Saturday, January 24, 2009

Teacher Appreciation

I know it is true that we appreciate our parents more when we become parents, but it can also be said that those of us who are teachers appreciate our teachers more, the longer we teach. (One a side note, I probably punctuated that sentence incorrectly, but I'm not working today so I don't care!)

This time of year is when I really start to appreciate Mrs. Bell. She was my yearbook sponsor. We had a wonderful time working on our yearbook pages and somehow, they magically became a beautiful keepsake for all students. Well, let me tell you, there is A LOT of work that goes into yearbooks! I am currently counting Who's Who votes. Remember Who's Who? That activity where you get to vote for Best Dressed, Most Athletic and so on... Counting those votes is no easy task! Especially when some of the 600+ students in your school think that you know who they mean when they put down "Katie" for Class Favorite, nevermind if there are 6 Katies in their grade! Sure would be helpful to have the super power of mind reading at times like these! Then there is the endless quest for pictures. You hate to leave anyone out, but I have found the collection of these priceless items to be hard to come by. Last, but certainly not least, we have to SELL the yearbooks! As kids we didn't care how many others bought one as long as we got ours and had something for people to sign on that glorious day in May. Little did we know that you have to sell a certain amount in order to get them at a good price. Factor in forgetfulness of kids and the economy, WOW! How nice that there was an adult to handle all those details. I just wish I had known that I was going to be the adult handling those details one day!

So as I endeavor to make sure that my kiddos have a yearbook worth keeping up with for the years to come...thank you Mrs. Bell and all the other sponsors who took care of the "details" so we could just enjoy!

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Ten Things Tuesday

Our family was blessed with a chance to go out of town for the weekend. Here are a few of the things we found to be thankful for on our trip to Branson.....
1. T.V.'s in the van.
2. The van. I never knew travel could be so nice!
3. Time for an adult conversation! Kids were distracted by #1.
4. Coats...it was cold!
5. Everyone agreeing on where to eat! This doesn't happen much!
6. An awesome breakfast at the hotel each morning.
7. Hotel for Dogs...one of two kid friendly movies playing.
8. Ride Makers - the boy equivalent to Build A Bear. Wil had the best time making a car and playing with it (with Daddy's help) in the hotel parking lot.
9. Time off at the same time.
10. Being back home!

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Thankfulness

I know that most of you call this "Ten Things Tuesday" and tell things that you are thankful for. I decided that I really needed to take part in this, especially considering my sarcasm laced previous post! (I should say "I'm Sorry" to my children who made read it in later years. Mommy is SO not perfect).

I am thankful for:
1. My husband's new job and how much he likes it.
2. Wil's hugs.
3. Avery's bedtime kisses.
4. My school....it is not a chore to go there everyday.
5. Crock pots. They are the only way I can get dinner on the table some nights.
6. Caffiene - enough said!
7. The devotional book that I friend gave me for Christmas. It gets me into God's Word everyday.
8. The biggest loser contest we are having at work. It is great motivation!
9. Avery's love of art and history.
10. Six Flags season passes.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Do You Ever?

Do you ever have a day that makes you long for your childhood? You know, the days when all you had to do was play and eat and go to bed early? Sometimes I miss those days......getting up early because I want to watch cartoons, playing Barbies, coloring, bed by 8:30 (although I didn't like that at the time!)....those were good days.

Monday, January 5, 2009

Back to School????

Ah, Arkansas weather....gotta love it. Wasn't it just a few days ago that we were able to be out without a coat? I do prefer it to be cold during winter, and this 70 degrees one day and freezing rain two days later is killing me!

We made it pretty well this morning. As predicted, I woke up to look at the clock starting at 2:30 and finally got up at 5:20. I held to my decision to exercise and did that by constantly moving while I watched an episode of "Wings". I am SO glad that there is a sitcom on at 5:30 in the morning! Everyone awoke with minor grumbling and, thanks to advanced planning, got dressed with no tears! Wil and I were out of the house by 7:05 (I have duty on Mondays this semester).

The morning went so well. I have new students this semester and enjoyed getting to know them. I asked each one to write a paragraph or two about goals that they have set for themselves either for this semester or for life in general. Some of them have some very interesting plans! I didn't even know it was raining when I heard that some schools were dismissing at 11:30! What a shock! We stuck it out until 1:30. I am guessing and hoping that we did this to avoid having to make up the day. Of course, this being my duty day, I had to stay until nearly 2:00 waiting for people to be picked up . Friends....if school is dismissed early, have someone pick up your kids and DO NOT allow them to stand on the steps of the school talking to friends while you wait in the car and teachers are turning blue and feeling guilty that their children are the last ones left at their own schools. Sorry for the rant, I know you are all responsible adults and don't need my reminders, but my feet are still frozen! We are all home now, wondering what tomorrow will bring. If schools are closed, do we sleep in or get up to stay with our routine? Decisions, decisions.

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Happy New Year!

Wow! 2009.....At our house, we're kind of glad to see it. Last year was a challenge at times. Let's reminisce, shall we? I started the year off laid up with a broken ankle. All is well now, but I have a pin, a plate and 6 screws left as an achy reminder on cold and rainy days, not to mention the 15 pounds I gained eating all the yummy food that my sweet friends brought! Then there was job change. Never a fun thing, especially when you aren't expecting it. We made it through and saw God at work in our lives. He has never failed us.

Enough of that! There were many wonderful memories in 2008! We took a trip to Disney World in March. It was Wil's first trip and we all had a blast. We are looking forward to our next opportunity to return. Avery continued her acting "career" as a cricket in Jonesboro High School's production of "Children of Eden" and as part of the elephant troop in Visual and Performing Arts' production of Disney's "Jungle Book Kids." She loves art and drama. VPA seems like a school that was made for her. I loved the day when she said, "I want to go to VPA every year, but they only have 2 things there that don't really go with the arts.....P.E. and math!" Yes, that's my daughter! We talked about how P.E. helps actors and dancers stay in shape and how math helps artists know how much to charge for their artwork and that made it okay.

Wil has had a great school year! Mrs. Christi and Mr. Brandon are the best! He has improved in so many areas where he once struggled. He is a local celebrity now! Well, at least to us. He had his picture in the Jonesboro Sun, building a spaceship in his classroom and he was on the 6 o'clock news as part of Pre-K's Community Helpers Parade. We also found out that he loves music. He has been taking Kindermusik and would love to learn to play the guitar. He is the funniest kid I think I've ever seen. I am trying my best to write down all the funny things he says. He is counting the days until he can learn to fly and be an astronaut!

With the new year, I have been thinking about resolutions. Of course, there's the all present lose weight and get in shape thing. I think what I would most like to do is pray more, worry less, smile more, and be a good example to my children of what it is to be a Christian wife and mother.....