Slight interruption to the "Remembering Summer" series. I wanted to learn how to make an infographic so that I could encourage my students to make one. Here is my first go at it. I have done what I am going to ask my students to do. The kids have used several close reading strategies in class, and they are going to choose the 3 that they feel are the most helpful. They have to create a visual explaining why they use the strategies and how the strategies help them. I am hoping this will be something fun for them to create that they haven't ever done before.
I love the infographics for teachers on this blog, and I wanted to know how to do it. I was so excited when she posted a "how-to." The close reading strategies I used came from this snapguide. If you want to know how to do anything, you can probably find a Snapguide for it.
Without further ado...
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Friday, September 6, 2013
Hay Creek Ranch, SD 2013
This is the first installment recapping my summer of "Family." There is more to come on the South Dakota trip, but I've been feeling poetic as of late. Here are three pieces highlighting some of my awesome family members.
Christmas in June
There’s this Guy I hadn’t seen for so long
Distance and dollars can be a wall
Did some extra work
Had some extra cash
Thought about the boots I wanted
Really? I don’t need that
I need him
One phone call with a crazy thought
Let’s surprise them all
I’m sending the cash
Hey Bud, use this, buy the gas
Waited 6 months
A hug from my brother
Best present ever
Treasure Hunt
G’ma Jody is up to something
Find the first clue
They are off and hunting
Prizes for Joe, Lynn and Braiden, too
Follow the notes
Office, barn, and trees
Look for the arrows
And soon you’ll see
Plastic snakes, farm animal toys,
Army men, glasses that magnify
Dollars and quarters bring great joy
Three sweet kites that fly so high
The hunt was so fun
Let’s make our own, they say
Papa, Guy, and Dan, come on
This is for you on Father’s Day
Coincidence?
H’lo Libby!
Come on kids
Dollar's ready
Our whole family is sure
He never makes plans
He isn’t going to be on time
But it never fails
If we're at Hay Creek
So is he
H'lo Uncle Dennis
Sunday, August 25, 2013
“Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.” Dr. Seuss
I have finally come to accept the fact that summer is
over. Four days of teacher in-service
and two weeks of school have solidified that in my mind. I have sent my sweet kiddos off to
Kindergarten and 1st Grade, and we are all settling into the new
routine. Honestly, I am already worn
out, but memories of the summer continue to motivate me. The summer flew by and was filled with all
things family. Each event was worthy of
its own blog post, and so it will be. To
keep myself in my happy “summer state of mind” I am going to devote each of my
upcoming blogs to one of the family events from the summer. In the end, my family is why I do what I do. In reminding myself of this every
day, I find even the most exhausting of days easier to get through. Many blessings to you and yours!
Coming up next….South Dakota Adventure 2013.
Thursday, July 4, 2013
4th of July
After we hit the parade in Parkville and before we cook up some hotdogs and s'mores at Auntie Jill's, I will get some hammock time on my deck. The weather is gorgeous. How could anyone resist?
Hammock Haiku
Hammock Haiku
bring on the sweet tea
ready to swing and relax
hammock on the deck
slow and gentle swing
new striped hammock is the place
sway the world away
Sunday, June 30, 2013
35
- 4:30 a.m. "Happy Birthday" from my sweet little girl.
- "35" Lego build waiting on my nightstand from my precious boy.
- Breakfast (homemade donuts and cinnamon rolls.)
- Coffee
- Jewelry stamping hammer
- Jewelry stamping metal plate
- Jewelry stamping letter set
- Laminating machine
- Excitement of the kids to show me my "big" gift.
- My new hammock. I have had an obsession with hammocks since childhood. One of my many dreams has come true.
- Joe proudly telling me that they got my hammock on sale.
- Snuggling in the hammock with Lynn.
- "Telling secrets" with Lynn while we were wrapped up in the hammock. Her secret was, "You are the best mommy in the whole world."
