Saturday, June 30, 2007
Here is the E-pic of the day!
(Although my brother is not living up to his end of the bargain, ahem)
E the Carrot Top
Although unconventional, we decided to dye E's hair. This way she can truely live up to her scotch-irish last name.
And, no, the photo below has not been digitally edited or altered in any way.
(Although my brother is not living up to his end of the bargain, ahem)
E the Carrot Top
Although unconventional, we decided to dye E's hair. This way she can truely live up to her scotch-irish last name.
And, no, the photo below has not been digitally edited or altered in any way.
Note: we did not actually dye her hair. -S
Friday, June 29, 2007
Stink.
My dad is in the hospital again. Third time in three and a half months. He says it feels different this time, a different kind of pain.
I'm worried.
My dad is in the hospital again. Third time in three and a half months. He says it feels different this time, a different kind of pain.
I'm worried.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Hi mommy. I'm just sittin' here, reading my pink dog a book. (Yes, that colorful looking thing next to her pacifier is, indeed, a book.)
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
SOS for Book Recommendations! (yet again)
Dear blog readers,
Could you send me your recommendations for good novels that are about large-scale group survival? Or individuals that survive a tragedy that hit their community. Think broadly. I'll be using these recommendations to gather books for my classroom, so they should be "school appropriate." These will be high schoolers reading the books, so they should be books that you think you'd like to pick up and read again (aka not too juvenile) while simultaneously being linguistically "easy" (think of books that you could have digested as late elementary/junior high students). Also, if you have ANY recommendations from Latin America, I would LOVE them. Most of my students will be Hispanic.
Here's what I've got so far (to give you some idea of where I'm going with this):
Diary of Anne Frank
Lord of the Flies
Hiroshima (by John Hersey)
Dear blog readers,
Could you send me your recommendations for good novels that are about large-scale group survival? Or individuals that survive a tragedy that hit their community. Think broadly. I'll be using these recommendations to gather books for my classroom, so they should be "school appropriate." These will be high schoolers reading the books, so they should be books that you think you'd like to pick up and read again (aka not too juvenile) while simultaneously being linguistically "easy" (think of books that you could have digested as late elementary/junior high students). Also, if you have ANY recommendations from Latin America, I would LOVE them. Most of my students will be Hispanic.
Here's what I've got so far (to give you some idea of where I'm going with this):
Diary of Anne Frank
Lord of the Flies
Hiroshima (by John Hersey)
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Why S does not have facebook... (and, again, why PHD comics describes our life)
http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php?f=877
P.S. I DO have facebook. Mostly because my sister-in-law (who has my maiden name) got sick of my long-lost friends adding her as a friend. I'm not too upset about it, though. A long-lost friend from Far East Russia found me. Never thought I'd chat with her again! Now I've added a Russian keyboard to my computer! да.
http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php?f=877
P.S. I DO have facebook. Mostly because my sister-in-law (who has my maiden name) got sick of my long-lost friends adding her as a friend. I'm not too upset about it, though. A long-lost friend from Far East Russia found me. Never thought I'd chat with her again! Now I've added a Russian keyboard to my computer! да.
Picture of the Day: E gets excited for swimming!
I've decided that for every time my brother posts pics of his kids, I'll post pics of mine. It's my way of encouraging him in his blogging endeavors. His goal is to post daily, so you may see more and more E pictures here! Hope you don't mind!
In other semi-pointless news: She's started sleeping 11.5-12 hours per night. Mommy's happy, baby's happy!
I've decided that for every time my brother posts pics of his kids, I'll post pics of mine. It's my way of encouraging him in his blogging endeavors. His goal is to post daily, so you may see more and more E pictures here! Hope you don't mind!
In other semi-pointless news: She's started sleeping 11.5-12 hours per night. Mommy's happy, baby's happy!
