Confessions of a Teacher & Mommy

When I woke up this morning it was raining. First thing in my mind? Indoor recess. These are the kinds of things you think about when you are a teacher & a mommy. At least that's what I think about. I know my days are not any different than any other teacher mommy out there, but today was so full I just decided to write them down for your comic relief. Enjoy on my behalf.

#1. When it rains that means that my kids and I get 20 mins to scarf down our lunch and get out of the cafeteria so the next group can come in to eat. It also means that from 12:10 to 2:55 all 23 of us are in one room together. My room was quite stinky and messy by 3:00. To add to tall that excitement I can tell you I did not sit down except for the 50 minutes I had at the end of the day filling out a survey with my co workers and I only got to pee once. For a lady who is 25 weeks pregnant, that takes talent.

#2. There are so many moments in my teaching career where a concept or strategy "clicked" with a kid and the light of inspiration came to their eyes, making all my song and dance worth it. Today was not one of those days. We learned how to do subtraction story problems, I could've taught the strategies while standing on my head with a clown nose on and I'm pretty sure I still would've gotten the blank stares I got today. No worries, we'll try again tomorrow.

#3. When I picked up my munchkin from the babysitter today, she screamed the entire 17 minutes home. Why you might ask? Oh she didn't like her car seat, she wanted to sit in the empty seat next to her. I turned up the radio and sang as loud as I could. Just incase you're curious -- I was singing along with Mariah Carey to "Oh Holy Night" because I love Christmas music.

#4. After dinner I decided I needed a few quiet minutes to myself to unwind from our indoor recess day. So I locked myself in the bathroom for a quick bath. During that time I played the "rhyme game" with Harper who sat outside the door shouting at me the entire time. I also listened to Elliette tell her dad "I pooped" and "get me wipes!" and "I no sit on the potty!" followed by Harper shouting to me through the door, "Elliette doesn't have any clothes on!" I drained the water and got right back out.

#5. Harper is loving to read, which makes my teacher heart SUPER happy! Why oh why must she become obsessed with the MOST boring books?! Yes I read them to her anyway, but seriously. I don't know how I'm going to read that poem book or color book one more time without pulling my hair out. I even pulled the "You Read to Me" trick, but the problem is that she too has the book memorized, so it doesn't get any better.

#6. While typing this post, I also listened to Jon try and explain to Harper that November is both Thanksgiving month AND deer hunting month. Two equally important holidays, oh my. She then proceeded to tell him that her cousin Nathan already told her all about deer hunting month.

The best part? I get to do it all over again tomorrow.

Reasons I think it's a Girl....

Tomorrow is a big day! It's our 20 week ultrasound, where we'll (hopefully!) get to find out if this little nugget - well if you've seen me lately probably more like a little basketball-  is a boy or a girl. In my humble opinion the ultrasound is just a formality because I've known for weeks it's a girl. So on the eve of the big reveal I thought I'd share with you the reasons I THINK it's a girl!

10. All three pregnancies have started the same. I started feeling queasy around week 6. With Harper I threw up until week 15, with Elliette until week 12. Didn't actually throw up with this one, but felt like it 100% of the time until week 9.

9. My sister has three boys, my brother has one of each, Jon and I could even the score with three girls. I like when things are symmetrical and even, ha!

8. Everything baby that we still own (which let's be honest isn't much) is Pink. Seriously.

7. Our toy room has pink polka dots and shaggy pink rugs, and totes of glitter (pink glitter).

6.  Everything happens in threes right? Why not three girls?

5. Jon is already being punished with three women in the house, why not make it 4? Put yourself in his shoes in about 10 years. You can provide him with comfort later.

4. I would be a total mess at changing a boy's diaper.

3. Mother's intuition?

2.  Remember my comment about liking things even and symmetrical? Well I needed to round out the list.

And the #1 reason I think it's a girl???

1. We haven't been able to come up with one single GIRL baby name!

Roots

"Deep roots provide comfort in times of tragedy" 

I first saw this quote (and I have no idea who to honor these words with) on the billboard of a church when Jon and I were traveling from Overland Park, KS to Dexter, MO last summer. That was the summer my cousin Jeff tragically passed away from a brain aneurism. I saw the words, but the reality of those words didn't hit home until the next morning. You see Jeff was living in Kansas City at the time of his death, but his hometown was Dexter. If you're not familiar with your Missouri Geography it's quite the distance apart. When I walked into his service the next morning in his hometown I was instantly brought to tears. The amount of flowers alone was unbelievable. I wish I had pictures to show you. Seriously I bet there were hundreds of arrangements. It was overwhelmingly beautiful and the words above instantly shot in my mind. Jeff had deep roots in a small community, and when tragedy struck our family those roots provided serious comfort.

