Here's where you will post your writer's notebook submissions. We could do this in D2L Discuss, but I thought you would enjoy learning about google blogger.
Sundays. I love Sundays. Not today. Lack of sleep. Lack of focus. Too much snow to shovel. Not good with so much to do. The only thing I felt like doing all day was starting the next book in the Hunger Games trilogy but it's best to hold off until I have more time. Altough...is there a better day to lounge around on the sofa and read> I think not. That book is surely tuggling at my thoughts as I think of all the things I need to do: school work, house work, parent work. Sundays are really for staying in pjs, relaxing, and cooking a meal that is not hurried. But, if I spend Sundays lounging around, I never feel good at the end of the day. Why is that? Is that an American thing? Or is that a woman thing? Why the guilt? Why is relaxation undervalued in my own mind? No clue.
I love the weekends. Yesterday, was nice and my son and I spent the day in Rapid shopping and having lunch with a friend and her son. It was so beautiful out on Saturday. My car said it was 57 in Rapid on Saturday. I love this winter!! We got back to our house in Whitewood and watched tv and did some things around the house. Then woke up this morning to a yard full of snow. My son plowed the driveway and I finished up our laundry...Then we had to make our drive out to our place in Gillette for the week. Thankfully the sun was shining nice and bright and it melted the icy roads so our drive was uneventful.
When I got to Gillette I made a trip to Walmart to buy some snacks for our writing celebration that we are having on Friday, hopefully if all our final drafts of our papers are done. I'm going to talk to the kids about that tomorrow and getting it all done, so we can have it. They love the writing celebrations and it inspires them to work harder.
Tammy...I tried to reply to your reply but it wouldn't work, so I'm responding here. The Hunger Games was actually my inspiration for writing in incomplete sentences. We are supposed to try out a new craft when we write in here, correct? I'll have to clarify that with Dr. Chandler. By the way...a celebration of writing? Nice!
When I graduated from college and moved back home, it seemed lonely. I had always grown up with a dog and we didn't have a dog. I decided that I wanted a Chocolate Lab. Grandpa encouraged me to rescue a dog from the animal shelter. I visited and there was a Chocolate Lab waiting for me to take him home. Dad and I picked him up on a cold snowy day. He is the family dog and a great pheasant hunter. He is always anxious to see me in the morning and when I get home from work. I still live at home so Mom and Dad can enjoy him, too. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have Cocoa.
I'd like to write a tribute to the teachers who made me believe that I can and should write. In Mrs. Powell's class, the idea occurred to me that I could BE a writer. Mrs. Williams just let us write. She didn't make boundaries, we just wrote and shared...CELEBRATED our ideas and success and yes, our failures too. Mrs. Mundt gave the best prompts and feedback, and she made us write every day. Rita Kiefer was a poet and when we discussed Emily Dickinson, she saved a seat to invite Emily to the conversation. She taught me that words are sacred and they have power. And finally, Ann, my cooperating teacher. In her class, we wrote from Writing Down the Bones and The Artist's Way. The students and we teachers wrote and read like writers, and we shared and celebrated our work. To all of these women, thank you. Your body of work is part of my body of work, and it will continue to grow, like ripples in a pond...
Appreciate the mild winter. But it’s about to change. Couldn’t it have lasted a bit longer? Darn! Everything is blanketed with snow. Forget lights jackets…fluffy coats abound. Good thing my 4-wheel drive functions again. Had an oil leak…a BIG one! Instant chill when I look out the window. Jubilant dogs enjoy the snow next door. Keep wondering if they’ll jump over the fence. Loving the warmth of my house. Makes me grateful. Not oblivious to how less fortunate people live. Opportunities for those who love outdoor sports in the Hills. Powder for the skiers and snowboarders. Quietly my son yearns for the mountain.I see his face. Reassuring him the snow’s here to last. Saturday can’t come soon enough for this die-hard. “Today brings you one day closer,” I remind him. Unfortunately, he’s not the patient kind. Very frustrating when he pouts. Wonder when this will pass…5 minutes, 10? eXpect it to last a little longer. “You need to get ready for school,” I tell him. Zero patience.
I love the poems ladies. I am not feeling so inspired right now to write one or look one up. I have been going all day and haven't had time to sit down and relax yet.
Lisa- I too tried to reply on your original post and it wouldn't let me either so I just did it this way too.
I will write more tomorrow and maybe even be inspiratational. lol
In my last entry I wrote a two-voice poem. This time I am feeling frustrated and so I think I'm just going to free write and see what comes....
I hate how difficult the English language is! We try so hard to teach all the 'rules' but there are so many exceptions to the rules that it seems futile to teach them in the first place. It never fails that the first time I introduce a child to how the 'silent e' works, the first word encountered is 'give' or 'have'. Now I'm in a position where I have to explain that not all silent e words follow the rules. Sorry kiddo, there are some words that don't play fair. As a general rule of thumb, each vowel has two sounds (long and short) however, the short vowel u sound can also be made by a, and e. Sorry kiddo, there are some words that don't play fair. Also, why do we have so many letters? We really don't need q, x, or c. They all share a sound with other letters - in fact, they are all the SAME SOUNDS!!! Sorry kiddo, there are some letters that don't play fair. My last gripe is that some spelling combinations are pronounced differently for each word. Please consider these words with the same spelling pattern, but each vowel is pronounced uniquely: tomb, comb, bomb. Sorry kiddo NONE of those words play fair.
I would like to add another layer to your thoughts about our unruly English language. Why is English the "power" language, the one chosen for all other world citizens to learn? I have struggled alongside Korean students, working to learn a strange and difficult new language. Letters unlike any they have read before, sounds their mouths must contort to form. I felt the guilt of unearned privilege as I worked to help them learn the language that will open doors for them. Why was English chosen? Why force people around the world to learn a language that is so obviously flawed? The answer, of course, is power. English has become the language of power, of wealth -- interchangeable words really. Like most people, I love my language, the sounds of my home and family. But my view is clear and broad enough to realize that it's not fair. Not fair that Koreans have to wrestle with difficult sounds and rules, while I will never have to untangle the hieroglyphs of Asian languages.
Snow. Looking through adult eyes: Cold, wet, heavy, dreary. Slippery sidewalks, snowpacked streets, drive seems like forever. Drivers pass and throw dirt covered snow crystals on the windshield, washer fluid gone. Cars in ditches everywhere. Heavy coats, big hats, mittens that cannot be moved in. Leave early, yet home late. Cook supper and crawl into a cold bed, dread another snowy day tomorrow. Looking through a child's eyes: Fun, fun, fun! Busses late, schools out, hanging with the friends. Snow fights, snow forts, snow skiiing,Snow mobiling, snowboarding, snow angels, snowmen. Listening to the crisp snow crunching beneath the boots. Hot chocolate, hot apple cider, sitting around a hot fire. Crawl under the warm covers, surrounded by cool stillness. Cannot wait for tomorrow!
I love this! It is so funny how winter is so different to us now, so I agree, Niki! I looked forward to winter and everything that came with it...sledding, snowmen, hot chocolate, and cuddly blankets. Now I think about how happy I am to have a garage so my car is already warm in the morning!
Holy smokes...I think it worked. Can't say that I liked having to add yet another email account but if it works. Today was my first day back to work after having the FLU for 4 days and am still exhausted...beware it is running around and attacking when you least expect it. I love how when you are sick and someone else gets sick, it becomes your fault...haha! Germs are not picky and as we all know, working with kiddos exposes us to even more germs! Here is to continuing to get better as I don't have enough time in the day to not feel like myself!
Niki- I really liked your rant about our language not being fair! You are so right and it is so hard to explain to young readers. It's even hard for me to understand at times too!!! Ugh!
Well we had our writing celebration today. My students finished writing their stories. Once we publish them (their final drafts) we have a celebration. We put snacks on each of the tables, and put the students writing on the table along with a paper that other students write positive comments about each others writing. We take about 45 minutes or so and everyone rotates seats and reads one anothers papers. When they are done they write a positive comment about the other students writing. When we are doing this we aren't talking just walking from table to table reading eachothers papers, snacking and writing positive comments. The students in my class LOVE this! It was great today and the students were really loving it. It will be great to set up our new goal for our next celebration!
I feel sad reading about your writing celebration, contrasting it with what I see at my school. No exuberance, no excitement, just push, push, push. Follow this format, finish your pre-writing, write your draft, due today. No vision, no spark. I often think we could learn from Hogwarts. Opulent banquets, solemn speeches, the special honor of belonging.
I see her trying...trying to reach the top. She is so little. My blonde little girl. Her bright blue eyes straining to see the top. She is reaching....reaching. She is so little. She can't reach it. Her small arms stretching as far as they are able, her fingers, the tips barely touching the edge. She is so little. She looks at me...I help her reach her cup on the top of the cupboard. She is just too little.
October was the last time I was home for my baby shower. Yesterday WE made our first journey back to Sundance after the adventurous few months we have had. Anxious. Excited. Nervous. This journey is unlike any before since I now carry precious cargo in my backseat. Bed rest for eight weeks, ending in an early arrival, which couldn't be better...no longer nervous.
I remember… I remember my first grade teacher. She rarely smiled. She rarely hugged. I remember Angie getting hugged. I was jealous. I remember math. I was supposed to start with zero but started with one instead. I remember all those checkmarks. Twenty in all. I cried hard. She told me to pay closer attention. I remember sitting in the same desk, same spot all year, wishing so much to move around. I remember wanting so badly to go with the special teacher when she came. I never did. I remember telling my mom my teacher did not like kids. I remember wishing I was in another class.
I like how you reflect on what you remember from school. I also remember checkmarks. I was always nervous, but if I got a checkmark, it made me correct the behavior.
I too like how you wrote and reflected on a school memory. memories like those stick with us like they happened yesterday! The one male teacher I had that I was terribly afraid of ended up being my favorite and then I went on to have the chance to work with him directly! How wonderful!
I received my first checkmark in third grade! I was completely devastated! Plus, it was from our student teacher, who was a man, and most of us girls thought he was "cute." It broke my heart. I cried and cried when I got home. Thanks for the flashback!
I love Elizabeth Berg's stream-of-consciousness writing technique. She launches into seemingly disconnected memories or descriptions to illustrate feelings. Her writing style reflects the subconscious mind's way of creating dreams that mirror feelings we need to work through. She makes no explicit connections, uses no proper transition words, but the link is powerfully made. When I feel lost and overwhelmed as a teacher, my dreams often return to my days as a harried waitress. I find myself faced with ever-expanding sections of customers. I race to table after table, rattled by my inability to find coffee cups or salads, facing growing difficulties until I somehow realize the situation is untenable, and wake up. My real-life dilemma so clearly mirrored in the frantic restaurant scene.
White Fluffy Soft Roll in it Make snow angels Throw snowballs at people Cold Slide in it Watch it come down from the sky There hasn't been much snow in WY this winter.
THE BASEMENT...it has become a nightmare...was just suppose to be a small remodeling project...then there was mold...thank you old owners...tearing out every wall that contains dry wall...bleaching the wood...painting the studs...dust everywhere...exhausting...dirty...how will we ever get it all done? INSURANCE...we have this because....we have to...make the call...it is now a claim...but wait...they won't cover anything...a letter arrives...wait a minute...yes...they are dropping us...too high risk for their program...are you kidding me? RESEARCH....agents checking in to it...hoping they will keep us...is what we have and are doing going to be enough...what will we do if they don't? STRESS....yes it is still very much here!!!
My Michigan Winter's...I miss them so dearly! I actually get quite jealous when I see how much they have gotten back home. Inches upon inches and even snow days! I absolutely love being out in the snow, shoveling and shoveling, do you know how many calories you can burn? Winter as a whole is one of my favorite seasons, some ask why and I am not sure other than the snow, throw in the holidays and it just makes it that much better! I say bring on the snow so that we can have a REAL winter!
The luge...we went to our dear friends' house in the hills today for the second weekend in a row. Every year, they build a luge. The husband waters it down and packs it in diligently for weeks. Even this winter of little snow, he has built a mammoth, two hundred yards carved into their hill. I love to watch my boys and their girls, red-cheeked, smiling and screaming and attaching their sleds to each others to rip down that slope again and again. 8s and 6 and 4, they will never be these ages again. These friends, we started together single, then newlyweds, then new parents, and now in the golden years when our kids are all ours...we havent' shared them with the world yet. They want us to play with them and we have the time to go down the luge just...one more time...
Is it only Monday? Is it Friday yet? Looking forward to the short road trip we are about to take. We are meeting my brother and another friend in Omaha to drop off a quad, hit up the Cabelas, some dinner and talk time before we hit the road to head back. It may be a very short and quick trip but some much needed time away from the stresses that are upon us right now! There isn't a mountain high enough around here to scream from!!!!!
Babies...cute, cuddly, soft, and squishy. I long for the moments of cuddletime, kisses, yawns, and smiles. I wait for the moment of eye-opening, silly screams, high-waving arms, and low-kicking legs. Each moment of the day revolves around a tiny, Johnson's-covered, wild-haired, and loving little guy.
I don’t remember second grade. I don’t remember my teacher at all, other than her name. I don’t even remember what she looked like. Strange. I don’t remember any projects, any books, any feel-good moments. I don’t remember any feel-bad moments either. How is that possible? How can one spend 9 months with a teacher and not remember anything? I don’t remember feeling excited or bored, happy or sad. I don’t remember wishing for anything – a friend, another teacher…nothing. I don’t remember what my classroom looked like, where I sat, or who was in class with me. Strange.
Getting ready to head to a conference on Friday. I am going to the National Reading Recovery Conference in Ohio. I am excited but also nervous, last year when I went I go sick while I was out there... IT WAS HORRIBLE, so now I am worried that I will get sick again this year. I always get my self so worked up about getting sick, and I have no controll over it. My co-workers give me a hard time about being a "germ freak" and how I went into the wrong profession... BUT I LOVE MY JOB, and wouldn't trade it for anything. So I have my fingers crossed, that this year is a wonderful conference and that I don't get sick! :)
I am so jealous that you are going to OHIO! I have been teaching Reading Recovery for eight years and still having gone to the national conference. Maybe next year, huh?
