The Sunday Edition - The Wicked Way!

Outside my window... Whoa Nelly...spring has sprung!! It's 82, a sweet breeze, poppies and daisies are in every front year and the trees are coming in to leaf. Love it!! I am especially grateful for the beauty around me today as I think about so many that have been affected by the tornadoes. Wow, it makes me count my blessings.

I am listening to .... murmurs. A whisper of conversation here, a faint ring there, it's the cloaked noises that remind me that there are others here with me, yet the world is outside. Perfect.


Favorite things from this week ... 1. WICKED!!!! Oh my golly gosh. It was knock-your-socks-off-phenomenal!!! Why, oh why have I waited so long to see this?? Rich and I both loved it. I am still singing and humming. (That makes Saturday chores much more fun:)))) 2. Finding the perfect bookshelves on Craigslist!! They're gorgeous and huge!!! This room will come together yet. 3. Q updated my phone and I am whole again!! Wahoo! 4. Leap Year celebrations for a great birthday boy and son #2 celebrating another one yesterday. Cool week.

I am thinking ... about the Tucson Festival of the Book. Yea! It is A.L.M.O.S.T. here. I can't wait til Saturday. It's the end of the grading quarter so I'm pondering grades, report cards, schedules and how to get my kiddos really ready for State testing in April. Yikes. AND I'm rolling the taste of Spring Break over and over across my tongue!! It starts this Friday and I intend to love every minute of it. I don't want to have to DO anything. I want to to just what I WANT to do. Oops...and read in bed in the morning. AND sleep in. AND ---- A week of possibilities.

I am grateful for ... 1. good weather and safety from the storm. I grew up in Tornado Alley for a portion of my little ol' life and they scare the liver right out of me. 2. I am so thankful for warnings. 3. On a lighter note, I am grateful for new hiking shoes. In preparation for a big hike this summer I am wearing them at every chance I get. They are fantastic and feel wonderful--Yippee. 4. Dropbox. Now that is one cool program!! And talk about user friendly. It puts Googledocs to shame. Wow. 5. My public library. You can now check out eReaders. Some come fully loaded with books to read or you can check out one and load up your own things. I am on the reserve list to check out the Nook and see how it would work in a classroom or by a pool or at a baseball game. How cool is that?!?!

I am reading ... Cinder by Marissa Meyer (thank you public library reserve list. It was finally my turn - -loving it - - need I say more?!?) Madensky Square by Eva Ibbotson (thank you, Shannon Hale for the recommend - we're best buds, you know!) Finishing My Side of the Mountain with my class. I love to hear small murmured comments, "I LOVE this book!" as I walk around the room. The hum of opinions and debates that are raging amongst the kids are fantastic. This is what reading is!!

This week they made 'smoking racks' like the main character did to preserve his meat. They were so creative. Of course it wouldn't be my life without reading about 4-5 more books but I'll just leave it at these for now.

I am listing ... People to call, lessons to teach, things to do, and notes to write. Now that they're on paper (or in my phone) I can forget it!! Right?!?!

I am creating ...new ways to teach fractions, decimals and percentages. Hmmm. Any ideas? Getting ready to create my March Madness Bracket.... I adore NCAA basketball.

Plans for the week ...meetings & classes, report cards, planning who to see and hear at the Book Festival....who cares about what's for dinner or the mundane. This girl has her priorities...

Happy Birthday Son #3

Hoppy Birthday My Leap-Year Kiddo!!

Doesn't he LOOK like a 7 year old?!?!?!

It only comes around every 4 years so I'm going to shout this from the roof-tops...
okay, the blog-tops...

Happy Birthday, Drew!

I love you!
Mom

The Sunday Edition

Outside my window... night-time winds. It's supposed to be up to 70 mph winds tomorrow. I guess it's getting ready. The day here was fabulous today, though. We had the doors open all afternoon and loved it. Steaks on the grill after church really made the house smell good too.

I am listening to .... the office clock and the silence. It's LATE around this old casa.

Favorite things from this week ... Reading My Side of the Mountain with my class. They are loving it. They can hardly wait to talk about it and defend their ideas and thoughts. It's wonderful and everything I wanted it to be for them. I adored having the three day weekend, taking care of the pups, and surprisingly enjoyed my Science Observation. My kiddos are so immune to visitors that they tune them right out. They sure showed off their 'scientist' behavior though. Proud of them. The observers were very impressed!

I am thinking ... That I have SO MUCH TO DO. No, I am not overwhelmed. Not at all. Good thing I am calm on the outside. I am trying to fool everyone. How's it working??