Growing up in Jefferson City, the trend was in high school among friends was pretty consistent, "I'm not staying in Jeff". Most of us were searching for our tickets out of this town. We wanted to move on to bigger and better things. Some of us moved on, some of us didn't. Since then, some of us have come home. 

In the last month our family experienced another tragedy, one that wasn't nearly as tragic as Jeff's, but enough to rock our cores. And since Kurt's accident, I've been constantly reminded of the words above again. You see, our families have deep roots in this town, and when tragedy struck, you better believe those roots have provided serious comfort. The love and support shown to our sister and brother have been overwhelmingly beautiful. This IS a small town, but one with a huge heart and a great sense of community. 

Thank You to everyone who offers to lend a hand, offers a donation, lifts them up in prayer, and asks us about their recovery.  To those who moved on and found bigger dreams, I'm so happy for you, but remember where you came from and be proud. Jefferson City is our hometown, and I couldn't be prouder of our deep roots.

Crazy and Beautiful

Well the potty training post didn't happen, oops. I had great intentions, but I got carried away with life - as usual. It's really hard to maintain a blog and be a mommy and a teacher. What was I thinking? 

If you've ever taken the time to read the short "description" of my blog, I mention that this blog is supposed to create a snapshot of our crazy and beautiful life. Lately, that description fits our life perfectly. On Sunday, Aug. 11 my brother-in-law (Jon's sister's hubby) was helping a friend at his farm. He was in a tree stand approximately 12 feet up, when he lost his balance. As a result, he suffered a spinal cord injury changing life forever. That quick. Crazy. Tragic. Life changing. At this point you may be wondering, where's the beauty? Well, in this instance the beauty comes from within Kurt. It's been amazing to watch and hear stories of his attitude and determination during this entire week. The pain he's endured, the questions, the tears, the good news, the bad news, the tests. To be honest - I'm in awe. I could never imagine handling such a life changing event with such strength, and grace. Since surgery, he has had two therapy sessions. One which allowed him to sit up, and the other which allowed him to move from the bed to the wheel chair. He's doing an awesome job.

Kurt, my heart is broken for the loss that you've suffered this week. You should know that for every visitor that has walked through your door this week, there are 25 more people at home that can't wait to see your face and hug your neck. You should know that Jon and I have heard of people and churches praying for you all over the state. You should know that I am exceptionally proud of you. When my girls need a living example of determination, hard work and positive thinking, I'm so happy they have you to look up to. 

As an entire family, our reality has changed. It's crazy, and it's beautiful. 



**If you'd like to follow Kurt progress you can visit their Caring Bridge site - you will have to create a free account and login: http://caringbridge.org/visit/kurtsuthoff

Unexpected Miracles

Well folks, in true Kali fashion it's been quite some time since my computer and I have been together. Who can blame me? It's summer!! I've been holed up on my couch in my basement, or in my bed snuggling with my girls, or at the pool, etc. You get the picture. I usually update the blog more in the summer time, but I'm a slacker. What can I say?

Lots has been going down in the Binkley household. Most recently Elliette has started potty training. This will be another blog post entirely hopefully later this week, but let's just say it's been "messy" around here. The little stinker can't keep her diaper on to save her life!! We purchased a new potty which has big pink princess crowns and makes all kinds of royal noises when she does her business, but I promise to update on Potty Training later. 

Harper is ready for another year of Pre-K, but I'm super sad to say this is our LAST official preschool year. My baby girl will be 5 in December. That's just crazy! She's so bored with me at home, poor thing. She's so excited to get back to a routine and her classroom. Her only grumble is that she won't be able to wear her swimsuit/dress/sandals combination that's been her summer wardrobe staple. She'll get over it I'm sure.

