Best Moments of 2009...

I have chosen some photos that have made 2009 the year to remember for me. Thank you facebook for helping me create this.

Pissing and Moaning

Ok-let me get all this negativity off my chest so I can return to me....

....To Austin-Thanks a lot for hurting Ben's feelings. You have been treated like a second son and brother to Ben. Now, it is not your fault that Ben couldn't come over on Monday. We'll let your mom take the hit for that one. But-learn some censorship. You don't always have to tell Ben everything. Like today, for example. You not only let Ben know that what your plans were but you also let Ben know that some one else was going with you... tmi, Austin, tmi...

.... To Pam-my sis-in-law-Yes, you were being mean today. Your mother was having and off day and we were coming to try to settle her down. You calling me and saying basically "ha ha" to me was mean and sooo uncalled for. Oh-grow up already!

.... To Judy-my sis-Did you enjoy bragging about going to see our cousin's baby to me? Did it make you feel all the more important that you were the first one to see Shayna? Thanks a lot for sharing! You know that I want to see that sweet little baby too. Goodie for you that you were the first one!!!! Grow up already too.

There... I feel better now.

A lesson well learned...

My students amazed me today. I almost got tearful from their text to selves connection. You know the story-Rudolph is ridiculed about his nose and has no friends. While I was reading the story, several hands raised and a discussion broke out about how wrong the other reindeer in picking on him.

Geez this sounds familiar...

Sorry...

Sorry. It is one of the hardest words for many people to say to one another. My students struggle to mumble an apology when asked by me to give one. My son gets more upset when he has to utter the apologetic word of somberness.

This post is for all my friends that I have blown off and ignored this fall. SORRY...

To Alisa-You have been through so much this year; a pending divorce; the death of a good friend and deaths of both your uncle and father-in-law. Have I been there for you? No... I apologize and hope that you know it is from the heart. I have missed our talks-hope we can get back to what we were...

To Renea-A recent marriage and 2 pregnancy all within the span of 18 months. I have definitely no been there for you-please accept my sincere apologies.

To Jay-I am forever apologizing to you-in advance... there is one always one that is needed out there....

For all the above... luv ya! I am still out here somwhere...

Milestones

Yesterday was Ben's official first dance. One of the coming-of-age events in a Jewish child's life is the arrival of Joe Cornell in his or her life. No-Joe is not a friend or a neighbor; it is a company that teaches pre-Bar and Bat Mitzvah children how to socially mingle and dance with the opposite sex. To sell this 12 week program to in-coming 6th graders JC hosts a big dance.

So it was with a heavy heart-from me and a nervous swagger from my 10 year old that we arrived at the dance. As the children walked in with their parents, I watched Ben scanning the room for a friendly face, or just a mere smile of a friend. Relief washed over his face when his good buddy Max walked in the door. With the arrival of his good buddy, his confidence returned and within a minute he gave us a hasty goodbye and walked into the dance.

We went home and started baking Thanksgiving pies. The time went by fast and soon we made the return trip to pick him up. My son walked out tired from all the dancing loaded with prizes and a smile on his face. No-there was no slow dancing but they all danced in a big group. It wasn't too boring. They learned the Zombie dance from Michael Jackson. It was okay ...

Sigh.... milestones!

From the sick mind of CDW...

... H1N1 has all the masses running scared, including me. I have a cold with a fever that spiked to 101 last night. And here's panic-striken me web-searching all about it at 12 am. I almost woke Jay up to take me to the hospital; I was convinced that I had it-turns out that i have just a yucky cold with a fever that is now gone.

... Ben is starting to exchanging texts with some of the girls in his class or a bit older. Very interesting...

... This has been a big week for several people in my life-my brother's second son was born on 11/10-name-Nathan Lucas Becker; one of my oldest friends who will be 43 in February also gave birth to a son; Another friend of mine had a bowel obstruction removed. Yikes!

... My niece Michelle experienced her first boyfriend loss. Nathan Chomski broke up with her because they never had a chance to see each other... Don't cry too hard Shells-there are many more of them out there. Besides, Ben has volunteered to kick his butt if you need him too.

