemi0_W6HlupIgb6vIoExy48Qh9pK1ZuLEANPRuyQaC=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Saturday we stopped at Chipotle for lunch while we were out doing errands. Adam approached a table of PGHS baseball players. They looked slightly guilty/nervous when he approached their table, like he was going to tell them to quiet down or something, but he said, "My sister is at Spring Training and she's been sending me pictures of herself with Major League Baseball players all week and here I am with the PG baseball players. Can I take a picture?"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">They laughed and said yes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjOzxHwxEehoNFMpEAbOlzcYExLzHVqAifomdc68qUPDaUulTkjA7wFyNOX70Ke5JULIUJ6zuaHaweWFTPLxRUejyoD-ksxTEuFaRFIVqjel4GQjiyrHXs1mywP3mI5inGBSxvUl25A1P5lXOYW1S-3JGlaEEmE5ggzxSbCHPL_5FSzccPOaB3XlItnFdnZ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjOzxHwxEehoNFMpEAbOlzcYExLzHVqAifomdc68qUPDaUulTkjA7wFyNOX70Ke5JULIUJ6zuaHaweWFTPLxRUejyoD-ksxTEuFaRFIVqjel4GQjiyrHXs1mywP3mI5inGBSxvUl25A1P5lXOYW1S-3JGlaEEmE5ggzxSbCHPL_5FSzccPOaB3XlItnFdnZ=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Will kids someday look at pictures of themselves and wonder why they were always holding up fingers in various arrangements? I don't know. I wonder now and I will wonder then.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We stopped by my classroom because I got a new iPad and Adam helped me set it up and clear out the old one. I showed him the biome pictures my students had created and he gamely admired them.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Saturdays with Adam are my favorite.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Saturday night, he worked on his talk for church and I had some of my friends over. We had a good time. One of them referred to someone as a homeschooler and another covered her eyes in horror and I said, "Hey, I homeschooled my kids!"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Whenever I mention that among my teacher friends, you never saw anyone backpedal so fast. I understand where they are coming from because a lot of the children we get at school who were "homeschooled" were not taught a thing. I want them to widen their worldview a little though. All homeschoolers aren't crazy. (And it is a little fun watching them squirm.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We talked late and the time changed so that was not great planning.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sunday morning after changing the clocks I look at most so I wouldn't be confused, I went to our 9:00 AM church. I didn't have time to change all of them.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was our ward conference so Adam spoke. He was nervous about it but he did very well like I knew he would.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Clarissa and Liliana came as well as our kids. Shortly before dinner, Liliana got a phone call and it was my mom. She had been trying to call me, but my phone was among the missing. I love having my phone on Do Not Disturb and then forgetting where I leave it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">(My family members don't love this trait.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My parents were in Salt Lake for my mom's appointment this morning so they came to visit. It was a great surprise. Emma brought a pie that she had made. She went to a vintage store with some friends and bought a cute pie plate and said it was crying out for a pie so she made one.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Adult daughters are a pretty good gig.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I had Adam reprise parts of his talk and we had a good gospel discussion. My parents told us about some new missionaries in their area and one of them is our kids' third cousin on the Dahl side. I got on Family Search and tried to map out how we are related to him on both the Dahl and Gardner side and any time I delve into the Gardner side of family history I feel like I need to leave bread crumbs so I can find my way back out.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Every time I look into it, I get it figured out and then it is so convoluted that I need a refresher. I mapped it out on a paper so I understood it and then I explained it to everyone and my dad said, "I still have no idea."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Good thing I'm not a teacher or anything...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiAh4_spK-raOwirac4z-qmLPn-Om28l__6blO7tJ4_W9DcD9vUsZ9hReVj6lLgXUnYMitVjTJwjh9-9hlfr8XsSdd7c-Wf4zD5pYR3V0UqlIUE4z5Bh-s475mrStWBIS7oWvjl3p3CQiMsdf_JZe9Ng1j3_8YRz3-_oBXuhyFzpLfsT6TkOLNfhPvN9awb" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiAh4_spK-raOwirac4z-qmLPn-Om28l__6blO7tJ4_W9DcD9vUsZ9hReVj6lLgXUnYMitVjTJwjh9-9hlfr8XsSdd7c-Wf4zD5pYR3V0UqlIUE4z5Bh-s475mrStWBIS7oWvjl3p3CQiMsdf_JZe9Ng1j3_8YRz3-_oBXuhyFzpLfsT6TkOLNfhPvN9awb=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It is often remarked in our family that the Gardner/Egbert genes are strong. It's because they kept marrying each other. I'm surprised I only have ten toes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgBobjfiNcC94gDEk4pCnhV-GF0vBZ_W1aI2V9HsBz6uLmCej3qastHn5fy14cYx5j5kI3sOtKot99lxQKRtPJWiStu6lzrgVlyjnjJp5qhgA54sMsa4PXXgbrsLK7kSG6G9NjM33vYfrFv6mhhZLVBFsqzVMNEuOtsB6DU4uRdZldxZ6YY-Ef4qFrFHrUx" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="738" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgBobjfiNcC94gDEk4pCnhV-GF0vBZ_W1aI2V9HsBz6uLmCej3qastHn5fy14cYx5j5kI3sOtKot99lxQKRtPJWiStu6lzrgVlyjnjJp5qhgA54sMsa4PXXgbrsLK7kSG6G9NjM33vYfrFv6mhhZLVBFsqzVMNEuOtsB6DU4uRdZldxZ6YY-Ef4qFrFHrUx=w640-h414" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An actual photo of the Gardner family tree</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3240458882634508240.post-80768655119712459512024-03-08T05:30:00.000-08:002024-03-08T05:30:30.507-08:00Grateful Friday<p>I didn't not become a teacher so I could do little art projects along the way.</p><p>We're having a contest at school decorating eggs. Each class was given an egg on cardstock to decorate and each teacher was given a tiny wooden egg to decorate.</p><p>Here is my class's egg (every student made thumbprint flowers) and my little Mondrian inspired egg:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXnIJOF5-09O7SErxE2IsZog8j7SZ0_zCSsvyogCj_IggthwHSJA6avrI8BGE8WXiv-2ynME808H_b7gmwJvj5uddSRPxLVzzqstxmlz-PLUwH6zuVOHR4bB6RGhxfLyY90UxMrvNMFcpDDbo_huyeWeKp1Qv-GB_lqsPa5ax8ZHwjLjbBl_vcDrqrBKEZ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXnIJOF5-09O7SErxE2IsZog8j7SZ0_zCSsvyogCj_IggthwHSJA6avrI8BGE8WXiv-2ynME808H_b7gmwJvj5uddSRPxLVzzqstxmlz-PLUwH6zuVOHR4bB6RGhxfLyY90UxMrvNMFcpDDbo_huyeWeKp1Qv-GB_lqsPa5ax8ZHwjLjbBl_vcDrqrBKEZ=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><br />I loved how excited my students were about the project. I told them about my idea and they oohed and aahed like the great audience they are. I told them I'd order the ink from Amazon and they asked me multiple times a day if it had arrived. <p></p><div>No. It is supposed to arrive Thursday.</div><div><br /></div><div>A few hours later...</div><div><br /></div><div>Is the ink here yet?</div><div><br /></div><div>When it was ink time, I teased some of them, "Now if you mess up, it will ruin the egg for everyone."</div><div><br /></div><div>To others, I said, "I will help you, don't worry." And I guided their little thumbs. </div><div><br /></div><div>I love this time of year when I know my students well and I know who likes to be teased and who needs to be encouraged and literally have their hand held.</div><div><br /></div><div>I also love how much they love Ramona! We finished <i>Beezus and Ramona</i> yesterday. I told them, "Tomorrow we will start <i>Ramona the Pest</i>. It is one year later and from Ramona's point of view."