Most importantly we have some big news to share with everyone. We were quite shocked to find out that our family is expanding by one more. Yep, re-read that sentence again. We are pregnant. Pretty crazy right? I thought so too. We were quite shocked. It's no secret to our friends and family that to get pregnant with BOTH of our girls, we had some kind of medical intervention/fertility. I am no stranger to the road of infertility so I know it's a HUGE blessing to be able to do this on our own. I am very thankful for the blessing we've been given, but I would be lying if I said I felt like celebrating! 10 weeks later I have adjusted to our new reality and I'm beginning to get excited. 

The good news -- our current OBGYN is choosing to not send us to the high risk doctor at the moment (another blessing!). She said my issues do not cause any harm to the baby, so there is no need to see a high risk doc. We will simply take this one day at a time and if pain/nausea meds are needed we will get those. She said worse case scenario, we'll hospitalize and give nutrition via IV until it's safe for baby to be here. We are praying it doesn't come to that. So far - I feel pretty good. I'm convinced this unexpected miracle is another girl (I feel the exactly the same way I did with both Harper and Ellie). But only time will tell. Baby B#3 is due Feb. 20.

Harper is beyond excited, I'll leave you with a little snippet of her finding out we are indeed pregnant. Enjoy.

Spring Break!

Well lots has happened since I've last had time to sit and write. You probably gave up on reading all together -- and I don't blame you! However there are lots of new and exciting events going on in the Binkley household so I will quickly attempt to catch you up! Since I've last blogged I've gotten a new phone (not the most exciting news for you, but SUPER exciting for me). Most of my pics are on the new phone and I'm still having "technical difficulties" with transferring them to the computer. So sorry that picture updates will have to wait! Without prolonging the inevitable any longer here they are...

Top 5 updates in the Binkley House:

5. Snow, Snow, and more Snow

If you don't live in mid-Missouri, you may not know about all the snow that we've been getting the last few weeks. From my last blog post (oh so long ago) you may already know I'm officially FINISHED with Winter, I'm ready for warmer temps, flip-flops, pedicures and not freezing at recess!! In true Missouri style we welcomed Spring with 6-10 inches of snow. Ew.  Thankfully the temps have been above freezing and the stuff is melting quickly. However, our Easter Egg hunts are looking more and more like they will be indoor hunts. I'm pretty sure I saw something cute on pinterest about putting glow sticks in plastic eggs and turning out the lights for an extra special indoor hunt. 

4. Elliette's cutest new words

Despite having her pacifier in her mouth 90% of the time, Elliette is talking more and more everyday. Her newest words which I find exceptionally adorable are "chalk-it nilk" (translation: chocolate milk), "I unt ore" (translation: I want more), and "wuv u" (translation: love you).  She is kinda a polly parrot these days and loves to sing and dance along to Sofia the First and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

3. Harper's growth rate

Despite being sick quite a bit this winter, Harper is still growing like crazy. I just happened to notice a week or so ago when it was warm for a small amount of time. I pulled out the clothes that were HUGE on her in the fall, and now they are too short and too tight! She tries to wear her "skirfs" (translation: skirts) from last summer and they are SUPER short. Looks like Mommy needs to go shopping! :)

2. Viva Las Vegas

For Jon's 30th birthday, we met some dear friends in Las Vegas for an extended weekend over President's weekend. This was mine and Jon's first time to Vegas, and I don't think we saw a quarter of it. We did have a nice relaxing weekend, full of sight seeing and being true "tourists". I was gawking - I'll admit it. Highlights would include a fabulous restaurant called China Publano (think noodles and tacos), the Bellagio fountains,and the Cirque du Soleil show called Zarkana.  I'm so glad we went -- it was a great weekend away. Plus we got to see Brandon & Jenn! Pictures coming soon!

1. Snow Day Remodel

On one of the days that we were all kept indoors due to snow, my wonderful do-it-yourself husband decided that the HORRIBLE carpet we had in our eating area had to go! So we picked out tile and scheduled for the install. Since the floors were being redone, we decided the wooden facade that was on the fireplace needed to be taken down so the tile could be laid against the brick of the fireplace. Once the fireplace facade was down, we realized the textured wallpaper had been painted a lighter shade of green since the facade was installed. So we took the opportunity to pull down the wallpaper on the fireplace wall. Which led to taking the wallpaper down in the adjoining kitchen, and the other three walls in the eating area. AND while we were at it - we scraped our popcorn ceilings too. So our new flooring snow day job has turned into an almost two month two room remodel. We now have wallpaper free freshly textured and painted walls and freshly textured and painted ceilings. New baseboards, new backsplash, new light fixtures and an updated fireplace. There was a small stint of time that we lived with a "kiving room" (a kitchen in our living room), and we are not yet finished with all the detail work (IT IS SERIOUSLY NEVER ENDING). But I hope to get curtains, a mantle and pictures soon! 