Nappy time!

Life in 2009

Ben and I were going to see my father-in-law in his rehab facility yesterday when it dawned on me that I had not contacted a sitter for Ben for Saturday night. I asked Ben who his first choice of sitters was-Alex, of course, because he brings his brother and very good friend Austin with him. Here is the kicker-

"Mom-I will call Alex," says Ben and he proceeds to do so. Here is the conversation he has:

"Hello, Alex? Hi, it's Ben. Can you babysit me on Saturday? Ok-see you then-bye!"

Our world has changed so much that my son with his newly acquired cell phone now arranges his own babysitters. Too funny!

Time, time, time

Time. It is what dictates how we run our lives. It keeps us regulated and somewhat imprisoned. It tells us when to commence and when to conclude. Time-see what has become of me....

.... Just where exactly did the years go-Jay and I have been together for almost 20 years. We have been married for 16-WOW!

.... Our son is in double digit years. He will start middle school next year

.... We are both so blessed to have both sets of parents alive. I attribute it to modern day medicine. I know I am not ready to go down that road and am thankful that they aren't either.

.... Our puppy Mickey will be five this year-the same number of years that we have lived in our home.

.... My niece Michelle who was like my practice baby before I became a parent will be driving in 2010. Her sister Ashley-my clone-will have her Bat Mitzvah in May and my cousin Andi will become a mother in January.

.... I have entered into my 20th year of teaching. My first set of Kindergartners are 23 years old. I wonder what direction their lives took.

A spiritual leader who I knew very well had a saying. He said to live your life between the dashes. I think I have done so quite well and plan to continue doing this for many, many years to come even if my life isn't perfect!

A tale of 2 Mann births...

On Thursday I was walking my students to computer class, when my co-worker came up to me and asked if I had heard the news-Mr. Chapman, another colleague of mine, was a father. Now, do understand that I do not know him very well. Sure, we exchange pleasantries, but we have never really sat down and had a real conversation. The next thing that came out of the first co-workers mouth just about shocked me-his wife did not know she was pregnant. Huh? Apparently, she was at home when she felt waves of immense pain and pressure. She pushed-and boom-out came a 6-pound baby boy. Mr. Chapman was an instant father.

Tale number two happened today. I was in my classroom commencing the procedures to end our day. As I was closing the door to settle down 23 crazy Kindergartners, my assistant came into the room and said that some parent was in the lounge having major contractions. She had come in to get her child because the labor had started didn't quite make it out. EMS was called and hopefully she made it in time.

Strange week, huh?

Tuesday Tidbits

My mind is racing tonight, baby!

1. We have found several dead "fuzzy" bees on our porch. Ben pondered the question-why do the bees have to die?

2. The leaves are thinning out-I can see my first squirrels nest in the woods behind us.

3. One of my students is a mute cryer-what I mean by that is he cries and won't tell me what is bugging him. Eventually he stops-still trying to figure him out.

4. I am just about done with the late summer days in the 80s. I can not enjoy in my classroom. I have no ac and if I open the windows the bees swarm in and sting the little people.

5. And speaking of Detroit-so... we get a new reading series that is suppose to be "supplemental" but the materials kept arriving, box after box. We have had no notice, no training and no direction-All I can say is that famous DPS slogan-"I'm in!"

6. I have blogged half as many blogs as I did for the whole year last year. I got some catching up to do, huh?

OH well....

Enough whining for ton

911 revisited

Eight years ago American life changed forever. I remember it oh too well...

It was my first year at Mann Elementary teaching kindergarten. It was a Tuesday morning and my children were gone for that hour. I was in the teacher's lounge making copies when one of my colleagues came in muttering something about an airplane colliding with something. I went over to my friend Julie's room and told her. She called her husband and that is how we found out. We put on the TV-and there-before our eyes-we saw the plume of smoke coming from the first tower. What freaked us out more was what happened next, a second airplane flew into the second tower. We just looked at each other and words wouldn't come out. We put the sound on and it was there before our eyes that we saw the first tower go down.