Wonderous words. Reading like a writer. Inventing new ways to create a story. Taking from other's works. Imagining the possibilities. Noticing ways to develop my writing as a craft. Gaining insight.
What a great way to sum up what writing is about! I believe we are in the beginning of our journey this semester about learning the true craft of writing! I love this!
I too am getting ready to leave for a conference. I am going to CCIRA in Denver. I am excited to see some of my favorite authors, speakers, get lots of ideas and spend some time with friends. I am also very nervous and apprehensive. I am leaving my three year old daughter and husband for four days! I can only imagine the multi-colored and multi-patterned outfits she will be wearing this week. Her crazy hair, pancakes at perkins every night, laughing at the thought of my husband trying to brush her teeth in the morning. I am really going to miss them!
The mere thought of flying scares me but it is something I must do! The nerves are brought to the top when the airline calls and starts messing with my flight plans. I knew it was going to happen and it did. I always choose the most direct flight I can from Casper to Grand Rapids and they always end up trying to chnge it. How do the airlines get away with posting available flights and then go and change them without a choice? They really try to get me to fly into Chicago but I steer clear of there if I absolutely can. So yes, my flight has been changed, I am now losing almost a full day back home BUT I don't have to go through Chicago...woohoo! Only 2 more months and I will be on my way to Michigan and I can't hardly wait to see everyone!
My dad had the exact same experience. He works in Canada and commutes home every two weekends. He was supposed to get home last Friday night. Due to delayed flights, he got to the airport when they were still boarding the plane. They wouldn't let him on. As a result, he made it Saturday afternoon and had to leave Monday morning. I know how you feel.
Frustration mounts as behaviors grow. The life of a middle school teacher. Friday is not here yet, but the kids are long gone. The life of a middle school teacher. Trying all wekk to motivate below-grade level students. The life of a middle school teacher. Need you here, want you here, please come here, don't come over here. The life of a middle school teacher. Plan, plan, plan...we are bored. The life of a middle school teacher. Yet everyday, I come back with a smile on my face and warmth in my heart. The life of a middle school teacher.
Sounds like you had a stressful day, but it's good to vent sometimes. I had a rough sub day at one of the junior highs. I subbed in Study Hall and had to send two girls to the office. I have never done that before. I was stressed out but find that I like subbing for Special Ed in Junior High and will do any Junior High. I'm glad you go back happy. It's good to rest up. The next day is a brand new day.
Antelope Bat Cat Dog Elephant Fish Grizzly bear Hen Iguana Jaguar Kangaroo Lamb Mice Newt Octopus Penguin Quail Rabbit Snake Turtle Unicorn Vulture Walrus X ant(No animal that starts wtih X so this is a free space). Yack Zebra
I did this at a baby shower at church. We had to list all animals we could think of from A-Z and were timed on it. This game was fun and I thought it would be good for kindergarteners. To make it more interesting, you could have them add more animals than one and see who can list the most animals.
Great way to review a variety of topics, perk up learners' attention, and open up ideas! Students respond well to speed games -- as long as they are limited to non-stressful materials. Also a good game for road trips.
This would be great for my kinders! We could create an ABC Animal Book...I would have each letter have a picture of the animal and then have the students try to spell the animal's name as best as they could! Thank you for the idea!!
So quiet here this morning, a light dusting of snow, the sun is shining. Will we do anything today or will it just be a relaxing laid back day? I think it shall be a day of simple things, nothing stressful! We have not had this in weeks....and it is such a calm feeling to know it is alright to have a day like this! And to everyone else out there....HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY!
Your words create a relaxing, warm mood. "quiet, light, shining, relaxing, simple, calm, alright, wonderful" Great rendering of the best time of the week--Saturday morning!
"After roaring over the power station and a patch of woods, he saw a ribbon of water gleaming in the sunlight. Then he saw the open sore on the breast of the creek bank—ramshackle, unpainted houses, tin-roofed sheds, houses that had burned and stood in their rubble, rusted trailers and vehicles abandoned in the weeds or sitting on blocks. A few hens pecked at the ground, which appeared to be hard, baked clay." (These High Green Hills, 112)
After parking the grimy Honda in the garage and sliding open the back door, she saw the warm glow of the kitchen lights. Then she saw the detritus left by days flooded with work and school—a pile of discarded boots and shoes, a red grocery bag filled with crumpled black and green companions, a small table meant to catch purses piled with a plastic hanger, a battery-powered drill , two fleece-lined gloves, a cocoa-colored bag with braided handles, a faded blue washcloth. The clutter spread onto the nearby dining table, where writing books and opened mail lay waiting for the weekend.
I know this is about writing the craft. However, I had to share that I went to Denver and just got back from a Reading Conference. I had such an amazing time and saw some amazing people. Got to see Sharon Taberski and Niki Mullen and I even got a picture with her. Saw the two sisters from the Daily 5 speak. Saw some great people on how to motivate our unmotivated writers. It was just a great experience. Now I've gotta take some of what I learned in the classroom!
We sat in on a class that had some tools to engage students. Some of it letting the students use fun tools when they are writing...fun pens, fun paper, basically thinking outside the box a lot.
So, I have to think like a writer? Well, I am a writer...I write: lesson plans texts facebook comments emails letters notes memos checks report card comments grade comments stories for my students to look at lists BUT I DON'T JUST WRITE not for fun, not because I want to
You have just described the frustration I live with daily. I think like a writer, I want to be a writer, but I don't write -- not just to create, not just for me.
I am wondering if anyone else is having problems with their work being saved on here. I lost a post of one of my writings, as well as a bunch of comments for you all. I enter the word and it says it's published. They are gone today though...any ideas?
No, Darcy, I have not lost any posts. Hope you can find the problem so you don't lose your motivation to write here. I love your made-up word for checkout lines. Wonderful!
Wishing I was anywhere but here Attention to my shopping list is of greatest importance LONGneverendingcheckoutlines Mastery of where everything is…if it’s actually there Acceptance of the fact that I buy more than I actually need Remembering to wear shoes meant for speed and durability Trying to remember where I parked my car
Creepy Nervous Who's Looking around the corner? Where are all those creepy crawlies coming from? Rats, snakes, mice, bed bugs, ticks, bats, spiders, etc. Gives me the creeps. I couldn't handle an infested house. I would have to move out.
My sister talked me into watching infestations and now I'm hooked on the show.
Wyoming: Agriculture Bison (on the flag) Cheyenne (capital) Devils Tower Equality State (nickname) Fremont (geographic center) Gannett Peak (highest point) Hot Springs County Indian Paintbrush (flower) Jackson(First town in America to be Governed Entirely by Women) K-12 public schools Livestock Matt Mead (Governor) Newcastle (town Oil Prairie Q Rodeo Sheridan (town) Tom Horn (famous detective) Uinta County Velma Linford (famous Wyoming writer) Western Meadowlark (bird) X Yellowstone National Park Z I couldn't think or find anything for q,x,and z....
How did I get picked? Why do they ask so many questions? Why do they make me do sub plans? Why didn’t they pick me to be the final 13? Why have I been on the panel of 31 all three times? When will I have to go to jury duty again? How can they control my life for 4 months?
I have yet to be selected...(knock on wood). I mean, I understand it's part of being an American, but I think we all wonder what you posted above! My father-in-law almost got in trouble because he called in 30 minutes late...Yikes!
He’s fallen asleep in the car again. We have so many things to do. I wait. Should I run him home to sleep in his crib? I shouldn’t risk moving him. He really needs a nap. I wait. Sure looks cute. Long eyelashes, bottom lip sticking out. His head is flopping from side to side. I wait. Grocery shopping, a lesson plan to write, a ball game to attend. Listen to the radio? Organize my purse? Read the next chapter from Wondrous Words? I wait. The car is filthy. I have plenty of time and a ton of wipes. I lack the most important thing: motivation. So... I wait. Sleep sounds good. Should I close MY eyes? A pointless venture. Sleep won’t come. I wait. A car horns sounds. Will he wake? Yup...the wait is over.
RE ally? She's just walking off the job? They may pull one of my co 4th teachers to cover her 5th grade class and Re distribute her tiny class between myself and one other 4th teacher That means I'll be... Re doing community building Re discovering abilities Re peating my procedures Re explaining class rules Re peating my rules Re acquating with new students Re assuring my original students I still love them Re working my schedule Re planning spring small groups Re peating my expectations Re telling the procedures Re minding kids that things aren't the same for any of us Re membering to pray for five new kids Re calling that it's hard for the students too Re doing seating charts Re connoitering info on new students Re peating directions Re arranging my room Re covering the extra desks I was so happy to move out of my room Re peating procedures Re assuring myself I can handle anything God allows to come my way Re affirming my belief that if I only had kids to work with - teaching would be a breeze and finally Re peating over and over IT'S NOT ABOUT ME
Making those connections, knowing that I am making a difference in a child's life and learning, always puts a smile on my face. At the end of the day I always know that I am doing what I was meant to do. It may have taken a long time to get here but the wait was worth it! The lesson plan of my life is shining through!
Don't focus on the topic, focus on the writing, as the topics pour down the side of my head. In one ear, out the other, a brain squeezed by the demands of studentsinternschildrengradingbudgethusbanddinnerhomeworklaundry. A full Monday. 15 minutes til bedtime. And the topics keep sliding by. Maybe I'll catch one tomorrow.
How wonderful! The image of "topics pour down the side of my head." And then that squeezed sentence, following your expression of a squeezed brain -- perfect!
I am not sure that I know how to let him grow up. He is old enough to sign up to serve our country. He is old enough to buy a new car. He is old enough to buy a gun. He is old enough to pay his own bills. He is old enough...but I just don't know how to NOT worry about him signing up to serve our country, if he will choose the right car, if he should buy a gun, if he will remember to pay all his bills. He has grown up!!! I don't know how to let my little boy grow up into a man!
mine's going to be 30 this summer and I still worry, but not allowing him to try, fail, try again, and do it...robs him of experience, lessons and wisdom.
My boys are 8 and 6, but I often think about the day that I will have to let them grow up and become men. I like how you wrote in a circle in this piece.
Thank you ladies! :) I think some days I have it and other days I still feel like he is still my little boy needing me to take care of him. He gets frustrated with me sometimes. :) He is my first of 5 to leave the nest...poor kid. lol :)
My one and only will be 2 months on Monday, and I ALREADY dread this! I can't even stand when he outgrows a preemie outfit! On the other hand, I am so happy he is growing. Gosh...this is not going to be easy! :)
Wakes me up during the day Can enjoy different coffee flavors to add to it French vanilla is my favorite I love using my coffee machine at home Fun to buy a coffee and visit with friends Nice to drink coffee and watch a movie after a hard day of work Relax
I also got a coffee maker for Christmas about two years ago. It's a Kurig. I'm still convinced you spend more money on the coffee cups than the machine but it's my favorite. I love using it.
Do any of you know Jillian Michaels? I do, not in real life but she is a workout queen and she is my workout idol! She is so positive and doesn't let or make you want to quit....motivating, encouraging, muscle finder, positive and a result maker! Do any of you know Jillian Michaels? I had to write something about her because my muscles are telling me that she is sitting on my shoulder saying...keep going!
I have watched a few episodes of the Biggest Loser. She definitely is a motivator. She forces people to work out and finish their workouts even if they're tired and don't want to. People would get mad at her but it worked in the end when they had to weigh in.
I am… A little bit of a perfectionist. But, I’m trying to let the little things go. ‘Cause focusing on insignificant things is pointless they say. Doesn’t always work. Everyone around me hopes I’ll lighten up. For example…found a disgusting, should-not-mention item in my son’s NIKE bag this morning...was not pleased. Gross! How did he NOT know it was there? I could smell it from afar. His peers and coach are no doubt impressed. Just demonstrates how much situational awareness he has. Keep telling him to pay attention to things around him. License to drive in his future? Not until he gains awareness! Must be a defensive driver I tell him, but that’s another story…. Now back to me. Oh! That’s right I am a… Perfectionist. It’s not a compliment. It doesn’t feel good. Quickly and quietly I fix what others do if they’re not quite perfect. Really wish I could let things be. So many times I wish to be easy-going, even flaky. Thinking I got “it” from my dad. Understand it gets better over time, with age. Very close to middle age…hasn’t happened yet. Wouldn’t want a big thing happen to “shake some sense into me” my mother tells me. Xtra busy lifestyle would help. No time to fret. Yesterday’s gone. Today is somewhat tainted with the should-not-mention item. Tomorrow will be a new day. Zzzzz’s – a good night of sleep always provides a new perspective. Maybe a short nap would help.
Things may get better over time, with age... we just accept things, like our imperfections and those of others, and realize it's ok to be just as we were created. Wisdom knows she is not incontrol of all things...
A way to get in shape Builds muscles Can keep you motivated Does your body good Endurance Fun way to get in shape, especially with Zumba Good night's sleep Helpful for getting in shape Inches disappear Jumprope Keeps you in shape Lose weight Many exercises to do Nothing is too hard if you're motivated Outside or inside Pays off in the long run Quick or slow Run Sleep well at night Treadmill Ultimate way to get in shape Very good for your body Walk X (can't think of anything for x) YMCA Zumba
I'm at the rec center all the time and love to do the treadmill. That's my favorite.
Busy. So much to do so little time Running, planning, teaching, fretting that I won't finish on time Busy. School work, college work, family life Things are just so full stressing, sweating oh just not cool. Busy.
Drive for nine hours, shop for two, chat over dinner for one, ready to make the nine hours back only to have it turn to eleven. Thank you wind, ice, and snow. We were slipping and sliding, blinded by the big trucks passing, total whiteouts! But in the end I would do it all over again!
I struggle to write, to think of things to say, I feel as though it is boring and the same thing everyday. I want my kiddos to see that they can have this "craft" to write, and enjoy the writing process, find it exciting and fun to do. I am building the ideas each day in hopes that what I am learning will be passed along and become an exciting process for them as well.