Until then I'm enjoying the next 5 days off from school to prep myself for the long haul of the end of the year. Even with snow on the ground I can sense spring/summer right around the corner. I'm so excited!! 

Winter Blues

I love cold weather. I know I'm strange, but I really love sweaters, snow, winter coats, scarves, Christmas, Valentine's Day, hot food, and of course snow days. If you were to ask me what my favorite season was, the answer would probably be fall, but winter comes a close second. 

This winter however, is for the birds! My girls are NEVER sick, seriously. NEVER. However, this winter we've been hit like a freight train, it's awful! I'm not sure if it's new germs from my school or Harper's but it's awful. To top it off - we haven't had a snow day yet! 

This last week was very rough. Harper got some sort of viral infection that cause the poor baby to have 100-101 fever for just over 8 days. Her little mouth was covered in blisters by the week's end. We are praying, crossing our fingers, holding our breath, and even knocking on wood that Elliette won't get it. To top it all off, it was parent teacher conference week. To my teaching friends, you need no further explanation. For my non teaching friends, let's just leave it at super. long. week. 

Suffice it to say I can't WAIT for spring to be here. Bring on the bright colors and sunshine, and if I wanted to get really excited - SUMMER break! 

Our excitement this winter? Jon and I are heading to Vegas to celebrate turning 30 this year. We're excited to get an extended weekend away, and to get to hang with some great friends who are meeting us there. Until then... 6 weeks until Spring Break!!

Resolve

Happy New Year! 2012 has been full of exciting times and a few sad moments as well. Highlights would include our family vacay to Florida, celebrating the birth of many loved ones (most recently the birth of my friend Jill's little boy, and of course another Zettler boy!), and let's not forget MOVING!  We also lost a few loved ones as well. Some were a little easier to say goodbye to than others. It's definitely been a year of changes. 

Each year I know many people make "resolutions". Things they want to accomplish in the coming year. I've never really been one to make a resolution, other than the all consuming thought of "we're going to eat healthier this year". I mean, isn't this on everyone's list? I usually make it to about March, then I'm back to my usual eating habits. This year I don't think I'm really any different. I'm not keen on the idea of setting myself up for failure. When I stop to think about it, making a resolution is really about having the resolve and determination to see something through. This I might be able to accomplish.

 I won't call them resolutions, but this year I pray to have the resolve and determination to:

1. Help my daughters become the young ladies they deserve to be.

2. Be a partner to my husband in this crazy (and beautiful) life we live.

3. Stop trying to control the things I can't (or shouldn't) - Give it up to God, and trust that even though I don't know the outcome or the method of getting me there- He wants what's best for me.

4. Give myself credit where credit is due (I truly am my worst critic).

5. Continue to be thankful for the MANY blessings in my life - no matter what.

It's a short list - but a full one.  I pray that your 2012 was wonderful, but your 2013 will be even better! I can't wait to share our most exciting and ordinary moments with you.

Thankful

     On Friday the nation was rocked with the horrible news of a tragic school shooting in Connecticut. All school shootings are tragic and gut wrenching, but this particular event truly stopped me in my tracks. I can't quite pinpoint why, but I'm thinking it's because it happened in an elementary school to students who are the same age as the students I see everyday. When you read what those staff members did to protect the lives of those kids they were entrusted to, you find yourself shaking your head in agreement. As I read the words and the scene plays out in my head I know that I would've done the same thing those staff members did. It's just simple, those kids in my room are not just students, they are my students. I've never met a single teacher who doesn't think the same thing.  At times like this though, we are forced to stop and rethink our priorities, AND change our attitudes. 

     This week before Christmas our district has a FULL week of school. Monday through Friday. I will admittedly  tell you I was a bit discouraged wondering how I was going to get my little friends to stay focused and keep their excitement about Christmas at a manageable level. Now, I will admittedly tell you that I wouldn't want to be anywhere else these next five days. I will take extra care this week and know how blessed I am with such a great group of kids. If I don't get a single point across to those kids all week, I still count it as a great week, simply because I am able to spend it with them.