I remember that as a staff we all came together and just watched over and over again the same images of those towers being hit and disappearing from the New York skyline in a dark cloud of rubble and dust. Everyone of us wanted to go home to our families. Ben was only 2 at the time. He was safe in the home of his Auntie Pam, but I still touched base with her to make sure everything was ok.

I remember talking to Julie about how we, as teachers, were going to explain to our very young children what had happened. They were so young and we had to tread carefully as to not frighten them. But we knew we had to say something. We knew it was going to be the topic of conversation everywhere.

I remember the horror of learning about flight 93 that had crashed in PA and how these now- deceased heroes had stopped the third plane from attacking a target in Washington. And I remember the attack on the pentagon.

Now, eight years later, Americans have somewhat healed and memories of this day have faded. I don't want to forget so I dedicate this blog to all the victims of 911. I must say that my life has resumed normalcy since 9-11-09, like most Americans. But-we must never forget!

The itchy truth

It has been a long week for Ben Ten. Last Friday we were enjoy our last summer bonfire when Ben got eaten up alive by 50 thousand mosquitoes. To compound this itchy problem, he spent Saturday in the sun and by the time he arrived home his mosquito bites had turned themselves into a raging, pussy, blistery infection. We paid homage to our favorite hospital Sunday AM. The ER doctor prescribed a 5 day course of the steroid prednisone.

The end result and the itchy truth of the matter is that Ben and steroids do not mix. We have had bouts of crying over the littlest of things every night since Monday. One of the side effects of prednisone, is mood swings. And let me just say, Ben is swinging pretty high. I hope he comes back to his normal Ben Ten self soon.

Feeling Positively Ancient

We just recently hosted a 5oth wedding anniversary party for my parents. During my parent's thank you speech my mentioned all the things that exist today that didn't in 1959. This provocated some interesting discussions with my son Ben...

...."Mom, when you were a kid, did they have color tv?"

...."Dad, when you were little, did they have Legos?"

....."Mom, how did you travel in a car to California without an ipod or dvd player? Weren't you totally bored?"

Ben, your forgot to ask me if I lived in a cave with Dino as my pet dinosaur!

Boy-you are making me feel old!

A shooting star...

I am a closet space geek. No, I do not watch Carl Sagan and read lots of periodicals about space and all of it's glory. However, comets, planet-viewings and a even a random visit to a planetarium are all things that I do from time to time.

As I was half-watching, half-doing something else yesterday morning, I caught a small mention about the Perseids meteor shower that was suppose to be quite visible to the naked eye during the next several days. So... I set my alarm for 5 am (yawn), got somewhat dressed and went outside to view.

The air was so still this morning. The quiet of the pre-dawn was hypnotic. I sat on my driveway, camera in hand, poised and ready to go and patiently waited for the show to begin. I would love to report that I captured some awesome pics. I didn't! I did see a total of 4 shooting stars. For me-totally worth the early wake-up call!

The one that should've been

Camp Ben and Zach continued and was completed today. Those boys had a good run this week. They have gone to the beach-twice, eaten at the new Sonic by our house, played endlessly using imaginative minds, made marshmallow treats, and just thoroughly enjoyed each other's company. The words "I'm bored" were forbade as well as the name "Alan".

Yesterday we went mini-golfing at Paradise Park. The boys decided that they just wanted to golf for fun and not keep score. As we plugged thru the 18 holes-many of them quite challenging-Zach's style intrigued me. He had great aim and knew how hard to hit the ball for best performance. The most interesting hole was on hole 11. Zach hit the ball with such force that it bounced out of the hole, into the wall of rocks, skimmed the water, and then bounced back into the greens several feet away from the hole. The second hit drove the ball into the hole. I wish that I had my video cameral to record this. We laughed about it the rest of the day!

Two peas in a pod...

Summer... A time for a little r and r, vacations, family reunions and of course, CAMP!  Ben and Zach were suppose to go to Heritage Park Camp this week.  The Camp Gods intervened and thru some good luck for Ben and Zack and some not so good luck for me, Ben's registration and check never made it to the right authorities.  Lucky for these little guys because, I , teacher-by-school- year, stay-at-home mom by summer, am off and offered B and Z a respite from the land of camp fun and games.  They are having a blast-they play so well together-Here are some pictures from the e-coli beach adventures from yesterday.

