Movie Night

2 kids
2 sets of pajamas
1 bowl of popcorn
1 movie


Add it all together and you have a super fantastic time and a child that will sing "tomorrow, tomorrow, I love you tomorrow...." till kingdom come.

Cooking Up a Storm.

After spending the weekend at my sis and bil's, I came home and was fully wanting to cook. I bought 8 pounds of meat at Safeway (It's bogo and only cost $2.50 a pound), brought it home and cooked it up, so I could freeze it and it would be easier and faster to use, plus all the fat would be gone.
Today I came home and made some hummus adding some sun dried tomatoes to it.





Then awhile ago I had bought a butternut squash to make soup, but hadn't yet, so I decided to start the cooking and peeling process today, so it too would be ready to go in the soup.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Holy goodness for all the posting lately!!! You will so be spoiled and then I will go on a hiatus.

1. February 22nd is National Be Humble Day...what makes you proud? What keeps you humble?

I'm proud of all that I've accomplished and keeping me humble are all my mistakes.

2. Where is the catch-all (aka dumping ground) in your house?

Hmm. I really don't have a dumping ground in my house. Mine is clean (don't hate!) I guess if I had to pick one area, it would be the end of my dinning room table. That is where my purse goes and my lunch bag.

3. Do you make it a point to visit State/National Parks when you travel or even in your own hometown? What's your favorite?

I love going to State and National Parks. Last summer I visited Yellowstone National Park and I have visited many in Washington State. My favorite is in Oregon and called Honeyman State Park. The sand dunes are huge and you can ride sleds down them right into the lake.

4. How would you define honor?

Honor is something that is earned ...oh my goodness! I'm struggling here....gonna leave this where it's at and come back to it later.

5. Angel's food or Devil's food-which cake do you prefer?

Neither! I'm not a cake fan. Give me ice cream or cookies. I will pass on cake every time.

6. What's the most recent road trip you've taken? Where did you go and how many hours did you spend in the car? Do you like to zoom to your destination without stopping or leisurely wind your way there with stops along the way? What is your car snack of choice?

I heart road trips! The last one I took I just got back from. I went over to Spokane, Wa, to visit my Sis, Bil, nieceroo and nephew and see my parents who were there as well. It took 4 and half hours to get over there. I really like zooming to my destination when I'm going there, because the purpose of the trip is to spend time with them and my ohana there. Road snacks are the job of the co-pilot, but because this trip was on my own, I brought oranges, sweet and salty nut bar, 2 bottles of water, and all the Valentine candy I got from my kids.

7. Recent headlines told how a preschool child in NC had their packed lunch from home taken away and a school lunch substituted by a school inspector who deemed the homemade lunch unhealthy. Reportedly the parent was then billed for the school lunch (chicken nugget meal) although an update to the story says the parent was not billed. The inspector was conducting a routine inspection of the classroom-he/she was not there solely to peek in the lunchboxes.

The packed lunch contained a turkey and cheese sandwich, an apple juice box, a bag of chips, and a banana. You can read the story here. Your thoughts?

That is absolutely ridiculous! The inspector has no right to check lunches from home and then deem the lunch unhealthy. His/her job is to look at school lunches. If my child's lunch was taken away, because it wasn't healthy, I would be appalled.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Happenings in My Classroom

In one of my last conferences last week, the parent showed up early with her daughter, so I figured I would just start and then we could be done a lot faster. So I dug in going over the students scores and her goals and mom kept looking at me with a blank stare. I looked to the daughter a couple of times to help interpret things for me, but never once did I think, why isn't there an interpreter here.
10 minutes into me talking with parents and 5 min. late, the interpreter shows up! I was almost done and had to start all over! I guess it will show me to check and make sure I'm getting an interpreter before I start.

Happenings in My Classroom

My class this year is full of dreamers. Dreamers that constantly need to be reminded to do their work and pay attention. I'm constantly calling students names to bring them back to attention. One student was so lost in his thoughts the other day it took him 25 min. to write a 5 word sentence at his desk and then 20 more minutes to add 2 more sentences, while he was sitting right in front of me and I was helping other students out.
At that point I was done with him and asked what his parents would think if I told them, that day at conferences that it took him that long to do his work. He informed me his dad had to work and wouldn't be coming, so I asked, what his mom would think when he called her after school (which is part of a plan we already have set up for him.) He just shrugged his shoulders. I then proceeded to tell him, if he was my kid and this was how much work he was getting done, that he would have nothing, until his work was getting done. I would take away his tv, phone, gameboy, xbox, all of it and he would only have his bedroom, a bed and, a book (although he's pretty good at not reading too,) Yet again a shrug of his shoulders. Then I also told him, which he's already been told, that if he isn't doing his work he would be with me again next year. All his 4th grade friends would move on and he would have to be with 3d graders and what did he think about that. He then stated he didn't care.
Funny thing was, that after meeting with his brother after school that day and telling him all this, the student came back the next day and cared. He put up tons of effort and actually did some reading, math, and writing!
Guess he really doesn't want to do 4th grade again.

Happenings in My Classroom

Last week, many parents also found out that their children weren't completing their writing after working on it for 3 1/2 hours. All they had to do was write a 5 paragraph essay about who their favorite relative was. 2 girls in particular talked most of the time and only got through the planning, which we did together, the sloppy copy, and a little bit of editing. When I told the first parent, they were not amused at all. I also told them that the girls were now separated and a lot more work was getting done.
The second girl, after hearing her mom being told the same thing (that she didn't complete her work) told her mom, that the other girl didn't care that she didn't finish, which was relayed back to me through an interpreter. I turned to that little girl and told her, "she might not have cared then, but she for sure cared today when her parents weren't very happy with her and non-completed work."

Gift of Life

This past week, my mom gave my Godfather, his life back. He had been struggling with different medical issues and going through kidney dialysis. My mom took it upon herself to get tested to see if she was a match and sure enough she was. So on Valentines day, she gave her kidney to my Godfather. Both are doing well, thank goodness, and are in great spirits. My Godfather even jokes now that he hapa haole with my mom's kidney in him.
My Godfather lives over in Spokane, therefore the operation took place over there, so my sis and bil have been hosting my mom and dad and until my mom is good enough to drive home. (My dad can't drive- he is a little laid up too with crutches and a knee brace, which is a whole other story in itself.) I came over after all my conferences were done to spend the weekend and help out as well.

Happenings in My Classroom

While speaking with another parent this week, he told me, through an interpreter, his daughter had no drive and he didn't want her to end up as a waitress. He asked what he could do to get her going. Although I don't always believe this is the best way, I told him he could bribe her, not with candy or video games, but with books or a journal (cause she loves to write). I also told him, he could take things away, like the video games, tv, phone.
I then told his daughter, my student, that her job was to do well in school, so that she doesn't have to be a waitress. She is supposed to finish high school and go to college, so that when she graduates, her parents can move in with her and she can take care of them. They are taking care of her now and then it will be her time to take care of them.
She just giggled....so I guess we will see what happens. She's a super smart girl, she just needs to apply herself. And I'm sure being cute and having dad wrapped around her little finger doesn't really help.