Royalty

I was treated like a QUEEN this weekend! It was so fun, I love birthdays! I know some people don't but it has always been a celebration in my family and even with being so far away it is still special. Saturday I got a massage and Arcy (the best massage therapist in the world!) gave me a certificate for a free massage in the future as a b-day gift! Sarah took me to the movies Saturday afternoon and then surprised me with dinner at Chili's with some friends and coldstone after - perfecto!

Sunday - the big day - She made me chocolate chip pancakes, turkey bacon and OJ in bed, I didn't have to get up at all! Then we goofed around most of the day watching T.V., grocery shopping and such.

There were so many cards, phone calls and gifts, I was beyond grateful for everyone's good wishes, it always makes the homesickness better.

I am off to dry me hair - a la Sarah's post of loving water and then I will get ready to sleep a little, it's only Tuesday but it feels like next Thursday!

Love you All!!!

Search and Rescue

Devotion to duty, patriotism and selflessness are hallmarks of search and rescue crew
members. They were outstanding members of this command and as a close-knit family
we mourn their loss.

This was part of the statement made by the commanding officer of the 4 search and rescue crew members that were killed in a helicopter crash on Thursday afternoon here in Yuma. There were 5 men on board (4 Marines and one Naval officer) doing a routine practice flight when they lost radio contact at 4 p.m. A second search and rescue team found the crash site 20 miles north of Yuma, near the Colorado River around midnight Thursday. One Marine is in fair condition at the hospital. All the names have been released now, meaning all the next of kin has been notified. I realize this may seem like an awkward post but tonight I was with some Marine wives whose husbands knew these men, one had served over seas with one. My friend Jules is getting her group together to take meals to the families. One of the widows has two small children and is pregnant with her third.

As we sat there tonight I new what they were thinking. It could have been me. It could have been me making the arrangements, fielding calls and accepting condolences. It could have been me facing the thought of burying my young husband. All were 35 and under, the one in the hospital is 21 years old. I can't imagine how difficult it must be for them to face that reality, I see it from afar but I too am affected. I know these men, I spend time with their wives, children and them. I have gotten to know them over the last couple of years and to realize that they could be gone in an instant is a very terrifying thought.

I never dreamed this would be my experience in Yuma but it is. I am thankful to have my friends. To know them and love them and spend time with them. It has and will forever change how I view the military service in this country. It is a duty that many are called to but it is just as much a sacrifice and for those that sacrifice their freedom, families and sometimes their lives - I am forever in debt and thankful.

God Bless the families of the 4 soldiers killed Thursday in Yuma, Arizona.

Blown Away!

That's how I feel right now, blown away! I spent the weeks leading up to school figuring out all the things I did wrong last year and how to be a better interventionist this year. I had centers ready and progress monitoring stations and all kinds of systems in place. It was going to be great. It needed to be because I had seen the scores, I knew these kids were low and it was going to take blood sweat and tears to get them ready for AIMS.

Turns out, all it took was one week, some discipline and a pre-test to determine that they were, in fact, at or above grade level, great writers, good listeners and ready to learn everything they could. So over the weekend I changed everything out to grade level reading, created new systems and plans and reset my expectations. These kids are great, they are respectful, quiet and nice. Now, someone will have to remind me of this on the off days as there are bound to be some but for now I am enjoying my new found super kids.

Today they actually worked independently for about 25 minutes and didn't get out of their seats, it was a true feat. I have had a pretty nasty sinus infection the last week or so but the kids have been troopers about keeping up with me. I am truly looking forward to the day when I go in now, I couldn't have said that before, it's a nice feeling.

Movie Mania!

I am not one say "hey - let's watch a movie" or "Want to go to the movies?" Sarah is the one that loves movies and I am usually caught up in her excitement. But this summer we have been taking in lots of movies old and new and it has been lots of fun. One day we even say two in a row at the theater and I don't think I have ever done that! So here is what we've seen recently and what I thought but please see them and form your own opinions, never take my word for it because I don't get out much:-)

Inside Out: Indie film with big names, strange, dark and not my cup of tea. I do like Steven Webber though.