</div><div><br /></div><div>They wanted me to start right away.</div><div><br /></div><div>I am grateful I get to be a teacher. I really love it, even when it is hard.</div><div><br /></div><div>The children are so sweet and cute and maddening and lovable.</div><div><br /></div><div>Yesterday a girl asked me if she could move desks and sit by her friend. I said, "No. You will be too chatty."</div><div><br /></div><div>She argued, "I'm chatty where I am now."</div><div><br /></div><div>I said, "I know. Moving you by your friend won't help!"</div><div><br /></div><div>Also, on the way to lunch yesterday, my sweetest boy in the universe asked me what I wanted for my birthday. I said, "My favorite thing is something someone makes. I want a picture or a note or maybe some folded origami."</div><div><br /></div><div>He got a small smile on his face and said, "OK, OK."</div><div><br /></div><div>When the sweetest boy in the universe wants to give you a birthday present, you know you have a pretty great job!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3240458882634508240.post-11025341766438424332024-03-07T05:34:00.000-08:002024-03-07T05:34:40.241-08:00Tiresome<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">My rugs arrived and they are too small. I measured and I thought they'd work, but when it came down to it, they won't.</span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhe97oVrmoKEmpUAnrcJrFdp1OrS0Ij24KkOo5jew708B4npjBLucTVKs5Zx5G96_EYqJw8Bk6xMBZEY0FnwsDa9KfDdupmtyiHKzYn0zXvjUuAk5F0-hM_g_mTVNMOO2_LR7tsrYAYnzARO-oNudsc6Db0eYvNk8a0nZLuT9DFrVDpHHE7i2naHnqeObRq" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhe97oVrmoKEmpUAnrcJrFdp1OrS0Ij24KkOo5jew708B4npjBLucTVKs5Zx5G96_EYqJw8Bk6xMBZEY0FnwsDa9KfDdupmtyiHKzYn0zXvjUuAk5F0-hM_g_mTVNMOO2_LR7tsrYAYnzARO-oNudsc6Db0eYvNk8a0nZLuT9DFrVDpHHE7i2naHnqeObRq=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p>It is an awkwardly shaped room...</p><p>Why is returning things and ordering new things so exhausting? I am spoiled by instant gratification.</p><p>On Saturday, Adam and I were walking into Walmart and started listing random things we needed to remember to do. It was a whole litany.</p><p>I need to polish my shoes.</p><p>I need to order new shoes.</p><p>I need to make that appointment.</p><p>I need to get my car washed.</p><p>I need to refill that prescription.</p><p>I said, "It's a pain to be a person sometimes isn't it?"</p><p>It is.</p><p>I know how much I have to be grateful for. I have shoes to polish and insurance to make doctors and prescriptions affordable. (And there is modern medicine!) I have a car to drive.</p><p>And Amazon has pretty painless returns.</p><p>It's nice to be a person.</p><p>(And I ordered different rugs. Stay tuned....)</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3240458882634508240.post-12093041408702223252024-03-06T05:53:00.000-08:002024-03-06T05:53:44.394-08:00Whatever it takes<p>The other morning, minutes after the bell rang, one of my boys said drearily, "I'm already bored."</p><p>I told him that if my kids told me they were bored, I would offer them an extra job to do. A few other kids said their moms were the same.</p><p>I said, "You have an imagination, so you should never be bored. Sometimes when I was in elementary school, I would pretend I was sitting in an office at work."</p><p>That little conversation carried over into the next day, when yesterday they collectively decided they all wanted to pretend they were on an airplane. </p><p>Since they had all popped out of their seats incessantly to watch the snow earlier in the day, I also used <i>my </i>imagination.</p><p><i>(Can we just talk for a second about them popping out of their seats to see the snow. These kids live in <b>Utah</b>. They have seen snow! Why must they go watch it?!?)</i></p><p>Anyway, back to my imagination.</p><p>I said, "Please make sure your seatbelts are buckled and your tray tables are in the upright and locked position. Make sure all your personal items are stowed."</p><p>Most of them had never flown, so they kind of lost their minds about airplanes having seatbelts, but I told them they needed to be buckled up.</p><p>So they all sat down. And stayed sitting.</p><p>When it was time for WIN time where they switch classrooms, I said, "Please gather your personal belongings and proceed to WIN time. We know you have a choice when you fly, so thank you for flying with us today."</p><p>They loved it.</p><p>When they returned, I had them buckle up again. Two girls told me impishly that they had cut their seatbelts. </p><p>I said, "We can't take off until everyone is buckled." </p><p>The rest of the class looked at them expectantly until they pretended to buckle up.</p><p>When anyone got out of their seats, I told them the captain had the fasten your seatbelt sign on, so they needed to stay seated.</p><p>Someone said they were flying 1st class. Someone else corrected them that it was 3rd class (since 3rd grade) and that sounded even better to them. </p><p>They wondered why I was up and walking and I said I was the flight attendant. They said the papers I was passing out were snacks.</p><p>I said, "Don't eat them."</p><p>Do I think this will ever work again? Probably not. But we had one good day of children in their seats and that is worth a lot.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3240458882634508240.post-17324718820639520902024-03-05T05:45:00.000-08:002024-03-05T05:45:07.432-08:00Is there a doctor in the house?!?<p>We have Monday Funday on (you guessed it) Mondays. It is 15 minutes of free time for students if they finished their iReady lessons on the computer the week before. One third grade classroom is "the work room" and the other two are play rooms. </p><p>Yesterday my new student had finished her work but in the ensuing chaos of the third grade mixing up between work room and play rooms, she came up to me with eyebrows raised questioningly. I looked around and none of my Spanish speakers were in the room.</p><p>"Is there someone who speaks Spanish?" I asked over the cacophony. A boy from Miriam's class was heavily involved in a domino situation but he came hurrying over to me. I asked him to explain to my student what was happening. He said, "Ah," and broke into Spanish and explained it all. She smiled and he smiled and they went their separate ways to play.</p><p>It was later that I realized the boy who helped me had been new to the country <i>in August</i>. He hadn't spoken any English when he arrived.</p><p>I will never not be so impressed with these kids!</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3240458882634508240.post-31938474469641058062024-03-04T04:58:00.000-08:002024-03-04T04:58:12.460-08:00Weekend<p>I changed out some decor from winter to spring on Saturday--in the middle of a blizzard. It may have been snowing, but the quality of light tells me spring is on its way and I shifted things around accordingly. I used to be very enthusiastic about decorating seasonally. I still hit Christmas with gusto but everything else gets a more subtle shift. Less Hobby Lobby seasonal aisle and more put a plant on the mantel.</p><p>Ambling around the house, changing a picture here and putting a candle there makes me happy. Also, throw pillows, how I love thee.</p><p>I pruned my plants and I'm trying to make little trees out of one of my jade plants and it isn't going all that well. They look less like little trees and more like, "Wow, what happened to that plant?!?" I'm trying.</p><p>Felicia (my fiddle leaf fig) has been a bit on struggle street. I have been giving her a root treatment and she isn't getting worse, but I cut off some of the damaged leaves and then some of the very healthy leaves on the top and that is always painful because they're so pretty, but she can't get too tall. It isn't an actual jungle we've got here, Felicia.