Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Nothing

It has only been like 4 weeks since I said that I would try and blog at least once every week... I think the operative word there is "TRY." Especially, because I have tried, I swear!

For the life of me I can't think of anything to type, that would not take a lot of time and not be really boring.
For instance, I could maybe start writing some of "Max and the 11th Dinosaur" on here, but that would take a lot of time, especially since it has been a REALLY long time since I wrote anything fictional and not for a college class.
Or, I could write a little about what I'm doing these days, but I don't think people want to read about how I am writing VBS curriculum for my job/church and I am very far behind and a little stressed about it... because that is all I am doing these days. I would just say the same thing every post.

I was talking to a friend the other day and she has started a blog of pictures of things that she thinks looks really neat (actually she told me that my sunglasses are on it... I need to find the blog) and another friend of mine finished a year long thing where she did "self" portraits...
I don't have anything interesting like that to do, and I definitely don't want to have about 365 pictures of myself on the interweb... YUCK! (Chris, which is only to say that pictures of myself would be yuck, I really enjoyed yours)

Well, either way, I am going to keep blogging away. I think it is a habit I need to strengthen (unlike my terrible habit of eating food ALL the time... that one needs to END). And maybe after VBS is through, I WILL start on some "Max and the 11th Dinosaur"... that would be fun.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Yay!!

I am subbing right now and as a result I can't get onto facebook. Maybe that is a sign that I am attached to facebook a little too much... But since I haven't blogged for last week I figured I could blog right now.

Anyways, I wanted to tell everyone about my grades from my first year of Grad school. (Note: I don't think it is pompous to tell everyone that I'm in Grad School, which is why I tell everyone about it when I talk about school) I just checked my final grades and I got A's in both of my classes!! Which means that I have gotten ALL A's so far in grad school!!! That is really exciting! I have never gotten all A's in my college classes... at least post children college classes.

Also, just a few words about high schoolers. I LOVE them! (That is where I am subbing right now.) I have been listening to them reagale us with information about this past weekend. It was prom and apparently the "senior campout" and today is senior skip day. Oh Man!! Just the various discussions that are occuring... and thier passion about all of it is amazing. They talk about the events like they are the most important things ever.

Well, thanks for reading! I'll blog again later this week!

Saturday, May 2, 2009

What I learned after a weekend with 16 preteens

So, as promised my blog a week is here... and Rachel, I'm sorry it isn't "exactly" a week from my last one, but it is "within" the week from the last one.

Let me give you some background to this post before I start. Last weekend, actually exactly a week from when I am typing this, I took 16 preteens (4th-6th graders) and 3 adults to a CIY convention (a humongous event for kids to learn more about Jesus.. to put it very simply). It was just ONE night, and even within 24 hours. However, this was everyone's first time doing something like this (including me and one of my adults) and I learned A LOT! Here are a few of them.
  • Always tell children explicitly what is going to happen and when. Or you will have to repeat yourself 16 more times and the end result is like herding cats.
  • You must take careful notes when talking to a parent about what they expect you to do for their kid and follow it to a tee. (I'm still waiting to see how this one ends up)
  • If they are on stage they are immediately a star (this is probably even true for us adults, too) NOTE: I have a picture for this, but I left it on my other computer, I'll get if for you soon.
  • A large Caramel Frappuccino can go a loooong way (but beware of the side effects)
  • Sometimes you really just need a break...
So, there it is, 5 bullet points of pure wisdom... ok, well, maybe not PURE wisdom, but there is a little bit in there. If you want to get in-depth stories of any of the points email me or call me I'll be glad to share.

Monday, April 20, 2009

My To Do Lists...

Since it is Monday and I am in the office, I usually write a to do list of all the things I have to get done this week. I did it today and this is what it looks like...
I don't know if you can see it, but the left column is School stuff, the middle column is Home, and the right column is Work. OH MAN THAT IS A LOT OF STUFF.
And even though the school one has only 3 things they include a final exam, putting together a resource notebook, and an entire presentation on Japan's involvement in WW2!! All due by next Tuesday.