Music and Lyrics: Very cute. Hugh Grant is so funny! It is worth it just to see him do the 80's music video.

The Holiday: Second time I had seen this, very enjoyable although I did nap through most of the second half. oops.

Breach: S...l....o....w... I guess it is hard when you know going in what the ending is but some of the details were sketchy and I wanted to know more about why he sold secrets.

Over the Hedge: Again, second time through but it gets me every time, they are so darn cute!

Evan Almighty: This was funny, I liked it better than Evan Almighty, it had a great message and lots great one liners.

Harry Potter 5: What can you say - it's Harry Pottter.

Hairspray: I highly recommend this one - great songs and the cast was amazing!

I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry: Hilarious! I was skeptical going in but Kevin James is really funny and Adam Sandler seems to have grown up a bit. The movie was definitely worth sitting through it with two of our former students in the theater (which at first was a little uncomfortable)

Live Free/Die Hard: Very funny, Justin Long is hilarious and Kevin Smith plays a funny guy too. Lots of action and suspense!

Summer School: Sarah had never seen this so we netflixed it and it is good summer fun all the time plus Mark Harmon is good all the time too.

National Treasure: Again, a repeat for me but I wanted Sarah to watch it and I enjoyed it again. I like the history part.

Daddy's Girls: Very moving story, quite sad when you realize that this happens in real life all too often. Tyler Perry is a great film maker.

That's it for now, we have three new ones down stairs awaiting us. Work starts this week so our free time will dwindle a bit but I am sure we will keep our netflix subscription busy. If you have any recommendations let me know!

Afraid to Jump?

I was very fortunate this past week to visit my cousin and her family in Texas for a week. She has a 4 year old, a three year old and an 11 week old. It is a very busy house but so full of love you hardly notice! As a teacher and someone who questions whether they want children or not of my own it was refreshing to see what I did. My cousin is a wonderful mom, she cares more about her children than whether her house is spotless and her husband takes on the role of dad and husband in a way that many men choose not to. He is there for everything, he cooks, cleans and puts away the bad guys during the day. The family is not perfect but they worship God with all their hearts and are wonderful examples to all those around them.

Now, as to the title of the blog:

While in Texas we went to the mall, no small feat with 3 little ones to eat in the food court and play in the indoor playground. After we ate, I sent mommy and Sarah away for some shopping and took it upon myself to watch the little ones play and wear the littlest one in her sling around my neck (this is the only way she likes to travel). I was sitting there watching about 25 little people run around, bouncing, jumping and climbing with no hesitation. I don't interact with young children as much as I used to anymore.

One child was standing on a slide and jumped, straight down to the floor. I was ready to pounce when the screams started, as were many other adults I noticed around me. But there were no screams, no hesitation at all. She stood up and ran off to the next activity.

I sat there thinking about how much the bottoms of my feet would sting if I had hit the floor like that and how it would reverberate up my legs painfully. How I would have hesitated at the top, looked for an alternate route down and then taken the safer way. I would have at least bent my knees and tried to soften my fall somehow.

It got me thinking that I miss that about childhood. The no hesitation to do anything. The ability kids have to go at warp speed and not have to think about the consequences until later. Not one of those kids was worried about being abducted but every time one of my little ones ran behind the big play structure I was on my feet looking to make sure they came back around the other side.

I wonder where it starts, where do we get the innate fear to question everyone and everything around us? Where does that come from? At what point did I think it was more important to be careful and not get hurt than to jump or take a risk to be happy. It seems like when a situation presents itself we think of 14 ways it can play out before entering the situation. Children see one and walk into it. I teach problem solving as a teacher I am not sure if that helps them or if it hinders them. So, are you afraid to jump?

FOUND

FOUND:

Small wooden puppy on red string. It was mysteriously zipped into my suitcase when I unpacked this morning from my month long trip. It must have been put in when I was in either Michigan or Texas - (unless some stranger at the airport thought I needed a puppy!) My guess is some little bricks were involved...Anybody have a theory?????