Thank you for life's nasty presents swans.  

More vacation photos...

Enjoying a moment at Good Heart beach...

A misty, rainy day down by Traverse Bay

All tired out from climbing the dunes...

Do I really have to ride 8 miles? Not happy!!!

Skipping rocks off the shores of Mackinac...

Another fabulous vacation...

While we were at the Oden Fishery, Ben found a big walking stick. He called himself Gimbledorf after his to favorite wizards Gandoff and Dumbledorf.

Arch Rock on Mackinac Isle.

Want to buy some real estate on the island? Talk about a spooky fixer-uper! Jay was fascinated by this old house.

A hidden beach called Good Heart off the

shores of Lake Michigan. Surfers welcome!

A cold week...

Last week everyone was either at the pool or inside-it was, for some, unbearable.  But, I being one that loves to swim and anything to do with summer, loved it!  In typical Michigan style, we are now back into the weather of spring-showery, cool and yuck!  Benny and I had plans with the Beattys yesterday and we tried to squeeze in one more beach day before the weather bottomed out.  We were too late-but we had fun anyway!

Two more Stars in the Sky....

It was bad enough yesterday when I learned that Farrah Fawcett had lost her battle with cancer. But the double whammy blow came when we also learned the fate of Michael Jackson.  (and for a unconfirmed minute, Jeff Goldblum-found not to be true-phew!) TWO MORE STARS IN THE SKY!

Farrah was our generations Marilyn Monroe.  All the boys lusted after her; all the girls wanted her "feathered hair".  She will be forever ingrained in our memories.  

Ben kind of snickered when he heard about MJ.  Afterall, MJ did become the subject of many jokes with his awkward behavior.  Ben had never really heard the wonderful music this odd superstar had created.  We quickly schooled him on it via YouTube and Itunes.  His favorite was "Beat It". 

Rest in peace, both of you!  You left your mark on this world, that is for sure

Writing it off my chest

This letter is a one that I would never send but should-

Dear David:

What the hell is wrong with you and your wife?  Since the day you said your vows, she has had it in for the whole lot of us-Mom, Dad, Judy, Jay, Al, all of your nieces and nephew and the list continues from there.  She is rude, hateful, insulting and not at all gracious.  Little by little she has managed to alienate every one in your family.  Are we all such terrible people?  

For a long time, I blamed her.  But you allowed her to treat us like the scum underneath pond scum so now the blame has shifted to you.  What have we ever done to deserve this treatment?  It is sooo very sad for me when I see Jake-all of 4 times a year for a mere 30 minutes/session.  He has no idea who I am.  Jen tails him like bees on honey and never gives us a chance to even touch him.  Do you remember when she explained to Mom not to touch his hair because it becomes greasy?  Do you even know the hurt she inflicted on Mom?  Mom-who has been the best grandmother to all 4 of her grandchildren.  Notice that I didn't include Jake-you won't let her grandmother him.  Only Maryann is allowed any real time with him.  SHAME ON YOU! 

David, he is missing out on cousin closeness.  Have you ever looked into your nephew Ben's eyes when you come for your "visits"?  He won't even acknowledge you.  That is sad.  Ben use to worship the ground you walked on.    And I am sorry but Lanie's kids are not related to you and Jake.  Yes, I heard Jen introduce them to your "friends" as Jake's cousins.  We all-including Jake's real cousins-heard it.  Why do you think my family high-tailed it out of your house so fast at Jake's birthday party?  

You should be ashamed of the person you have become.  To dismiss a whole side of a family is a reflection of who you are now.  Someday you will be sorry.  Mom and Dad will not be around forever and neither will their sad attempts to gain entrance into your life.    What will you tell your children when they ask about us?  Or will you let your wife explain it to them?

So.... it is with a heavy heart and tears in my eyes that I must disown you as my brother.  I never, ever thought I would say that to you.  But I am sick of the insults and ill-treatment of my family-Jay, Ben, Mom, Dad, Judy, Alan, my nieces and my inlaws.   I am just so tired of being treated like dirt.  

