January 7, 2013
I feel like I need to be honest in these posts to show my friends and family and anyone else who might read this that life isn't always perfect. Things don't always work out the way we wish they did. We can't always be the person we want to be. Sometimes we fail, fail miserably, in moments that we wish we could take back. That happened to me this weekend. But you know what? That is life. We gaff and then we say sorry to our kids, ourselves, our spouses, and God, and then we move on knowing we all still love each other no matter what.
I didn't completely succeed at being the fun loving, happy mom and wife that I wanted to be this weekend. However, it still ended up being a great weekend. There was yelling and there were timeouts (for mom and for kids), but we all got past that and spent most of our two days together content and sweet to each other. My husband was happy to have me home on Saturday night since we won't see much of each other this week. I got in quite a few snuggles with both kids and tons more handstand practice with my little gymnast. We went to a store, got what we needed, and left without any major breakdowns or fits. We got to church on time without any arguments and left in fairly good moods. I didn't have any earth shattering epiphanies about parenting or marriage. It was really a pretty uneventful weekend, and that is why it was a good one. We spent time together and were happy (most of the time). Isn't that what really matters?
Monday, January 7, 2013
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Learning is Fun (especially if you don't know you are learning)
January 3. 2013
The first day back to school after a break can be horrible for students and teachers alike. My goal today was to make it not horrible for as many kids as I could. I figured that my students need their brains turned back on before I give them a district Benchmark test next week. My plan, make them laugh while they are learning. They might not notice the hard work their brains are doing. I must preface this with the fact that they didn't love all of the lesson, but they did ask if we could do this everyday. So I would say it was a success.
Every student needs to know that they still have creativity somewhere inside them. They also need to be given a chance to use it without feeling like they are weird. I made everyone be silly. I told them that the only thing I wanted to do today was laugh. No grade other than participation, just laughing.
The activity consisted of drawing a location word, an object word, and a character word out of 3 separate cups. All the words were pretty basic things, but when combined randomly, created some interesting scenarios.
The first day back to school after a break can be horrible for students and teachers alike. My goal today was to make it not horrible for as many kids as I could. I figured that my students need their brains turned back on before I give them a district Benchmark test next week. My plan, make them laugh while they are learning. They might not notice the hard work their brains are doing. I must preface this with the fact that they didn't love all of the lesson, but they did ask if we could do this everyday. So I would say it was a success.
Every student needs to know that they still have creativity somewhere inside them. They also need to be given a chance to use it without feeling like they are weird. I made everyone be silly. I told them that the only thing I wanted to do today was laugh. No grade other than participation, just laughing.
The activity consisted of drawing a location word, an object word, and a character word out of 3 separate cups. All the words were pretty basic things, but when combined randomly, created some interesting scenarios.
High-rise office
Foot Doctor
Tools
Bank
Police Officer
History book
Mountains
Umbrella
Comedian
Museum
Sculpture
Burger Flipper
Amazon River
Car keys
Scorpion
For each scenario, I gave the kids 3 minutes to write a few sentences linking the 3 pieces together. I think my favorite was the bank robber who escaped from the police officer by smacking him with the history book. I also had to chuckle at the raw meat museum featuring a sculpture of SpongeBob as a burger-flipper. All totally silly, but really good stuff coming from my kids who have reading and writing disabilities. No one would have known that today. They had fun and they learned about a skill they have inside of them that they can use to their advantage. At the end of the class, I had them choose their favorite story and give the characters names and 3 character traits. This was equally as funny as the stories themselves. My plan is that they will build on these stories a bit at a time over the next few weeks until they have something they are proud of.
The juices are flowing and we had a good time today. Mission accomplished.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Play Some Games, Do Some Acrobats
I need to go to bed, so this is a quick one.
January 2, 2013
It is all about spending time focused on each other. I lost of couple rounds of Uno Moo, won a game of Pirate Plank, played Barbies, and helped Lynn with her hand stands for dance class. Proud moment of the day: Lynn wailed when she lost Pirate Plank. I ignored it, and it went away!
January 2, 2013
It is all about spending time focused on each other. I lost of couple rounds of Uno Moo, won a game of Pirate Plank, played Barbies, and helped Lynn with her hand stands for dance class. Proud moment of the day: Lynn wailed when she lost Pirate Plank. I ignored it, and it went away!
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
See the Fun, Be the Fun
I don't typically don't do the whole New Year's Resolution thing. They never stick, right? So why put myself through that? But....I really want to start writing more, and I need something to write about. So here comes the Resolution if I have to call it that.