Family Fun

While you all have been waiting with bated breath for a new post I have been having a terrific vacation. My parents were able to take some time off and we visited some family, ate out (to avoid dishes), shopped (which resulted in too much stuff for suitcases!) and had fun.

We took in a Lugnuts game on July 3rd which is always great fun. For those not familiar, it is a farm team out of Lansing. It is a small stadium but baseball just the same. I for one love baseball games. In fact, it is the only sport I really enjoy watching. We ate there which meant hot dogs and nachos and pretzels. We threw in some Twizlers and popcorn too. Then the evening ended with fireworks!

The fourth of July was a planned day at the lake on the Roxberry's boat. This had been planned for quite some time so when the weather looked as if it wasn't going to cooperate we were not deterred in the least. Even when everyone else bailed. The Knapp's and the Roxberry's have been doing the lake thing for years and the threat of rain would not stop us! Sarah and I were dropped of at 10:30 a.m. to guard the picnic spot at the beach in case other crazy people decided to venture out. Then the boat was launched and the supplies arrived at 12. The day ended up perfect. The lack of sun was a good thing for me as I had been burned the weekend before and was not looking forward to that again. We spent the day in the boat and eating our massive picnic for 30 because again, everyone else bailed on account of the weather. We went tubing - I got thrown off once with bruises to prove it. The sun did come out eventually making for a very fine 4Th.

That's just two days of the many I have been gone, I will fill you in on the rest later gators.

Staples rocks!

$12.55 on debit card. Four trips to two Staples stores in two cities in two days. 115 pencil sharpeners, 114 bottles of glue and 114 packages of pencils (912 pencils = one for every kid in Crane Middle School). WHAT A DEAL!!!!

Vacation!

It's Thursday morning, I haven't been here for a week yet and it feels like we have been here a month. Things are crazy as usual, here's a glimpse:

Saturday-

* Haircut at barber shop
* Mom and dad to wedding
* Sarah and I took grandma and grandpa to Kara and Katie's grad party for day

Sunday-

* Church at 9
* Reception to say goodbye to Jeff and Julia
* Catered brunch for wedding participants (got moved at last minute when air conditioner broke)
* Crashed and took nap
* Fathers day with grandpa
* Vacation Bible School kick off, helped crew for hot air balloon

Monday-

*On the road for Chicago - two traffic jams added 2 hours to our trip
* Dinner with John and stayed at his apartment

Tuesday-

*Located Betsy and hit Starbucks
*Appointment at headache clinic - happy with progress, my favorite Dr. is leaving :-(
* Field Museum - great exhibits - highly recommended!
* Lunch at Hard Rock Cafe (who can resist their valet parking in downtown!)
*Dropped Betsy at friends work and headed back to Michigan

Wednesday-

*NOTHING - I stayed in my pajamas all day until dinner. We took Jeff and Julia out for a see you later dinner so I showered and such but when we got home it was right back in my jammies and we finished tying a quilt they had been working on.

Thursday-

TBA Sarah and Dad headed out to the links this morning but I opted to stay home and relax a little. I need to get back on a schedule. I hope everyone is doing well. Drop me a line and let me know what's going on!

Big Bang

Last Thursday I completed my second year at Crane. I am celebrating it as a success because seep down I like my kids and my job. The day was good, we saw them all for a little while, said our goodbyes. I sorted through some boxes and got rid of some stuff etc... Then the day ended. It was a half day and the kids were all crying, because, let's be realistic, this is the now for them. For a lot of these kids who move around and have very flexible families, school is the one constant in their lives. So everyone is crying and hugging and all the teachers are out for bus duty trying to herd them to the buses when all of sudden I am in the middle of a fight trying to pull one of my students off of another. They had a hold of each other's hair in death grips and refused to let go. I was pulling pretty hard on one and my fellow teacher Mrs. M was pulling equally hard on the other. The math teacher jumped in and the gimpy social studies teacher and police officer (who is on crutches at the moment) also tried to get in. It took some doing but we untangled everyone and I had to physically pick my student up and remover her from the area. We got them separated and calmed down pretty quickly because the 8th grade promotion was starting so there were parents milling around. Sarah in the mean time had been across the yard, seen what was happening and run to our aid. She went for the principal who was outside with us but oblivious to the whole thing.

