The Chalkboard of Life

I've really been thinking lately. I know, it's dangerous. Thinking has gotten me in trouble before.

With parent teacher conferences today, the wheels in my head are spinning even more. My kids all have super teachers. Really. As I sat and talked to each one, I realized what an impact they truly have.

Hannah's teacher does a remarkable job. Remember what a hard time Hannah had last year? This year has been a complete 360. Getting her to read and write last year was like pulling teeth. This year, she won't go to school without her 'responsibilities' read and signed off. Her teacher does not believe in homework (a woman after my own heart!) But she wants them to learn to bring things back. It's not homework. And when it is brought back to school, she oohs and aahs over what a good job the student did bringing it back. It's all in the approach. And it makes all the difference in the world.

Tyler's teacher is flexible. In a good way. She is very up to date on the latest technology in the classroom. But she also recognizes when a student knows the stuff well enough to not stress over spelling practice and such. But the main thing I like about her is, she is positive. She always has nothing but good things to say about Tyler. Unlike last year when his papers came home with red marks all over them. All the time. I saw his enthusiasm drop. And his motivation was gone. This year, it's different.

Hailey has a really nice teacher. Again, she realizes there is so much more than busy work. That it is about being a good friend. And learning to love the process. The kids in her class learn. And they enjoy it. Hailey comes home, truly excited about her days.

Meeting with Casey's junior high teachers is a little different. Some of them have 200+ students each day. Although they don't spend as much time with your child as in elementary school, they don't love them any less. As I sat across from each of his teachers tonight, I saw genuine love and concern for the kids they teach. Each one sees Casey's fun and unique personality, and recognize how bright he is. One teacher jokingly told me she has many, many students, and that maybe she should be meaner. I told her they would never forget what a great teacher she is. And thatI still remember a teacher I had when I went there. She still teaches there, and I am still afraid when I see her. Funny how that is. But apparently she hasn't changed because whithout naming her, this new teacher knew exactly who I was talking about. And I can't forget my fifth grade math teacher. I still hate math.

But I will never forget my first grade teacher. She was wonderful. I still remember what she wore on the first day of class. And my biology teacher. I love science because of him. Their influence has stayed with me after all these years. So, as I think about my kids and the teachers they have had, and will have, I hope they have good memories. And more than anything, experiences that instill a love of lifelong learning. Because...

What a teacher writes on the chalkboard of life can never be erased.

I didn't make that up, but if your kid goes to the same school as mine, don't steal that quote.....that is my end-of year gift to the teachers...he he he....

Don't ask me....

....to make anything that requires the measurement of halves or fourths.

Out of the many sets of measuring cups I have had over the years, this is all that remains. And that is including the three liquid measuring cups that have disappeared in recent months.

Two 1 cups and three 1/3 cups....

Out of four sets of cups, there are no 1/2 or 1/4 cups? What is the probability of that (statisticians...?)

I'm sure they are hiding with the gloves and the socks.

Nathan Says

I thought I'd redeem Nathan in light of the trouble he's given me about school and clothes. Here are some funny things he's said in the past 24 hours....

I took the kids to the movie theater yesterday to see 'Bolt'. It is a rare occasion that we go to the movies. I mean, who wants to pay that much money to see a movie once? But I noticed a new discount theater not too far from home, and it was a holiday (Happy birthday, Dad!)

We arrived about 10 minutes early. Perfect timing if you ask me. We were the first in the theater and chose our prime seats. We had been sitting for about 1 minute when Nathan started asking "How much longer?"

After 5 minutes he said, "I'm getting a movie ache!"

____________________________________

Tonight as I helped Tyler with a school assignment, we heard Nathan pressing buttons on the microwave. He has been known to cook popcorn for 99:99.... so Tyler inquired, "Nathan, what are you making?"

Nathan replied, "I'm changing the clock so it's not past my bed time."

Smarty pants.

Honesty Matters....

Thanks, Jen....

The award is "Honest Scrap" The rules of the award are :


~ Choose a minimum of 7 blogs that you find brilliant in content or design

~ Show the 7 winners names and links on your blog, and leave a comment informing them that they were prized with "Honest Scrap." Well, there is no prize but it is fun!

~ List 10 honest things about yourself.


Ten Honest things about me....

1. I don't like chicken. Or chocolate.

2. I'm very opinionated. But I am a pleaser, so I don't always voice it.

3. I don't make my bed most days.

4. I love to pluck hairs, pop zits, and floss my teeth. Vacuuming with a Dyson is kinda like that for me....

5. I love looking at snow, and don't mind driving in it. But I don't care to play in it.

6. I love to lay on the grass in the summertime and fall asleep, basking in the sun.

7. I love heaters, and can sit on one indefinitely. But I don't like cold air blowing anywhere near me unless I am really, really hot in the heat of summer. I'm pretty sure I'm cold blooded.