I want to see the fun and be the fun more often, and when I do, I'm going to blog about it. I want my family to have fun with me, I want my co-workers to enjoy their day, and I want my students to have fun in my classroom. I am going to make a deep down, real effort to make that happen as many days as I can. So here goes...
January 1, 2013 No More Duchess of Don't
My daughter has a Barbie movie that she calls the 12 Princesses Dancing. Long story short, the evil aunt comes to reform the motherless girls. She poisons the king in hopes of taking over. Lynn and I knew she was bad because she had "big, fat hair." All the villainous women do in the Barbie movies. Anyway, at one point the girls are making fun of the aunt and they call her "The Duchess of Don't." "Don't do this. Don't wear that. Don't, don't, don't!" Watching this is always hilarious to Lynn and I. It is probably one of my favorite scenes in the million hours of Barbie that I have watched. However, as a mom of a very strong willed and energetic little girl, I find myself sounding more like the Duchess of Don't than I would like.
Today I was the Lady of Let's. There were more than a few times today that I wanted to just sit and surf pinterest or stare at the TV instead of join in on activities with my kids. Today, I didn't say, "not now", or "just a minute", or "let me finish this." I said, "Let's do it." I ended up winning two games of Lego Pirate Plank. Lynn didn't love that the first time, but by the second, she was okay. She beat me twice at Uno Moo. I made some cute paper animals for Joe to decorate that made him smile. I didn't think they would turn out, but they were good enough for him, and we had fun doing it. I didn't scream at the kiddos to stop running the racetrack through our house. Instead, the mommy monster cut them off at the pass and got some really big hugs and giggles. That was more fun than yelling and sending kids to time out. Honestly though, I am really the most proud about some really little things that I didn't do today. I didn't say "don't" when my baby girl jumped on me in my bed this morning. I just hugged her and tickled her and let her hug me back. I didn't nag when I found some Goldfish crackers on the floor. I just threw them away and moved on. I didn't say, "don't" a million times like I could have at Nebraska Furniture Mart. Everyone else is on the beds, why shouldn't the kids try them out too? It wasn't a completely happy trip to that store, but it was better than any I can remember. No one was mad when we got to the car. It might not sound like much, but it was an amazing and relaxing day. It was fun.
It really is the little things. I know that there are going to be times when I can't be the fun one. There are rules that have to be followed. We can't have bacon for every meal. I know this. My goal is to say "yes" to the things I can, because "yes" let's me enjoy my family to the fullest. So long Duchess, the Lady has arrived.
I want to see the fun and be the fun more often, and when I do, I'm going to blog about it. I want my family to have fun with me, I want my co-workers to enjoy their day, and I want my students to have fun in my classroom. I am going to make a deep down, real effort to make that happen as many days as I can. So here goes...
January 1, 2013 No More Duchess of Don't
My daughter has a Barbie movie that she calls the 12 Princesses Dancing. Long story short, the evil aunt comes to reform the motherless girls. She poisons the king in hopes of taking over. Lynn and I knew she was bad because she had "big, fat hair." All the villainous women do in the Barbie movies. Anyway, at one point the girls are making fun of the aunt and they call her "The Duchess of Don't." "Don't do this. Don't wear that. Don't, don't, don't!" Watching this is always hilarious to Lynn and I. It is probably one of my favorite scenes in the million hours of Barbie that I have watched. However, as a mom of a very strong willed and energetic little girl, I find myself sounding more like the Duchess of Don't than I would like.
Today I was the Lady of Let's. There were more than a few times today that I wanted to just sit and surf pinterest or stare at the TV instead of join in on activities with my kids. Today, I didn't say, "not now", or "just a minute", or "let me finish this." I said, "Let's do it." I ended up winning two games of Lego Pirate Plank. Lynn didn't love that the first time, but by the second, she was okay. She beat me twice at Uno Moo. I made some cute paper animals for Joe to decorate that made him smile. I didn't think they would turn out, but they were good enough for him, and we had fun doing it. I didn't scream at the kiddos to stop running the racetrack through our house. Instead, the mommy monster cut them off at the pass and got some really big hugs and giggles. That was more fun than yelling and sending kids to time out. Honestly though, I am really the most proud about some really little things that I didn't do today. I didn't say "don't" when my baby girl jumped on me in my bed this morning. I just hugged her and tickled her and let her hug me back. I didn't nag when I found some Goldfish crackers on the floor. I just threw them away and moved on. I didn't say, "don't" a million times like I could have at Nebraska Furniture Mart. Everyone else is on the beds, why shouldn't the kids try them out too? It wasn't a completely happy trip to that store, but it was better than any I can remember. No one was mad when we got to the car. It might not sound like much, but it was an amazing and relaxing day. It was fun.