The boy was sleeping beside me in the car. I wished I could tell him how fearful I was for his future. I wanted to wake him and tell him how frustrated I was that he didn't GET how important it is for him to establish persistence, integrity and drive. I wanted to shake him and say, "You could do so much right now, today, this year, to shape your future!" I wanted to give him a wisdom mind-meld. I wanted to force a glimpse of what lay on this destructive path he had chosen. I wanted him to feel the guilt for the sleepless night I suffered while confronting the grief and helplessness I felt because of his actions. He awoke. We talked of basketball. And I was glad that I had spent the day with him. Just being with him.
BEEP…BEEP…BEEP! I hear that dreaded sound and push that button hoping for hours more, knowing it will only be five minutes.
DRIP DRIP…DRIP DRIP…DRIP DRIP! I hear that mouth-watering sound and pour into my mug what I am hoping will be an energy boost, knowing it will only be five minutes.
Heroes come in many forms, from man to imagination. As time goes by, it becomes clearer to who can claim the fame. It used to be a pop idol, when pigtails dangled and tangled. Now with maturity and responsibility comes clarity. The reflection I see in me seems to be that of my Mommy.
1. One extra hour of sleep 2. Two freshly bathed little girls 3. One ham and egg scramble 4. One hour of grading papers 5. Plenty of time to play with aforementioned little girls 6. One copy of 'Paper Bag Princess'
4 day school weeks? I like the idea...lucky for me I will have had 3 in a row over the course of the next couple of weeks! Do I think I will get more accomplished with this extra time...maybe so, maybe not but I will take it!
I hear the happiness in her voice and I can only hope that it continues and she can be strong enough to fight off the "bad" things that have plagued her for so long! I hear my old friend again and she puts a smile on my face instead of tears, I hope and pray that the "bad" things don't come back! I cannot wait to see her and see for myself how far she has come! I love my best friend but hate the "bad" things that took so much from her and us!
A walk. I really need to get outside and move a bit. My dog, maybe my headphones. “Boys, I’m taking walk.” Can we come Mommy?Sigh… Ok. Isn’t it nice to be outside? Waylon’s on his scooter. Marty, are you bundled? You have gloves and a hat. I don’t want you to get cold. Keep up! Let’s go to Cara’s. Miller, sit. Ok, let’s cross the road now… Time to head back towards home. Marty, hurry! Only a few more blocks. If your face is cold let’s zip your coat up more. Please don’t whine. Boys, quit fighting! Let’s go. We’re almost there. Hurry Marty! I’m so frustrated right now. All I wanted was a walk to relax, and now you’re crying and whining! If you would just hurry, we could get there. Please, I’m sorry for yelling, but let’s just get home.
A walk. Mommy wants to go for a walk. Maybe she’ll take us to the park. I love climbing the rock wall and we haven’t been there forever. Waylon is on his scooter. Not fair! Why do I have to walk? Ok, let’s go to aunt Cara’s. This is so far. Why does Mom walk so fast? I don’t want to make her mad but I want her to wait for me. Heading back. My face is so cold, my cheeks hurt, and my legs are tired. Where did the sun go? Mommy it’s cold! I’m cold! Can’t we just call Dad for a ride home. I don’t want to go it’s too far! I’m not whining, I’m crying. I’m just so tired and cold. Why did Mom get so mad at me?
I am a mother, but... I am patient, but I get annoyed. I am fearful, but I’m also fearless. I am worried, but I’d rather be content. I am loving, but I get grumpy. I am playful, but I am boring too. I am tired but energetic. I am busy, but I look for things to do. I am confident but also insecure. I am a mother.
No teaching job yet but I will keep trying I like to play with my dog, bake cookies, hang out with friends Cardinal's fan Outgoing Love to teach Early childhood/elementary education degree with special education endorsement
Walking into the school I had to smile as I saw the children walking hand in hand with their parent(s), each with a bright red or pink balloon attached to a cuddly stuffed animal or a King Sized Hershey bar. The children's smile told the story of feeling loved and at that moment, not a care in the world. I walked by young Kindergarten students, 1st graders, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th graders... Then, out of the laughter and happy voices, I heard a voice say, "I didn't get a balloon today." I did not even have to look at the face of the child saying this, but I did. He had the look of a bassett hound with those big droopy eyes and his head hung low...his voice was bad enough but his face, oh, his face. So confused and hurt. My heart sank.
This is a loud classroom. A happy classroom.A learning classroom.A green and purple classroom. A active classroom. A get up and get going classroom. A reading classroom. A 3rd grade classroom.
I heard someone on TV this morning say that when elderly people hold hands, that's not romantic love. I think that may have been a misuse of the word. Romance is not lust. Romance is making someone feel loved. It's putting someone else first and letting them know how special they are to you. To me, romance is not lust. Romance is love. Let's use the word correctly...To my husband, I promise to be romantic for the rest of my days on this earth. Happy Valentine's Day.
I want to let you ladies know about a book I am reading for a book club. It's called "The Art of Slow Reading" I'm only a couple chapters in but I am really enjoying it right now. It is really making me think about my teaching and what it truly important in education. I definitely recommend it! (And it's a pretty thin book too!)
STAMPEDE....There is gonna be a stampede tomorrow at DIS! The kids have done SO well with the "Git Er Read" theme that was chosen. We did something like this last year and the kids and adults had an absolute ball. The halls will be lined with teachers and students cheering the STAMPEDE on, including Sherriff Range Reader! The running of the halls will take place tomorrow afternoon to bring an end to another wonderful fun filled...learning filled day! If you feel the ground shake, lots of loud whooping, then you will know that the STAMPEDE has happened! Just another incentive to get the kids to "Git Er Read"!
Each and Every Day, I teach, I instruct, I coach, I explain. I demonstrate, illustrate, clarify, and confirm. I show (and sometimes tell :) ), I inform, I train, I initiate. I plan, diagram, map, chart, graph and design. I question, quiz, probe, examine and confirm. I care, I worry, I console, I inspire. I pay attention to, I show concern for, I nurture. I nurse broken hearts, fix boo-boos, ease worries, and mend friendships. I am a teacher. This is what I do!
You will not have anyone else in the car with you, and you will not answer your cell phone if it rings, and you will not read and respond to a text, and you will not back out of the driveway unless your seat belt is fastened, and you will not adjust your iPod settings, apply your makeup, or eat while you’re driving; and, you will not, under any circumstances, ignore the speed limit and other road signs. Repeat.
Why do kids feel the need to be bullies? Why do they feel the need to make fun of other kids? Why do they feel they can tease someone and get away with it? Why does this happen on a daily basis? Today I witnessed 4 boys making fun of another girl who is very overweight because of a syndrome. I was so incredibly mad and sad that I saw this but in the same sense glad because I was able to act on it and put a stop to it....for now...for today! What will tomorrow bring with these bullies? Did they learn a lesson or will it continue? Why are some kids bullies?
Bullying is so sad! I am dealing with this between some kinders and first graders. It is so hurtful! I wish kids would understand what this does to the other person. Someday...
I remember how I used to worry about everything-HOW I would say something, IF I would offend anyone, DID I say or do the right thing??? I remember always worrying. Always trying to make the right choices. I remember feeling so much pressure. I remember...And now I see. I see my daughter doing the same thing. I see her worrying about everything and I TELL her. I don't want her to remember.
Washing clothes, all those dirty clothes. Up and down the stairs… Cleaning the house, vacuuming, dusting, Windexing. Up and down the stairs… Wash the dishes, scrub the dishes. Up and down the stairs… Pick up the toys, all those tiny little toys. Up and down the stairs… Folding the clean clothes, the Summer’s-breeze-smelling clothes. Up and down the stairs… Returning the vacuum under the stairs. Up and down the stairs… Replacing the sparkling dishes to their shelves. Up and down the stairs… Play with the toys, those squeaking baby toys. Up and down the stairs…
Today, I'm trying to live like a writer. Dawn did touch a tree across the street. I found it strange that I thought of protazoa and snowflakes while looking at the frost on the tree. But hey, writer's get their ideas "away from their desk".
Spring weather has been all around us. I was thinking the other day that all we needed to hear was the sound of birds singing. Today, I heard it!!! Or at least I think I did. You know that state of mind, when you are sleeping and yet, somewhat awake? Well, I was in that state of wakeful sleep and I could swear that I heard it!!! The sound of birds singing. I strained to hear it again, but then there was nothing.
I decided today while doing some painting and cleaning in our basement that I am the cleanest remodeler on the block! Even among the huge mess that has transpired, I still manage to keep it clean. Would this be called obsessive or not? I will go with the latter part and say that it is not. Another pile in the garage for the dump, white walls and floors, just the primer, still lots of dust but it is now ready for the new walls to go up. Some would say this doesn't sound like fun but I find it quite relaxing! :)
Shakespeare wanted us to see how infatuation can pick you up by the seat of your pants and propel you down some back street you never imagined. True love? I think not. True love is my husband, getting dinner on the table and washing the dishes so I can go to yoga.
Full of people that love and care about each other Understanding with their children Lots of laughs Look to adults for answers to questions (the children)
Happy household Ongoing episodes that continue and stop after season 8 Unbeatable show for the 80's Stephanie and D.J. end up with separate rooms and get along better. Ever since Danny's wife died, Jesse and Joey help raise the children
Full House is one of my favorite shows. I have them all on d.v.d and watch them all the time.
The only way to live is to forget that you're going to die. Death is unimportant. The fear of it should never influence a single action of the wise man. I know that I shall die struggling for breath, and I know that I shall be horribly afraid. I know that I shall not be able to keep myself from regretting bitterly the life that has brought me to such a pass; but I disown that regret. I now, weak, old, diseased, poor, dying, hold still my soul in my hands, and I regret nothing.
Somerset Maugham (1915) Of Human Bondage
Reading like a writer I circled and highlighted this passage. I've decided to read this classic to stretch me as a reader. The "old" English really makes me think about word usage.
I just read MacLachlan's Baby this weekend. (I have a whole new understanding of Ray's inspiration for Wondrous Words.) The story is wrapped around a poem by Edna St Vincent Millay, "Dirge Without Music." Millay's poem grabbed me by the throat. I often think I have no relationship with poetry, and then I encounter a poem that shocks me with its deep penetration of the human heart. Isn't it wonderful to find a poem that resonates so deeply?
This morning I noticed a bird. The only one around. It almost seemed to be out of place in this winter wonderland. Lonely, lost, and in a hurry to go nowhere. It made a few odd-shaped circles in the crisp air and then darted behind a run-down shed. I waited for it to reappear, but it never did. It wasn't a colorful bird, its feathers were lighter than black but darker than gray. Maybe it was more of a blue-gray.
Ode to Four-Year Olds Why is that number 10? Why is the sun in the sky? Why did you do that to your hair? Why do you spray that smelly stuff on your clothes? Why do you play that game? Why do you listen to that music? Why? Why? Why? A day with a four-year old…my favorite!
Living like a writer is like seeing after your eyes have been dilated…the edges are blurry, yet you know whatever the object is exists…you’ve seen it before, just did not pay attention as closely as you should or could have. You’ve heard people explain what it will feel like, but until you experience it yourself, you will not truly understand.
Living like a writer is challenging. I am in the midst of three books and doing research. Having spent the last two weekends reading, and reading I feel like I have little to show for my hours of work. I do realize that I am a writer that spends a huge amount of time pre-writing. I do much of it in my head. I pour in lots and lots of text and let it simmer. I stir it occassionally. I wait. I add more ingredients. I wait. I panic because I have nothing to show - or so I think. Then I begin pouring the "soup" out. It seperates and grows as if it has a life of its own. My pre-wriitng and drafting is done mainly in my head.
I can see and appreciate the crafts you used, especially in the second paragraph. I see a framing idea "in my head" that begins and ends the description of your writing process. I like the short, repeated sentences: "I wait." Since I like to cook soup, that figure works for me. You really communicated the idea of letting ideas simmer in your mind until they are ready for the page.
Conversations with my niece consist of her asking questions and me answering her with the same question because she already knows the answer! Sami: Where is Aunt Mindy? I don't know, where is Aunt Mindy? Sami: In Wyoming! Sami: Why is it storming? AM: Why is it storming? Sami: Because GOD is bowling! Sami: Where is the moon? AM: Where is the moon Sami? Sami: The moon is in the sky! I love these conversations with her and look that she gives when asked the same question she just asked becasue she knows the answer.
How do I have time? I thought that moving out in the middle of nowhere, I would have more time to read and do random things. It seems harder than I want it to. Between teaching, tutoring, Teach for America, grad school, and now I have been accepted to teach at a charter school in New York City for next school year. It is soooo overwhelming! Plus, being out of commission because I fell and hurt my back was not what I needed in my life. But it is all exciting, it will be exciting to see if blogging about real life, about how I would like to write, and about teaching.
Today I shopped like a teacher of writing. I bought take home writers notebooks for my class at Sam's Club. Then I went to the picture book display. I had 7 books in my cart, but then star ted looking through them. What can you teach my kiddos?, I asked each book. Only one made the cut. A baby's board book but it 1. is written from a mother to her chld (point of view) 2. it travels through the 4 seasons (one thing at different times) 3. each page is a 2-line poem 4. It repeats "I love you when..." to begin the book in the summer, and for each section that starts a new season.
This is a multi-stack book I can grab for mini-lessons and writers conferences. It felt great to buy that book!
Of course I had other errands to run in the big city today, but for a special moment, I lived like a teacher of writing, and got as much enjoyment out of it as shopping for shoes - REALLY, I PROMISE
4 Days Old. My heart leans to the south, where my tiny grandson nestles, wrapped in love. His mother is learning to wrap him tightly and carry him across her chest, swinging him to sleep.
One day back home and already I miss the silken feel of his rounded cheeks. I post the image of our first snuggle on my computer screen thinking, “I know you, little Zander, son of my daughter. You are precious to me.”
2 Weeks Old. My family travels south, where our little grandson, nephew, waits to meet his aunt and uncle. He is clear-eyed and alert now.
