February Mosaic

59/365: Angry Birds

February 28, 2011

Angry Birds is a game on my iPhone. My husband recently got me addicted to it. I can't stop playing it. I tell myself, "I'll just clear this board and then I'll stop." But, I clear that board and feel such a sense of accomplishment that I go for the next one, and the next, and the next. It was so bad the other night that I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning playing.

58/365: Happy Birthday Grammy!

February 27, 2011

Today we celebrate Kevin's Grandmother's 86th birthday. His sister made dinner and the whole family came over. Her children, nieces, grandchildren and great-grandchildren celebrated with ice cream cake, cards, and presents. I can only imagine living through and experiencing the things she has in 86 years. The technological advances alone are astounding. Happy Birthday Grammy, and I hope we get to celebrate many more with you.

57/365: Dublin Literacy Conference

February 26, 2011

Dublin City Schools, one of the suburban districts in the Columbus area, hosts the Dublin Literacy Conference every year. They arrange for keynote speakers who are authors, illustrators, and leaders in the field of literacy and education. In addition, there are three breakout sessions presented by teachers, both from Dublin and surrounding communities, that focus on the topics of interest to educators today. Sessions are offered at Primary, Intermediate, and Secondary levels. For such a relatively small conference, it is incredibly valuable and informative professional development.

Initially, I was unable to register for the Dublin Lit Conference this year due to lack of funds (unfortunately, any conferences we attend are out-of-pocket expenses.) However, last night I got a call from one of my teaching partners, Deb. She had come down with the stomach flu and missed school on Friday. By Friday night she still wasn't back on her feet, so she called to see if I wanted to take her place at the conference. I felt really bad that she was ill, but was thrilled to be able to attend the conference this year. One of our other teammates, Cathy was going to be presenting at the conference, so it was nice to have someone to attend with. In a rare second picture on my picture a day blog is Cathy and me as we get ready to head home after a day ofgreat professional development. I really enjoy these opportunities because I get rejuvenated and enthusiastic for the possibilites of my job all over again. I told my husband that next year, I really want to find the funds to attend alongside Deb and Cathy. (Maybe I'll even write a proposal to be a presenter.)

56/365: Animal Parade

February 25, 2011

One of the projects that our Art teacher does with our first graders is making animal masks. The kids get to choose from several patterns and then cut, paint, and glue their animal masks. Then, when all of the classes are done, they have an animal parade. It was so cute to see all of those little kiddos marching down the hall in their masks. Even our Music and Gym teachers are involved in this activity. (And what's a group shot of first graders without at least one of the students looking at a neighbor instead of the camera?)

55/365: New Shoes

February 24, 2011

My oldest son, Liam is really rough on shoes. Because of this, we always buy him the $10 WalMart shoes. No matter how much they cost, he ends up tearing them apart in just a couple of months. So, we're better off buying a cheap pair every few months rather than shoes that cost 3-4 times as much in the same amount of time. Well, last week he told me that he needed new shoes. With money being tight, as always, I told him we'd have to wait until I got paid. I didn't actually get a good look at his shoes until he brought it up again tonight. I am so embarrassed. I feel like the worst mom in the world. One of his shoes was completely missing its tread. The other one had an enormous hole in the toe. We went out shortly after to get another $10 pair of shoes at WalMart. This is what happens when you have such a good kid that never complains about anything. I think I need to pay closer attention to my kids' feet.

54/365: Daily Dose of Cheer

February 23, 2011

This is my lunch bag. I bought it from a company called "Thirty-One Gifts." It's insulated, has my name embroidered on it, and holds everything I need for my daily lunch and snacks. I like the pattern because it is very cheerful and reminds me of Spring and Summer. Every day when I take my lunch bag out, I feel a little dose of cheer.