- A generally calm trip to Costco. I love Chocolate Covered Pomegranates.
- Oak Park Mall American Girl Store
- Lego Store- I wanted to go, and I got a set for myself. (3 in 1 House. I will be building the Windmill version.)
- We happend to go into the Disney Store just as they were beginning "Scare School" for the kids as a promotion for Monsters University. Joe and Lynn can officially roar! As if we didn't know that.
- Chick-Fil-A lunch
- Surprise order of a gallon of sweet tea from Dan. He knows the way to my heart.
- Facebook birthday messages
- Texts from my brother, my sister-in-laws, and from my new nephew.
- Texts from friends.
- Picture texts of my Birthday shot at Bar Louie the night before.
- Phone call from my Uncle Dennis. He always calls on my birthday, and I treasure that.
- Phone call from my mom and dad.
- Dad singing "Happy Birthday" in the background in his beautiful voice.
- Joe's T-Ball Team Party
- New friends made through T-Ball
- Wine spritzers
- We didn't have to cook dinner or clean up.
- Cupcakes from Hy-Vee
- Hearing my family say "Happy Birthday" randomly all day long
- Lynn falling asleep on the couch
- Reading Dinosaur vs. Bedtime with Joe
- Ending the day on the deck in my hammock, listening to Dave Matthews, while playing Words With Friends with my best friend, Dan
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Liebster Award
My friend and fellow blogger, Julie, nominated me for the Liebster Award. Of course, I had to google to find out a bit about the award. The origins are elusive, but I found one blogger who seems to have done her research. Here is her take. The current rules, as they stand, follow. The rules can change because that is one of the rules. Cool! Just FYI, no one actually wins anything:)
After being nominated, you have to do the following:
- Acknowledge the blog that nominated you in a post.
- Tell 11 facts about yourself.
- Answer the 11 questions the nominating blogger created.
- List 11 bloggers with less than 200 followers that you believe deserve some recognition.
- Post 11 questions for them to answer.
- Notify all the bloggers selected that they have been nominated.
- And finally, you can’t nominate the blog who nominated you.
11 facts about me:
1. Coffee became an addiction after I had my kids.
2. I really love teaching, but I'm finding it harder to love the students.
3. Books are an escape for me. There aren't too many things that I would rather do than read. I get a little anxious/slightly depressed when I don't have a book in progress.
4. My parents and my brother are awesome people. I love them, of course, but more importantly, I like them.
5. I teach English, but I don't know any grammar rules beyond the basics.
6. My son putting on an old DeKalb hat of my grandfather's made me cry.
7. I treasure old things that belonged to my family. Old pictures and cards are my favorite links to the past.
8. I would choose a Thrift Store over a mall any day of the week, even if I had all the money in the world.
9. The beach is on my mind constantly.
10. My family is my reason for doing everything I do.
11. I volunteer to wash coffee cups at my church. I have to go do that now...
...and I'm back.
Answers to 11 questions:
- If you could relocate anywhere in the world, would you? If I had money to pay for private school for my kids and could pay for my retirement with no problems, I would go to a beach in South Carolina tomorrow. I would also need movers....I hate the actual act of moving.
- Are you happy? In general yes. I have everything I could really want. I only feel a little less than happy when I'm not able to be creative, or when I feel like I'm not giving enough back to everyone that I have.
- What are you passionate about? The things I think about the most are reading, writing, sewing, my family, and coffee. I guess those are my passions.
- Who is your favorite author? Diana Gabaldon Her Outlander series is amazing! I can't explain it because it has everything. Just go get Outlander and start reading.
- Is the movie ever better than the book? If you answered yes, give an example. NEVER!!!
- Dog or cat? I have a cat, and I love dogs so much that I don't have one. I know it wouldn't get the care it deserves from my busy family. There isn't a dog out there that could replace Trudy anyway.
- What is a typical Friday night for you? Pizza from Hy-Vee and a Redbox movie with the kids. Baseball on TV to go to sleep to.