I am grateful for... date nights. My phone. Friends. QT. EZ Grader. Lists. Mopped floors. Bookcases. Savings accounts. Birthday boys. Leap year day. (Happy Birthday Drew-boy!) March and the Madness AND the Miracles!! Happy Birthday Paulie....Stamps and snail mail.

I am listing ... things to copy at school tomorrow. Lesson plans, sub plans, science lessons, a poetry unit and SmartBoard activities for teaching ordering decimals. That's the school list. I have lists everywhere. I wish I was more organized. I was definitely standing in the wrong line in heaven when they were passing out the Organization Gene!! I got in the big-butt line. Oops.

I am creating ... relationships. It's fun to watch them develop this year.

Plans for the week ... I feel like a broken record - - it will be a crazy-busy week, but the highlights ahead will make it fun!! I can't wait to: call #3 Son on his "7th" birthday!! Leap Year day, it is. Love that kid!! Call #2 Son on HIS birthday!! Wow, 2 good-looking birthday-boys in the same week. They loved sharing birthdays when they were growing up. (Can't believe that it will be March at the end of the week - -) Meetings, classes, teach decimals and teach them well - review, run like my hair's on fire and stop eating goldfish cheese crackers!! NOT! We go to see WICKED this Friday night. I am so excited!!! I bought a Wicked Witch Journal from Barnes & Noble this past week to get ready - Thanks, Lesa, for the recommend. I LOVE journals. It's almost Spring Break......

Have a fun week!

Three Day Weekend

L.O.V.E.D. it!

Three days of weekend.
Can we have this every week, please?!?!

Today was a hard one back in the ol' saddle though, I'm sad to admit.

Puppies woke me at 3:30am
(We're grand-dog sitting - they look innocent here...they really are!)
Teacher-worries kept me awake the rest of the night.
Yuck.
I'm wondering, did I really have a weekend?!?!?

A little retail-therapy at the bookstore has me sleeping (or at least, wishing for sleep) in style!! It's SOOO soft and I look sassy.

I'm cuddling up with The Color of Water by James McBride for BookGroup this week. Will she finish?!?!? Thursday comes fast....
I finished a wonderful book, Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick on Sunday. Wow! I saw the movie Hugo, based on The Invention of Hugo Cabret, but I had never read the book. I was hoping to get it at the library but put myself on the hold list for this one in the meantime. I'm sure glad I did. I loved it! Wonderstruck thrilled me!! I was enchanted with how powerful the pencil drawings were and how the two stories roped me in right away. The book is king sized - serious weightlifting is required for reading in bed!
I finished Murder of a Wedding Belle, a Scumble River Mystery by Denise Swanson this weekend also. This book was a lark, a recommendation from a gentleman I met at a festival last weekend. It was fun to read something that someone else so enjoyed. I thought of that nice man each time something humorous happened.

So I'm functioning on 3 hours of sleep and what the heck am I doing up??? I am determined to keep myself up as long as I can so I will sleep through the night regardless of whining puppies and teacher-worries! There's something to be said for exhaustion!

Weekly Update - B.U.S.Y.

Saturday morning in one of my favorite places!!
The city library!

I spy...my student's Art work!!!
On display for the month of February!
We all feel so famous!!

In 4th grade we are celebrating Arizona's 100th birthday!!
It's a BIG deal.
Salt Dough maps to study the regions,
a parade,
a flag raising this Tuesday,
songs, histories, and more!!

(I love it that my students took some of these photos...
I think it will be a new class job. That way I don't have to remember to do it!)

Map skills....vertex edge graphing, following directions, measuring...
yippee!
Math & Social Studies in one!
We're almost done.

If I had to choose a word for the week it would be B.U.S.Y.
Gosh, will there ever be a week that I don't say that???
Next week looks just as crazy - maybe crazier. Ack!!!
Remember the commercial, "Calgon, Take me away.." ?
That's how I feel.
Maybe I just need a bubble bath.

Ok, enough grousing. Now to bring you the Sunday Edition....

Outside my window... A majestic Spring morning. It was 82 degrees yesterday and although the forecast is for scattered showers and 69, you can't fool the trees, sky and birds! It's a rock-star morning outside. Wow. I love an Arizona February!

I am listening to .... KBAQ classical/baroque this morning. It just felt right. I love it when something comes on that I really know. Jase enjoys it when he hears a song he recognizes from Loony Tunes. Do they still use classical music for cartoons? Is watching Cartoon Network in my future?