</p><p>I have embarked on deep cleaning the bathroom. I took everything out from under the sink on Adam's side and emptied his drawer on the counter and cleaned the inside of the drawer and under the sink. I even washed out the little divided container that lives in the drawer. </p><p>I announced to Adam to pick what he wanted to keep and throw the rest away. Then I said, "Do you want to arrange the stuff back in your drawer or do you want me to?" (I do like arranging things into those little divided containers.)</p><p>I don't think he ever answered my question because he was floored by it.</p><p>"This is <i>my</i> drawer?!?"</p><p>I said "Yes."</p><p>He said, "I never knew this was <i>my </i>drawer."</p><p>I said, "It's always been your drawer."</p><p>Granted, I use some of the stuff in there, but in my mind, it's <i>his drawer</i>. </p><p>He started putting things back in the drawer, still marveling. "I didn't know it was my drawer." (Next he's going to realize the other three drawers are mine.)</p><p>We bought new lightbulbs for the can light above the tub and the weird shower light above the shower. One of the options said it would last 45 years. It's possible to buy a lightbulb that will outlive us. What a time to be alive!</p><p>I ordered new rugs for the bathroom too (yet to arrive). The place is really getting a spruce up!</p><p>All the little domestic pursuits done, Adam and I had dinner with our neighbors, Rod and Kim. We met at Via 313 for Detroit style pizza. The waiter came twice to take our orders and we'd been talking too much and hadn't looked at the menus yet. That's when you know you're going to have a good dinner conversation.</p><p>When the waiter came the third time, Rod said, "<i>Finally!</i>" and the waiter looked a little taken aback/confused, but <i>I</i> thought it was funny.</p><p>We thoroughly enjoyed visiting and it is wonderful how many good people there are in the world that you can connect with and relate to. I love having friends that we will never run out of things to say to each other.</p><p>Sunday was Liliana's birthday. Last Sunday, Adam and I quizzed her about what she would like for a birthday dinner. She was very noncommittal and said anything was fine. I asked her what kind of birthday cake her mom made and she said banana cream pie. I quizzed her on various types of food, "Italian or Mexican?" "Chicken or beef?" We finally landed on Asian bowls which for us is just whatever kind of Asian flavored meat we come up with in bowls with rice and vegetables. Anna thinks anything in a bowl tastes better and I agree with her.</p><p>Olivia found out about the pie and called me and said, "I am so sorry Lili said banana cream pie! You can make something easier! I hope you have an easy way to make banana cream pie."</p><p>She was worried I was going to make my mom's recipe which according to Olivia, my mom stirs "for hours."</p><p>I said, "That doesn't sound like something I would do."</p><p>I usually find the easiest way to make something and spend my time setting the table.</p><p>Although my mom's banana cream pie is amazing, so there's that.</p><p>Olivia also told me that probably the reason Liliana didn't have an idea of what she wanted for dinner was because their kids always want Edgar to cook for their birthdays. (I also would want Edgar to cook for my birthday!)</p><p>So the pie didn't measure up to my mom's and Edgar didn't do the cooking, but at least the table looked pretty...</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3jso_HaPWTuvBZ-kBGiGePsS6Ou-yilUFueG0g7uYr2QXmIS5X2bzrirnfvlyHnU9jrO9AeOsbCaCEHhmkU0Y9ptuaT0ImwIs3km-jBldsysmSc12nYizvCgjxDakHYL1_y8PVK-WYsxfB4KpZ_daXFXqSk-MnTelfNDL5i7pClTbb5Ca4bKkVnJfpI-q" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3jso_HaPWTuvBZ-kBGiGePsS6Ou-yilUFueG0g7uYr2QXmIS5X2bzrirnfvlyHnU9jrO9AeOsbCaCEHhmkU0Y9ptuaT0ImwIs3km-jBldsysmSc12nYizvCgjxDakHYL1_y8PVK-WYsxfB4KpZ_daXFXqSk-MnTelfNDL5i7pClTbb5Ca4bKkVnJfpI-q=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><br />I love having these bright lights in our house every week!<p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3240458882634508240.post-65901638936341843242024-03-01T05:39:00.000-08:002024-03-01T05:39:02.207-08:00Grateful Friday: a list<p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>reading poetry to third graders</li><li>reading Beverly Cleary to third graders</li><li>toast</li><li>sunshine</li><li>plants</li><li>my friends--we're planning another get together in March and I'm ready!</li><li>I get to go to the BYU Literary Promise conference</li><li>Adam</li><li>cross-stitch</li><li>Trader Joe's</li><li>pura diffusers (Adam got one as a gift and I liked it so much I bought another one. Adam gets really fancy gifts at work and I get mugs and packets of hot chocolate. But he shares.)</li><li>Joan, my beloved car</li><li>Zelda, Jamie's beloved car</li><li>the fact that Jamie is my friend and we talk about everything from nail polish to education to our children to the Gospel of Jesus Christ</li><li>how easy it is to crack my students up</li><li>good books to read</li><li>the freedom to abandon books that are just meh</li><li>podcasts, especially the Follow Him podcast</li><li>Adam reading aloud to me (he's reading a Finnish book right now--it's translated into English but I like to hear him pronounce all the Finnish names)</li><li>texts and calls from our children</li><li>A new calendar and a new season (I know it's not spring until later in the month but in my mind, March is spring)</li></ul><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3240458882634508240.post-44616816304505874212024-02-29T05:30:00.000-08:002024-02-29T05:30:15.859-08:00Leap Day<p>Ever tried to explain leap year to third graders?</p><p>I showed them a Mystery Science video about it on Monday that did a pretty good job of explaining. I had a few students say, "I still don't get it."</p><p>I will try again today.</p><p>But if they don't get it? Not the end of the world. In four years maybe their teacher can try again.</p><p>One year I was in London on leap day and the next leap day I was in Palm Desert and I decided I should go somewhere wonderful every leap day. </p><p>Today I'm going to school. </p><p>It is no London or Palm Desert (Palm Desert in February is my love language), but it is pretty wonderful.</p><p>Yesterday we went to library. </p><p>Before going, a student asked me to write Bible on a piece of paper. He said, "I want to see if they have it in the library."</p><p>I wrote it down. He couldn't find it. I asked the librarian if she had the Bible in her library. She said no but directed me to books on religion (the 200s in the Dewey Decimal system).</p><p>He picked a book on world religions.</p><p>He came up to me after a few minutes, "What's this word, Teacher?"</p><p>"Israelite."</p><p>"What's that?"</p><p>I asked him if he'd ever heard of Joseph and his coat of many colors. He hadn't.</p><p>I gave him a very brief description. Jacob had 12 sons. His name was changed to Israel, so then all his family, all those sons and their families, were called Israelites.</p><p>He said, "Wow," and went back to reading.</p><p>I had SO MUCH else I wanted to tell him, but I could not. Hopefully he will keep on his religious search until he finds truth.</p><p>After I finished talking to him, a girl came up to me, "Teacher! I have a would you rather question for you!"</p><p>She had a mischievous look on her face and read from her book: would you rather ride the world's fastest roller coaster or one with lots of loops.</p><p>I said, "Neither!" and she laughed because they all know I'm afraid of roller coasters. She said I had to pick one so I picked the fast one. She looked so satisfied with herself and her ability to know her teacher that it delighted me.</p><p>While I sat in the library, I graded informational essays they had recently written. They were supposed to write about a hobby or sport they love. A boy wrote about digging a hole. It was perfect with a topic sentence, facts and transitions and a concluding sentence. About digging a hole.