Happy Christmas to All

I haven't been motivated to figure out how to get my pictures to work on this new computer, so haven't posted much in the last month or so. Well, tonight is Christmas Eve and we just got back from the candlelight service at church. The kids agreed to pose in front of the tree for me. So I definitely wanted to share this. Peace to you all.

Unimaginable

One of my sweet girls

I am struggling to comprehend the situation in Connecticut. I feel such an ache in my heart over all those poor babies. There are times when grief is so overwhelming that I can't even find the words to pray. I found a wonderful prayer at smacksy. You can click here to read it.

Thankful

I can't believe that a week ago we were just getting to Indiana. We had a whirlwind visit and then headed back on Saturday. It was an emotional visit, but a good time as well. Mostly it was good. I can't believe that all the grandchildren were able to make it at the same time. Maybe everyone else had already made plans to come for Thanksgiving. For us it was a last minute decision. But one I'm glad we made.

We got to visit with everyone. Played games. Ate. Regular Thanksgiving stuff. We also got a chance to visit with Grandma M. with just our family for about an hour. It is hard to believe that she is so sick, when she is still so much herself. We talked about education (in a broad sense) and she questioned each of the kids about their plans for the future. E went over the specifics of her illness with us and she was very matter-of-fact about it all.

I think a sign of a life well lived is that the person isn't afraid to die. There aren't any (or many) regrets. There aren't things to put right. It is comforting to see this in Grandma M. There were a lot of issues in my life that she helped to put into perspective and correct as much as they could be. She has also been a role model in various aspects of my life. As a wife, mother, and teacher. She has shared quite a bit of helpful advice over the years.

Just one of the many blessings I am thankful for this year.

Good News

I found out today that the teacher I am filling in for is not coming back next semester. So I have a job for the rest of the year! Since she has already sat out for a year she now has given up this position so it will be open next year. Also the 1st grade teacher across the hall is retiring, so there is another opening.
This has several repercussions. First, we don't have to rent the AL house, so hopefully it will sell quicker as a vacant house. Secondly, I can go to England this summer with my sister and aunt! Yay!
No pictures. Just the mental image of me skipping down the K-1 hall at school letting all the teachers know I'm staying. General excitement here!

Practicing Optimism

Sometimes life can really get you down if you let it. I purposely look to the positive side of things when I feel like I could just start drowning in misery.

M has a problem with her right shoulder. Went in for an X-ray today and nothing was showing up. She will have an MRI next Wednesday. She could have irritations or a tear in some of the lining? of the shoulder joint. I can easily let my imagination run away and get upset about all the money. But I choose to just be thankful she is such a great girl. And there was life before rowing and there will be life if rowing is taken away. Just look at that picture above; it makes my heart happy.

We found out a few days ago that Grandma M. has pancreatic cancer. When I still had four grandparents in 2001, I thought they would all live forever. But in the past ten years I have lost three of them, and realize that no one can live forever. No one truly wants too though. Grandma M. told me that it is the ones who go first who are lucky. It's hard to be the one left. I remember Grandpa J. said every time he went out of town, one of his friends died and he always had to come back for a funeral. It was really hard on him. So I'm thankful for the amount of time and the quality of time that each of my grandparents had and that I had with them. (Boy, that's a confusing sentence!) They were each unique and important in who I am and how I view the world. I am a better person for knowing each of them and am blessed to have a part of them in me.

Our tenants moved out of our AL house and now the mortgage is all us. With my job ending in December and no idea if I'll find anything else I worry about finances. I don't know why. God has always taken care of us. Time have been tight before and we are not extravagant people, so we will be okay.

S is doing better. I won't put any details on here because I don't know who will read this. Just know that she has changed her major and when we saw her last weekend she seemed very happy. She says she is happy.

Try as hard as I can, I just can't find anything positive about all the time Mr. C spends on the computer.

Ninth Place, Personal Best Time!

If you are a regular follower of this blog then you know that this weekend was the BIG regatta we've been waiting for: the Head of the Hooch. M wanted to get in the top 10 and they finished 9th, out of 39 boats. Great weather, great time. It continues tomorrow, but she only had the one race. Enjoy the pictures and captions. Too tired to touch them up in Lightroom, so you're seeing them straight out of the camera.

The venue: Ross's Landing

Smarty, KitKat, and Mr. Creativity having a great time

Notice the obvious lean to the left, not a good sign

They are closest to the camera heading toward the finish line; remember the race is a stagger start

Coach R holds M up as she tries to get her oar. By this time she was shaking pretty bad.