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Some more E-pics to satisfy people with awesome names (you know who you are! :))
E and her church twin, D. He was due a day before her and born a day after her. (Only because she was born two days early. He was perfectly on time.) Last Sunday they "discovered" each other. They've seen each other before, but last Sunday was the first time both of them realized the other person was someone cool to look at. D got really excited, flailing his arms and legs, and reaching out to grab E. E was a bit more shy. She just stared at him with a huge smile on her face and occasionally did a little jig. Ahh... young love. :)
E and her friend L going all Star-Wars on us. (At S's birthday party, in our pretty pool.)
Ah, the child of academics. Already spends her time reading. (Look at how well she sits! Go E go!)
S took this picture. He would like to call it "Be Prepared." E has a problem. Her pacifiers fall out of her mouth, and she can't get them back in because her hand-eye coordination and grasping skills are still being developed. This fixes that problem. :)
E and her church twin, D. He was due a day before her and born a day after her. (Only because she was born two days early. He was perfectly on time.) Last Sunday they "discovered" each other. They've seen each other before, but last Sunday was the first time both of them realized the other person was someone cool to look at. D got really excited, flailing his arms and legs, and reaching out to grab E. E was a bit more shy. She just stared at him with a huge smile on her face and occasionally did a little jig. Ahh... young love. :)
E and her friend L going all Star-Wars on us. (At S's birthday party, in our pretty pool.)
Ah, the child of academics. Already spends her time reading. (Look at how well she sits! Go E go!)
S took this picture. He would like to call it "Be Prepared." E has a problem. Her pacifiers fall out of her mouth, and she can't get them back in because her hand-eye coordination and grasping skills are still being developed. This fixes that problem. :)
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Thanks to all who came and helped make S's birthday wonderful!
Would you like to see more pictures? Demand below (in comments) and I WILL deliver. :)
Including pics of E and L in an inflatable ... what are those things called? ... You know, used in Star Wars, to go over large deserts... yeah, well, one of those. Oh, and E swimming. And a most fabulous cake (if I do say so myself, even though I did make it incorrectly, as Steve later pointed out. Oops! As my Grandpa O always used to say whenever my mom made anything particularly delicious, "keep practicing").
Honestly, you'd think it'd be easier for me to just POST the pictures than describe them but, well, they aren't on this computer. So, it'll take effort. Is the effort worth it? (Many of you who care have already seen T.C.'s pictures on his facebook account, and likely don't need to see mine. Ah, technology.)
Oh, and the above picture is the intellectual property of Tim C. Do not reproduce or use in publications without his permission. (As I have done. That is, if this is considered a publication... Tim, you may chastise me if this bothers you, and I will remove. Otherwise, I think this is a pretty awesome picture. Currently it is the background on my computer.)
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Best Books Ever?
Laura and I are thinking about expanding our book collection. (I know, when are we not...) Actually we are thinking that our collection of good fiction books is inadequate. So here goes:
Please respond with your recommendation for the best 1 to 3 fiction books that you have ever read. Feel free to think back to when you were young, we are interested in children's books.
You can also say what you liked about them if you feel so inclined.
Laura and I are thinking about expanding our book collection. (I know, when are we not...) Actually we are thinking that our collection of good fiction books is inadequate. So here goes:
Please respond with your recommendation for the best 1 to 3 fiction books that you have ever read. Feel free to think back to when you were young, we are interested in children's books.
You can also say what you liked about them if you feel so inclined.
Labels: books
Monday, June 04, 2007
Two comics that describe my life. (And no, they have NOTHING to do with babies. Or middle schoolers.)
http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=863
http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=864
http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=863
http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=864
Friday, June 01, 2007
Okay, so I know this wasn't asked for, but I'm going to respond to #2 (below) because I need to vent...
Teacher appreciation week and all the junk you get. Ready for the list?