53/365: Water

February 22, 2011

I drink a lot of water. Not as much as I probably should, but as much as is recommended for health and weight loss. When I drink soda, it's only diet. I don't drink fruit juices and I rarely drink alcohol. The recommendation is to drink 64 ounces of water each day. I drink 16 oz. during my workout (in the bottle on the left) then throughout the day I drink 32 oz from the mug on the right. I also have 16 oz with a flavor packet with my lunch. So, by the time I leave school for the day, I've had my 64 oz. I'm able to do this every day because I've made an agreement with myself. I have to drink all of my water for the day before I'm allowed to drink any soda with my dinner (and then, I only allow myself one soda.) This is just one thing that I do for myself every day to stay on track with becoming the healthier person I've always wanted to be.

52/365: Blue

February 21, 2011

I'm feeling kind of blue today. I'm not sure why. It's probably the weather (have I mentioned that I HATE the weather in Ohio?) and not being able to get outside. I don't usually get this way, just an occasional day here and there when I just don't feel quite like myself. It'll pass as quickly as it came, but it's here today.

51/365: Reading for Fun

February 20, 2011

I love to read. I'm sure it comes as no surprise that a former reading teacher is an avid reader. I always have been. I remember when I was in high school, I would always have a book with me. I'd like to say I've read all the classics and those are the books I'd gravitate toward. But, alas no. I went in for the romance novels. I knew they weren't great literature. It was escapist fiction for a girl who had a very limited social life, no boyfriends, and no excitement. I even hid my choice of reading materials with cloth covers that would fit around my paperback books and conceal the titles from anyone curious about what I was reading.

Even now, as a nearing-40-year-old adult, I prefer reading about romance, adventure, time-travel, and far away places. I look forward to Spring Break and Summer break because I can finally get around to reading for enjoyment, not just professional reading. Last summer, I had a much anticipated novel by one of my favorite authors waiting for me when school was out. I read every day, at every opportunity. But, I wasn't able to finish it. I don't know what happened, but it is still sitting on my bedside table waiting for my return. I can feel it pulling me every night as I set my alarms and turn off my light.

So, that is why I am making this a mid-winter resolution. I am resolving to spend at least 15 minutes every night reading something just for fun, just for me. The stack of books I photographed as my picture of the day today are the books I've been wanting to read or re-read for one reason or another and have been sitting beside my bed for months.

50/365: All Lacquered Up

February 19, 2011

My husband and went on a date last night to hear a friend of ours play with his band at a local pub. Since this was an event that happens once every three years or so, we really got fancy with it. I even painted my toenails and fingernails. I don't usually like to paint my fingernails unless I have acrylic tips on, because I've never fel like my fingers look very good with a color on them. But, my husband likes it, so I did it to please him (yes, we girls do that every once in a while.) A few years ago, my husband got me a pedicure at a local salon and this was the color I chose. It's OPI's "All Lacquered Up." I giggle every time I think of the name. We had a good time and vow to do it more often.

49/365: Riding Bikes

February 18, 2011

Today was another nice day. So, when the boys got home from school, they went right to the backyard to play. After a little while, they asked if they could ride their bikes. So, off they went, riding around the neighborhood for about an hour and a half, finding friends playing outside along the way. They can't wait until this is the norm, rather than the exception. Neither can their Mom!

48/365: Warming Up?

February 17, 2011

Today was one of those rare "warm" days in the midst of winter. We've been cold, colder, bitterly cold, then just cold again for so long it seems like it's never going to warm up. Well, it did just that yesterday. But, due to being stuck inside the school building from 8:00 am until 8:30 pm due to Parent-Teacher Conferences, I didn't get to experience any of the warm-up that everyone said we had. But today, I was able to go outside for our weekly Chipotle lunch, then I made it home earlier than usual and went out for dinner with my family. On the way home, at 7:30 pm, I looked at the temperature readout in our minivan and it showed 59 degrees. My heart skipped a beat to see that number on the display again. Makes me hopeful that Spring truly is just around the corner. Of course, this being the Midwest, I'm sure we have quite a few more bitterly cold days ahead of us before they are gone for good. For now, I'll just enjoy my 59 degrees.