Coaches and the crew; happy with a job well done

Not a pretty shot, but the only one I have of her after she had her arm iced. We have to find a doctor to take a look at it. Hopefully it isn't too bad.

All in all it was a good day for rowing. At least for the girls. Our novice boys broke an oar at the start of their race. They finished 23 out of 25. And we heard that one of the boys' boats got caught up in the buoy at the finish line. But I was very proud of M and you would have been too!

The Third Race

Great news!!! They got 4th out of 19. They passed 3 boats. They were 2 seconds behind 3rd place and 5 seconds behind 2nd place. Well done!

Green boat in the middle

In case I haven't explained it before, I'll share a little about the fall racing season. They race 5K. They actually put in at the finish line and then row up to the start. So there is 5K of rowing and then 5K of racing. The races are stagger starts. Each crew starts 10 seconds after the one in front. So you are trying to overtake the boats in front of you and not get passed. If you pass a boat you have gained 10 seconds on them. If you get passed, then you know the other boat is at least 10 seconds in front of you. Hopefully I haven't confused anyone. In the spring they race 2K and they all start and finish together. It is an all-out sprint.

I am just going to put some of the photos M has exported to put on her facebook page instead of editing them myself.

Staying warm and sleeping during the wait

My computer is about ready to die (I hope it can wait until I get done with this semester!) so I need to stop messing with the pictures. Next weekend is the Hooch!! They will be competing against 39 other boats. They are hoping to get at least 10th.

Life

Hansel and Gretel: Where in the world are we?

Contrary to what I posted on the CDP blog, I am not in Oak Ridge this weekend. I weighed the pros and cons of going to watch M's race and decided to stay home with Mr. C instead. If he didn't have to go I would have gone, but it is such a long day (6am-7pm) for him to be forced to ride along.

How are things going with us this week? Yesterday we had a half day of school. Mr. C leaf blew for 30 minutes, I leaf blew for 40 minutes, and Hubby took a turn when he got home. Our front yard looked great around 7pm last night. Not so much this morning.

I have already tackled two loads of laundry this morning and painted some of the unfinished spots in the living room. I am thinking of taking on The Hole in the kitchen. There used to be a Very Small Oven in this space. We sold it on Craigslist and have yet to finish it off. I'm afraid that we are growing used to The Hole and are finding it quite handy. It is nice to just toss in the plastic containers and not bend over to mess with the door. Anywho... I have found through experience that it is better for me to complete projects involving power tools and lumber when Hubby is not around. When he sees the finished product he says things like, "Wow you're amazing! I've got the most awesome wife in the whole world!" When he stands over me and watches me work he tends to say things like, "You have to measure that board before you cut it. That looks like crap. That is not what that tool is made to do. What were you thinking?!" So you see that I need to get off this computer and get to work before he gets home.

*Hubby took my camera with him, so the bottom two photos are from my "dumb" phone.

The Second Race

If you want to see M's first race, you'll have to hop on over to Chattanooga Daily Photo. This week we got up at 4:45am to caravan to Huntsville, Alabama. It seemed calm when we arrived around 7am. By lunch time the wind was really blowing and the river was whitecaps. Check out the University of Alabama's men's 8 trying to row in that.

See what happens when you take on too much water.

They were rescued, emptied their boat, and it was towed back to the recovery docks.

This is another team, but the side view gives you a good idea of what they were up against. Even a newbie like me could tell these were not ideal rowing conditions.

Shortly after this, the race was shortened from 5K to 3K so the boats would finish in the protected channel and not have to enter the main Tennessee River. So M had a short race. They finished 3rd of 3 teams, finishing 16 seconds behind 2nd. She was upset, but I thought they looked good and worked hard.

She even had some special visitors drive up from Rainbow City to watch! We'll call them Aunt Tammiey and Uncle Jonniey. If you don't want on the internet, don't pose for someone with a blog!

What the...

Have you ever come home after a 10+ hour day at work (complete with a screaming- kicking,-throwing trash cans and pencils-pushing over bookshelf student) to find your shower door inexplicably shattered? All we could figure, before heading to Lowe's for a replacement, was that Socks accidentally was shut in the shower and busted himself out.

Injuries and Such

If you want to row be prepared for blisters. Lots and lots of blisters.

If you want to know what's going on behind your back, just point the camera over your shoulder and click.

If you want to bang yourself up, climb up an unsecure ladder and then fall off. That's what Hubby did today. No pictures. Luckily he didn't hit his head and is doing fine now.