- Do you believe in God? Yes!
- If you could go back in time and change one thing in your life that would rechart your life, would you? And if so, what would it be? There are things that I wish I had or hadn't done, but I wouldn't change anything. I am here in this place that I love being, and I would hate to be missing this "big picture" just to change something that I probably learned from.
- What was your favorite high school subject? I loved all of my English classes. Novels, my senior year, was my favorite of all time. I also really liked History.
- iPhone or Android? Have an Android, want an iPhone.
1. What was your major in college?
2. Did you ever, or are you still using it in your current career?
3. What was the best vacation you ever went on?
4. What is your dream vacation of the future?
5. Guilty pleasure? (Mine is Pop-Tarts.)
6. Who or what has influenced your feelings about the role of women in society?
7. What do you worry about the most?
8. What writing do you do other than blogging?
9. If there was no way to fail, what would you try?
10. Were you a girly-girl or a tom-boy as a kid?
And most importantly.....
11. Toilet paper- over or under?
Now I am supposed to nominate 11 bloggers. Ummm....I don't follow that many blogs, but I do follow these two, so I am nominating them. (Breakin' the rules, woohoo!) One is very established and cracks me up with nearly every post, and one is brand new and very promising. Both ladies are excellent writers. Go check out Karen and Almeda.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Spring Break 2013 or A Really Long Math Problem
6 nights
2 cities
3 hotels
3 pools
1 set of awesome grandparents
1 sweet little girl who loves to give her Papa hugs
1 nearly empty all to ourselves Legoland Chicago (Sorry, KC, we got a bum deal. Chicago's is better.)
4 full tummies at Portillo's (2 Hotdogs, 2 Italian Beefs, Wet)
3 Field Museum Hours
1 "Beautiful" T-Rex named Sue (Ask Joe. He'll tell you all about her.)
1 Too Long Outdoor Line at the Aquarium. (Maybe next time.)
2 Happy parents and 2 bored kids at IKEA. (They don't have big kid toys.)
2 Lou Malnatti's pizzas and 1 Burger devoured
1 Proud Chicago Dad because his kids like Chicago food
1 Knock-knock joke session while waiting for pizza (Lynn's favorite that she repeated all week- Knock, knock. Who's there? Boo. Boo who? Why are you crying? -- Not sure why, but that one just kept cracking her up, maybe because it was the only one she understood.)
2 new swimsuits for the girls from Land's End Inlet (It is an OUTlet, but I guess they wanted to be all nautical or something.)
1 little boy who went all style crazy at said In-Outlet (We told him he will be wearing that tie-dye t-shirt until it actually dies.)
2 new pairs of shoes (Please pray with me that my kids' feet don't grow anymore before Croc/Flip-flop weather. I don't want to buy anymore tennis shoes until Fall.)
4 Croc Charms (From the $1 bin. Nice job kids!)
1 reward toy trip to the Woodfield Mall. They each had their own money to spend. Lynn- Hello Kitty "Lipstick"--it is more like light pink gloss, but don't tell her. Joe-- Lego Chima Speedors. My kids are stereotypes. They just are.
1 New breakfast place that produced 4 clean plates called Wildberries (Highly recommend!)
30 minutes with 4 beautiful Millers- We love you and the visit will be longer the next time we see you.
1 coat left at the Millers. (Lynn's tough. Spring starts on Wednesday.) Just kidding. We got her a much needed new one today. 75% off clearance at Dick's Sporting Goods.
0 long car ride fits. (It is a small parenting celebration when the "Activity Bag-O-Distractions" is no longer needed. Sorry, Bag, you've been retired. The kids brought their own things and did not need any of the extras that I packed.)
Hey, Math geek friends, what does this all equal?
No, not 85!
The answer is (Awesome Memories)(Infinity)(4)
Chicago, we love you, and we will be back as soon as we can!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)