47/365: Duckies

February 16, 2011

The company that publishes Time Magazine also publishes a mini-magazine called Time For Kids. Like the old Weekly Reader that I had as a kid, it uses articles and photographs to give young kids a snippet of some Social Studies related topics. Every year, a representative of the company gives our school an opportunity to earn free grade level sets of the magazine. Students are given a little booklet and asked to collect addresses of family and friends so that Time can offer them magazine subscriptions. For every booklet our school returns, we get credit towards free subscriptions. In return, the students who return booklets get these little duckies. Everyone wants one and they don't stop bugging you about them until you finally put one in their hot little hands. Of course, they don't give us enough initially, so we have to wait for another delivery of duckies, and listen to questions about when they'll get their duckies in the meantime. I'll be so glad when the last duckie has been given a home.

46/365: Sick Again

February 15, 2011

I've been battling a cough for a couple of days. But, when I went to bed last night it had gotten really bad and now my throat and ears were involved. So, when I woke up this morning and it hadn't gotten any better, I called in sick, wrote lesson plans, and went back to bed. My husband made a doctor's appointment for me and I made my second trip to his office in less than a month. This time, he said it was bronchial. So, armed with a prescription for Zithromax, over-the-counter cough suppressant, and some delicious vanilla caramel truffle tea, I'm hoping to be back on my feet tomorrow.

45/365: Valentine's Day

February 14, 2011

When I got into my car this morning, this vase with home-made paper flowers was on my seat. The gift, of course, was from my darling husband, Kevin. On each of the paper roses, he had written a reason why he loves me. There was also a note telling me how special and important I am to him. That man is definitely a keeper.

44/365: Mischievous

February 13, 2011

This afternoon, it was warmer than it had been for days, so we opened up the window in the boys' room to get some fresh air circulating. When they left to go to dinner with their grandparents, I just left it open. While they were gone, their little brother was in there watching television. Or so I thought. When I heard a noise that didn't come from the show he was watching, I went to investigate. I discovered that he had pushed the screen out of the window and had been chucking random items from inside his brothers' room out into the back yard. Of course, being the scrapbooking mom that I am, I had to take a picture before retrieving the items. This was, of course, after he had been sent to time-out. His dad's response? Laughter, of course, before stating, "See what I have to deal with while you are at work?"

43/365: Sadie

February 12, 2011

My dog can tell time. I'm sure of it. We feed Sadie her dinner at 8:00 every night. Within minutes of that time, she is pacing around in front of the cupboard where we keep her food.

42/365: Valentines

February 11, 2011

Today was our Valentine's celebration in my class. We made these cute little card holders out of paper plates. I think it's a totally adorable craft, but it's a pain to put together. Luckily I had the help of my Special Ed. aide and a parent volunteer. Next year, I'm going to need to remember to either figure out a way to make it go a little easier and more efficiently, or I'm going to have to find another card collection craft.

41/365: Ridiculously Cold

February 10, 2011

As I was leaving the gym this morning, I was thinking to myself just how ridiculously cold it was. The sun was actually shining for the first time in what seemed like weeks, but that really didn't help. I got in my car and started it up. While I was waiting for the windows to clear, I opened the Weather Channel app on my iPhone. Holy cow! It was -2 degrees, but felt like -13 with the wind chill factored in. I am so done with this weather!

40/365: Mrs. Van

February 9, 2011

In first grade Life Science, we learn about the various adaptations of animals in the backyard and pond habitats. Today, our first graders were visited by Mrs. Van of Ohio Nature Education. She brought study skins of animals as well as live animals, such as owls, a snake, and an opossum. More importantly, she spoke extensively about the adaptations of these animals to survive not only winter conditions, but also their predators. Mrs. Van is a no-nonsense, dynamic, and entertaining speaker. It is always a pleasure to watch her in action and see the students' reactions to her presentation.