Yet, here I am, blogging for the second time in a week.

GET TO WORK, SELF!

Sunday, April 19, 2009

A Day at Eden Park


On the 24th I am taking (so far) 14 preteens downtown for a convention and for two hours of that weekend our group has a play time. For our play time I am sending them on a picture taking scavenger hunt around Eden Park (It is going to be AWESOME). To prepare for the hunt, the family and I went to Eden Park Saturday and I took 118 pictures. Some of them were for the hunt and some of them just for fun. Here are the ones that are my favorite. I hope you enjoy them.




Also, I think I am going to start working really hard to blog at least once a week.

Monday, March 2, 2009

The Adventures of the Tooth Fairy

As promised here is what happened last weekend.

Sydney lost her third tooth. She had been working on loosing it for about a month and then in the middle of eating spaghetti at Skyline out it popped. And for your information, having someone's tooth fall out while you are eating, is DISGUSTING.

Earlier in the evening Sydney came into the kitchen and explained, aloud, that the Tooth Fairy was not to take her tooth, and how Sydney was going to write the Tooth Fairy a letter. I asked her why she was telling us this again. Her reply was "Well, the Tooth Fairy cannot read minds. So in order for her to know what to do you have to say it out loud." I just loved this, because of all the fictional characters that come and visit your house, the Tooth Fairy is the only one we do in our house. (well really its the only one I do in our house, Rob thinks the whole things is silly) Then after we made got home from Skyline, with the tooth securely in a baggie, Sydney comes out of her bedroom with a homemade envelope with a letter inside. I asked her what it was and she said that it was a letter to the Tooth Fairy.

Fast forward to Tooth Fairy time. In comes the Tooth Fairy and picks up the tooth and a letter. She opens it and this is what the letter said:

"Dear Tooth Fairy
Leave me a note Thank you
And be careful if you go on the toy box"
(which by the way was a total mess)

Needless to say the Tooth Fairy found some note cards just for this occasion and left a reply.

In the morning, the note was the talk of the house. You see, Henry had whispered to me before he went to bed that I should leave Sydney a note, so Henry said that I had left Sydney the note. Sydney's reply was, Mom doesn't have these note cards!

Maybe it is wrong to lie to my children about the existence of a fairy that comes in and "takes" your teeth (in Sydney's case it is just placing them in my jewelery box) and leaves you money instead. But I think that it is so exciting to see my children's minds just make up a whole world beyond theirs made up of teeth and fairies and American currency. And to my defense the Tooth Fairy is not affiliated with any Christian holiday.

Here is a picture of Sydney's letter. Notice the Tooth Fairy, I love her and her wings and her crown.

Yet again, I need your help.

If you ask Rob he will tell you this same thing, but I am the most indecisive person, EVER. I just had to call him to make a decision about which hotel to reserve for my youth group. And now I need another decision to be made and I need help, so who better to ask than the people who read my blog (which I think is just about 4 people, but I'm linking this to my facebook page so maybe more people will respond).

First a little bit of background, on April 24 and 25 I am taking a group of 4th-6th graders downtown for a convention and part of that convention is a "Plug 'N' Play" thing where our group goes out for about 3 hours to hang out together and do really fun stuff. My dilemma is where should I take them? I like to think that I know a few things about the city and where we can go, but I want to take them somewhere that is REALLY neat and someplace they wouldn't usually go if they were downtown. Also, it has to be inexpensive. OH, and there is going to be 16 kids and 4 adults. I was thinking something like going to Eden Park, but what would we do there for 3 hours. Right now it just dawned on me, what about a scavenger hunt... that would be really fun!!

Well, if anyone out there has any ideas feel free to reply to this message.

And, if you are tired of helping me with my indecisiveness I'm going to blog tonight about an amazing thing that happened last weekend when Syd lost her tooth.