Two weeks have separated me from you. I have jealously regretted each day spent working and living a life separate from yours. “We are coming to visit, little Zander, new member of our family.” Winter roads swirling in snow will not keep us home.
She loves him in the morning at 6AM precisely when he comes to her for breakfast. She loves the other when she tousles his hair, finds some jeans to wear. She loves them when one comes to her in tears at some injustice that the other has done. She loves the curves of the ears and the sour breath in the morning. She loves the energy that bubbles over in the simplest daily activity. Despite her impatience, she loves them.
I have been watching Little House on the Prairie since I bought all the seasons. There a lot of things I like about the show.
Michael Landon directed it, wrote most of the scripts and acted in it. The Ingalls family has many children. They're biological children are Laura, Mary, Carrie and Grace. They have three adopted children: Albert, James, and Cassandra.
The Oleson family is different but funny. Harriett and Nells have two children that are very snobby, Nellie and Willie. To continue the story, they adopt another girl, Nancy, who is worse than Nellie.
When I teach my own classroom one day, I would love to show some of the episodes. There is one episode that teaches children why not to cheat. There is also an episode about bullying.
These movies can teach children a lot of things about life. For example, they can learn how life was in the 1800's with covered wagons and having to operate most machinery by hand. They can also learn how teachers taught children in one room school houses. I think they would benefit from watching some of the episodes.
For a while now, I have been dog sitting two indoor dogs. They are bullldogs. In addition to watching them this week, I am also watching three indoor schnauzers. I'm debating on to arrange my schedule so that this all works out. Lots to do.
There's something so peaceful about a snowy day--the way that the snowflakes free fall like acrobats from quiet clouds, sneaking up on the world below, the way that hot tea just tastes better when there's a white blanket snuggled up around my house, the way that everything is covered by such a pure white that, for a moment, I can believe that the universe is calm and serene.
5:30 Alarm beeps and I think about what needs to get done today. Wait is it Tuesday or Wednesday? Millie is still sleeping. 5:40 Jump in the shower; get dressed. Millie is still sleeping. 5:42 Change my outfit. Don't feel good in the other one. Millie is still sleeping. 5:50 Make coffee; need that warm cup in my hand! Millie is still sleeping 6:00 Dry my hair; listen to my husband complain about his boss. Millie is still sleeping. 6:15 Straighten my hair; give goodbye kiss to my husband. Millie is still sleeping. 6:30 Apply make-up; should I wear pink or blue eye shadow? Millie is still sleeping. 6:40 Open jewelry armoir. Find necklace and earrings; bracelet today? Millie is STILL sleeping!!! 6:41 Head to Millie's room and Sing "You Are My Sunshine" to wake her up. Millie wants her glass of milk and "My Little Ponies" 6:50 Get lunch packed for both of us. Millie wants cereal, no poptart for breakfast. 7:00 Get Millie dressed. Millie wants to wear her blue summer dress. 7:01 Decide on blue summer dress with pants and turtleneck underneath. Millie wants to wear her flip flops today? 7:05 Brush my teeth in Millie's bathroom. Millie wants me to brush her teeth too. 7:10 Run upstairs to find a pair of socks. Why don't I ever put socks on when I get dressed? Millie wants to wear her flip flops. 7:12 Put my coat and boots on. Millie wants to wear the pink princess hat, not the black hat by the door. 7:15 Head out the door with Millie's flip flops in my hand. Millie wants to open the door herself. 7:16 Open garage door. Millie wants to make footprints in the snow. 7:18 Buckle Millie in the carseat. Millie wants to take her blanket to daycare. 7:20 Back out of the driveway. Millie wants to play "I Spy" 7:30 Arrive at daycare. Millie wants to know which friends are there. 7:33 Give Millie a hug and open door to leave. Millie wants another hug and kiss. 7:35 Close door. Millie is at daycare. 7:36 Now I start my day.
We're having a snow day. It's sunny and warm. I understand the roads were awful this morning, but now....well we could have had a late start. So, I'm working on a writing unit. One that will do double duty. I'll teach it and then spruce it up for my final project for our blog owner...and excitment! Oh, Joy!!! I have found a book about Paul Goble, an auto bio he wrote, I can use it in my lessons. Have to tell my husband who lugged all my boxes of books around...and I've invited my friend who writes children's books to visit our classroom. She may not be able to make it, but I have an email from her about where she gets her ideas. It's a productive snow day.
I was reading like a writer today! As I was reading with one of my intervention groups I realized the book we were reading was similar to a book I read with a different group last week. Both books used a format of an animal wishing he were more like other animals and then he realized his own good qualities. Here is my attempt at this craft...
I wish I could exercise everyday like Donna. I wish I could have the energy of my 3 year old. I wish I could clean like my mother-in-law. I wish I could cook like my Aunt Elaina. I wish I could be wise like my dad. I wish I could teach all kids to read above grade level. I wish I could mentor all who need it. I wish I could be carefree like my young students. I wish I could bake like my Aunt Carol.
When it comes down to it, I am assertive, compassionate, semi-organized, and put together. I am Niki.
What is love? Love is holding my brand new baby in my arms. Love is holding the hand of my dying grandmother and her telling me it will be okay. Love is lying on a blanket watching the falling stars. Love is dinner with your family around the table. Love is walking down a quiet, dirt road with my dad. Love is watching new animals come into life in the spring. Love is a hug and a kiss from my two-year old. Love is spending time riding horses with my grandpa. Love is a rainbow. Love is fresh rain. Love is frest cut grass. Love is sunshine. Love is life. Love is great. What is love to you?
I am sooo excited for spring and summer. I cannot wait to plant flowers, see green again, eat fresh fruit and veggies, cut the grass, swim in the pool, swim in the creek, go camping, go fishing, ride horses, watch baby animals, travel, play outside, ride bikes, go for walks, picnic in the yard, play volleyball...outside, done with school, barbecue with friends, collect bugs with my daughter, open windows, dry clothes outside, lay out in the sun, go out on the boat, lay out on the hammock...I cannot wait for spring and summer.
Cocoa barks when someone is here Bark Bark Bark Cocoa barks when I come home Bark Bark Bark Cocoa barks when he wants attention Bark Bark Bark Cocoa barks when he sees another dog Bark Bark Bark Cocoa barks when he sees antelope Bark Bark Bark Cocoa barks at the horses Bark Bark Bark Cocoa barks when he thinks he is going on a hunting trip Bark Bark Bark Cocoa hides in his dogloo when he's in trouble Hm Hm Hm
I found out today that a close friend of mine has breast cancer. She’s one of my favorite people…such a lovely person. So comical and out-going and compassionate and generous. She did all the right things. She ate right and exercised and was very committed to regular checkups. Her doctor told her that it was her commitment to yearly exams that saved her life; the cancer is still in the early stages. Just last week I rescheduled my own mammogram because it didn’t work with my schedule. Now I’m wishing I hadn’t done that. I made a promise to myself not to miss this one. Then I called another friend who’s been rescheduling hers for months. That dreaded “C” word is certainly on my mind tonight.
I will try this again tonight. I have tried posting several times to find that when I try to publish, I lose it all. My daughter has said to copy it to a document, but I even messed that up last night. Who knew that writing on a blog could be so difficult??? One time I tried to post the same thought three times and lost it every single time. I decided to give up and try again later. Well, after so many times a person gets frustrated and runs out of time. OK, well I am going to try to post this and see what happens!!!
I am so excited!!! I got the post to work!!! I also figured out how to copy and paste it!!! It has been a good night! It is funny how one moment a person can be so frustrated and the next they are thinking "That was easy!" WOW!!!...a good night. Well, I am going to get the little ones bathed and ready for bed.
Sundays. I love Sundays. Not today. Lack of sleep. Lack of focus. Too much snow to shovel. Not good with so much to do. The only thing I felt like doing all day was starting the next book in the Hunger Games trilogy but it's best to hold off until I have more time. Altough...is there a better day to lounge around on the sofa and read> I think not. That book is surely tuggling at my thoughts as I think of all the things I need to do: school work, house work, parent work. Sundays are really for staying in pjs, relaxing, and cooking a meal that is not hurried. But, if I spend Sundays lounging around, I never feel good at the end of the day. Why is that? Is that an American thing? Or is that a woman thing? Why the guilt? Why is relaxation undervalued in my own mind? No clue.
ReplyDeleteLisa,
ReplyDeleteI love the Hunger Games and have read all 3 books. This would have been the perfect day to lounge around on the couch all day in PJ's. :o)
Tammy
I love the weekends. Yesterday, was nice and my son and I spent the day in Rapid shopping and having lunch with a friend and her son. It was so beautiful out on Saturday. My car said it was 57 in Rapid on Saturday. I love this winter!! We got back to our house in Whitewood and watched tv and did some things around the house. Then woke up this morning to a yard full of snow. My son plowed the driveway and I finished up our laundry...Then we had to make our drive out to our place in Gillette for the week. Thankfully the sun was shining nice and bright and it melted the icy roads so our drive was uneventful.
ReplyDeleteWhen I got to Gillette I made a trip to Walmart to buy some snacks for our writing celebration that we are having on Friday, hopefully if all our final drafts of our papers are done. I'm going to talk to the kids about that tomorrow and getting it all done, so we can have it. They love the writing celebrations and it inspires them to work harder.
Tammy...I tried to reply to your reply but it wouldn't work, so I'm responding here. The Hunger Games was actually my inspiration for writing in incomplete sentences. We are supposed to try out a new craft when we write in here, correct? I'll have to clarify that with Dr. Chandler. By the way...a celebration of writing? Nice!
ReplyDeleteMama! Mama!
ReplyDeleteWhere are you? In the kitchen.
Why?
Mama! Mama!
Where are you? Doing laundry.
Why?
Mama! Mama!
Where are you? In the kitchen.
Why?
Mama! Mama!
Where are you? In my room.
Why?
Mama! Mama!
Where are you? In the kitchen.
Why?
Mama! Mama!
Where are you? In the office.
Why?
Mama! Mama!
Where are you? In the kitchen.
Why everyday you're in the kitchen?
I love you Millie.
I love you too Mama.
I love this Niki. I have an almost 2 year old at home, so I can completely relate to this poem. Great job!
DeleteAshley
Cocoa
ReplyDeleteWhen I graduated from college and moved back home, it seemed lonely. I had always grown up with a dog and we didn't have a dog. I decided that I wanted a Chocolate Lab. Grandpa encouraged me to rescue a dog from the animal shelter. I visited and there was a Chocolate Lab waiting for me to take him home. Dad and I picked him up on a cold snowy day. He is the family dog and a great pheasant hunter. He is always anxious to see me in the morning and when I get home from work. I still live at home so Mom and Dad can enjoy him, too. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have Cocoa.
I'd like to write a tribute to the teachers who made me believe that I can and should write. In Mrs. Powell's class, the idea occurred to me that I could BE a writer. Mrs. Williams just let us write. She didn't make boundaries, we just wrote and shared...CELEBRATED our ideas and success and yes, our failures too. Mrs. Mundt gave the best prompts and feedback, and she made us write every day. Rita Kiefer was a poet and when we discussed Emily Dickinson, she saved a seat to invite Emily to the conversation. She taught me that words are sacred and they have power. And finally, Ann, my cooperating teacher. In her class, we wrote from Writing Down the Bones and The Artist's Way. The students and we teachers wrote and read like writers, and we shared and celebrated our work. To all of these women, thank you. Your body of work is part of my body of work, and it will continue to grow, like ripples in a pond...
ReplyDeleteAppreciate the mild winter.
ReplyDeleteBut it’s about to change.
Couldn’t it have lasted a bit longer?
Darn!
Everything is blanketed with snow.
Forget lights jackets…fluffy coats abound.
Good thing my 4-wheel drive functions again.
Had an oil leak…a BIG one!
Instant chill when I look out the window.
Jubilant dogs enjoy the snow next door.
Keep wondering if they’ll jump over the fence.
Loving the warmth of my house.
Makes me grateful.
Not oblivious to how less fortunate people live.
Opportunities for those who love outdoor sports in the Hills.
Powder for the skiers and snowboarders.
Quietly my son yearns for the mountain.I see his face.
Reassuring him the snow’s here to last.
Saturday can’t come soon enough for this die-hard.
“Today brings you one day closer,” I remind him.
Unfortunately, he’s not the patient kind.
Very frustrating when he pouts.
Wonder when this will pass…5 minutes, 10?
eXpect it to last a little longer.
“You need to get ready for school,” I tell him.
Zero patience.
I like how you chose a poem from A-Z. I remember reading one like that in our textbook. Very creative.
DeleteI love the poems ladies. I am not feeling so inspired right now to write one or look one up. I have been going all day and haven't had time to sit down and relax yet.
ReplyDeleteLisa- I too tried to reply on your original post and it wouldn't let me either so I just did it this way too.
I will write more tomorrow and maybe even be inspiratational. lol
I think I am up and running for this blog... I have never typed in a blog before, nor have I ever "free" wrote anything for everyone to read.
ReplyDeleteWhere do you live?
Does this place bring out the best of you?
How do you live?
Does your lifestyle give something back to others?
Who have you surrounded yourself with?
Is your social network a true reflection of the real you?
How do you spend your time?
Is most of your time in service to yourself or others?
Who do you believe you are?
Can your life transcend these beliefs
and allow you to be fully present?
I don’t have all the answers–
just a few questions I try to ask myself periodically.
Have a nice day everyone! :)
In my last entry I wrote a two-voice poem. This time I am feeling frustrated and so I think I'm just going to free write and see what comes....
ReplyDeleteI hate how difficult the English language is! We try so hard to teach all the 'rules' but there are so many exceptions to the rules that it seems futile to teach them in the first place. It never fails that the first time I introduce a child to how the 'silent e' works, the first word encountered is 'give' or 'have'. Now I'm in a position where I have to explain that not all silent e words follow the rules. Sorry kiddo, there are some words that don't play fair. As a general rule of thumb, each vowel has two sounds (long and short) however, the short vowel u sound can also be made by a, and e. Sorry kiddo, there are some words that don't play fair. Also, why do we have so many letters? We really don't need q, x, or c. They all share a sound with other letters - in fact, they are all the SAME SOUNDS!!! Sorry kiddo, there are some letters that don't play fair. My last gripe is that some spelling combinations are pronounced differently for each word. Please consider these words with the same spelling pattern, but each vowel is pronounced uniquely: tomb, comb, bomb. Sorry kiddo NONE of those words play fair.