</p><p></p><blockquote>“Secondly, holes can be very useful. You could turn it into a place to store water balloons.”</blockquote><p>After lunch, I read aloud to them and it is my favorite part of the day. I am reading <i>Beezus and Ramona</i> and I'm going to keep reading Ramona books until I run out of time for the school year.</p><p>I love those books. Part of the reason I love them so much is because my students love them so much.</p><p>My boy who had a come apart the previous day and who daily tells me how much he hates math, me, the school, our class, everything, said, "This book is <i>awesome</i>!"</p><p>It is. Beverly Cleary is magic.</p><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3240458882634508240.post-61173606479320096902024-02-28T05:55:00.000-08:002024-02-28T05:55:01.869-08:00These are the days<p>These are the days of wild temperature swings. It was in the low 60s for a few days and then yesterday was <i>freezing</i>. I had recess duty and I told them to bring their coats (it was 90 minutes since they came to school and complained about how cold they were, long enough that they needed to be reminded it was cold). One boy insisted he wouldn't be cold and I insisted he would and he finally grumbled, "Fine, I'll take a <i>sweater</i>."</p><p>He grabbed his hoodie.</p><p>Once outside, the kids all told me it was SO cold. It was. They told me 2nd grade had gone inside. I checked my phone. 14 degrees with the wind chill.</p><p>I blew my whistle. Inside recess.</p><p>These are the days of wild mood swings. I was telling Jamie during art how great one of my students had been--very willing to work. Then a girl came and told me the substitute in art needed me.</p><p>This same student was having a complete come apart. Banging things and yelling. He swung at me, but I dodged it. (Am I an athlete? No.) I got him to leave the room with me. We went to my room and he threw a chair then he went to a corner and kind of settled himself down and I talked to him in soothing tones. </p><p>Sometimes that is all I've got.</p><p>These are the days of heartbreaking news. One of Miriam's students is a pawn in a custody battle. She came to my room and asked if there was anything she could do. I said, "We want to drive over there and take the student ourselves, but we can't. There's nothing we can do."</p><p>It is so sad.</p><p>Speaking of futility....These are the days of trying to figure out how to help ease Adam's burden. I think work is the biggest thing right now and I've got nothing. I can make sure the kitchen is clean when he gets home?</p><p>These are the days of trying to communicate. My new student is struggling. I'm struggling. Google translate is inadequate. We were doing grammar and one of my ML students was arguing with another one over whether or not the past tense of go was goed or went. I said it was went and the native English speaker laughed a little and the ML got tears in his big brown eyes and I told him to say the sentence in Spanish. I said, "There's no way I can do that. You're amazing!"</p><p>Another ML was writing about her favorite sport. She is so whip smart and great at English because she is constantly asking clarifying questions. She said, "What is that thing when you are playing soccer and you try to get it in there to score. What is that called?"</p><p>I said, "Goal?"</p><p>She said, "Really? In English?"</p><p>Hurray for words that mean the same thing in both languages!</p><p>These are the days of poetry. We are reading poetry for literacy this week and I love it. Judith Viorst! Shel Silverstein! Robert Louise Stevenson! Christina Rossetti! (None of those were in the curriculum, I just brought a bunch of stuff to add. Also some of my favorite picture books are poems, so I had a happy read aloud bonanza.)</p><p>These are the days.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3240458882634508240.post-68193212006211985592024-02-27T05:44:00.000-08:002024-02-27T05:44:46.508-08:00Tiny joys<p>At the end of Adam's (seriously) packed day Sunday, the sister missionaries came over to talk to him/us. The Orem mission is very unique! They serve 17 wards and scramble to get to know the bishops and meet whatever needs they can. We had a nice visit with them; they seem like really good missionaries. They shook Adam's hand at the end and gave an earnest, "Thank you, Bishop!" which still sounds strange to our ears. They looked at me and said, "We can hug."</p><p>I said, "Sure!" and they each gave me a big hug and I'd like to think that I was proxy for their moms who I am sure would like to hug them. It made me happy.</p><p>Speaking of hugs, one of my little students who is a poster child for jovial charisma walks behind me when I'm sitting at my desk sometimes and says, "Sneak attack!" and throws his arms around me.</p><p>Other times he will walk up to me and say, "Hug!" and put his arms around my waist. He is a <i>hugger</i>.</p><p style="text-align: center;">***</p><p>Mark was sick on Sunday, but he came over for dinner last night and we were glad to have him.</p><p style="text-align: center;">***</p><p>It is light when I drive to work and light when I drive home and I love changing seasons. </p><p style="text-align: center;">***</p><p>Adam read a book to me and it was so bad it was good. It reminded me of the cheesy Christmas movies Emma and I love to hate. It wasn't a romance, it was a murder mystery, but it was just so bad. We'd stop and talk about how dumb it was and then keep going. </p><p>We couldn't look away.</p><p>I like Adam.</p><p style="text-align: center;">***</p><p>I had physical therapy and he is lengthening the time between visits. I can't sing the praises of physical therapy enough.</p><p style="text-align: center;">***</p><p>Yesterday we had the 3rd grade spelling bee. The top three from each class competed. There were tears. It is really good for those kids though, the high achieving kids, to be challenged. It's good for them to lose and realize the world won't stop spinning.</p><p style="text-align: center;">***</p><p>Also, we met with our reading specialist after school and our students are <i>improving</i>! It is so exciting! </p><p>Now, if we could just master fractions....</p><p style="text-align: center;">***</p><p>Our neighbors, Kim and Rod stopped by last night with a plate of cookies for us. I invited them in. They said, "We don't have time."</p><p>Adam came to the door and said to Kim, who is the primary president, "Come in. I need to talk to you."</p><p>So they came in and sat in the living room and Adam and Kim chatted and then when they got up to leave, I said, "Before you can leave, we have to set up a time to go to dinner together."</p><p>We finally let them escape.</p><p>Be cautious when you take the Davises cookies is the takeaway. </p><p>We do have good neighbors.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3240458882634508240.post-8722463796035095592024-02-26T05:39:00.000-08:002024-02-26T05:39:27.744-08:00Making me feel loved<p>Yesterday in Relief Society, the teacher asked us what our parents or children or spouses do to make us feel loved.</p><p>I didn't answer, but I thought about it for the rest of the day.</p><p>There are the universal ways that families show love that I think most grateful people can acknowledge: service and affection and trust and loyalty.</p><p>I love the very unique ways my people show me love too though.</p><p>My mom knows by the tone of my hello on the phone if I'm OK or not.</p><p>My dad is an ever ready man of solutions and he also calls me Patty Punkety.</p><p>Braeden understands me like very few people do. Sometimes when I am talking about some situation that maybe isn't even about me, he can tell I feel stressed and asks, "But how are<i> you </i>feeling about it?"