A snack pack that says (in BRIGHT colors with pictures of the candy bars, just in case you didn't quite understand):
"This Snack Pack Contains: An ALMOND JOY because it's a joy to count on great staff members like you. A PAY DAY because teamwork always pays off. A TAKE 5 because you deserve a satisfying break for all you do for our school!"
and if this wasn't enough, the next day I got another one. Also, bold, bright colors proclaiming (on a pre-printed, mass-produced card)
"Thanks for making a DIFFERENCE at Our School! Nestle Crunch - Because you're so helpful in a crunch. Milky Way - Because you're out of this world. Mounds - Because you deserve "mounds" of praise!" (and then on the back) "Your efforts at our school each day help students grow in every way. We're grateful we can count on you to make a difference in all you do." (awww... it's a poem.)
Finally, (last one, I promise) on a package of jelly beans:
Thanks for "BEAN" part of our SUCCESS
(and on the back, of course pre-printed. Nothing personal here)
5 WAYS you help us SUCCEED
1. You're always willing to lend a helping hand!
2. You approach every task with great determination.
3. You know how to be a good team player.
4. You're dependable and trustworthy, no matter what the situation.
5. Your positive attitude inspires everyone around you!
Okay, first of all, I enjoyed the candy (mmm...) and the thoughtfulness of the anonymous person who stuck them in every teacher's box. BUT... talk about false praise! I felt more like a kindergartner than anything else. You (anonymous gift giver) have NO IDEA if I do those things or not. And I'd get the candy and praise REGARDLESS of if I did them. So, really, is it inspirational? Do I feel touched at someone's thoughtful praise? And, since every teacher got the candy, then every teacher's positive attitude must "inspire everyone around" them. If that's the case, we have a whole school FULL of inspired individuals running around. Why, then, aren't we solving the world's problems? And why are my students still getting called into the Principal's office for (rumor has it) drug possession? Doesn't sound like inspiration to me.
It's teacher appreciation weeks like this (and my accompanying cynicism) that make me wonder if I'm cut out for teaching after all.
Teacher appreciation week and all the junk you get. Ready for the list?
A snack pack that says (in BRIGHT colors with pictures of the candy bars, just in case you didn't quite understand):
"This Snack Pack Contains: An ALMOND JOY because it's a joy to count on great staff members like you. A PAY DAY because teamwork always pays off. A TAKE 5 because you deserve a satisfying break for all you do for our school!"
and if this wasn't enough, the next day I got another one. Also, bold, bright colors proclaiming (on a pre-printed, mass-produced card)
"Thanks for making a DIFFERENCE at Our School! Nestle Crunch - Because you're so helpful in a crunch. Milky Way - Because you're out of this world. Mounds - Because you deserve "mounds" of praise!" (and then on the back) "Your efforts at our school each day help students grow in every way. We're grateful we can count on you to make a difference in all you do." (awww... it's a poem.)
Finally, (last one, I promise) on a package of jelly beans:
Thanks for "BEAN" part of our SUCCESS
(and on the back, of course pre-printed. Nothing personal here)
5 WAYS you help us SUCCEED
1. You're always willing to lend a helping hand!
2. You approach every task with great determination.
3. You know how to be a good team player.
4. You're dependable and trustworthy, no matter what the situation.
5. Your positive attitude inspires everyone around you!
Okay, first of all, I enjoyed the candy (mmm...) and the thoughtfulness of the anonymous person who stuck them in every teacher's box. BUT... talk about false praise! I felt more like a kindergartner than anything else. You (anonymous gift giver) have NO IDEA if I do those things or not. And I'd get the candy and praise REGARDLESS of if I did them. So, really, is it inspirational? Do I feel touched at someone's thoughtful praise? And, since every teacher got the candy, then every teacher's positive attitude must "inspire everyone around" them. If that's the case, we have a whole school FULL of inspired individuals running around. Why, then, aren't we solving the world's problems? And why are my students still getting called into the Principal's office for (rumor has it) drug possession? Doesn't sound like inspiration to me.
It's teacher appreciation weeks like this (and my accompanying cynicism) that make me wonder if I'm cut out for teaching after all.