      I will be thinking and praying for the staff, the families and all the lives that were affected by the tragic events. I can't even imagine their pain, and loss.

THE .... FLU...

Flu: 3 Binkleys:1

Jon, Elli and I all got the flu. It's miserable. A 20 month old child with the flu is possibly THE worst parental experience. Well OK now that I'm pondering it - it's probably not that bad, but in the moment it was horrible. She can't tell me she's sick, until the vomit is all over me. She wakes up puking, then we have to clean the bed. She wants chocolate milk so badly, and you so badly want to throw it out the window because of the smell. The only thing worse than a 20 month old with the flu? BOTH adults in the house also have the flu. She pukes, I puke, Jon pukes. It's a vicious cycle. 

We've been puke free for almost 24 hours (everyone knock on wood). My headache is now a dull pain rather than the pounding tribal drum that it's been the last 12 hours. I was even able to tolerate a little sunlight today. 

Harper has won the prize as the only Binkley not knocked out from this horrid experience. A HUGE thanks to Mamo Denise who took Harper and kept her while the three of us curled up in misery together.  This marks the first time in MANY years that either Jon or I have gotten the flu (because we admittedly refuse the flu shot) but it is important to note that Elli had her flu shot last week. Coincidence? I say no...

Meet Gina!

So... in my quest to find low fat recipes I have stumbled upon a new favorite blog...

I happened to find her blog through pinterest (imagine that) and I've been addicted ever since. I've tried about 15 of her recipes from her site and I haven't had a bad one yet. Some of you may know that I was banned from Racheal Ray's recipes several years ago by Jon. My cooking skills and her recipes were just not a good combination. Well not Gina! She uses ingredients I can pronounce, and fresh things I can find in my small town grocery store.  Even my red meat, fried food, coated in butter loving husband has enjoyed everything I've made from her. Yay! Best part?? For someone like me who needs those nutritional facts, it's listed on every recipe!! She's given me the opportunity to spice up my kitchen skills and keep everything low fat. I just might be in love....

Check her out! Meet Gina from SkinnyTaste!

This is how we do it...

It's been a while my friends, and in true Kali form I feel it's appropriate to update you in "list style". So this is how the Binkleys did Fall 2012...

#1. For my birthday in August we took Harper to the opening Mizzou game with Amy, Steve and the boys! Even though it rained, we had a blast!

#2.  We've had a fun time filling our new house with newer furniture and making our house a home. Here the girls are enjoying the new couch sporting their USC gear from Uncle Brandon. (Don't get used to them like this, they are true Tigers - just ask their Dad)

#3. We've had fun raking ALL the leaves in our new yard. It's incredible how we can spend hours blowing & burning leaves, and two days later it looks like we haven't touched them! The girls (and even Jon) had some serious fun jumping in the big piles

#4. We celebrated the marriage of two sweethearts (The Egnews). Their rehearsal dinner was in the Mizzou pressbox, which was pretty fun!

#5. Our sweet niece Abby celebrated her birthday on October 29th. We spent the afternoon at Grandma's and the kids enjoyed Loft House cupcakes! Delicious!

#6. October went out with a bang as we went Trick or Treating on Halloween! We have a butterfly fairy and a witch. Harper had a blast and Elli is enjoying the fruits of her sister's labor.

Harper "flying"

Parental Nightmare

This blog post is not for the faint of heart. In fact, if you don't have children, you should probably stop reading now. If you have continued reading even if you don't have kids, this is your final warning. You will probably think I'm disgusting and even hear yourself uttering the words "why is she blogging about this?"

Jon and I have a parental nightmare on our hands. Our dear, sweet, tubby, giggling little Elliette is a -- wait for it -- night pooper. Yep, you read that correctly she is a night pooper! Why is this a parental nightmare do you ask? Well let me tell you. It all should be prefaced by stating that our dear, sweet, tubby, giggling Harper woke up every morning from the time she started sleeping through the night dry as a bone! She would quickly fill her diaper after waking up (which is why cheap diapers never worked for her), but I digress. When Harper was in the middle of potty training I was getting frustrated at her inability to EVER go #2 on the potty. So we started reading blog after blog. Jon stumbled upon a parent sounding board in which a parent was venting about the problems their toddler was having pooping in the middle of the night and not waking them up! They would wake up the next morning finding little "treasures" in their son's closet. Can you even imagine??  Well a few months ago our little Elli started  pooping in the middle of the night. She doesn't wake up, she sleeps right through it and it's a disgusting, sticky mess by the time we realize what's happened the next morning. I'm freaking out that this will continue after two and potty training will take on a whole new nightmarish meaning!