</p><p>Emma bought me a book the other day because she had read it and it had "caught her by the throat" so she wanted me to read it too. I love when Emma gives me advice and when she shares her creativity with me.</p><p>Mark tightens the kitchen chairs whenever he notices the slightest wobble. When he is home and hears the garage door, he comes outside to see if I need help carrying anything. </p><p>All our children know exactly how to make me laugh.</p><p>Whenever I want to go somewhere, Adam wants to go with me. Even if he just got home. He knows being with him makes me happy.</p><p>The next question was how do you show love to them. </p><p>I've been thinking about that too. I could do more.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3240458882634508240.post-81617962116906969052024-02-23T05:41:00.000-08:002024-02-23T05:41:47.677-08:00Grateful Friday<p>Hello from the fraction trenches. We are in deep. After a lesson that didn't go well, I plopped myself down in a chair across from Jamie's desk and we talked it out. She gave me an idea to have the students compare different representations of fractions on number lines and see which was correct. The comparing makes them think more critically.</p><p>I devised an assignment with 5 questions and had random answers correct. I randomly assigned which of my kids answered which way.</p><p>My students were SUPER engaged. They were delighted to report back to me which of my kids are good at fractions.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQOaRDaI2fInGyAT4zmpmAkPSP9VdK0fiRCrIQhRXJJv9cmF36Cl6HT04jFVTZ2Xtmi6z9rv5YFpHWZ-5sy5ddwYEX3sc1q0itXoK-oRRNqmuMx0B1chG_ZUhv-XiKR62qaCOVwBeh03uuVvRBjjYJP4n1p84UaUKAF0P5rsjNQPXjM_ihlCApF2jwyHlE" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="952" data-original-width="538" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQOaRDaI2fInGyAT4zmpmAkPSP9VdK0fiRCrIQhRXJJv9cmF36Cl6HT04jFVTZ2Xtmi6z9rv5YFpHWZ-5sy5ddwYEX3sc1q0itXoK-oRRNqmuMx0B1chG_ZUhv-XiKR62qaCOVwBeh03uuVvRBjjYJP4n1p84UaUKAF0P5rsjNQPXjM_ihlCApF2jwyHlE=w363-h640" width="363" /></a></div><br />One of them said, "I think Braeden needs to go to summer school."<p></p><p>Since Braeden just officially became a PhD candidate and he's preparing to teach a college course next quarter, I think he's a bit busy for summer school, but maybe he can squeeze it in....</p><p>I was grateful for the idea. I need all the help I can get in so many ways to mix it up and add interest and opportunities for them to discuss. </p><p>The opportunity to create the lesson plan, the angle, the <i>how can I get through to them</i> is so exciting to me.</p><p>Yesterday I read them the book, <i>The Magical Power of Yet</i>.</p><p>I'm grateful that just like them, I get to keep trying. </p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3240458882634508240.post-44775670685411898052024-02-22T05:37:00.000-08:002024-02-22T05:37:03.467-08:00Sigh<p>Oh, we've got mean girls. </p><p>Yesterday a ring of them were giving away trinkets to certain girls and making other girls buy them.</p><p>There were hurt feelings. Some girls respond by being sad and some girls respond by being really nasty back.</p><p>It's a lot of fun.</p><p>I sat them down and told them a story of my very own mean girl cousin experiences from my childhood. They gasped. (Do you recognize yourself?!? Because I do.)</p><p>I am going to keep beating the drum of don't let the mean girls have your power. The best thing to do for a mean girl is walk away.</p><p><i>Why would you want to be friends with them anyway?</i> I ask that question. A lot.</p><p>Because you can't control anyone else, just yourself.</p><p>We have the Wellness Room. Students can request to go if they need a ten minute reset/ they are feeling upset for whatever reason. The idea is that they can't really learn when they are amped up emotionally, so letting them reset gets them back to learning. I usually have a pretty high bar to going to the Wellness Room. If someone asks to go, I ask why. I try to see if they can do something to feel better and still stay in class. When they can't, I let them go to the Wellness Room.</p><p>Yesterday I had a record three girls go to the Wellness Room for the following reasons: fractions, an upcoming dentist appointment and a broken hair tie.</p><p>None of these problems were things that could be resolved or cajoled or dealt with in any other way.</p><p>The handful of boys in my classroom mostly stay to themselves and rejoice that they are not girls.</p><p>I don't blame them.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3240458882634508240.post-51942435300221131892024-02-21T05:45:00.000-08:002024-02-21T05:45:07.943-08:00Monday/Tuesday<p>It was a Monday/Tuesday back at school after a long weekend.</p><p>One of my students came in mad. He threw a chair and tried to hit a kid and was so impossible to console that the special ed. aide who I had called, called the office.</p><p>Matt came in smiling and said, "Don't you think he feels the way we all feel this morning?"</p><p>He talked the student into coming out from under his desk and joining the group.</p><p>Later, my student reverted to the same behavior. This time Matt took him away for a little while.</p><p>Welcome back to school.</p><p>During math, my students were sitting on the rug and I noticed one girl sobbing, her shoulders heaving up and down.</p><p>"What is wrong?!?"</p><p>"My tooth is bleeding!"</p><p>I had her show me. She had a loose tooth and one small drop of blood on her finger. I instructed her to go get a Kleenex and said her tooth would probably come out soon. She got a Kleenex but kept crying so loudly that everyone kept looking at her and when I am at the whiteboard pontificating about fractions, I want to be the center of attention. </p><p>I sent her to her desk.</p><p>I hope she gets it together before she embarks on childbirth someday.</p><p>Later in the morning we were sitting and reading about the Wright brothers and heard a loud crack and one of the wall panels separating my room from Miriam's fell towards my room about 3/4 of an inch. It was...alarming.</p><p>There is a fairly heavy shelf on my side that houses their cubbies and hopefully that will help keep the wall up.</p><p>I saw Riley later. He saw me coming and I must have had a look on my face. "Did someone throw up?"</p><p>I said, "No, but my wall is falling down."</p><p>He said, "That's a new one."</p><p>And considering where he works "a new one" is a pretty rare occurrence.</p><p>So my day was a little crazy, but also, not that unusual. It was good to be back.</p><p>After school, Adam and Braeden and Geri and QE stopped by so I could show her off to all my friends. They were kind and long suffering just like they are every time I show them her latest picture. Jamie was in my room and when QE pulled the book <i>Madeline</i> off the shelf and said, "Madeline!" Jamie was impressed. </p><p>When QE grabbed another book and said, "Madeline and the Bad Hat," Jamie was even <i>more</i> impressed. The girl loves books!</p><p>We went to UVU and met up with Mark and he gave us a tour. Sweet QE hadn't had her nap and she was a good little soldier. We were all exhausted so Adam picked up Thai food and we had it at our house. (Except Adam. He went to the church for meetings.)</p><p>Emma came for dinner. They convinced me to play a round of Qwixx after dinner even though I was tired and ready for bed. I won so it was worth staying up for.</p><p>Emma had come on Saturday, Sunday and Monday also. When she left she said, "As much as I love seeing you, I will be glad not to drive here from Salt Lake tomorrow."</p><p>All good things must come to an end.</p><p>And I'm off to school to see if I have a wall.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3240458882634508240.post-45527528579242099542024-02-20T05:47:00.000-08:002024-02-20T05:47:50.070-08:00Lasting influenceNeither of Adam's brothers have attended church much or at all since they were teenagers. That has not stopped them from showing their love and support to Adam with his new calling.