Favorite things from this week ... A trip to the Poisoned Pen to hear author Deborah Crombie and meet Cathy from Kittlingbooks!! It was GREAT. I had to be very detective-like and use my Sherlock Holmes-keen tools of observation and detection. I listened for her husband's English accent. Gosh, even counting my cute man, there were only about 8 men there. That did make my job a tad easier. I must admit I was a little slow that night as we had visited our favorite pizza place, Grimaldi's, before attending. can you spell 'food coma'?!?! Nonetheless, meeting one of my blogging Super-heroes was a blast. What a great team she and her husband are. The author...well she was truly an added perk! I foresee a new addiction. A fun visit with Sara, my teammate from my old school. We filled the afternoon and early evening with sharing and stories. Thank you Starbucks for having iced herbal tea for me to drink on your patio. (I am so NOT a Starbucks person but Sara is. They do have a great patio for visiting though!!)

I am thinking ... about schedules, priorities, freedom, wants, needs, desires, time, lists, plans....big thoughts for my little brain this morning.

I am grateful for ... text messages from my daughter, a daughter in law who texts me with camp questions and advice - gotta love that!, following the inspiration to leave my old teaching position and stretch my wings, QT drinks, my in-laws, comfy blankets, fans for sleeping, basketball to fill the football void, friends, reading, Ted's Hot Dogs for lunch with my best buddy-Rich, books in my mailbox, freshly mowed grass, Tide detergent, music, and an electronic gradebook!

I am reading ... The same books as last week, but about 10 more!! I think I have book A.D.D. I went to the thrift store yesterday and found even more to bring home. "Houston, we have a problem!!" The cool thing though, I found a book I have been looking for since 2000! You should have heard my quiet celebration. I am also finishing the book Focus by Mike Schmoker for a Lit discussion at work this week. Okay, that one is a must do. BUSY week.

I am listing ... items to get for the trek this summer. More books to trade on PaperbackBookSwap. New books to add to my ever increasing TBR list. More house projects to finish AND begin!

I am creating ... lesson plans, sub plans so I can attend a mandatory workshop, new Science unit lessons, nice neat piles of folded clothes (ahhh...I love finished laundry!) mental images of clean and organized spaces. I KNOW they exist in Martha Stewart's world but not in mine!! I am trying to channel them.....ohmmm....

Plans for the week ... Science classes (again!), Valentine's Day dinner with J&K, Arizona's 100th birthday bash/party in class, Trek meeting on Thursday and a Saturday free day with my honey. I am also fondly contemplating President's Day!! Yahoo!Thank you George and Abe for having birthdays that we can celebrate with a holiday. Thanks for being men of character and conviction.

Remember, it's Love of Reading Month. Go celebrate!

The Sunday Edition ---Super Big Bowl Day

I would call this the SuperBowl Edition but I understand the NFL might come after me, so....I will call it the Super Big Bowl Day instead~!~

My days of making a big spread and having all the kids to watch the game with me are pretty much over. Sad! Rich is NOT a football fan but will encourage me to make our favorite snacks and spend the day/night enjoying the big game. (Gotta love that man!) So today I am getting a few goodies out, grabbing some papers to grade while watching and a book or two to keep by my side for comfort and I will hunker down to watch the Big Game. No. Other. Plans.

Outside my window... Gorgeous weather!! Cool, crisp mornings and delightful blue skies with a high in the upper 60's. I feel like a cat as I travel from sitting in one sunbeam to the next! We store up memories of this kind of weather so we can make it through July!!

I am listening to .... Pandora and my "musicals" station. I am getting ready to go see Wicked in a few weeks and I am determined to be in full voice!! Love my Pandora!! My kids at school love Pandora too. I keep it on much of the day and they call it their "brain music!"

Favorite things from this week ... A wonderful, spontaneous Saturday with my honey. We went on a journey south to a Gourd Festival and enjoyed the talents of many. The day was beautiful and full of good talk and new discoveries. I met a gentleman from Berkley who recommended a light mystery series that so far is delightful. What a fun chat with him! J&K came for dinner this week - GREAT memories, talk, and laughter! This week we made Salt Dough maps of our state in class. 33 different versions of the same recipe of salt dough amazed me! (Evidently we need to really work on following directions with parents too!) One kid ran out of flour for his recipe so his uncle told him he could substitute cake mix. His dough had sprinkles of pink and blue throughout!! (I guess his cake mix was a 'funfetti' variety.) By the end of the day his dough was swelling and growing - the baking soda in the mix was working. We had an interesting science lesson with that one - and we sent the dough home at the end of the day - unused! Gotta love 4th grade.

I am thinking ... about hobbies and talents. I've had my time to be 'creative' and have participated in quilting for 25+ years, needlework, crafts, boutiques and more.... now I don't want to do any of that but just enjoy people and reading. Some question whether that is a good use of time. Is it? That's what I'm thinking about.