If you made it this far - you must be parent - and I hope you are laughing. At this point, what else do you do?

Hello?! Can you see me?

Squint, no really squint. See that blur of a blog that's frantically bobbing up and down on the horizon? Yep - that's me! I eat, sleep, kiss on my kids and work. I promise updates are coming - maybe in November? ha. Until then, here's the shortened version.

I love my job - but I feel like a first year teacher all over again! My girls are adorable and growing like weeds. Harper is loving every minute of preschool (she's superstar of the week - if you see her this week she's bound to tell you). Elli is loving her new sitter and starting to say one-two word sentences. We are thoroughly enjoying our life at the moment!

First Day Jitters

If you're not familiar with the book First Day Jitters you should read it. It's a great story for all ages. It is a picture book - I wouldn't want those of you who read my blog and are NOT teachers (there are a few of you!), to hunt it down and be disappointed. 

I started journaling my adventure in my new classroom a couple of weeks ago. Then friends, I left you hangin! How rude of me. These last few weeks have honestly been a whirlwind. New employee training, Granny's funeral, more employee training, open house, and now tomorrow - First Day of School! Yikes! These last few days have been long ones, but I'm just as excited and nervous as our main character in that book First Day Jitters.

I'll be learning right along with my little 2nd graders tomorrow. I'm SUPER excited about my kids, my school, my curriculum, my team, I think it's going to be an awesome year.

Here's a sneak peek of my room as I left it tonight after open house (it's still a tad messy from the crowd). 

Highlights would include my huge bulletin board above the bookshelf. It's titled "Binkley's Learning Pad" and I'm planning on using that space for anchor charts made with my kids during whole group reading instruction. My class library, which says "read it, read it" to go along with my frog theme. The biggest change for me this year - no teacher desk! I'm using my guided reading table to house a few teacher items I might need, other than that what belongs to me, belongs to my kids. We share our space equally! 

Two personal goals this year (well two that I can quantify at the moment) would include: 

1. Mastering my new 2nd grade curriculum - and by mastering I mean knowing my standards as thoroughly as I did my 4th grade ones

2. Beefing up my primary library! My books are all chapter books!

A wise theater mentor once told me that nerves are a positive thing. They keep you on your toes, and keep your mind sharp. Those "first day jitters" have nothing on me. Bring it on 2012-2013 school year - bring it on!

My Tribute to Granny

Domingo (Sonny) & Eloise Dasal

On  Wednesday night, August 1, my Granny, Eloise Dasal, joined my Papa in heaven. She just turned 92 years old.  This is my tribute to her.

When I started this post, I wanted to outline Granny's life in details. I wanted to share her and my Papa's love story that started in WWII, and their journey of raising six sons. I wrote it all out, line by line. Then I placed my finger on the delete key and held it there for a very long time. In writing my memories of her I got lost in the details, the pieces of colorful thread that wove her life together. When I got to the end, what caused me to hit the delete button was that it wasn't the thread I needed to pay tribute to. It was the beautiful quilt those pieces wove together that deserved all the justice.

Granny was a strong willed, God fearing, southern belle, that stared adversity in the face (often with a hand on her hip). She was proud of who she was and where she came from. She deeply loved her Sonny (my Papa). Her greatest accomplishments came from the lives of her six sons. It was those boys who relished spoiling her, and those boys who, in her frailest moments on earth, held their Mama tight and told her it was OK to let her go.

I know that today was really difficult for many family members, but I realize that today might have been Granny's best in a long time. Today she got to love on Papa, whom she'd been separated from for almost 9 years. She was able to look into her baby girl's eyes for the very first time. Most importantly, today she was able to stand in the presence of God. How much better could it get for her?

Granny you were loved and will be missed by many. I am forever grateful for the woman you chose to be, and am honored to be but a thread in your life quilt. I love you!

My Little Diva

I finally successfully loaded my little diva's videos. I giggle each time I watch these, and I also tremble slightly in fear because I know what true drama queen we really have.

This first video was taken back in the winter time at our home at the Lake. She is "rocking" out to Strawberry Shortcake's "Sunshine girls". Her dance moves are mimicking the moves on the TV. It's pretty classic.