I would like to add another layer to your thoughts about our unruly English language. Why is English the "power" language, the one chosen for all other world citizens to learn?
DeleteI have struggled alongside Korean students, working to learn a strange and difficult new language. Letters unlike any they have read before, sounds their mouths must contort to form.
I felt the guilt of unearned privilege as I worked to help them learn the language that will open doors for them. Why was English chosen? Why force people around the world to learn a language that is so obviously flawed?
The answer, of course, is power. English has become the language of power, of wealth -- interchangeable words really.
Like most people, I love my language, the sounds of my home and family. But my view is clear and broad enough to realize that it's not fair. Not fair that Koreans have to wrestle with difficult sounds and rules, while I will never have to untangle the hieroglyphs of Asian languages.
Snow. Looking through adult eyes: Cold, wet, heavy, dreary. Slippery sidewalks, snowpacked streets, drive seems like forever. Drivers pass and throw dirt covered snow crystals on the windshield, washer fluid gone. Cars in ditches everywhere. Heavy coats, big hats, mittens that cannot be moved in. Leave early, yet home late. Cook supper and crawl into a cold bed, dread another snowy day tomorrow. Looking through a child's eyes: Fun, fun, fun! Busses late, schools out, hanging with the friends. Snow fights, snow forts, snow skiiing,Snow mobiling, snowboarding, snow angels, snowmen. Listening to the crisp snow crunching beneath the boots. Hot chocolate, hot apple cider, sitting around a hot fire. Crawl under the warm covers, surrounded by cool stillness. Cannot wait for tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteAmazing how we see winter differently now. I remember when I loved winter. Now, not so much!
DeleteI love this! It is so funny how winter is so different to us now, so I agree, Niki! I looked forward to winter and everything that came with it...sledding, snowmen, hot chocolate, and cuddly blankets. Now I think about how happy I am to have a garage so my car is already warm in the morning!
DeleteWell I have created a gmail acct so we will see if this works!
ReplyDeleteHoly smokes...I think it worked. Can't say that I liked having to add yet another email account but if it works.
ReplyDeleteToday was my first day back to work after having the FLU for 4 days and am still exhausted...beware it is running around and attacking when you least expect it. I love how when you are sick and someone else gets sick, it becomes your fault...haha! Germs are not picky and as we all know, working with kiddos exposes us to even more germs! Here is to continuing to get better as I don't have enough time in the day to not feel like myself!
Niki- I really liked your rant about our language not being fair! You are so right and it is so hard to explain to young readers. It's even hard for me to understand at times too!!! Ugh!
ReplyDeleteWell we had our writing celebration today. My students finished writing their stories. Once we publish them (their final drafts) we have a celebration. We put snacks on each of the tables, and put the students writing on the table along with a paper that other students write positive comments about each others writing. We take about 45 minutes or so and everyone rotates seats and reads one anothers papers. When they are done they write a positive comment about the other students writing. When we are doing this we aren't talking just walking from table to table reading eachothers papers, snacking and writing positive comments. The students in my class LOVE this! It was great today and the students were really loving it. It will be great to set up our new goal for our next celebration!
I feel sad reading about your writing celebration, contrasting it with what I see at my school. No exuberance, no excitement, just push, push, push. Follow this format, finish your pre-writing, write your draft, due today. No vision, no spark.
DeleteI often think we could learn from Hogwarts. Opulent banquets, solemn speeches, the special honor of belonging.
It really is fun to have a writing celebration!
DeleteI think I may have this figured out! :)
ReplyDeleteI see her trying...trying to reach the top. She is so little. My blonde little girl. Her bright blue eyes straining to see the top. She is reaching....reaching. She is so little. She can't reach it. Her small arms stretching as far as they are able, her fingers, the tips barely touching the edge. She is so little. She looks at me...I help her reach her cup on the top of the cupboard. She is just too little.
What a great craft--repeating the words "she is so little" to convey meaning. It worked :)
DeleteOctober was the last time I was home for my baby shower. Yesterday WE made our first journey back to Sundance after the adventurous few months we have had. Anxious. Excited. Nervous. This journey is unlike any before since I now carry precious cargo in my backseat. Bed rest for eight weeks, ending in an early arrival, which couldn't be better...no longer nervous.
ReplyDeleteI remember…
ReplyDeleteI remember my first grade teacher. She rarely smiled. She rarely hugged.
I remember Angie getting hugged. I was jealous.
I remember math. I was supposed to start with zero but started with one instead.
I remember all those checkmarks. Twenty in all. I cried hard. She told me to pay closer attention.
I remember sitting in the same desk, same spot all year, wishing so much to move around.
I remember wanting so badly to go with the special teacher when she came. I never did.
I remember telling my mom my teacher did not like kids.
I remember wishing I was in another class.
I like how you reflect on what you remember from school. I also remember checkmarks. I was always nervous, but if I got a checkmark, it made me correct the behavior.
DeleteI too like how you wrote and reflected on a school memory. memories like those stick with us like they happened yesterday! The one male teacher I had that I was terribly afraid of ended up being my favorite and then I went on to have the chance to work with him directly! How wonderful!
DeleteI received my first checkmark in third grade! I was completely devastated! Plus, it was from our student teacher, who was a man, and most of us girls thought he was "cute." It broke my heart. I cried and cried when I got home. Thanks for the flashback!
DeleteThe "unknown" above was by me...for some reason my username won't save. It changes to "unknown" each time I sign in! Sorry!
DeleteUgh...so sad. I liked you writing technique. :) You could see your feelings in what you said.
DeleteI love Elizabeth Berg's stream-of-consciousness writing technique. She launches into seemingly disconnected memories or descriptions to illustrate feelings. Her writing style reflects the subconscious mind's way of creating dreams that mirror feelings we need to work through. She makes no explicit connections, uses no proper transition words, but the link is powerfully made.
ReplyDeleteWhen I feel lost and overwhelmed as a teacher, my dreams often return to my days as a harried waitress. I find myself faced with ever-expanding sections of customers. I race to table after table, rattled by my inability to find coffee cups or salads, facing growing difficulties until I somehow realize the situation is untenable, and wake up. My real-life dilemma so clearly mirrored in the frantic restaurant scene.
Snow
ReplyDeleteWhite
Fluffy
Soft
Roll in it
Make snow angels
Throw snowballs at people
Cold
Slide in it
Watch it come down from the sky
There hasn't been much snow in WY this winter.
I LOVE IT!!!! It may be so simple but every bit of it I love! Writing doesn't have to be long to make meaning! :)
DeleteThank you Mindy. You have made a very good point. I felt this writing was too short but I like your point.
DeleteTHE BASEMENT...it has become a nightmare...was just suppose to be a small remodeling project...then there was mold...thank you old owners...tearing out every wall that contains dry wall...bleaching the wood...painting the studs...dust everywhere...exhausting...dirty...how will we ever get it all done?
ReplyDeleteINSURANCE...we have this because....we have to...make the call...it is now a claim...but wait...they won't cover anything...a letter arrives...wait a minute...yes...they are dropping us...too high risk for their program...are you kidding me?
RESEARCH....agents checking in to it...hoping they will keep us...is what we have and are doing going to be enough...what will we do if they don't?
STRESS....yes it is still very much here!!!
My Michigan Winter's...I miss them so dearly! I actually get quite jealous when I see how much they have gotten back home. Inches upon inches and even snow days! I absolutely love being out in the snow, shoveling and shoveling, do you know how many calories you can burn? Winter as a whole is one of my favorite seasons, some ask why and I am not sure other than the snow, throw in the holidays and it just makes it that much better! I say bring on the snow so that we can have a REAL winter!
ReplyDeleteI like how you used print to match meaning. It was effective.
DeleteThe luge...we went to our dear friends' house in the hills today for the second weekend in a row. Every year, they build a luge. The husband waters it down and packs it in diligently for weeks. Even this winter of little snow, he has built a mammoth, two hundred yards carved into their hill. I love to watch my boys and their girls, red-cheeked, smiling and screaming and attaching their sleds to each others to rip down that slope again and again. 8s and 6 and 4, they will never be these ages again. These friends, we started together single, then newlyweds, then new parents, and now in the golden years when our kids are all ours...we havent' shared them with the world yet. They want us to play with them and we have the time to go down the luge just...one more time...
ReplyDeleteIs it only Monday? Is it Friday yet? Looking forward to the short road trip we are about to take. We are meeting my brother and another friend in Omaha to drop off a quad, hit up the Cabelas, some dinner and talk time before we hit the road to head back. It may be a very short and quick trip but some much needed time away from the stresses that are upon us right now! There isn't a mountain high enough around here to scream from!!!!!
ReplyDeleteBabies...cute, cuddly, soft, and squishy. I long for the moments of cuddletime, kisses, yawns, and smiles. I wait for the moment of eye-opening, silly screams, high-waving arms, and low-kicking legs. Each moment of the day revolves around a tiny, Johnson's-covered, wild-haired, and loving little guy.
ReplyDeleteI love the adjectives you chose. They made me smile.I especially like the "Johnson's-covered" one. It's the very definition of a wondrous word.
DeleteI also loved your colorful words....nicely done!
DeleteYour words made me feel like I could see all of those things happening...all of the actions!
DeleteDarcy,
DeleteI love that poem it makes me think of my boys when they were small. Oh how I loved Johnson's!
I don’t remember second grade.
ReplyDeleteI don’t remember my teacher at all, other than her name.
I don’t even remember what she looked like.
Strange.
I don’t remember any projects, any books, any feel-good moments.
I don’t remember any feel-bad moments either.
How is that possible? How can one spend 9 months with a teacher and not remember anything?
I don’t remember feeling excited or bored, happy or sad.
I don’t remember wishing for anything – a friend, another teacher…nothing.
I don’t remember what my classroom looked like, where I sat, or who was in class with me.
Strange.
Getting ready to head to a conference on Friday. I am going to the National Reading Recovery Conference in Ohio. I am excited but also nervous, last year when I went I go sick while I was out there... IT WAS HORRIBLE, so now I am worried that I will get sick again this year. I always get my self so worked up about getting sick, and I have no controll over it. My co-workers give me a hard time about being a "germ freak" and how I went into the wrong profession... BUT I LOVE MY JOB, and wouldn't trade it for anything.
ReplyDeleteSo I have my fingers crossed, that this year is a wonderful conference and that I don't get sick! :)
I am so jealous that you are going to OHIO! I have been teaching Reading Recovery for eight years and still having gone to the national conference. Maybe next year, huh?
DeleteWonderous words.
ReplyDeleteReading like a writer.
Inventing new ways to create a story.
Taking from other's works.
Imagining the possibilities.
Noticing ways to develop my writing as a craft.
Gaining insight.
What a great way to sum up what writing is about! I believe we are in the beginning of our journey this semester about learning the true craft of writing! I love this!
DeleteI too am getting ready to leave for a conference. I am going to CCIRA in Denver. I am excited to see some of my favorite authors, speakers, get lots of ideas and spend some time with friends. I am also very nervous and apprehensive. I am leaving my three year old daughter and husband for four days! I can only imagine the multi-colored and multi-patterned outfits she will be wearing this week. Her crazy hair, pancakes at perkins every night, laughing at the thought of my husband trying to brush her teeth in the morning. I am really going to miss them!
ReplyDeleteThe mere thought of flying scares me but it is something I must do! The nerves are brought to the top when the airline calls and starts messing with my flight plans. I knew it was going to happen and it did. I always choose the most direct flight I can from Casper to Grand Rapids and they always end up trying to chnge it. How do the airlines get away with posting available flights and then go and change them without a choice? They really try to get me to fly into Chicago but I steer clear of there if I absolutely can. So yes, my flight has been changed, I am now losing almost a full day back home BUT I don't have to go through Chicago...woohoo! Only 2 more months and I will be on my way to Michigan and I can't hardly wait to see everyone!
ReplyDeleteMy dad had the exact same experience. He works in Canada and commutes home every two weekends. He was supposed to get home last Friday night. Due to delayed flights, he got to the airport when they were still boarding the plane. They wouldn't let him on. As a result, he made it Saturday afternoon and had to leave Monday morning. I know how you feel.
DeleteFrustration mounts as behaviors grow. The life of a middle school teacher. Friday is not here yet, but the kids are long gone. The life of a middle school teacher. Trying all wekk to motivate below-grade level students. The life of a middle school teacher. Need you here, want you here, please come here, don't come over here. The life of a middle school teacher. Plan, plan, plan...we are bored. The life of a middle school teacher. Yet everyday, I come back with a smile on my face and warmth in my heart. The life of a middle school teacher.
ReplyDelete(Sorry, bad day!)
Sounds like you had a stressful day, but it's good to vent sometimes. I had a rough sub day at one of the junior highs. I subbed in Study Hall and had to send two girls to the office. I have never done that before. I was stressed out but find that I like subbing for Special Ed in Junior High and will do any Junior High. I'm glad you go back happy. It's good to rest up. The next day is a brand new day.
DeleteAntelope
ReplyDeleteBat
Cat
Dog
Elephant
Fish
Grizzly bear
Hen
Iguana
Jaguar
Kangaroo
Lamb
Mice
Newt
Octopus
Penguin
Quail
Rabbit
Snake
Turtle
Unicorn
Vulture
Walrus
X ant(No animal that starts wtih X so this is a free space).
Yack
Zebra
I did this at a baby shower at church. We had to list all animals we could think of from A-Z and were timed on it. This game was fun and I thought it would be good for kindergarteners. To make it more interesting, you could have them add more animals than one and see who can list the most animals.
Great way to review a variety of topics, perk up learners' attention, and open up ideas! Students respond well to speed games -- as long as they are limited to non-stressful materials.