<p></p><p>With their own brand of personality and humor, they have reached out to him multiple times. One (and I can't remember which right now because it could have been either) asked him if he had hired his offensive and defensive coordinators yet (picked counselors to recommend).</p><p>On Saturday, Brian called to let Adam know he was thinking of him and then he proceeded to give him advice. It was advice based on how their dad served as bishop back when they were all teenagers. Brian reminded Adam (which Adam has fully had on his mind anyway) of all the good things their dad had done as bishop.</p><p>I marveled at the lasting influence of a good dad. All these years later, he is not here with us physically, but he is here with us.</p><p>Brian told Adam that he was sending something for him.</p><p>After Adam got off the phone, he told me about the conversation. He said, "I have no idea what he is sending me."</p><p>Then he said, "Wait!"</p><p>A slow smile spread over his face and he told me about a picture of a copper beaver Linn had in his bishop's office. </p><p>Adam said, "Maybe that is what he is sending."</p><p>Linn was called as bishop right before their family embarked on a 4 week cross country road trip from Seattle to Florida and back. He flew back a week early to prepare for becoming bishop and the rest of the family drove the last leg. They stopped at a copper mine in Montana and bought the picture for Linn.</p><p>Sure enough, when Geri arrived later that day, she had a gift for Adam.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjGB1nplBjDy7YsD1EUz-kEoOKl4XQd6HZqzff4nhUBlQQjvxXwqF7exVv1LjV_nedq1iWIhHIHz9kTY7c-ORT8kmwHNVOATdkwKvQkBzrtaLBQtT_YPDvbyzwSh6DKd0pMwHkmGcVSVFce89lzvbnKG6n0eRgiS8TlTS6Fx8b63MS-7520PTbGzq1USEcY" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2165" data-original-width="2574" height="539" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjGB1nplBjDy7YsD1EUz-kEoOKl4XQd6HZqzff4nhUBlQQjvxXwqF7exVv1LjV_nedq1iWIhHIHz9kTY7c-ORT8kmwHNVOATdkwKvQkBzrtaLBQtT_YPDvbyzwSh6DKd0pMwHkmGcVSVFce89lzvbnKG6n0eRgiS8TlTS6Fx8b63MS-7520PTbGzq1USEcY=w640-h539" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I love that Adam will have this tangible reminder of his dad and family while he serves.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I also love that he doesn't really need it to remember. His dad is imprinted on him in many ways. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I am grateful to be a part of the Davis family. Linn and Geri are wonderful parents who loved and supported and sustained their family through ups and downs like any family experiences.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Geri has continued on in that without Linn by her side, but I know he is not far away.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And I know this separation isn't forever. What <b>is</b> forever is their eternal family and the lasting influence of good parents.</div><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3240458882634508240.post-22400237725606238482024-02-19T10:04:00.000-08:002024-02-19T10:04:26.167-08:00Weekend<p>It's been a busy one and it's not over yet!</p><p>Saturday was Emma's birthday. We also had Geri, Braeden and Anna and QE fly in. Emma did the airport runs and brought everyone in time for dinner. We had spaghetti with mizithra cheese and I made a lemon strawberry cake that Emma and I kind of made up and didn't turn out as pretty in real life as I envisioned. </p><p>Story of my life.</p><p>After dinner my parents arrived. My dad had cake, my mom had berries and Mark had some tarta de Santiago which I had tried out. </p><p>It was good. A definite gluten free keeper!</p><p>QE was just going to bed when my parents arrived so they got to say goodnight and the rest of us enjoyed some time visiting.</p><p>Sunday Mark and Emma joined us and we all traipsed into church and I had already told everyone, we are not sitting on the front row. When we were walking in, I told Braeden, "We're not."</p><p>Our first day in this ward, I didn't want to sit on the front row (which is our normal spot) and bring attention to ourselves. Braeden strided in first and the rest of us followed and there we were, the new people drawing attention to ourselves.</p><p>We sat in the back and the reason I didn't want to cause a big stir was because we were getting a new bishop and it was Adam.</p><p>I sat next to him at the start of the meeting and his always warm hand that I was holding was ice cold. It was that way before we got married and whenever he's speaking in church. I guess you could call it his tell.</p><p>When they sustained him and his counselors, they walked up to the stand and it occurred to me that I would not be sitting by him in church again for a while!</p><p>They had the outgoing bishop and his counselors speak as well as the bishop's wife. They wanted me to bear my testimony and I was mostly thinking I wasn't going to be asked to because Adam had seen two versions of the program and I was speaking in one, and not speaking in the other. But they announced my name. Adam spoke and the stake president was the last speaker. </p><p>I felt like I needed a nap after that!</p><p>I think I feel a lot of sympathy stress.</p><p>I am grateful for Adam. I appreciate being married to a man worthy and willing to serve. I'm grateful to our family who came to show their love and support. </p><p>When Adam was first extended the call, I told him I would support him however I could.</p><p>He said, "Will you go to Girls' camp with me?"</p><p>I said, "Yes, to the night when the bishop goes?"</p><p>He said, "What if I want to go all week?"</p><p>I said, "No."</p><p>He said, "So the first thing I asked, you said no?"</p><p>I said, "Yep."</p><p>He said, "There's nothing in the handbook that says the bishop's wife can't sit on the stand with him."</p><p>I said, "I'm not doing that."</p><p>He said he wondered if I actually would be supportive.</p><p>He doesn't really want me to do either thing, he just knew which questions to ask to demonstrate the limits of my support!</p><p>We had a nice afternoon together, visiting and playing with QE and reading to her. For dinner, we invited Anna's parents and sister Natalie, so they could visit and Liberty and Nikki came (the rest of the kids were in Nevada for the long weekend). It was very nice to all be together and as I watched QE ricochet around the room between people who love her, it made me happy.</p><p>This morning Anna flew home very early to get back for work. Adam and Geri and QE are here until Wednesday. My parents are staying until tomorrow when Ruben is going to the Provo temple. I wish I could do that too, but I have schoolchildren to teach!</p><p>So our life is going to change and I don't 100% know to what extent yet. I was talking to my dad about the new windows we got in our house in Nevada and he said, "Maybe in 5 years you can go and enjoy them."</p><p>Maybe.</p><p>I don't know.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3240458882634508240.post-16257974493949920882024-02-16T05:50:00.000-08:002024-02-16T05:50:26.939-08:00Grateful Friday<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgTRORQjGZJ3S3TaiuTUAZq0PapvwQ_HfboKHfRvl37MiJ0MpbClmsi1-dtOMConT9mraVs3cFdBS9Pfh1Wq1fEtsE4KBwVwSN14vZJ7Lxu0qR__euDDoKz244Ie5dxBG9RcS6r-jQpNRAjs-Zpq9T4DyWVkdajKdauYLA3FU1Z-Qb_4cOEei3HDKC4xQXE" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgTRORQjGZJ3S3TaiuTUAZq0PapvwQ_HfboKHfRvl37MiJ0MpbClmsi1-dtOMConT9mraVs3cFdBS9Pfh1Wq1fEtsE4KBwVwSN14vZJ7Lxu0qR__euDDoKz244Ie5dxBG9RcS6r-jQpNRAjs-Zpq9T4DyWVkdajKdauYLA3FU1Z-Qb_4cOEei3HDKC4xQXE=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br /> This was my Valentine from one of my sweet students. Give me a homemade scotch-taped present and it makes my day. That is all.