8. I would love to move to the mountains away from schools and work.

9. I can tell when a storm is coming because I get migraines.

10. People think I'm patient. Just ask my kids.

ME

Casey tagged me to do a 'seven line bio poem'. Since I'm not smarter than a 5th grader, I didn't seven know what that was. Thank goodness for Google!

Here's my best shot:

Christie
Friendly, funny, loving, crafty
Mom to Casey and Hailey, Tyler and Hannah, Nathan and Emma
Lover of Randy, my family and life.
Who feels tired and happy, loved and content.
Who fears drowning and death, fire and loss.
Who would like a maid and more time, a chef and time off.

I Pay for Torture

Every month I write a check for my tri-weekly torture. It doesn't come cheap.

Remember the other day when Nathan had nothing to wear? And he missed his field trip? Well, today he missed his Valentine's party. Hailey thinks I'm the meanest mom ever to not drive him to school. But you see, we have a carpool. I already drive over there five times a week taking Casey to school. So the deal is, if he misses his ride, he misses school. And he gets to go back to bed.

So every morning he wakes up and asks, "Do I have school today?" If the answer is yes, the torture begins. Usually with some moaning, followed by whining. And if you only knew how much I despise whining.... If I can get him to eat breakfast, we move on to the getting dressed part. This is where the real drama typically begins. If the clothes he has on don't look too bad, I just let him wear those. Then we move on to combing his hair. At any moment, he could blow. One wrong word, and he's a goner. After hair, it's shoes (we skip the teeth on preschool mornings- it's simply too much to tackle.) After shoes, it's onto his coat and his book bag. Each step is like a step in a mine field. Carefully, I choose my words and actions, not knowing what will set him off. Some mornings, I make it across the field, others, I don't.

This morning, I didn't. After having the talk to him about why he has to go back to bed, I found myself threatening to call his teacher and tell her he is done with preschool. He shook his head and told me he didn't want me to. To which I replied, "I don't pay for torture!"

Flashback Friday

Three years ago, I jinxed my middle son. Not intentionally, mind you. I had commented how he was my only child who had never broken a bone or had stitches. That very week, he got both.....

One night, Tyler and Hannah were up late, goofing around. Hannah fell and bumped her eye on the metal laundry sorter. The skin split open and bled. She needed stitches, but of course it was too late to go the InstaCare. I called everyone I knew with a medical background, but with no luck. I really wanted to avoid paying for a visit to the ER. So we grabbed the super glue and fixed her up. Aside from the sting it left, it worked like a charm. She healed nicely and it didn't cost us anything. The next time I was at the store, I noticed they had some OTC skin glue. Perfect! This way it won't sting. So I bought some to have on hand, just in case...

We had a ball pit in our basement. It was just an inflatable swimming pool with a gazillion little squishy plastic balls in it. The pool got a hole in it, and all kinds of treasures were lost in the sea of balls. So, on Valentine's Day, I had emptied it so I could clean and fix it. I patched up the holes in no time and Tyler was helping me toss all the balls back in.

He was so excited to have it back, that he jumped right in. He landed funny on his foot and cried a little. I thought he just twisted it funny, and I took him to kindergarten. When I picked him up later that day, I noticed he was still limping. Great. So I took him to the doctor. Sure enough, his foot was fractured. We waited until the next day to see an orthopedic specialist (I learned the hard way to not trust the InstaCare to cast a broken bone) and get a cast.

Being winter time and it was wet and slushy outside, I carried him to and from the car when we went places. One day, as we got home from school, he was hopping from the car to the house when he tripped. He fell and hit his eye right on the metal threshold. It wasn't a horrible cut, but I knew it required some attention. Having had such great success with the glue on Hannah's cut (in the EXACT same spot) the week prior, I reached for my newly purchased 'skin glue'. I put Tyler on the couch, with his head resting in my lap. I opened the tube, and tipped it upside down. As I did so, the runny contents immediately spilled out of the tube and into his eye. He screamed and clamped his eye shut. I grabbed him and ran into the bathroom to wash it out.

Funny thing about super glue. It's pretty much an instant bond. His eye was stuck shut. I JUST GLUED MY KID"S EYE SHUT! CRAP! Tyler was screaming, I was crying, and my father-in-law, who was visiting, was laughing. Normally I don't panic when my kids get hurt, but I had no idea how this would all pan out. I threw Tyler into the car and sped to the ER praying the whole time that I hadn't just blinded my son.

I parked the car in the first spot I found and ran, with Tyler in arms. I burst through the emergency room doors and demanded that someone help me. When asked how I could be helped, I told them he had DermaBond in his eye. "How did that happen?" they wondered.

"I was trying to save money," I meekly replied.

Here I was, in a panic, and they practically laughed at me. The attending physician himself, assured me he had done it before, too. After 2 hours of applying layer after layer of Vaseline to his eyelid, he was able to open his eye. He was missing a few eyelashes, but fine otherwise. They were able to stitch his cut, and I was able to pay my co-pay.

Lessons learned.