I am still not sure what the whole thing was about my my student got pretty scratched up from fingernails and she was upset, she didn't start it and was apparently caught off guard. We also learned that another girl had been involved and slipped away during the commotion so we called her house and her mother brought her in immediately when she got off the bus.

It certainly ended the year with a big bang!

Extravaganza

I am exhausted! But it is good, today we had fun, I was in charge of the jousting matches at the carnival this morning and I took a few hits but overall I had a winning record. We had boxing, water slides, a rock climbing wall, a giant slip and slide, an obstacle course and more. All set up in our parking lot. It was great and the kids behaved great, it was hot so we are sunburned and tired. Now we have had lunch and are watching "Akeelah and the Bee" until it is time to go home. Then tomorrow it will be the last day. This was a positive way to end the year.

Especially since there hasn't been alot of positives lately. We are in huge budget crunches and we are being forced to lose a teacher to the elementary. My boss put it to us to decide as a staff, which I think is unfair, but that is the way it is. I offered to go but they said no. They can't afford to lose an English teacher. They want a social studies teacher to go.

One of my students is in lock up because she assaulted a police officer during a domestic disturbance last weekend and has to stay there until July 6th. Another is under house arrest and yet another is in in school all week for coming forward and admitting he took part in a crime. Things are messy for my kids. I teach the low ones so their lives are a little harder than others. Sarah got a huge gift basket from one of hers with a gift card and scrapbooking stuff in it. I felt bad at first knowing I wouldn't get anything from my kids. Then I remembered that I don't need anything. I get satisfaction every time they get a good grade on a test or learn the meaning of a new word.

I am a tree!

I am a tree, I did it! Sarah and I started going to Yoga class during spring break so it has been about 3 months and my goal has been to do tree stand without falling over. I did it tonight, twice! I was so excited - the instructor kept telling me to keep going that the strength work would pay off and it did. For anyone that doesn't know what tree pose check this out:

http://www.santosha.com/asanas/vriksha.html

It ain't easy bein' green

I try to be conscious of the world and my impact on it. When the scientists said to stop using aerosols I did, when they said to stop using lead in products we did, when they said to stop drinking so much bottled water because the bottles were stacking up and not biodegrading fast enough I did, even though I miss it.

So now, even though I am trying to do what they say it's not enough and I have to wonder if it will ever be enough. Newsweek reported this week that male fish in the Colorado River are turning into female fish thus causing a reproductive problem and it is being caused by non other than anti bacterial soap being washed down the drains.

So now I am going to stop using anti bacterial soap as well. The scientists are investigating the link that this finding has on humans. They are seeing a connection to puberty starting earlier in girls and lower sperm count in men. The results could be devastating to our future. All of this from fish! And people wonder why I don't sleep.

Gone Green

Mary Kay has gone GREEN! No, your make -up will not be green, we are still MK Pink and proud of it but we have jumped on the environmentally friendly bandwagon. I got an order yesterday and it came with new packing material. Peanuts. OK, peanuts are not new but we usually get brown paper. These peanuts are special. They are made out of some crazy biodegradable stuff and they are OK to throw away because they will break down quickly or, are you ready for this...They dissolve in hot water. It really works. I poured them in the sink and soaked them in hot water and they disappeared down the drain. It was fantastic.

So now you have one more reason to buy MK, we're not just pink anymore, we're green too!

Good Things

This is a good week. There are bad things, there always are but today I will tell you the good things

1. We had the golf party for our little city champions and it was fun, we golfed, ate pizza, took pictures and hung out.

2. We had a long weekend and got to do lots of things without feeling super rushed all the time.

3. My shoulder is still feeling good (knock on wood)

4. My purchase order was approved to buy the team championship shirts and the guy is designing really cool ones for us!

5. I didn't have to write and behavior referrals today

6. Only 16 more days until we fly home!!!!!!

7. I am content, not frustrated or angry or headachy just content. and happy being so.

Sadness

Anyone who works with children will tell you the same thing: it is bittersweet

This like all my other jobs have been is difficult. It is an ongoing mess of misbehavior, stress, upper management mismanagement exhaustion and fun. That's right I said fun. We wouldn't do it if deep down it didn't give us a sense of joy we couldn't get anywhere else. Oh we complain, you should hear the teachers lounge on Fridays! But let someone outside of our profession say something about our kids and watch how fast we come to their defense. We are protective mother bears - they are our babies for better or for worse.