It was a glorious weekend. I hated to see the sun set tonight and know it was soon to be over. But before we head back to work there is a new episode of Doctor Who to watch. Yay!

My Boys

Mr. Socks had a couple of claws that grew back into the pads on his feet until they bled. When we came home from church Sunday and found blood on our bedspread and in the bathtub (he likes to lick the water from the faucet) we checked out his paws. The vet said it was very unusual for a cat to have this problem. So I guess we have a very unusual cat. I like to call him extraordinary. Anyway it cost us several hours and lots of money to get it fixed. Now we just have to keep it clean for awhile, which he hates. See the evil look on his face in the photo as Hubby applies the antibiotic?




For those of you who haven't talked to Mr. C for awhile, his voice is changing. Every time he says something I think of Walter in Secondhand Lions. If you haven't seen this movie, watch the clip above. I can't believe anyone hasn't seen this movie before though. It's great.

I Need Some of Her Energy

Just as I was sure that I would call it quits on teaching as soon as my assignment is up at the end of the semester, my marvelous daughter hits me with this bit of information:

Undergraduate dependents (under the age of 24) of officially certified or licensed full-time Tennessee Public School Teachers or  undergraduate  dependents (under the age of 24) of full-time or retired State of Tennessee Employees are eligible for a 25% discount on in-state maintenance charges. An original discount form must be submitted each term and is available in both locations of the Bursar's Office.

I looked up "maintenance charges" and found that they are what most people refer to as "in-state tuition".  UT considers tuition they money that out-of-state students pay on top of  "maintenance charges."

So I guess I will be back on the hunt for a job in January.

Speaking of Marvelous. She is. She is super busy with crew, school, a leadership class, and looking for scholarships. She is spearheading a card-making project at her school for the cancer kids at the hospital. She is going to deliver them on Tuesday and is excited to be going back to visit. I am, as always, amazed at how much she can get done. Today, on the one day she can sleep in, she organized an extra practice for her boat to improve their stroke and something-or-other. I still don't have all the terminology down. She must be working hard. Her hands are all blisters and we buy tape and band-aids in bulk now.

A Little More

Vintage Mr. C--2010

I hear frustration from teachers everywhere I go. Standardized tests. UGG! Paperwork. UGG! Not being evaluated on your teaching, but on your students' scores. Quadruple UGG!

I don't know what the answer is. I know that we need to improve the overall education level of Americans. But I don't think there is anything the schools can do to fix it. That doesn't sound like it makes sense, but we need to look at society, not just schools. These kids don't show up every morning in a sealed cellophane wrapper. They have issues and backgrounds that affect their ability to learn in school. Nothing I can do can put them all on a level playing field.

In theory I like the idea of putting together a binder of artifacts to prove that I am teaching my students. In reality, it is difficult to find the time to put together something that I feel is a thorough representation of what I do. Speaking of time. I received an email Monday night that we would begin SAT10 testing on Thursday. Tuesday was Open House and we put up all kinds of student work. I spent today covering all my walls with paper, removing nameplates from desks, rearranging the room so they will be separated, and giving them instructions on how to fill in a bubble without any practice materials (this is their first standardized test so they have never bubbled).

Today before they went home six of my girls gave me a giant bear hug. I really needed that. They are great and they like to learn. They can all count to 120, know that there are 4 oceans and 7 continents, and most of the time they play nice together. In short, they are pretty awesome!

Evaluations--Long Rant on Education

Is anyone else overwhelmed with documentation and evaluations? I heard one of the striking Chicago teachers on the news say that they (the teachers) were being asked to do so much but not given any resources to do it. That is about how I feel. I could use a personal secretary and I think that would take care of it for me. Down the hall from me, in kindergarten, they have 25 students each. There is one aide that moves between three classes. Can you imagine getting anything done with that many? For those of you not in education, there are a lot of assessments that need to be done one-on-one or in small groups. Now supervise 24 students while completing a running (reading) record with one student.

 I am a perfectionist by nature and do everything I'm given in the most detailed organized way I can. But it is taking a lot out of me and I feel like the part it is taking could be used for teaching. A recent comment in my email (I'll keep the sender anonymous):

Teaching is like starting all over again. We must have to do like you--write down all the standards in our lesson plans, document anything we do to help the profession, and document any means of awarding children and so on and so on.... We will be evaluated and compensated for raising scores. All of this really takes the fun out of teaching. I think a teacher knows what needs to be taught. Let him/her do it. Enough of that.