<p></p><p>We went from a rainy inside recess morning to a sunny afternoon. But...my classroom stayed 72 degrees all day long!</p><p>That's something to be grateful for!</p><p>Lunch recess was cold, just like every recess in February. My new student, fresh from Colombia, is not a big fan of the cold. She kept trying not to go to recess. Then I realized how very thin her coat is. It's like what you would wear on a sunny day in April when you may or may not need a coat, but a light jacket feels kind of good anyway.</p><p>I emailed Katie, because I know enough to know to email Katie, who is our amazing community outreach coordinator. Within minutes, she came to my classroom with a warm brand new, tags still on coat. I sent my students' parents a message (through an app we have that translates) to let them know that I was sending home a coat she could keep. </p><p>I wish you could have seen her face. She was so happy and so grateful and I had to keep it together so my own gratitude at being able to give her a warm coat didn't come out my eyes. I put her lightweight and also way too big coat over the top of the new one to send her out the door to go home. She squirmed in delight of the rapturous warmth of it all. </p><p>I'm grateful that we have a mini family reunion this weekend. My parents, Geri, Braeden, Anna and QE are all coming. </p><p>Finally today, I'm grateful for Adam. My Valentine. I love how thoughtful and stalwart and good and funny and helpful and generous and smart he is. </p><p>I love when I talk to one of our kids about him and they say, "Well, you know Dad. He will...."</p><p>And it's always something good.</p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3240458882634508240.post-81120227522471344982024-02-15T05:49:00.000-08:002024-02-15T05:49:50.424-08:00Like Halloween, but prettier<p>Valentine's Day.</p><p>Oh,Valentine's Day. You make me tired.</p><p>So much energy and so much candy. I don't know at what point valentines shifted to just bring a bag of candy and pass it out. Maybe just at my school? I don't know.</p><p>Everyone brought their candy and some kids made boxes for their valentines. I had everyone put their stuff on a table.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhK4aViNDxRgtYQeDDSvX8gkTGCBv3uGfdKyS57vdJROXWh4o7JV6IoExl0Bc5kzDjRaUVNsCOqRsJHlJLe695b90egC7By7eB7IwJ0qe4zaFIUh5PQCaQZAv9lW6Zp0AWYQJukqujX1ygb4E3LqywuMVg-lgtYMDyXAWrV4sNuHyZD-JjnRLtolKin6ug5" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1192" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhK4aViNDxRgtYQeDDSvX8gkTGCBv3uGfdKyS57vdJROXWh4o7JV6IoExl0Bc5kzDjRaUVNsCOqRsJHlJLe695b90egC7By7eB7IwJ0qe4zaFIUh5PQCaQZAv9lW6Zp0AWYQJukqujX1ygb4E3LqywuMVg-lgtYMDyXAWrV4sNuHyZD-JjnRLtolKin6ug5=w640-h412" width="640" /></a></div><br />It was a constant battle to keep them away from it. One girl kept wanting to do inventory on hers: count the candy and make sure no one had stolen any.<p></p><p>No.</p><p>I caught her hiding under the table, waiting for the chance to count her candy.</p><p>I thought <b>why me </b>several times.</p><p>Two days ago, my classroom started out at 58 degrees and reached 63 and hovered there. On both Monday and Tuesday I sent notes to the office telling them the heat wasn't working.</p><p>Yesterday it was 80 degrees in my classroom. I sent another note. I signed it: The Squeaky Wheel.</p><p>But it got the heat shut off. It is either off and we're freezing or it's warm like a thousand burning suns and the only thing controlling it is my sticky note going to the office. From there, Riley climbs up in the attic and does something. There are more efficient thermostats in the world, but we're making it work.</p><p>Almost immediately in the morning, minutes after these two walked in the door, this happened:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhTWY3yatM-YU_Qa-vfZOal5tqia0EbxhzaQhRW-II-zF9kxs1GA694wgn_ECBSMtw_OnpROmLKWpAx8ysgUE9I-jtxz55_oAkfdyt-THiawgNDB4rxg4tKcdU3_41k9aaOM8zeZcPsdBPTdZN8mcVlFjeGXRakAPmZpMZs-kiu2_u78wMgBc3kuEvuJpmS" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="952" data-original-width="1380" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhTWY3yatM-YU_Qa-vfZOal5tqia0EbxhzaQhRW-II-zF9kxs1GA694wgn_ECBSMtw_OnpROmLKWpAx8ysgUE9I-jtxz55_oAkfdyt-THiawgNDB4rxg4tKcdU3_41k9aaOM8zeZcPsdBPTdZN8mcVlFjeGXRakAPmZpMZs-kiu2_u78wMgBc3kuEvuJpmS=w640-h442" width="640" /></a></div><br />They were DEEPLY asleep. I took this picture when everyone else was at recess. We'd had little chocolate bars that they had partitioned into 1/4 pieces during math because we started fractions. We had Red Vines they'd partitioned into halves. Through all that excitement, these two didn't budge. <p></p><p>I let them sleep. Self preservation.</p><p>(I also texted their moms after school. Maybe get your kids to bed earlier?)</p><p>Math was its own adventure. "I don't like chocolate." </p><p><i>Then throw it away.</i></p><p>"I don't eat red dye. I can't eat this licorice."</p><p><i>Then throw it away.</i></p><p>Eating the candy isn't the point. Partitioning it is the point.</p><p>Also, introducing fractions in a different language is not for the faint of heart. Children whose language I share have a hard time understanding the concept. I explain it several different ways and ask questions to gauge understanding. With my new student, I had google translate (which isn't always 100% accurate) and pictures I'd drawn and hand gestures. My ML students weren't much help because they 1) don't know the Spanish words to explain fractions and 2) don't understand fractions themselves.</p><p>A few hours into their naps, my boys finally woke up when Matt, at a full sprint, was chasing another teacher who was screaming her head off down the hall.</p><p>I should explain.</p><p>One of Matt's goal's in life is to increase morale at our school. Last year it was positively funereal sometimes in those halls and especially in the work room. </p><p>This year, <i><b>not so much</b></i>.</p><p>We were playing a game of Clue. Every teacher got a piece of paper that said another teacher's name, a "weapon" and where we had to kill them. I got a sixth grade teacher named Scarlett (which was pretty perfect), a ball and the vice principal's office. I could not conceive of a way I could pull that off. <i>"Hey, want to join me in Noemi's office for some dodgeball?"</i></p><p>Other teachers were being more successful. (There were shrieking and shenanigans all day long.)</p><p>During library I heard an eruption of noise in the work room. I slipped out of the library and into the next door work room and said, in my best teacher/mom voice, "Settle <i>down</i>."</p><p>They all froze and looked at me, the teacher old enough to be their mother, and one of them apologized. Then they realized I was joking so they told me all the things that had transpired: who had killed who and who was still safe and who better be on the lookout.</p><p>At lunch time, Jamie stopped by my room. She wondered how I was faring in Clue and I told her I couldn't imagine me making my scenario work. I said, "I don't even have a ball."</p><p>She said, "I'll figure it out."</p><p>Later she came and told me that during sixth grade recess, she would take over my class and I could go to the office and have the secretary call Scarlett down to the office. She handed me a Nerf ball.</p><p>She came at the appointed time. I went to the office and had them call Scarlett. I hid in Noemi's office. Noemi stood in the outer office and when Scarlett got there, I heard Noemi say, "Will you come in my office for a minute?"</p><p>Scarlett said, "O-<i>kay</i>?"</p><p>I was there with the ball. I said, "I got you!" and Matt came out of his office and had a smile on his face like it was Christmas morning.</p><p>Later, another 6th grade teacher said to me, "Wow, Thelma. You play <i>dirty</i>!"</p><p>I said, "It was all Jamie's idea!