DeleteAlso a good game for road trips.
This would be great for my kinders! We could create an ABC Animal Book...I would have each letter have a picture of the animal and then have the students try to spell the animal's name as best as they could! Thank you for the idea!!
DeleteWriting from A-Z is such a versatile strategy.(Is that the right word?) Simple and fun for people of all ages. I enjoyed your spin on it.
DeleteThanks all. I've also thought about doing an animal book with ABC's. I think kids would like it, especially kinders.
DeleteMICHIGAN.....HOWARD CITY, HOME, MACKINAW, FAMILY...MOM, DAD, BROTHERS, SISTER IN LAW, NIECES, NEPHEWS, GRANDMAS, COUSINS, FRIENDS, UPPER PENNINSLA AKA...U.P, CHILDHOOD MEMORIES, DETROIT, ROAD TRIPS, RED WINGS, BIKE RIDES, WALKS and TALKS!
ReplyDeleteSo quiet here this morning, a light dusting of snow, the sun is shining. Will we do anything today or will it just be a relaxing laid back day? I think it shall be a day of simple things, nothing stressful! We have not had this in weeks....and it is such a calm feeling to know it is alright to have a day like this! And to everyone else out there....HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY!
ReplyDeleteYour words create a relaxing, warm mood. "quiet, light, shining, relaxing, simple, calm, alright, wonderful"
DeleteGreat rendering of the best time of the week--Saturday morning!
"After roaring over the power station and a patch of woods, he saw a ribbon of water gleaming in the sunlight. Then he saw the open sore on the breast of the creek bank—ramshackle, unpainted houses, tin-roofed sheds, houses that had burned and stood in their rubble, rusted trailers and vehicles abandoned in the weeds or sitting on blocks. A few hens pecked at the ground, which appeared to be hard, baked clay." (These High Green Hills, 112)
ReplyDeleteAfter parking the grimy Honda in the garage and sliding open the back door, she saw the warm glow of the kitchen lights. Then she saw the detritus left by days flooded with work and school—a pile of discarded boots and shoes, a red grocery bag filled with crumpled black and green companions, a small table meant to catch purses piled with a plastic hanger, a battery-powered drill , two fleece-lined gloves, a cocoa-colored bag with braided handles, a faded blue washcloth. The clutter spread onto the nearby dining table, where writing books and opened mail lay waiting for the weekend.
Sounds like you've been to my house!!
DeleteI appreciate the excerpt along with your writing. Great idea! What a great paragraph for visualization. I can see why it inspired you.
DeleteI love it and can relate to the words and descriptions you used. The sights that let you know you are home!
ReplyDeleteI know this is about writing the craft. However, I had to share that I went to Denver and just got back from a Reading Conference. I had such an amazing time and saw some amazing people. Got to see Sharon Taberski and Niki Mullen and I even got a picture with her. Saw the two sisters from the Daily 5 speak. Saw some great people on how to motivate our unmotivated writers. It was just a great experience. Now I've gotta take some of what I learned in the classroom!
ReplyDeleteSo...what's the secret to motivating student writers?
DeleteWe sat in on a class that had some tools to engage students. Some of it letting the students use fun tools when they are writing...fun pens, fun paper, basically thinking outside the box a lot.
DeleteSo, I have to think like a writer? Well, I am a writer...I write:
ReplyDeletelesson plans
texts
facebook comments
emails
letters
notes
memos
checks
report card comments
grade comments
stories for my students to look at
lists
BUT I DON'T JUST WRITE
not for fun,
not because I want to
You have just described the frustration I live with daily. I think like a writer, I want to be a writer, but I don't write -- not just to create, not just for me.
DeleteI am wondering if anyone else is having problems with their work being saved on here. I lost a post of one of my writings, as well as a bunch of comments for you all. I enter the word and it says it's published. They are gone today though...any ideas?
ReplyDeleteNo, Darcy, I have not lost any posts. Hope you can find the problem so you don't lose your motivation to write here. I love your made-up word for checkout lines. Wonderful!
DeleteWishing I was anywhere but here
ReplyDeleteAttention to my shopping list is of greatest importance
LONGneverendingcheckoutlines
Mastery of where everything is…if it’s actually there
Acceptance of the fact that I buy more than I actually need
Remembering to wear shoes meant for speed and durability
Trying to remember where I parked my car
Infestations
ReplyDeleteCreepy
Nervous
Who's Looking around the corner?
Where are all those creepy crawlies coming from?
Rats, snakes, mice, bed bugs, ticks, bats, spiders, etc.
Gives me the creeps.
I couldn't handle an infested house.
I would have to move out.
My sister talked me into watching infestations and now I'm hooked on the show.
Wyoming:
ReplyDeleteAgriculture
Bison (on the flag)
Cheyenne (capital)
Devils Tower
Equality State (nickname)
Fremont (geographic center)
Gannett Peak (highest point)
Hot Springs County
Indian Paintbrush (flower)
Jackson(First town in America to be Governed Entirely by Women)
K-12 public schools
Livestock
Matt Mead (Governor)
Newcastle (town
Oil
Prairie
Q
Rodeo
Sheridan (town)
Tom Horn (famous detective)
Uinta County
Velma Linford (famous Wyoming writer)
Western Meadowlark (bird)
X
Yellowstone National Park
Z
I couldn't think or find anything for q,x,and z....
q- quiet when the wind isn't blowing
Deletex- eXtra room to move aroun
z- ???no clue
I miss Wyoming!!!
Jury Duty
ReplyDeleteHow did I get picked? Why do they ask so many questions? Why do they make me do sub plans? Why didn’t they pick me to be the final 13? Why have I been on the panel of 31 all three times? When will I have to go to jury duty again? How can they control my life for 4 months?
I know how you feel. It's painful. When I was on it, I only had to go in twice and didn't have to stay.
DeleteI have yet to be selected...(knock on wood). I mean, I understand it's part of being an American, but I think we all wonder what you posted above! My father-in-law almost got in trouble because he called in 30 minutes late...Yikes!
DeleteHe’s fallen asleep in the car again.
ReplyDeleteWe have so many things to do.
I wait.
Should I run him home to sleep in his crib?
I shouldn’t risk moving him. He really needs a nap.
I wait.
Sure looks cute. Long eyelashes, bottom lip sticking out.
His head is flopping from side to side.
I wait.
Grocery shopping, a lesson plan to write, a ball game to attend.
Listen to the radio? Organize my purse? Read the next chapter from Wondrous Words?
I wait.
The car is filthy. I have plenty of time and a ton of wipes.
I lack the most important thing: motivation. So...
I wait.
Sleep sounds good. Should I close MY eyes?
A pointless venture. Sleep won’t come.
I wait.
A car horns sounds. Will he wake?
Yup...the wait is over.
RE ally? She's just walking off the job? They may pull one of my co 4th teachers to cover her 5th grade class and
ReplyDeleteRe distribute her tiny class between myself and one other 4th teacher
That means I'll be...
Re doing community building
Re discovering abilities
Re peating my procedures
Re explaining class rules
Re peating my rules
Re acquating with new students
Re assuring my original students I still love them
Re working my schedule
Re planning spring small groups
Re peating my expectations
Re telling the procedures
Re minding kids that things aren't the same for any of us
Re membering to pray for five new kids
Re calling that it's hard for the students too
Re doing seating charts
Re connoitering info on new students
Re peating directions
Re arranging my room
Re covering the extra desks I was so happy to move out of my room
Re peating procedures
Re assuring myself I can handle anything God allows to come my way
Re affirming my belief that if I only had kids to work with - teaching
would be a breeze
and finally
Re peating over and over IT'S NOT ABOUT ME
Wow! What a great way to express your frustration! I feel for you:) Your passion and love for the kids also shines through beautifully.
DeleteRe al impressive... :)
DeleteI agree with the others. Awesome entry. Fun to read from beginning to end.
DeleteSo creative!!! I loved this!
DeleteBecca...I love this and how you used "re" over and over...very simple yet so complex and TRUE!!!
ReplyDeleteMaking those connections, knowing that I am making a difference in a child's life and learning, always puts a smile on my face. At the end of the day I always know that I am doing what I was meant to do. It may have taken a long time to get here but the wait was worth it! The lesson plan of my life is shining through!
ReplyDeleteDon't focus on the topic, focus on the writing, as the topics pour down the side of my head. In one ear, out the other, a brain squeezed by the demands of studentsinternschildrengradingbudgethusbanddinnerhomeworklaundry. A full Monday. 15 minutes til bedtime. And the topics keep sliding by. Maybe I'll catch one tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful! The image of "topics pour down the side of my head."
DeleteAnd then that squeezed sentence, following your expression of a squeezed brain -- perfect!
I am not sure that I know how to let him grow up. He is old enough to sign up to serve our country. He is old enough to buy a new car. He is old enough to buy a gun. He is old enough to pay his own bills. He is old enough...but I just don't know how to NOT worry about him signing up to serve our country, if he will choose the right car, if he should buy a gun, if he will remember to pay all his bills. He has grown up!!! I don't know how to let my little boy grow up into a man!
ReplyDeletemine's going to be 30 this summer and I still worry, but not allowing him to try, fail, try again, and do it...robs him of experience, lessons and wisdom.
DeleteBut I still wish we could do it for them!!
My boys are 8 and 6, but I often think about the day that I will have to let them grow up and become men. I like how you wrote in a circle in this piece.
DeleteThank you ladies! :) I think some days I have it and other days I still feel like he is still my little boy needing me to take care of him. He gets frustrated with me sometimes. :) He is my first of 5 to leave the nest...poor kid. lol :)
DeleteMy oldest turns 20. I loved this!
DeleteMy one and only will be 2 months on Monday, and I ALREADY dread this! I can't even stand when he outgrows a preemie outfit! On the other hand, I am so happy he is growing. Gosh...this is not going to be easy! :)
DeleteDoors open. Cold air in. Shuffling feet. Laughing. Coats thrown. Trays clammering. Whiney voices. Dropped tray. Reroute kids. Mop squishing. Floor clean. Hands up. Questions asked. Open milk. Open ketchup. Open juice. Clean hands. Open Mayo. Clean table. Remind kids. Milk spilled. Mop squishing. Kids calling. Whistle blowibg. kids waiting. Teachers scarfing. Kids waiting. Teachers here. Feet shuffling. Laughing. Relax. Lunch duty done.
ReplyDeleteThe Joys of Drinking Coffee
ReplyDeleteWakes me up during the day
Can enjoy different coffee flavors to add to it
French vanilla is my favorite
I love using my coffee machine at home
Fun to buy a coffee and visit with friends
Nice to drink coffee and watch a movie after a hard day of work
Relax
My best friend...coffee! i got a new maker for Christmas and I love it....a cadillac compared to my $16 cheapo! Enjoy!
DeleteI also got a coffee maker for Christmas about two years ago. It's a Kurig. I'm still convinced you spend more money on the coffee cups than the machine but it's my favorite. I love using it.
DeleteOh how I long for a cup of coffee!
DeleteStuffy nose, Head congestion
ReplyDeleteFeeling sick oh the depression
Hard to stay in school all day
When all I want to do is run away
Students loud head is pounding
My oh my this is astounding!
I feel like you need a drum beat playing in softly in the background...I found myself chanting this when I read it! :)
DeleteDo any of you know Jillian Michaels? I do, not in real life but she is a workout queen and she is my workout idol! She is so positive and doesn't let or make you want to quit....motivating, encouraging, muscle finder, positive and a result maker! Do any of you know Jillian Michaels?
ReplyDeleteI had to write something about her because my muscles are telling me that she is sitting on my shoulder saying...keep going!
I have watched a few episodes of the Biggest Loser. She definitely is a motivator. She forces people to work out and finish their workouts even if they're tired and don't want to. People would get mad at her but it worked in the end when they had to weigh in.
DeleteOH BOY, how I relate! I have a couple of her workout DVDs. Sometimes I have to mute the TV because otherwise I hear her voice in my head all night!
DeleteI am…
ReplyDeleteA little bit of a perfectionist.
But, I’m trying to let the little things go.
‘Cause focusing on insignificant things is pointless they say.
Doesn’t always work.
Everyone around me hopes I’ll lighten up.
For example…found a disgusting, should-not-mention item in my son’s NIKE bag this morning...was not pleased.
Gross!
How did he NOT know it was there?
I could smell it from afar. His peers and coach are no doubt impressed.
Just demonstrates how much situational awareness he has.
Keep telling him to pay attention to things around him.
License to drive in his future? Not until he gains awareness!
Must be a defensive driver I tell him, but that’s another story….
Now back to me.
Oh! That’s right I am a…
Perfectionist. It’s not a compliment. It doesn’t feel good.
Quickly and quietly I fix what others do if they’re not quite perfect.
Really wish I could let things be.
So many times I wish to be easy-going, even flaky.
Thinking I got “it” from my dad.
Understand it gets better over time, with age.
Very close to middle age…hasn’t happened yet.
Wouldn’t want a big thing happen to “shake some sense into me” my mother tells me.
Xtra busy lifestyle would help. No time to fret.
Yesterday’s gone. Today is somewhat tainted with the should-not-mention item. Tomorrow will be a new day.
Zzzzz’s – a good night of sleep always provides a new perspective. Maybe a short nap would help.
Things may get better over time, with age... we just accept things, like our imperfections and those of others, and realize it's ok to be just as we were created. Wisdom knows she is not incontrol of all things...
DeleteWorking Out
ReplyDeleteA way to get in shape
Builds muscles
Can keep you motivated
Does your body good
Endurance
Fun way to get in shape, especially with Zumba
Good night's sleep
Helpful for getting in shape
Inches disappear
Jumprope
Keeps you in shape
Lose weight
Many exercises to do
Nothing is too hard if you're motivated
Outside or inside
Pays off in the long run
Quick or slow
Run
Sleep well at night
Treadmill
Ultimate way to get in shape
Very good for your body
Walk
X (can't think of anything for x)
YMCA
Zumba
I'm at the rec center all the time and love to do the treadmill. That's my favorite.