My favorite part is the robot(ish) dance moves and the quick bite she must take mid dance. This picture was taken the week before Berry Beach. She was "getting ready" for the beach. Yes those are Jon's hunting socks and I have NO idea why she has them on with her swimsuit.

This clip was taken the week we moved. She is singing along to Barbie's Princess and the Pauper.  Her Blanky is serving as her dress and she has on high heels if you can't see them. Not nearly as fun as "Sunshine Girls" but equally entertaining.

Watch out world - here comes Harper!

Diary of a Wimpy Classroom - Day 1

First let me say that I don't blog about my classroom. Not that I don't love reading teaching blogs, but let's face it - I'm not that creative. I don't write classroom blogs - I read them! haha! Today was Day 1 in my new classroom. I had moved in all my boxes in June, however I hadn't touched anything since then.  As I walked in today I was completely overwhelmed. There was stuff everywhere!! Since I'm moving to a new grade level I wasn't sure what to keep and what to throw away. Let me give you a sneak peek. 

Later in the day I learned that the teacher who was in this room before me had been in the room for 18 years. Yikes! Like a true veteran teacher - NOTHING went to waste and EVERYTHING was saved. Let's just say I had a lot of work ahead of me. With Harper's help I slowly made my way around the room throwing things away, rearranging, throwing more things away, breaking down boxes, throwing more things away - you get the picture. I've had quite the day. Below is the video just before we left for the day. We still have a LONG way to go, but some progress is better than no progress! 

Aftershock

When someone experiences a tragedy, life is inevitably categorized into the "before" and "after" moments. The before moments being the tasks at hand that seemed to daunt your day or your week. The small fights you have with your spouse about picking up dirty laundry or washing a dish off in the sink. At the time, it was what consumed your day, your thoughts, even your actions. Then tragedy hits. Now and forevermore you will remember those consuming tasks as miniscule in hindsight. Why didn't I just let the dirty sock roll off my back? Was it really that big of a deal to have two dirty dishes in the sink? Did I remember to say "I Love You" before he walked out the door? Now life is looked at as the after moments. You can't help but compare the two lives as they drastically differ from  each other.

Yesterday my sweet, loving 51 year old cousin Jeff died of a brain aneurism. To say that I'm heartbroken is an under statement. Jeff was more like an uncle to me than a cousin - he was the oldest grandchild and I am the youngest. I'm having a hard time processing the fact he's gone. It just doesn't seem possible. I'm heartbroken for my Uncle Don and Aunt June, who are having to take on the task of burying their son. I'm heartbroken for Diana, his only sister, who was so close to him. I'm heartbroken for his wife Susan, who loved him dearly and enriched his life. I'm heartbroken for my parents, who loved and treated Jeff as a son. I'm especially heartbroken for his sons, who will now pass every milestone with their dad as a memory. It doesn't seem fair, it doesn't seem possible. 

If anyone knew Jeff, they knew that he was one of the best storytellers out there. He could get a laugh out of anyone - he truly enjoyed it. I know that my Uncle Moose, Janetta and especially my Grandma Ruby welcomed Jeff with loving arms yesterday. He's probably got them on the floor rolling in laughter. Until I see you again Jeff - I love you!

Jeff Lincoln

Parenting 101

I took a child development class in college where a very wise professor told us that before people have children they make a "mental" list of all the things they'll never do as parents. Then once they have kids they mentally check off each item on the list as they do them. For example: My kids will never eat macaroni and cheese with hotdogs for dinner, speed ahead 5 years and as I'm grilling hotdogs I mentally check off that item. Or, I won't allow my children to be that loud at a restaurant -- 5 years later I'm bribing my kids with horrendous things like ice cream to not scream or say "poop" so loud that the next table wants their food to go. The "list" could go on.

Look at that expression. Her eyes could tell a lifetime of stories and she's only 3. I've been reading blogs and trying to research best practice strategies for handling children with a "strong personality". Everyone tells me that it's such a blessing she's so adamant in her way, that she will stand her ground and  not sway to peer pressure. I just can't seem to wrap my brain around that. Harper is extremely verbal, probably past her age in speech which makes discipline hard. I'm not sure she cognitively understands what she says or how she acts. It's a fine line I'm trying desperately to learn. I'm truly hoping that I'm doing all I can to teach her she can always express her true feelings to me, while guarding her tongue with others.