It really is the little things. I know that there are going to be times when I can't be the fun one. There are rules that have to be followed. We can't have bacon for every meal. I know this. My goal is to say "yes" to the things I can, because "yes" let's me enjoy my family to the fullest. So long Duchess, the Lady has arrived.
Monday, July 2, 2012
South Dakota Extravaganza 2012
We left on Friday the 22nd with a planned stop in Chamberlain. When we were almost to Chamberlain, we decided it was too early to stop and everyone was doing so well that we decided to keep going. Arriving a night early after a great drive was an excellent start to an awesome week!
Some travel tips for long car drives:
License plate check off printable:You can find lots of them on pinterest. We got all but Mississippi, Delaware, and New Hampshire. However we did see 6 Canadian Provinces and Washington, D.C....not too bad, huh?
Cookie Sheets for lap desks: Great for all the normal stuff like coloring, etc., but you can also do magnets. If you use a jellyroll pan with a deeper edge, the colors and other items don't roll away as easily.
Color Wonder paint, markers and paper: mess free, enough said
Black Construction Paper books (home made) and chalk: The novelty of it makes drawing a little more exciting.
Books on CD from the library and a portable CD player
Movies from the library or Redbox: Getting new things to watch for cheap or free has loads of entertainment value. We looked up Redbox locations before our drive and we were able to watch the movie and return it at the next stop.
Melissa and Doug Travel Matching game: I found ours at Hy-Vee for 10.49. It is about 5 dollars more at Michael's.
Felt boards: I found some at Michael's for 8 dollars each. They have a bunch of different themes for boys and girls. I was surprised how much both my kids liked these.
Bead Necklace kit: From Michaels again. Lots of themes for boys or girls. I had a princess and a pirate:) The cookie sheet was great for this activity because the beads couldn't roll away.
Even if it adds to the drive, stop at fun places along the way. We had a great time getting up and moving and learning a little history at the USS South Dakota exhibit in Sioux Falls. After this stop Joe used up most of the Color Wonder paper recreating what he saw at the exhibit. We also stopped at Wall Drug because you just have to! It was a great place to look for new license plates. If I recall, I think we saw 5 or 6 to check off while we were there.
All those things made the drive great. Then the fun really started!
Friday night- got to see my Uncle Dennis before he headed for home
Saturday-made Banana Bread with Gma- ate it all before Tuesday
-put up the tent and the kids camped out with Papa Doug
Sunday- played in the sand pile, got some horse rides in, had the "Un-Birthday Party" which Joe calls the "fake" party. Joe got a 3-in-1 Lego plane set, Lynn got Polly Pockets, I got a Sarcasm T-shirt and a ring, and Dan got a wallet and pocket knife. So much fun!!
Monday- went to Deadwood (not so fun for the kids), decided to drive to Wyoming to see Devil's Tower. We saw it and took pictures from the road. We decided not to pay to get into the visitor's area because it was just too hot to walk around there. It was very cool to see though. I suggest the drive over there if you are visiting the Black Hills area.
Tuesday- Hot Springs Mammoth site. Awesome place for the kids! They got to be Jr. Paleontologist's and dig for Mammoth fossils (call to schedule a time for this). Joe found a mandible (lower jaw) and Lynn found a rib bone, which she called a ribbon:) After buying stuffed animal mammoths, I went with my parents and Dan went on to Mt. Rushmore and the Hill City Dinosaur museum with the kids. This gave me a chance to get back to Hay Creek for a trail ride with my dad. It was the hottest day they have ever experienced there, but the ride was shaded and breezy the whole time. It didn't feel like 107 at all.
Wednesday-lazy day playing and watching movies (Gma had Megamind:The Button of Doom. The kids watched that about 15 times) Who knew the $5 bin at Wal-Mart would be such a hit!? In the evening we all went to Tomahawk Golf Course for dinner and then Dan and Joe went golfing. "Boy Night" was a success. Dan lost 9 balls, Joe lost 0!
Thursday- more playing outside and riding Skip. I got to do a short ride on my own while Gma and Dan entertained the kids with yard games. Everyone had a blast with that. Lawn darts and the bean bag toss were great hits.
We packed up and left on Friday morning after I officially turned 34. It was the first time I had been with my parents on my birthday since my 21st. (And yes, I spent my 21st Birthday with my parents. We went to the restaurant in Ogden, and I had a Fuzzy Navel.)
