Saturday, October 29, 2011

For the love of one little girl....


She said, "Mommy, I want to be a prairie girl next year for Halloween, just like in Little House on the Prairie." This was approximately November 1st of last year. So, I bought a pattern and thought, I'll make it over the summer. I had good intentions but before I knew it, summer was over and I was working full time. So, I tried to talk her into a repeat of Super Girl or maybe a princess (super easy) but no, she had her heart set on a prairie girl. What can I say, I love my babies and I love a homemade costume. So, after sewing for almost the entire day today, the ladybug is set for Halloween and for the Book Character Parade at school.

Lesson of the Day: Sewing is a good thing to know how to do. Thanks, Mom and Granny, for teaching me how.
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Join the conspiracy.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Makin' Daddy Proud...


My birthday always falls during Red Ribbon Week (the anti-drug campaign). We'll after years of having to wear dumb colored socks or crazy hats, they finally came up with something decent...I can't remember if it's "Team-up against drugs" or "We're on the Winning Team against drugs." All I know is, I got to wear a jersey and tennies to work on my birthday, which led to very happy birthday feet. We also made one special Daddy, who feels just as much Brazilian as he does American, very happy to see his family sporting his favorite team.

Lesson of the Day:  Soccer players run all out for basically 90 minutes straight.  That's pretty impressive.  Amazing athletes they are.
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Saturday, October 22, 2011

Party for a good cause


I've never been one to host a jewelry party.  If you know me, you know I wear basically the exact same jewery everyday and I like it that way, but I do appreciate pretty necklaces and bracelets.  Well, for about a year I've known about the Apparent Project.  It is an awesome mission to help men and women in Haiti.  They teach them a craft and then they sell the items so these men and women can support their families and keep their children.  There is an orphan crisis in Haiti and many of these orphans have parents but the parents have no way to support their child so they drop them off thinking they are doing what is best.  They do not want to give up their child.  They give them up out of love.  The sad thing is, the orphanages would make most Americans cringe.  They are not good places, terribly overcrowded, and desperate for funds themselves.  I have some friends that are over there and this is something that is very dear to their hearts.  Instead of helping the ophanages, why don't we help the parents and maybe prevent the child from ever becoming an orphan.  Equip them with the skills and education they need to keep their family together.

So here's my part, I'm going to host a party through the Apparent Project.  I make NO money from this.  The only person that profits is the Haitian mother or father that created the item purchased.  I don't have an exact date yet, but I hope you will come.  There will be beaded jewelry, Christmas decorations, metal artwork, etc.  The items are really very beautiful and I can't wait to see what all the ship to me.  I hope you'll try to be a part of this amazing mission.  If you click on the title of this post, it will take you directly to the apparent project.  You can read all about their goal and see a sampling of some of the items these men and women create.  Just so you know, there will be a lot more options at the party.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Look out for the Were-cows....

Totally crazy note, some kid in J-man's class spent his entire day (before he got sent to the office) trying to convince his classmates and his teacher that he turns into a Were-cow on full moons.  They had to write a personal narrative about a "first" in their lives and he tried to write about the first time he turned into a Were-cow.  He apparently spent the entire day going between howls and moos.  I don't know how his teacher held it together.  I laugh everytime I think about it....a Were-cow.  I think he watches too much Phineas and Ferb.

Brag alert...beware

Don't click..it won't go anywhere.
Okay, so I've always know, Ladybug is exceptionally good with letters.  It's her thing.  She could name every letter out of order before she was two and quickly followed that by learning all of their sounds.  Well, she's caught on to reading like no child I've ever seen.  I knew she could read simple stories (like The cat sat on the mat.) and she typically already knows her sight words by the time they come home but today blew me away.  I got the book Everything on It by Shel Silverstein in the mail today and sat down on the couch and read a fewpoems to the kids.  I got up to do something and when I sat back down,the ladybug had the book in her lap.  She started reading and at first I though she was just reciting what I had already read (she has a crazy good memory for words too), then I realized she was reading a new poem all by herself.  This is what she read:

ASLEEP
My lazy foot
Just fell asleep
When I sat down to sup.
I yelled and screamed,
But on it dreamed.
Well.....this should wake it up.

She then proceeded to read several more with VERY LITTLE help.  WOW is all I have to say as a mom and as a reading teacher!!!

Thank you, Lord for smart kids!

By the way, I just realized that the letter I normally type for her name, hasn't been showing up in the actual post.  Don't know what that is about but I've switched to calling her ladybug.

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Drugs and other stuff


I'm sick of being sick. Started with a cold over a week ago. I spent the entire week completely hoarse, which is quite interesting when you teach school. I have the entire third grade rooting for my voice to come back. After spending an entire day coughing, totally snotty, and hardly able to talk, I finally broke down and went to one of the Walgreens Take Care Clinics after school yesterday (really, Alan insisted I go). Highly recommend that place. Fast, no appointment needed, no pretense....just get in and get out. So now I know I have brochitis and sinitis/sinus infection and I'm on a load of drugs. I just hope I'm under control before Monday. I have a very long and quiet meeting and I so don't want to cough through the entire thing. Oh, another sick note, Z is better. She missed 3 days of school and has been pampered to the point that now we're going to have to do some retraining, but she's almost back to normal, a little thinner and hesitant to eat much but on the whole...well. J has a cold now...hope it just stays a cold. I'll be disinfecting the entire house today.

On a totally different note....Z wants her hair cut short. Ahhhh! Her hair is so long and pretty and I have so much fun fixing it in all sorts of buns and braids but she wants it to look like mine. Very sweet. I'll probably give in...just because it would be easier, less tangly, and would help with the growing out of the bangs. We've also talked about donating her hair, but I still might cry when we cut it (it's a girl thing).

Well, that's all that's going on in the PotAter Patch this week...just a lot of snot, coughing, yucky tummies, and medication.

Lesson of the Day: Just go to the doctor. Don't be like me. You'll be glad you did.
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Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Misery does have a name...the stomach bug

Say a prayer for the ladybug. We've been up since 2 AM. Poor little thing! Hopefully this is just 24 hours.
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