I am grateful for ... relationships, Arizona winters, slippers, goldfish crackers, curiosity, comfy sweatsuits, 7-layer dip, yellow, Google calendar, my Droid phone, texting, the library, and family!

I am reading ... Still working on My Side of the Mountain with my class (they are loving it!!), Denise Swanson book entitled Murder of a Wedding Belle, House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz, and listening to Daniel Silva The Messenger. I have a few other books in different stages but this will cover it for now...haha!

I am listing ... Three lists - one for school, one for home and one for personal. Each list is long but dividing it up helps me focus. Why do I keep forgetting this simple step?!?!

I am creating ... space.

Plans for the week ... My plans for the week are so LONG that I am just going to concentrate on one day at a time. I am MOST excited about meeting Cathy at Kittlingbooks at the Poisoned Pen this week. Her work on her blog is amazing and I check it regularly. I love her Weekly Link Round Up and her Scene of the Blog. She helps me feel connected even though I spend so many hours at work. It feels like I am going to meet a Super Hero! I am also excited to go to the Pen 2 more times to hear authors speak. A trip to the Pen always means a trip to Grimaldi's for pizza too! Yahooie! (That's Arizonan for "I can't wait!") It's getting to be Tucson Festival of the Book time and the authors are pouring in! Yippee! So, although my week is jam-packed with everything to do at work and at home, this is what I'm planning....

The Sunday Edition

Outside my window... it is a beautiful January morning!! Sun is shining, wispy clouds in the distance and the high should be 77 AGAIN! Yep, it's typical January weather. You know, the days that really make living in Arizona fantastic. It makes up for the summer and as we say, "you can't shovel sunshine!"

I am listening to .... the office clock and the silence. It's peaceful this Sunday morning as the neighborhood awakens. It took me years to appreciate silence. I am glad that we have become friends. I think it takes a modicum of peace within oneself and a confidence to appreciate the silence (the non-cluttering noises.)

Favorite things from this week ... The Invention Convention in class! 33 wacky and wild inventions hand-crafted from a bag of junk and with the specific purpose to alleviate fears!! Hmm. It was a risk worth taking with my students and they really blew me away!! It was fantastic. We invited neighboring 4th grade and 5th grade classes and presented a SmartBoard presentation with it. It was a crowded classroom - 90+ kids but it was all worth it!

for those who are worried about the Safe Play for their siblings

for those who are afraid of the sun

for those who are afraid of Vampires

for those who are afraid of spiders

I also had a blast at "Girl's Night" where we all went to One for the Money (Stephanie Plum - fun! We even ate 'Tasty Cakes' while watching, in true Stephanie Plum-fashion) followed by dinner and still more frivolities at Buca de Beppo ( yum - fun!)

I am thinking ... I need a mental-health day AND a car like this....

L.O.V.E. the license plate AND the hubcaps!

I am grateful for ... a random phone call from # 1 son, a random text from # 3 son, a drive-by afternoon visit from favorite daughter, a cleaning morning with #4 grandkiddo, diet Dr. Pepper, library books, jackets, and custodians who find lost favorite earrings on the floor in messy classrooms!!

I am reading ... My Side of the Mountain with my Walk2Read kids, two Rafe Esquith books (for teaching motivation), One for the Money (to compare and contrast), To Have and to Hold (for kicks), Focus (for work), and Midnight for Charlie Bone (for Literature Circles) ....yep, all at the same time!

I am listing ...
1. work "to-do" lists
A. Social Studies (it is Arizona's 100th birthday in 2 weeks!)
B. Science
C. math
D. writing
E. walk2math ideas
F. word derivatives for walk2read kids
G. MORE...
2. new living room ideas
3. upcoming trek dates, supplies and reasons why I "should" do it (but I DONT want to)
4. Valentine ideas....
5. I think I need to make a list so I don't forget to follow the lists!

I am creating ... lesson plans, Powerpoint presentations, SmartBoard lessons...it feels like the only 'creating' I do is for school. Last week I 'created' Genius Kit bags for the Invention Convention - it took ALL day to sort, label and bag up 33 kits of the same junk...but it was well worth it. Tuesday I cut 100's of straws for making triangles to sort by angles and lines, I created math games for Family Math Night, and that, ladies and gentlemen is the extent of my 'creating'! I don't really even create dinner anymore - I would rather 'create' dinner reservations!

Plans for the week ... Clean my classroom and desk (Houston, we have a problem!!!!!!), Hair appointment (yippee - I love an afternoon with Nikki), dinner with J & K, Saturday workshop and hopefully an author presentation (wahoo!)

And that, dear friends, is the Sunday Edition from my corner of the world! WHEW!