I finally figured out one for X.
ReplyDeleteXerxes, my sister's cat, loves to watch her work out.
Busy.
ReplyDeleteSo much to do so little time
Running, planning, teaching, fretting
that I won't finish on time
Busy.
School work, college work, family life
Things are just so full
stressing, sweating oh just not cool.
Busy.
Drive for nine hours, shop for two, chat over dinner for one, ready to make the nine hours back only to have it turn to eleven. Thank you wind, ice, and snow. We were slipping and sliding, blinded by the big trucks passing, total whiteouts! But in the end I would do it all over again!
ReplyDeleteI struggle to write, to think of things to say, I feel as though it is boring and the same thing everyday. I want my kiddos to see that they can have this "craft" to write, and enjoy the writing process, find it exciting and fun to do. I am building the ideas each day in hopes that what I am learning will be passed along and become an exciting process for them as well.
ReplyDeleteThe boy was sleeping beside me in the car. I wished I could tell him how fearful I was for his future. I wanted to wake him and tell him how frustrated I was that he didn't GET how important it is for him to establish persistence, integrity and drive. I wanted to shake him and say, "You could do so much right now, today, this year, to shape your future!" I wanted to give him a wisdom mind-meld. I wanted to force a glimpse of what lay on this destructive path he had chosen. I wanted him to feel the guilt for the sleepless night I suffered while confronting the grief and helplessness I felt because of his actions. He awoke. We talked of basketball. And I was glad that I had spent the day with him. Just being with him.
ReplyDeleteI was waiting to see what happened... Nice story and you could feel your struggle. :)
DeleteBEEP…BEEP…BEEP! I hear that dreaded sound and push that button hoping for hours more, knowing it will only be five minutes.
ReplyDeleteDRIP DRIP…DRIP DRIP…DRIP DRIP! I hear that mouth-watering sound and pour into my mug what I am hoping will be an energy boost, knowing it will only be five minutes.
Excellent use of ellipses, I could actually hear your coffee pot through your words.
DeleteThis structuring craft could carry you through a whole story or poem. It worked well to capture the morning feelings we all know.
DeleteHeroes come in many forms, from man to imagination.
ReplyDeleteAs time goes by, it becomes clearer to who can claim the fame.
It used to be a pop idol, when pigtails dangled and tangled.
Now with maturity and responsibility comes clarity.
The reflection I see in me seems to be that of my Mommy.
Recipe for a great Sunday:
ReplyDelete1. One extra hour of sleep
2. Two freshly bathed little girls
3. One ham and egg scramble
4. One hour of grading papers
5. Plenty of time to play with aforementioned little girls
6. One copy of 'Paper Bag Princess'
Mix well and serve over twelve hours.
Your post made me smile, which proves it's good writing.
DeleteWhat a great idea...we need more recipes like this one!
ReplyDelete4 day school weeks? I like the idea...lucky for me I will have had 3 in a row over the course of the next couple of weeks! Do I think I will get more accomplished with this extra time...maybe so, maybe not but I will take it!
ReplyDeleteI hear the happiness in her voice and I can only hope that it continues and she can be strong enough to fight off the "bad" things that have plagued her for so long! I hear my old friend again and she puts a smile on my face instead of tears, I hope and pray that the "bad" things don't come back! I cannot wait to see her and see for myself how far she has come! I love my best friend but hate the "bad" things that took so much from her and us!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteA walk. I really need to get outside and move a bit. My dog, maybe my headphones. “Boys, I’m taking walk.” Can we come Mommy?Sigh… Ok. Isn’t it nice to be outside? Waylon’s on his scooter. Marty, are you bundled? You have gloves and a hat. I don’t want you to get cold. Keep up! Let’s go to Cara’s. Miller, sit. Ok, let’s cross the road now…
ReplyDeleteTime to head back towards home. Marty, hurry! Only a few more blocks. If your face is cold let’s zip your coat up more. Please don’t whine. Boys, quit fighting! Let’s go. We’re almost there. Hurry Marty! I’m so frustrated right now. All I wanted was a walk to relax, and now you’re crying and whining! If you would just hurry, we could get there. Please, I’m sorry for yelling, but let’s just get home.
A walk. Mommy wants to go for a walk. Maybe she’ll take us to the park. I love climbing the rock wall and we haven’t been there forever. Waylon is on his scooter. Not fair! Why do I have to walk? Ok, let’s go to aunt Cara’s. This is so far. Why does Mom walk so fast? I don’t want to make her mad but I want her to wait for me.
Heading back. My face is so cold, my cheeks hurt, and my legs are tired. Where did the sun go? Mommy it’s cold! I’m cold! Can’t we just call Dad for a ride home. I don’t want to go it’s too far! I’m not whining, I’m crying. I’m just so tired and cold. Why did Mom get so mad at me?
I am a mother, but...
ReplyDeleteI am patient, but I get annoyed.
I am fearful, but I’m also fearless.
I am worried, but I’d rather be content.
I am loving, but I get grumpy.
I am playful, but I am boring too.
I am tired but energetic.
I am busy, but I look for things to do.
I am confident but also insecure.
I am a mother.
I italicized the word "but" each time, BUT it didn't copy that way. Not sure if it added much anyway.
ReplyDeleteNo teaching job yet but I will keep trying
ReplyDeleteI like to play with my dog, bake cookies, hang out with friends
Cardinal's fan
Outgoing
Love to teach
Early childhood/elementary education degree with special education endorsement
Walking into the school I had to smile as I saw the children walking hand in hand with their parent(s), each with a bright red or pink balloon attached to a cuddly stuffed animal or a King Sized Hershey bar. The children's smile told the story of feeling loved and at that moment, not a care in the world. I walked by young Kindergarten students, 1st graders, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th graders... Then, out of the laughter and happy voices, I heard a voice say, "I didn't get a balloon today." I did not even have to look at the face of the child saying this, but I did. He had the look of a bassett hound with those big droopy eyes and his head hung low...his voice was bad enough but his face, oh, his face. So confused and hurt. My heart sank.
ReplyDeleteThis is a loud classroom. A happy classroom.A learning classroom.A green and purple classroom. A active classroom. A get up and get going classroom. A reading classroom. A 3rd grade classroom.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to be in your classroom!
DeleteAhhh thanks Becca! It can be fun.
DeleteI heard someone on TV this morning say that when elderly people hold hands, that's not romantic love. I think that may have been a misuse of the word. Romance is not lust. Romance is making someone feel loved. It's putting someone else first and letting them know how special they are to you. To me, romance is not lust. Romance is love. Let's use the word correctly...To my husband, I promise to be romantic for the rest of my days on this earth. Happy Valentine's Day.
ReplyDeleteI want to let you ladies know about a book I am reading for a book club. It's called "The Art of Slow Reading" I'm only a couple chapters in but I am really enjoying it right now. It is really making me think about my teaching and what it truly important in education. I definitely recommend it! (And it's a pretty thin book too!)
ReplyDeleteMMMmmmm what a coinsidence (sp?) I am reading that very same book! I wonder why? lol
DeleteSTAMPEDE....There is gonna be a stampede tomorrow at DIS! The kids have done SO well with the "Git Er Read" theme that was chosen. We did something like this last year and the kids and adults had an absolute ball. The halls will be lined with teachers and students cheering the STAMPEDE on, including Sherriff Range Reader! The running of the halls will take place tomorrow afternoon to bring an end to another wonderful fun filled...learning filled day! If you feel the ground shake, lots of loud whooping, then you will know that the STAMPEDE has happened! Just another incentive to get the kids to "Git Er Read"!
ReplyDeleteEach and Every Day,
ReplyDeleteI teach, I instruct, I coach, I explain.
I demonstrate, illustrate, clarify, and confirm.
I show (and sometimes tell :) ),
I inform, I train, I initiate.
I plan, diagram, map, chart, graph and design.
I question, quiz, probe, examine and confirm.
I care, I worry, I console, I inspire.
I pay attention to, I show concern for, I nurture.
I nurse broken hearts, fix boo-boos,
ease worries, and mend friendships.
I am a teacher. This is what I do!
That's awesome. It could be on a poster with the heading "I don't just teach."
DeleteWhat a great format to use for a variety of themes. Students might find that structure fun to try.
DeleteRules for my 15-year-old soon-to-be driver:
ReplyDeleteYou will not have anyone else in the car with you, and you will not answer your cell phone if it rings, and you will not read and respond to a text, and you will not back out of the driveway unless your seat belt is fastened, and you will not adjust your iPod settings, apply your makeup, or eat while you’re driving; and, you will not, under any circumstances, ignore the speed limit and other road signs. Repeat.
My niece and nephew just started driving and I can hear the same things being said to them!
DeleteWhy do kids feel the need to be bullies? Why do they feel the need to make fun of other kids? Why do they feel they can tease someone and get away with it? Why does this happen on a daily basis? Today I witnessed 4 boys making fun of another girl who is very overweight because of a syndrome. I was so incredibly mad and sad that I saw this but in the same sense glad because I was able to act on it and put a stop to it....for now...for today! What will tomorrow bring with these bullies? Did they learn a lesson or will it continue? Why are some kids bullies?
ReplyDeleteBullying is so sad! I am dealing with this between some kinders and first graders. It is so hurtful! I wish kids would understand what this does to the other person. Someday...
DeleteSad, isn't it???
ReplyDeleteI remember how I used to worry about everything-HOW I would say something, IF I would offend anyone, DID I say or do the right thing??? I remember always worrying. Always trying to make the right choices. I remember feeling so much pressure. I remember...And now I see. I see my daughter doing the same thing. I see her worrying about everything and I TELL her. I don't want her to remember.
ReplyDeleteKinder kids. Lovable kids. Energetic kids. Hugging kids. Laughing kids. Curious kids. Wondering kids. Innocent kids. Dirt-covered kids. Exploratory kids. Spirit-lifting kids. Mini-adult kids. Refreshing kids. Kinder kids.
ReplyDeleteWashing clothes, all those dirty clothes.
ReplyDeleteUp and down the stairs…
Cleaning the house, vacuuming, dusting, Windexing.
Up and down the stairs…
Wash the dishes, scrub the dishes.
Up and down the stairs…
Pick up the toys, all those tiny little toys.
Up and down the stairs…
Folding the clean clothes, the Summer’s-breeze-smelling clothes.
Up and down the stairs…
Returning the vacuum under the stairs.
Up and down the stairs…
Replacing the sparkling dishes to their shelves.
Up and down the stairs…
Play with the toys, those squeaking baby toys.
Up and down the stairs…
Life is your STAIRMASTER...who needs a gym membership?
DeleteWe can all relate to your thoughts here... :) I liked the way that you repeated. "Up and down the stairs...".
Deletehaha! That is so true Becca!!! It's amazing how many trips I make in a day! Thanks Tamera...it seemed to fit!
DeleteProtazoa are the snowflakes of the pond - each a unique masterpiece- beauty is all around us.
ReplyDeleteComparing two seemingly unlike things -- great right brain thinking! Try it with a science lesson.
DeleteThe rising sunlight touched the dead winter tree
ReplyDeletebringing it to life. Kissing the frost and lighting it up...
Dazzling Diamonds Dancing in Dawn's
first rays.
Beauty is all around us...
Today, I'm trying to live like a writer. Dawn did touch a tree across the street. I found it strange that I thought of protazoa and snowflakes while looking at the frost on the tree. But hey, writer's get their ideas "away from their desk".
DeleteYour "Dazzling Diamonds Dancing in Dawn's first rays".... wonderful choice of descriptive words. I LOVE IT!
DeleteSpring weather has been all around us. I was thinking the other day that all we needed to hear was the sound of birds singing. Today, I heard it!!! Or at least I think I did. You know that state of mind, when you are sleeping and yet, somewhat awake? Well, I was in that state of wakeful sleep and I could swear that I heard it!!! The sound of birds singing. I strained to hear it again, but then there was nothing.
ReplyDeleteI decided today while doing some painting and cleaning in our basement that I am the cleanest remodeler on the block! Even among the huge mess that has transpired, I still manage to keep it clean. Would this be called obsessive or not? I will go with the latter part and say that it is not. Another pile in the garage for the dump, white walls and floors, just the primer, still lots of dust but it is now ready for the new walls to go up. Some would say this doesn't sound like fun but I find it quite relaxing! :)
ReplyDeleteDo I think Romeo and Juliet's love was real?
ReplyDeleteShakespeare wanted us to see how infatuation can pick you up by the seat of your pants and propel you down some back street you never imagined. True love? I think not. True love is my husband, getting dinner on the table and washing the dishes so I can go to yoga.
What a man.
Who am I?
ReplyDeleteI am a tree with roots that reach down deep.
I am a compass whose needle always leads back home.
I am a brick who is strong and stable.
I am a leaf that sometimes falls and needs help back up.
I am lemonade which is sweet but sometimes sour!
I am a teacher whose love for children and learning is endless.
I am a counselor whose ears have heard their fair share of woes.
I am a lover of family, friends, and life.
I am a child whose curiosity never ends.
I am a book whose life makes up a story.
I am me and that's all I want to be!
Full House
ReplyDeleteFull of people that love and care about each other
Understanding with their children
Lots of laughs
Look to adults for answers to questions (the children)
Happy household
Ongoing episodes that continue and stop after season 8
Unbeatable show for the 80's
Stephanie and D.J. end up with separate rooms and get along better.
Ever since Danny's wife died, Jesse and Joey help raise the children
Full House is one of my favorite shows. I have them all on d.v.d and watch them all the time.
The
ReplyDeletefrost on
the pine trees.
So beautiful and crisp.
In a magical, winter wonderland
we live.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI wrote the previous entry in the shape of a pine tree, but it didn't "stick" when I hit the publish button. Darn!