I have a 3-inch three ring binder I'm supposed to fill with Artifacts (such as the picture at the top of the post) that I am teaching. I keep forgetting to take pictures and write down things in the composition book I bought for that purpose. It's hard to stop in the middle of a lesson and have the students wait while you jot down something one of them says or how they are communicating during partner talks. I'm sure I'll get the hang of it, but it is all new right now.

Another thing I'm struggling with is copies. We get 600 a month which is not a whole lot for 18 students. The thing is that we have to make copies of assessments and paperwork for record keeping and there isn't a lot left over for worksheets for the students. I've been making a lot of copies at home.

I don't think most average Americans understand what teaching involves. When my mother-in-law visited last weekend, she couldn't understand why I went in to school on Saturday morning. So many people think you show up at 8:45 and leave at 3:45 and that's it. And how many teachers do you know who don't work on schoolwork in the summer? I know I personally put in 10 hours a day/ 5 days a week in my school building. Then come home and work. I don't think I'm the exception either. Most teachers put in huge amounts of time (and money!).

I guess this is my showing of solidarity for the teachers up in Chicago. Teaching is hard. There is not a lot of understanding or support. Those who do it have to be in it for the right reasons. And a lot of those are getting out.

By the way, we had our open house tonight. 1/3 of my students came (highest attendance in 1st grade!) and the parents I talked to were all great and really value their child's education. That's why I do what I do.

My "Office"

I rearranged the desks this weekend to be in groups of three all facing the front (flag). Door reads: First Grade is Awesome!

Our Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Alphabet tree. They wrote the letters on the coconuts and glued them on.  "A told B and B told C, 'I'll meet you at the top of the coconut tree.Chicka chicka boom boom, will there be enough room?"

They earn Tiger Bucks when they are good. They can get them from me or any other teacher in the school. Related arts teachers give $2 Tiger Bucks and the principal gives $5 Tiger Bucks. They can spend them in the ROAR store once a month. ROAR stands for Respect, On Time/On Task, Always Safe, Responsible

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. Keep in mind that I did all this--bulletin boards, posters, desk and table arrangements, built the easel from scratch, etc.--in one week while also attending professional development meetings for several hours during each of those days.


I'm still feeling a little overwhelmed, but starting to get a handle on things. I'd show my kids, but you know, privacy and all that.

First Day of School

We are starting the second week of school already. These are the traditional first day photos. Hard to believe that it's M's last year to have one taken. Sigh...
Look at the table behind M. I designed it and made it all by myself, using the wood we took down from the ceiling beams. Reduce, reuse, recycle!

Belated Birthday

We actually celebrated Smarty's birthday before she went back to school, but I planned on putting up a picture for the actual day. Of course I have been busy, busy, busy and missed it. So here she is with the water bottle M gave her. C gave her a mini-succulent garden in a pot. We are trying to give her a washer and dryer, but it's hard working out the logistics and figuring out exactly what she wants.

She started back to school on Thursday. So far it sounds okay. She changed rooms in her apartment and spent a few days painting and decorating. Speaking of decorating, I have some phone pics of my classroom that I'll try to put up soon.

***After I first posted this I noticed the print behind S. It looks like she has mouse ears or an elaborate hat! Haha!!

Back to School

Just a quick note to let everyone know I am heading back to school, at least for this next semester. I will be teaching first grade. I hope it leads to something more permanent.

An Honest Day's Work

Summer days tend to get filled up with the kinds of things that you can't even remember by bedtime. I often find myself wondering, "Did I do anything today?"

At least some people in my family are getting things done. Here you can see Mr. C keeping the grass in line. (Those of you in Indiana, there is still grass out there that needs mowing.)

And here is Hubby demolishing the wall between the living room and foyer. It is much more open now. I wanted to show the wallpaper that has been painted over. You can see how there were two different patterns in the foyer.

Here is a close-up of the downstairs pattern. Words fail me.

Portraits

I wanted to get some portraits of the kids while Smarty was home for the summer. The days keep passing and I keep putting it off. Or the girls are never home at the same time for a group shot. I have about two weeks left to try.

My Summer Vacation

I feel like Charlie Brown writing that title. Actually I've got pictures of the kids on vacation to share, so I should have called it My Kids' Summer Vacation.

Aren't they cute? Once I got home I realized just how many pictures of the bridge I took. Lots!

Mr. C got in this picture and put his hand in the empty hole. When we were looking at the pictures at home he said, "See this guy next to me? He's my right-hand man!" and then he laughed like a hyena. Funny guy!

We found an English phone box. There was a pay phone inside, but no dial tone. Of course we had to take a picture. You know how my kids are about anything British.