39/365: Just Right

February 8, 2011

The first grade team had Math Professional Development all day today. One of the perks, is the opportunity to have lunch at a real restaurant with your friends/teammates. Today, we chose Panera. As I was standing at the soda fountain filling up my large soda, Cathy sees my cup and commented that she didn't know they had that size. (Of course, I made some clever quip that I can't recall just now.) Before we leave the restaurant, we fill our cups with Diet Pepsi one last time to sustain us through the afternoon. Not long after we return to our meeting site, I glance over to see Cathy finishing up her drink while mine is still mostly full. She leans over and says to me something along the lines of, "This is why you get the large." Exactly, Cathy. Exactly.

*Of course, I give Cathy my full permission to correct any errors in my recollection of today's commentary in the Comments section below.*

38/365: Book Fair

February 7, 2011

The discussion around the dinner table tonight centered around the book fair at the boys' school. I love that they are so excited about buying books that they are planning to use their own money for their purchases!

37/365: It's A Girl!

February 6, 2011

Today was a family birthday party for my husband's aunt and mom's cousin. At this party, his cousin Nikki was planning to announce the gender of her second child, due in June. She had her mom's cake decorated to say, "Happy Birthday Grandma! It's a ..." When she cut it open, the color of the cake would indicate if it was a boy or girl. We were all thrilled when the pink center was revealed. On that side of the family, we have three boys and she has one. So, the addition of a girl to that mix will be terrific.

36/365: Chuck E. Cheese's

February 5, 2011

The birthday party of my friend Shannan's 6-year-old son was held today at Chuck E. Cheese's, and all three of my boys were invited. It's nice have older kids, because they can go off with a cup of tokens and have fun and that leaves me to follow around my toddler. The highlight for him today was this Clifford ride. He must have ridden it half a dozen times.

35/365: Missing Summer

February 4, 2011

As I leave the gym each morning, the quickest way to the parking lot is through the outdoor pool area. Every time I pass the slide pool, I remember fondly the many hours spent last summer laying beside the pool, reading my books while my boys played in the pools. (Sigh...I miss summer.) Now that it's February, the thought that the opening of the pools is less than 4 months away is somewhat comforting.

34/365: Last Minute Dinner

February 3, 2011

My husband is a freelance writer and movie critic who works from home, takes care of the 2-year-old during the day and older boys before and after school. He keeps crazy, inconsistent hours, sometimes going to bed at 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning. In my house, my husband is the one who shops for groceries and makes dinner. Last night was one of those late nights, so he got very little sleep. By the time I got home from work, he was ready for me to take over with the boys and take a nap (as he has to go to a midnight movie to review tonight.) He left me instructions to wake him up in order to cook dinner, but when that time rolled around there was no way he was going to be able to get up and make dinner. So, it's off to McDonald's I went with the three boys while he continued his nap. The boys ate their meals and then were allowed to open up their toys. It was a rare mid-week treat. (And for the record, all of their meals would have met San Francisco's calorie requirements for receiving a toy.)

33/365: Nature's Power

February 2, 2011

When I went to bed last night, the trash can was beside the mailboxes on the curb. This morning, I found it laying where you see it here, all the way up the driveway in the front yard. When I went to return it to its usual spot, I found the driveway to be icy like a skating rink and the grass of the yard crusty with a layer of ice. We had yet another calamity day today, our last "freebie", so I am sure we will be back to our regular routine tomorrow.

32/365: Icy Beauty

February 1, 2011

We had been hearing for days that ice/freezing rain was in the forecast. But, you never believe it until it actually hits. Especially when you are a teacher or have school-aged children and days off are on the line. However, this morning at 5:00 am I got the text that "due to inclement weather" school was closed for the day. As I glanced out my window in the light of day, I could see that everything was encased in ice. It is amazing to me that something so beautiful could cause such calamity.