DeleteToo bad, but I could "hear" the shape! (and smell the winter-fresh pine trees)
DeleteWIND: blowing leaves, blowing snow, blowing trash, blowing kids, blowing cars and trucks, blowing hair, blowing trees, blowing sand, blowing rain, blowing winsocks and chimes, just a tiny look at the Wyoming wind!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe only way to live is to forget that you're going to die. Death is unimportant. The fear of it should never influence a single action of the wise man. I know that I shall die struggling for breath, and I know that I shall be horribly afraid. I know that I shall not be able to keep myself from regretting bitterly the life that has brought me to such a pass; but I disown that regret. I now, weak, old, diseased, poor, dying, hold still my soul in my hands, and I regret nothing.
ReplyDeleteSomerset Maugham (1915) Of Human Bondage
Reading like a writer I circled and highlighted this passage. I've decided to read this classic to stretch me as a reader. The "old" English really makes me think about word usage.
I just read MacLachlan's Baby this weekend. (I have a whole new understanding of Ray's inspiration for Wondrous Words.)
DeleteThe story is wrapped around a poem by Edna St Vincent Millay, "Dirge Without Music." Millay's poem grabbed me by the throat. I often think I have no relationship with poetry, and then I encounter a poem that shocks me with its deep penetration of the human heart.
Isn't it wonderful to find a poem that resonates so deeply?
Time alone.
ReplyDeleteMy time.
My choice.
So much time.
Get alot done.
Spend time as I choose.
I wasn't meant to be alone.
Time alone.
This morning I noticed a bird. The only one around. It almost seemed to be out of place in this winter wonderland. Lonely, lost, and in a hurry to go nowhere. It made a few odd-shaped circles in the crisp air and then darted behind a run-down shed. I waited for it to reappear, but it never did. It wasn't a colorful bird, its feathers were lighter than black but darker than gray. Maybe it was more of a blue-gray.
ReplyDeleteOde to Four-Year Olds
ReplyDeleteWhy is that number 10?
Why is the sun in the sky?
Why did you do that to your hair?
Why do you spray that smelly stuff on your clothes?
Why do you play that game?
Why do you listen to that music?
Why? Why? Why?
A day with a four-year old…my favorite!
Yes!!! I miss that.
DeleteLiving like a writer is like seeing after your eyes have been dilated…the edges are blurry, yet you know whatever the object is exists…you’ve seen it before, just did not pay attention as closely as you should or could have. You’ve heard people explain what it will feel like, but until you experience it yourself, you will not truly understand.
ReplyDeleteLiving like a writer is challenging. I am in the midst of three books and doing research. Having spent the last two weekends reading, and reading I feel like I have little to show for my hours of work. I do realize that I am a writer that spends a huge amount of time pre-writing.
ReplyDeleteI do much of it in my head. I pour in lots and lots of text and let it simmer. I stir it occassionally. I wait. I add more ingredients. I wait. I panic because I have nothing to show - or so I think. Then I begin pouring the "soup" out. It seperates and grows as if it has a life of its own. My pre-wriitng and drafting is done mainly in my head.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI can see and appreciate the crafts you used, especially in the second paragraph. I see a framing idea "in my head" that begins and ends the description of your writing process. I like the short, repeated sentences: "I wait."
DeleteSince I like to cook soup, that figure works for me. You really communicated the idea of letting ideas simmer in your mind until they are ready for the page.
Conversations with my niece consist of her asking questions and me answering her with the same question because she already knows the answer! Sami: Where is Aunt Mindy? I don't know, where is Aunt Mindy? Sami: In Wyoming! Sami: Why is it storming? AM: Why is it storming? Sami: Because GOD is bowling! Sami: Where is the moon? AM: Where is the moon Sami? Sami: The moon is in the sky! I love these conversations with her and look that she gives when asked the same question she just asked becasue she knows the answer.
ReplyDeleteHow do I have time? I thought that moving out in the middle of nowhere, I would have more time to read and do random things. It seems harder than I want it to. Between teaching, tutoring, Teach for America, grad school, and now I have been accepted to teach at a charter school in New York City for next school year. It is soooo overwhelming! Plus, being out of commission because I fell and hurt my back was not what I needed in my life. But it is all exciting, it will be exciting to see if blogging about real life, about how I would like to write, and about teaching.
ReplyDeletePlease tell us more about your new teaching assignment. It sounds wonderful!
DeleteToday I shopped like a teacher of writing. I bought take home writers notebooks for my class at Sam's Club. Then I went to the picture book display. I had 7 books in my cart, but then star
ReplyDeleteted looking through them. What can you teach my kiddos?, I asked each book. Only one made the cut. A baby's board book but it
1. is written from a mother to her chld (point of view)
2. it travels through the 4 seasons (one thing at different times)
3. each page is a 2-line poem
4. It repeats "I love you when..." to begin the book in the summer, and for each section that starts a new season.
This is a multi-stack book I can grab for mini-lessons and writers conferences. It felt great to buy that book!
Of course I had other errands to run in the big city today, but for a special moment, I lived like a teacher of writing, and got as much enjoyment out of it as shopping for shoes - REALLY, I PROMISE
4 Days Old.
ReplyDeleteMy heart leans to the south, where my tiny grandson nestles, wrapped in love. His mother is learning to wrap him tightly and carry him across her chest, swinging him to sleep.
One day back home and already I miss the silken feel of his rounded cheeks. I post the image of our first snuggle on my computer screen thinking, “I know you, little Zander, son of my daughter. You are precious to me.”
2 Weeks Old.
My family travels south, where our little grandson, nephew, waits to meet his aunt and uncle. He is clear-eyed and alert now.
Two weeks have separated me from you. I have jealously regretted each day spent working and living a life separate from yours. “We are coming to visit, little Zander, new member of our family.” Winter roads swirling in snow will not keep us home.
Beautifully written...pulls at the heart strings.
DeleteShe loves them.
ReplyDeleteShe loves him in the morning at 6AM precisely when he comes to her for breakfast. She loves the other when she tousles his hair, finds some jeans to wear. She loves them when one comes to her in tears at some injustice that the other has done. She loves the curves of the ears and the sour breath in the morning. She loves the energy that bubbles over in the simplest daily activity. Despite her impatience, she loves them.
I think repetition is becoming one of my favorite crafts! It really conveys meaning.
DeleteLittle House on the Prairie
ReplyDeleteI have been watching Little House on the Prairie since I bought all the seasons. There a lot of things I like about the show.
Michael Landon directed it, wrote most of the scripts and acted in it.
The Ingalls family has many children. They're biological children are Laura, Mary, Carrie and Grace. They have three adopted children: Albert, James, and Cassandra.
The Oleson family is different but funny. Harriett and Nells have two children that are very snobby, Nellie and Willie. To continue the story, they adopt another girl, Nancy, who is worse than Nellie.
When I teach my own classroom one day, I would love to show some of the episodes. There is one episode that teaches children why not to cheat. There is also an episode about bullying.
These movies can teach children a lot of things about life. For example, they can learn how life was in the 1800's with covered wagons and having to operate most machinery by hand. They can also learn how teachers taught children in one room school houses. I think they would benefit from watching some of the episodes.
Dog Sitting
ReplyDeleteFor a while now, I have been dog sitting two indoor dogs. They are bullldogs. In addition to watching them this week, I am also watching three indoor schnauzers. I'm debating on to arrange my schedule so that this all works out. Lots to do.
A teenager to his mother:
ReplyDeleteNo need to shovel.
It’s going to snow again anyway.
No need to dust.
We’ll just have to do it again in a few days.
No need to rinse the dishes first.
Isn't that what the dishwasher’s for?
No need to vacuum.
The carpet shows every piece of fuzz anyway and there’s ALWAYS fuzz.
No need to wash the car.
It’s just going to get dirty tomorrow.
No need to shower.
I’m just going to get sweaty later.
No need to make the bed.
I sleep in it every night.
A mother to his teenager:
No need to wash that pair of underwear you’re wearing.
It’s just going to get dirty again.
There's something so peaceful about a snowy day--the way that the snowflakes free fall like acrobats from quiet clouds, sneaking up on the world below, the way that hot tea just tastes better when there's a white blanket snuggled up around my house, the way that everything is covered by such a pure white that, for a moment, I can believe that the universe is calm and serene.
ReplyDelete5:30 Alarm beeps and I think about what needs to get done today. Wait is it Tuesday or Wednesday? Millie is still sleeping.
ReplyDelete5:40 Jump in the shower; get dressed. Millie is still sleeping.
5:42 Change my outfit. Don't feel good in the other one. Millie is still sleeping.
5:50 Make coffee; need that warm cup in my hand! Millie is still sleeping
6:00 Dry my hair; listen to my husband complain about his boss. Millie is still sleeping.
6:15 Straighten my hair; give goodbye kiss to my husband. Millie is still sleeping.
6:30 Apply make-up; should I wear pink or blue eye shadow? Millie is still sleeping.
6:40 Open jewelry armoir. Find necklace and earrings; bracelet today? Millie is STILL sleeping!!!
6:41 Head to Millie's room and Sing "You Are My Sunshine" to wake her up. Millie wants her glass of milk and "My Little Ponies"
6:50 Get lunch packed for both of us. Millie wants cereal, no poptart for breakfast.
7:00 Get Millie dressed. Millie wants to wear her blue summer dress.
7:01 Decide on blue summer dress with pants and turtleneck underneath. Millie wants to wear her flip flops today?
7:05 Brush my teeth in Millie's bathroom. Millie wants me to brush her teeth too.
7:10 Run upstairs to find a pair of socks. Why don't I ever put socks on when I get dressed? Millie wants to wear her flip flops.
7:12 Put my coat and boots on. Millie wants to wear the pink princess hat, not the black hat by the door.
7:15 Head out the door with Millie's flip flops in my hand. Millie wants to open the door herself.
7:16 Open garage door. Millie wants to make footprints in the snow.
7:18 Buckle Millie in the carseat. Millie wants to take her blanket to daycare.
7:20 Back out of the driveway. Millie wants to play "I Spy"
7:30 Arrive at daycare. Millie wants to know which friends are there.
7:33 Give Millie a hug and open door to leave. Millie wants another hug and kiss.
7:35 Close door. Millie is at daycare.
7:36 Now I start my day.
We're having a snow day. It's sunny and warm. I understand the roads were awful this morning, but now....well we could have had a late start. So, I'm working on a writing unit. One that will do double duty. I'll teach it and then spruce it up for my final project for our blog owner...and excitment! Oh, Joy!!! I have found a book about Paul Goble, an auto bio he wrote, I can use it in my lessons. Have to tell my husband who lugged all my boxes of books around...and I've invited my friend who writes children's books to visit our classroom. She may not be able to make it, but I have an email from her about where she gets her ideas. It's a productive snow day.
ReplyDeleteI was reading like a writer today! As I was reading with one of my intervention groups I realized the book we were reading was similar to a book I read with a different group last week. Both books used a format of an animal wishing he were more like other animals and then he realized his own good qualities. Here is my attempt at this craft...
ReplyDeleteI wish I could exercise everyday like Donna.
I wish I could have the energy of my 3 year old.
I wish I could clean like my mother-in-law.
I wish I could cook like my Aunt Elaina.
I wish I could be wise like my dad.
I wish I could teach all kids to read above grade level.
I wish I could mentor all who need it.
I wish I could be carefree like my young students.
I wish I could bake like my Aunt Carol.
When it comes down to it, I am assertive, compassionate, semi-organized, and put together. I am Niki.
What is love?
ReplyDeleteLove is holding my brand new baby in my arms.
Love is holding the hand of my dying grandmother and her telling me it will be okay.
Love is lying on a blanket watching the falling stars.
Love is dinner with your family around the table.
Love is walking down a quiet, dirt road with my dad.
Love is watching new animals come into life in the spring.
Love is a hug and a kiss from my two-year old.
Love is spending time riding horses with my grandpa.
Love is a rainbow.
Love is fresh rain.
Love is frest cut grass.
Love is sunshine.
Love is life.
Love is great.
What is love to you?
I am sooo excited for spring and summer. I cannot wait to plant flowers, see green again, eat fresh fruit and veggies, cut the grass, swim in the pool, swim in the creek, go camping, go fishing, ride horses, watch baby animals, travel, play outside, ride bikes, go for walks, picnic in the yard, play volleyball...outside, done with school, barbecue with friends, collect bugs with my daughter, open windows, dry clothes outside, lay out in the sun, go out on the boat, lay out on the hammock...I cannot wait for spring and summer.
ReplyDeleteCocoa barks when someone is here
ReplyDeleteBark Bark Bark
Cocoa barks when I come home
Bark Bark Bark
Cocoa barks when he wants attention
Bark Bark Bark
Cocoa barks when he sees another dog
Bark Bark Bark
Cocoa barks when he sees antelope
Bark Bark Bark
Cocoa barks at the horses
Bark Bark Bark
Cocoa barks when he thinks he is going on a hunting trip
Bark Bark Bark
Cocoa hides in his dogloo when he's in trouble
Hm Hm Hm
I found out today that a close friend of mine has breast cancer. She’s one of my favorite people…such a lovely person. So comical and out-going and compassionate and generous. She did all the right things. She ate right and exercised and was very committed to regular checkups. Her doctor told her that it was her commitment to yearly exams that saved her life; the cancer is still in the early stages. Just last week I rescheduled my own mammogram because it didn’t work with my schedule. Now I’m wishing I hadn’t done that. I made a promise to myself not to miss this one. Then I called another friend who’s been rescheduling hers for months. That dreaded “C” word is certainly on my mind tonight.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry!!! Hope your friend gets through this as best as possible.
DeleteDear Diary,
ReplyDeleteI will try this again tonight. I have tried posting several times to find that when I try to publish, I lose it all. My daughter has said to copy it to a document, but I even messed that up last night. Who knew that writing on a blog could be so difficult??? One time I tried to post the same thought three times and lost it every single time. I decided to give up and try again later. Well, after so many times a person gets frustrated and runs out of time. OK, well I am going to try to post this and see what happens!!!
Dear Diary,
ReplyDeleteI am so excited!!! I got the post to work!!! I also figured out how to copy and paste it!!! It has been a good night! It is funny how one moment a person can be so frustrated and the next they are thinking "That was easy!" WOW!!!...a good night. Well, I am going to get the little ones bathed and ready for bed.