The year is almost over and like every job I have ever had I am getting sad. It is hard to get so attached to these little ones and then have to watch them grow up and leave you. I have finally gotten to a place where I don't cry thank goodness. I remember my first day care job, you would have thought someone had died and I hated that job!

This has been a tough year. I have had intervention all year and they have drained me. I have asked not to teach intervention next year. I need some time off. They are so needy and dependent on me for everything, I am not only their teacher but their counselor and their cheerleader and sometimes their mother. It has been a year and I have been looking forward to the end. But this morning it hit me as it aways does that I will miss them terribly and that I love my job for better or for worse!

We Win!!!

Today I got the biggest trophy ever! Okay, I didn't get it, the golf team did and it probably isn't the biggest one ever. But it is big! We are very excited we won the city championship and took first and second in the individual places also!

The kids have really worked hard and practiced a lot more than the other teams to get as far as they did. I am really proud of the effort they put in. We had a lot of parent support this year too which is really helpful.

Only 14 days left and 15 until we fly home yaaaaaa!!!!

The Switch

One day last week I called a student over to my desk and asked him to read me something. What I had was something written in Spanish that I had taken from another student and I wanted to know what it said. He gives me this confused look and says "I don't know". I said, "OK, no big deal. I just wanted to know what it said because I can't read the Spanish" He shook his head and said "Oh, it's in Spanish, let me see" and he read it to me and explained it to me perfectly. I laughed and said do you have a switch?

It's so true though, most of my kids are bilingual and I have never spent much time thinking that it may be confusing for them. But it's true. They have to tell themselves which language to think in and speak in. To me it looks so easy for them but the more I think about it the more I think it must be difficult at times.

On a happy note - My shoulder didn't hurt one time this week thanks to yoga. I went to get a massage on Saturday and had nothing to complain about so I got an overall massage. Arcy said there was no inflammation in my back for the first time on almost 2 years! Such good news! Yoga seems to be the cure for right now at least.

19 Days

That's how many days are left of school and we here at the middle school couldn't be happier. I still have not signed my contract - I have until the 2nd of June, a full 30 days after I got it. They keep sending these e-mails asking that we turn them in. I think they are fearing the worst - that we will all walk out on the last day and not come back. I will sign mine and I will come back for one more year because I said I would and I am too poor to move right now.

I will keep hoping that next year will be better and in lots of ways it will. I will have one more year under my belt and be that much better of a teacher. It will give me time to figure out where I want to go next and to really research some districts. There is so much that is different between districts. It is weird because the federal government expects so much but the accountability really isn't there across districts.

Anyone, the point is I am looking forward to summer break and a new start in the fall!

A long time!

I know it has been a long time, sorry, time has really flown these past few weeks! Here are the highlights:

1. Jamee had Olivia who is beautiful and healthy!
2. Grandpa is finally starting treatment and getting out of the house a bit more
3. Two good friends have arrived home safe from Iraq
4. My students are fidgety and ready to be done for the summer, as am I
5. We bought plane tickets for summer break and get to be in Michigan for 23 days!!!!!!
6. I took my first online class, unofficially through Sarah, it was hard!
7. I found a new neurologist here in Yuma and he is very knowledgeable which is fantastic!
8. I have been continuing with Yoga and I really enjoy it - especially the dead bug pose:-)
9. My friend Shannon is moving to Tuscon and that makes me sad:-(
10. I had to break up a bloody fight and got blood on my pants, which got me thinking about going to self-defense school
11. It is HOT in Yuma now, summer has arrived!


That's what I have been up to, what about you? I will post more frequently now that things are winding down.