We stayed over night it Omaha and went to the zoo on Saturday. The last hour before reaching home was horrendous! I must say though, 27 out of 28 hours of good travel time isn't bad!! Dan's favorite part of that bad hour was watching the Happy Meal toy roll down the road behind us after I chucked it out the window. I told Lynn that was where it was going if she asked for it again after she didn't eat her meal. Well, I had to do what I said I would do, right?
Other fun parts of our trip:
Eating with some ladies in the camp ground and being introduced to Rum Chata Pudding Cups.
Playing with the kitten that Joe named Killer. (My 5 year old gets irony!) He tried to tell us there was a mountain lion cub in the office that someone had as a pet. We went to look. It was the kitten...he got us:)
Camp fire and s'mores nearly every night. Joe held his about 3 feet above the flame for 10 seconds and called that good, while Lynn just ate the marshmallows straight from the bag...whatever. Dan and I had our fill of the real deal.
Lynn and Joe both love my dad's mule, Sally. She was at a neighbor's on the pasture. Lynn kept telling people that Sally, the "camel" wasn't there. I don't know where she comes up with these things!
It was a great week that went way too fast! We are looking forward to another week with my parents in Arizona in March. They are starting up a camp down there for the winter.
Some travel tips for long car drives:
License plate check off printable:You can find lots of them on pinterest. We got all but Mississippi, Delaware, and New Hampshire. However we did see 6 Canadian Provinces and Washington, D.C....not too bad, huh?
Cookie Sheets for lap desks: Great for all the normal stuff like coloring, etc., but you can also do magnets. If you use a jellyroll pan with a deeper edge, the colors and other items don't roll away as easily.
Color Wonder paint, markers and paper: mess free, enough said
Black Construction Paper books (home made) and chalk: The novelty of it makes drawing a little more exciting.
Books on CD from the library and a portable CD player
Movies from the library or Redbox: Getting new things to watch for cheap or free has loads of entertainment value. We looked up Redbox locations before our drive and we were able to watch the movie and return it at the next stop.
Melissa and Doug Travel Matching game: I found ours at Hy-Vee for 10.49. It is about 5 dollars more at Michael's.
Felt boards: I found some at Michael's for 8 dollars each. They have a bunch of different themes for boys and girls. I was surprised how much both my kids liked these.
Bead Necklace kit: From Michaels again. Lots of themes for boys or girls. I had a princess and a pirate:) The cookie sheet was great for this activity because the beads couldn't roll away.
Even if it adds to the drive, stop at fun places along the way. We had a great time getting up and moving and learning a little history at the USS South Dakota exhibit in Sioux Falls. After this stop Joe used up most of the Color Wonder paper recreating what he saw at the exhibit. We also stopped at Wall Drug because you just have to! It was a great place to look for new license plates. If I recall, I think we saw 5 or 6 to check off while we were there.
All those things made the drive great. Then the fun really started!
Friday night- got to see my Uncle Dennis before he headed for home
Saturday-made Banana Bread with Gma- ate it all before Tuesday
-put up the tent and the kids camped out with Papa Doug
Sunday- played in the sand pile, got some horse rides in, had the "Un-Birthday Party" which Joe calls the "fake" party. Joe got a 3-in-1 Lego plane set, Lynn got Polly Pockets, I got a Sarcasm T-shirt and a ring, and Dan got a wallet and pocket knife. So much fun!!
Monday- went to Deadwood (not so fun for the kids), decided to drive to Wyoming to see Devil's Tower. We saw it and took pictures from the road. We decided not to pay to get into the visitor's area because it was just too hot to walk around there. It was very cool to see though. I suggest the drive over there if you are visiting the Black Hills area.
Tuesday- Hot Springs Mammoth site. Awesome place for the kids! They got to be Jr. Paleontologist's and dig for Mammoth fossils (call to schedule a time for this). Joe found a mandible (lower jaw) and Lynn found a rib bone, which she called a ribbon:) After buying stuffed animal mammoths, I went with my parents and Dan went on to Mt. Rushmore and the Hill City Dinosaur museum with the kids. This gave me a chance to get back to Hay Creek for a trail ride with my dad. It was the hottest day they have ever experienced there, but the ride was shaded and breezy the whole time. It didn't feel like 107 at all.
Wednesday-lazy day playing and watching movies (Gma had Megamind:The Button of Doom. The kids watched that about 15 times) Who knew the $5 bin at Wal-Mart would be such a hit!? In the evening we all went to Tomahawk Golf Course for dinner and then Dan and Joe went golfing. "Boy Night" was a success. Dan lost 9 balls, Joe lost 0!
Thursday- more playing outside and riding Skip. I got to do a short ride on my own while Gma and Dan entertained the kids with yard games. Everyone had a blast with that. Lawn darts and the bean bag toss were great hits.