</p><p>Since I had "killed" Scarlett, my next job was to kill the person she was supposed to kill. It was my friend Nicole. She and I had chatted earlier about the game and how it felt impossible. </p><p>The task was to kill her in the gym with a plastic fork. She is directing a school play and they rehearse after school in the gym. I had my plan.</p><p>We had our Valentine's Day party. Two moms came up with games and the one I was running was a memory matching game that was cute animals holding hearts and my already amped up girls who had talked all morning nonstop about crushes and candy just about lost their minds. The new non English speaker can swoon like the rest of them. Squealing over cuteness crosses language barriers.</p><p>I gave my students little mini Lego sets of insects. There was a card attached that said, "We were BUILT to be friends."</p><p>One of the girls came up to me later and said, "I get it Teacher! Instead of we were MADE to be friends, we were BUILT." </p><p>They passed out all their candy and my little one who is such a struggle presented me with a gift. He had been telling me all day that it was going to make my "head explode."</p><p>I hoped he meant figuratively.</p><p>It was an enormous box of chocolates. He was so pleased with himself! It melted my heart. Such a sweet boy!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhoO-dpP0JNE3jl3eaGRQQHJbiU9YY2hv6xjjPy0luhGfNkHsLKSyzvft5eTx2-2Nnd1OL7HIFICqOdpdH_Knkz2-vIgUmB5DT_j74vJOeec_JvRxBndsComjq0bs73yh2G6GsHLz1i39GjP0ZXEske7dc3IjU8Rve-eVHIGvYorBKuwAEVwEipuhRwkZr-" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="898" data-original-width="730" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhoO-dpP0JNE3jl3eaGRQQHJbiU9YY2hv6xjjPy0luhGfNkHsLKSyzvft5eTx2-2Nnd1OL7HIFICqOdpdH_Knkz2-vIgUmB5DT_j74vJOeec_JvRxBndsComjq0bs73yh2G6GsHLz1i39GjP0ZXEske7dc3IjU8Rve-eVHIGvYorBKuwAEVwEipuhRwkZr-=w520-h640" width="520" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p>After school, I went down to the gym with my plastic fork in hand. I had to unlock the gym door and interrupt rehearsal and as a drama mama, I know how inappropriate that is!</p><p>I walked up to Nicole and said I had a question about Battle of the Books (that was pressing enough to interrupt rehearsal?!?) and then when I got close enough, I got out my fork and told her I had killed her.</p><p>She said, "Well I was supposed to kill you, so you are safe."</p><p>There was more running and yelling and chasing going on and I complacently made copies and felt safe in the knowledge that my killer was out.</p><p>At 4:00, they made an announcement that everyone still alive could go to the office for a prize. </p><p>Jamie and Holly met us with cheers. The prize was heart shaped scented soap. They said it was so we could wash the carnage of the day off our hands.</p><p>Later I saw this email from a teacher:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikTAdsYVRiJOWqnHZuxKRcz9CsYwhuR2-_LkUgelvDvo0RJ8fjFyJkjKv2SC_aGJjGLxQ8mKzdx5-WfO6E9-cPU5FyF_u9K9IqfKIA4YrTWGpFbZeoHYwpxJ97Js6ouvgoVScWQL1F-NNvuegJBuA6ZTKp3nKtQY8z6LVYVG_FW0QTvB0BwGfY0PZUKZbz" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="890" data-original-width="702" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikTAdsYVRiJOWqnHZuxKRcz9CsYwhuR2-_LkUgelvDvo0RJ8fjFyJkjKv2SC_aGJjGLxQ8mKzdx5-WfO6E9-cPU5FyF_u9K9IqfKIA4YrTWGpFbZeoHYwpxJ97Js6ouvgoVScWQL1F-NNvuegJBuA6ZTKp3nKtQY8z6LVYVG_FW0QTvB0BwGfY0PZUKZbz=w504-h640" width="504" /></a></div><br />Tyler, a 6th grade teacher, responded: I did that.<p></p><p>No one ever said you can't have fun while you are at work, especially at an elementary school.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3240458882634508240.post-89263417163704558642024-02-14T05:46:00.000-08:002024-02-14T05:46:45.175-08:00Tiny delights<p>Happy Valentine's Day! I am looking forward to spending a quiet evening at home with Adam tonight.</p><p>I came up with the itinerary. French Onion soup from Trader Joe's. That is all. Maybe frozen pizza if we are feeling like frozen pizza (the Detroit style from Costco).</p><p>Sometimes less is more.</p><p>Yesterday I wore a sweater with a big red heart on it. Jamie wore a Valentine's Day t-shirt. I saw her and I said, "I have that same t-shirt, but I am wearing mine tomorrow!"</p><p>Jamie said, "I am wearing a sweater with a big heart on it tomorrow."</p><p>She said, "I love how we both have our outfits carefully planned."</p><p>Well, yes. They didn't throw out the cookie cutter when they made us.</p><p>Also, I went in her office yesterday at lunch and huddled by her space heater because my classroom was freezing. </p><p>Eventually I said, "OK, I have to be brave and go back to my classroom. Lunch recess is over."</p><p>She handed me some candy. "Take this," she said, like she was sending me into battle and didn't want me to go empty handed.</p><p>She is on a path to become a principal and I can't lose another work bestie! Janelle leaving was bad enough.</p><p>I had recess duty and coincidentally was wearing black pants and black shoes and the sun was shining and I am very happy in February when I'm wearing black and the sun is shining at recess. </p><p>It's the little things.</p><p>It's the little things like Adam and our kids sending each other song lyrics on our group text. It's Anna sending a picture and video of QE at story time. (Story time at the park because it's California. Show offs.)</p><p>During my prep, I enlisted my BYU teacher to help me organize the biome articles my class is going to be reading for a project. I handed her my stapler. She said, "I feel like a real teacher! A <i>stapler</i>!"</p><p>It is a really good stapler, but the shine does kind of wear off of the shuffling of papers. I felt a little cheered by her enthusiasm though.</p><p>Tiny things can delight.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3240458882634508240.post-10240454146884347862024-02-13T05:52:00.000-08:002024-02-13T05:52:43.225-08:00Kids can be so nice!<p>Yesterday I got a new students from Colombia. She speaks no English. Zero. She was terrified. We said good-bye to her mom and I put my arm around her and I could feel her heart just pounding.</p><p>School hadn't started and my charismatic Salvadoran wasn't there yet, so I introduced her to my boy who is the nicest kid on the planet and just so happens to speak Spanish. </p><p>He just looked at her solemnly. I said, "Well...say hello."</p><p>He broke into Spanish and they chatted away and I saw her tense shoulders drop a notch.</p><p>My sweet girl arrived and her face lit up and it turns out she is really good at interpreting. Some people just have a gift. She seamlessly shifted between Spanish and English all day long with a brilliant smile on her face.</p><p>When my new student would leave her seat, her little mentor was never far behind. She hovered and made sure everyone was understanding everyone. I finally told her, "You don't need to go with her every time she goes to the bathroom. She knows where it is now."</p><p>She gave me her thousand watt smile and said, "OK, Teacher, I was just getting a sip of water."</p><p>One of the other girls had a birthday party on Saturday. She knew we were getting a new student and she brought a little gift bag for the new girl. Other girls slipped her pink hearts and notes.</p><p>Kids can be so mean. 100% true. But also, they can be just incredibly kind. </p><p>Also, I can't explain enough how grateful I am for the champion multilingual students we have. They have been rebranded from English as a Second Language (ESL) to English Language Learners (ELL) to ML. Multilingual. I like it because I think it better captures their awesomeness. They navigate two languages, helping their parents and their younger siblings.</p><p>And they are a <i>lifeboat</i> for both new students and me when we have someone who doesn't speak English!</p><p> </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3