We crossed this suspension bridge wearing a safety harness. My camera strap was stuck inside the harness and I couldn't pick it up to take pictures. So I quite literally shot some from the hip. Most of them turned out pretty good.

Here comes Mr. C down the zip-line. We all did this and it was really fun.

Since we've been home I've seen a couple of good movies. My taste in movies tends to veer away from mainstream, so I don't want you to take this as an endorsement to see these. But you might like them. The girls and I went to see Moonrise Kingdom. S and I liked it and thought it was funny, quirky, and cute. M thought it was a waste of money. In all fairness, M hates to go to the movies and has a hard time sitting all the way through videos at home. I was also pleased to see that Netflix has The Black Balloon available again. I saw it awhile back and wanted to watch it again, but it wasn't on the list. Then it magically reappeared yesterday. I don't know why I like this movie so much, but I do. It is a coming of age story about a boy who has an older brother with autism and ADD. Not really for younger kids. Speaking of movies, I did get to The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and really enjoyed it. I love Judi Dench and just about everything she is in.
Isn't summer great?

Staying Cool, Sort Of

Can you see Hubby waaaay up there?!?

I got something that I have always wanted this week. An attic fan! Yippee! It isn't magic, but it does work remarkably well. The attic has stayed at 123 or below during this heat wave. In the morning it is actually cooler in the attic than in the house.
Now that I've got that taken care of I think I'll get Hubby's rainstick out and do a little dance. I'll let you know how that turns out.

Vacation Bust

We have been following the news in Colorado very closely. If you want to see today's latest click here. We felt like it was time to stop holding our breath so last night I called and cancelled all our reservations. Maybe we'll figure out something else to do in the next week, but on such short notice it isn't looking too promising.
Mr. C is in the above photo. Do you see him?

All Kinds of Kids

This little guy got kicked out of the nest too soon and couldn't fly. He fluttered around and cheeped for his mama. She was high overhead squawking at him to try harder. We sat outside and watched his progress for awhile and then went in. Later that evening he was gone. Hopefully he learned how to fly and didn't become someone's dinner.

This week all three kids made it to kayaking. It was M's first time, S's second time, and Mr. C is the expert with three lessons. The instructor told M to flip upside down and he would help her upright. He said, "Don't worry. I won't let you drown." After she floundered for what seemed an eternity she got upright and he told her, "Wow, you almost drowned that time." In all seriousness, there is a lot of supervision and they are only in about 4 feet of water. I'm glad they are learning how to get themselves out of sticky situations.

Normally I don't comment on world events, but this morning when I woke up I was hit in the face with the Sandusky verdict. I haven't followed the trial because it was so unpleasant to me. For some reason I read the article today and was just sickened by the things this man did. I think it is even more hard for me to take it in since I have my own 12 year old boy. All those poor boys/men. Makes me want to never let mine out of my sight.

Fix-Ups

I've been switching out outlets and light switches (brown to white). Some of them have red and black wires. Some have white and black wires. Some have a ground and others don't. Interesting. I also painted the floor of the deck--Happy Father's Day! I still need to do the spindles and supports. I hate painting spindles.

Mr. C found some free software to develop his own paintball computer game. He spends unhealthy amounts of time working on it.

M is now working (volunteering) exclusively in the pediatric oncology unit at the hospital. She is the only volunteer in that department and loves it. She agreed to work a third day of the week as well as an extra month (she was supposed to only be there in June). Occasionally they have Lunch & Learn at the hospital where employees from different departments talk to the kids about their jobs. M attends these too, so she spends a lot of time at the hospital. She is still pretty sure she wants to go to UT but now she wants to go visit other colleges this summer. I said, "When do you have time?" By the way, she starts six weeks of rowing next Monday. It will be M-F, 7-9am. Whew!

She will be taking a week off when we go on family vacation in July. We are anxiously watching the wildfires in Colorado and hoping they are contained/put out soon!

My Heart

Aren't these kids great?! What a lucky mom I am. Right now they are having sibling bonding time at Dark Shadows. M wanted me to go, but mainly so I'd pay. hahaha! She is so funny, and optimistic.

Smarty has come to the realization that there are two kinds of people in the world: those who know what an actuary is and those who don't. She told me that some actuaries were playing poker with an accountant friend, and the accountant was winning. He said, "I can't believe I'm beating you. What are the odds of that?" And they promptly told him. haha! A little actuary humor for you.

I've had an up and down week. I guess it all equals out in the end. Everything that is really important is still fantastic. So that is what I am focusing on.