We packed up and left on Friday morning after I officially turned 34. It was the first time I had been with my parents on my birthday since my 21st. (And yes, I spent my 21st Birthday with my parents. We went to the restaurant in Ogden, and I had a Fuzzy Navel.)
We stayed over night it Omaha and went to the zoo on Saturday. The last hour before reaching home was horrendous! I must say though, 27 out of 28 hours of good travel time isn't bad!! Dan's favorite part of that bad hour was watching the Happy Meal toy roll down the road behind us after I chucked it out the window. I told Lynn that was where it was going if she asked for it again after she didn't eat her meal. Well, I had to do what I said I would do, right?
Other fun parts of our trip:
Eating with some ladies in the camp ground and being introduced to Rum Chata Pudding Cups.
Playing with the kitten that Joe named Killer. (My 5 year old gets irony!) He tried to tell us there was a mountain lion cub in the office that someone had as a pet. We went to look. It was the kitten...he got us:)
Camp fire and s'mores nearly every night. Joe held his about 3 feet above the flame for 10 seconds and called that good, while Lynn just ate the marshmallows straight from the bag...whatever. Dan and I had our fill of the real deal.
Lynn and Joe both love my dad's mule, Sally. She was at a neighbor's on the pasture. Lynn kept telling people that Sally, the "camel" wasn't there. I don't know where she comes up with these things!
It was a great week that went way too fast! We are looking forward to another week with my parents in Arizona in March. They are starting up a camp down there for the winter.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Things Kids Say
A few phrases to add:
Taking note of the Kool-Aid on her face at daycare, Lynn said, "Look Mommy, I have a mus-beard!"
Joe asked to have his hair spiked a few days back. It reminded me of the last time he asked quite a while ago. He wanted me to put "hair-jello" in it.
Lynn got a Barbie in the Nutcracker DVD at the Thrift Store a couple of weeks ago. The first time she asked to watch it in the van, she kept saying something I couldn't understand. Finally, I figured out she wanted the Nutcracker. She was calling it "Barbie Crunch." Crack, crunch, yeah, I get it now.
Aunt Jill brought over Dirt and Worms dessert to celebrate Lynn's 4th Birthday. I asked Joe if he wanted to try a bite of the dessert. He said, "Mom, it's called Dirt and Worms. How can that be yummy?" He was completely serious, and did not try any. Side note, a couple hours later, and Dan and I still have bellyaches! It was so good!
This isn't necessarily funny, but I wanted to record it somewhere: On her 4th Birthday, Lynn wants to be a Barbie Princess when she grows up. Her best friend at school is Nia F. Her favorite thing to play at daycare with Nia is "kitchen."
Taking note of the Kool-Aid on her face at daycare, Lynn said, "Look Mommy, I have a mus-beard!"
Joe asked to have his hair spiked a few days back. It reminded me of the last time he asked quite a while ago. He wanted me to put "hair-jello" in it.
Lynn got a Barbie in the Nutcracker DVD at the Thrift Store a couple of weeks ago. The first time she asked to watch it in the van, she kept saying something I couldn't understand. Finally, I figured out she wanted the Nutcracker. She was calling it "Barbie Crunch." Crack, crunch, yeah, I get it now.
Aunt Jill brought over Dirt and Worms dessert to celebrate Lynn's 4th Birthday. I asked Joe if he wanted to try a bite of the dessert. He said, "Mom, it's called Dirt and Worms. How can that be yummy?" He was completely serious, and did not try any. Side note, a couple hours later, and Dan and I still have bellyaches! It was so good!
This isn't necessarily funny, but I wanted to record it somewhere: On her 4th Birthday, Lynn wants to be a Barbie Princess when she grows up. Her best friend at school is Nia F. Her favorite thing to play at daycare with Nia is "kitchen."
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Surprise!
We finally told the kids that our trip to Des Moines this weekend is to see the Laurie Berkner Band Animal Party Concert. I wish we would have taken a video. Joe was jumping up and down until we took note of it, then he started acting like he was too cool for it all. He is really excited, but doesn't want us to know it. Lynn seemed to be in a state of disbelief for a moment and then was nearly jumping out of her skin. Yes, kiddos, we are going to see the real Laurie!! I think we scored on this one! Thank you Laurie for coming within driving distance of KC!!!
As a side note, if you have or know little kids that love music....get them some Laurie Berkner Band DVDs or CDs! You might end up liking it as much, or more than, the kids do. They are amazing:)
As a side note, if you have or know little kids that love music....get them some Laurie Berkner Band DVDs or CDs! You might end up liking it as much, or more than, the kids do. They are amazing:)
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