Signed-Your former sister,

Carol

Summer!

School is officially out and I am on summer vacation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  No facebook status updates for the week so please read my blog!

Time flying by...

This week has been filled with shock waves for me....

.... Ben left the 4th grade and will be entering 5th grade at Meadowbrook.  He will "rule the school"

.... The out-going 5th graders were clapped out by their peers and teachers.  I was not there to witness this but Ben told me that he felt really sad when they walked pasted.  We know so many of these kids-off they go to 6th grade and middle school.  

.... Michelle, my 15 year old niece, got behind the wheel of my sister's car.  She is in the midst of taking drivers training and is now practicing!  I use to change her diapers.

.... A good friend of mine noticed that her ten-year-old girl had grown some under arm hair.  We both commiserated and said that it was time to start that awkward talk with them.  I will let you know how that goes

.... As my students were saying goodbye to me, tears were streaming down some of their faces.  For such a large class that I have taught this year, I have grown quite fond of them and apparently the feeling was mutual.  Off you go little ones-you will be fine.

.... Tomorrow is the 1 year anniversary of the day Maxi was put down.  I miss you dear sweet canine friend.  

.... My other niece who just turned 12 has a "boyfriend"  Ben must have girls on his mind-he said that maybe when he is in 5th grade he will find a girlfriend-Mommy says "yikes"

Time marches on and we need to enjoy every minute of it, don't we?

Almost there....

Wow! Is it just me or did the school year go by so fast? Ben's year was a very challenging one to put it lightly. The expectations in 4th grade are so much higher then the early grades. He received his first real letter grades this year. His bench mark assessments were more like final exams. He did quite well on most of these exams with quite a few As and Bs on them. He made some definite gains in reading and writing and really seemed to enjoy most of the social studies and science units. He was able to experience all the 4th grade teacher's distinct teaching styles realizing that his teacher had the best one. His behavior and compassion has continued to win the hearts of of all his teachers. That's my boy!

My school year was an interesting one as well. I have had extrememly high numbers of children this year with the highest being at 33. That is way too many Kindergartners for 1 person to handle. I will be ending the year with only 31 students. Still way too many. My parent support has been minimal but I have had 2 wonderful volunteers helping me thru the very long days. In fact, Ms. Crystal was actually hired to work with me as a lunch assistant. I feel that my teaching and humanity abilities have been tested this year. I have dealt with custody battles, homelessness, immature geniuses, a fall break-in, an ineffective principal, professional disappointments, mice, ants, lack of custodial care in my classroom, and that is just the half of it.

So.... little boos and 1 big boo-Luv ya-spread your wings and soar. I am packing it up as we speak...

Belle

This post is dedicated to my in-law's dog, Belle. Dear, sweet Belle, a small yellow lab, came into our lives as a dog to one of our cousin's. She had been abused by her former owner and needed a good home and our cousins Robin, Bruce, Kimmy and Lindsay were the perfect fit. Belle was getting use to her new life when it was discovered that Lindsay was allergic to dogs. Universes crossed... My in-law's had always a dog gracing their home. The last dog they had was short-lived-it was a puppy that had come into their lives at the wrong time. My mother-in-law was in California dealing with a very sick new grandchild, my father-in-law was gone long hours working in the liquor business and Jay was trying to juggle school, work and me and wasn't home much either. This was not exactly a good time to introduce a puppy into the mix. This little guys was returned to the shelter and was actually adopted out shortly there after. Soon things settled down and the Weiss' were ready for a dog.

After discovering Lindsay's allergies our cousins knew that Belle had to leave their home. As she left this home, she was welcomed into another one, my in-laws. Intially, she came with the thought of her going to live with my sister-in-law and her family once they got a house. But that never happened. She stayed at the Weiss' home and we all grew to love her, even her best friend Maxi.

Today, sweet Belle was put to rest. She had been battling mouth cancer for two years. At one point the vet actually wanted to cut part of her jaw out, but the answer was no. She actually seemed to have gone into remission for a bit. I was the one who noticed a change in her gums about a month ago. Before even seeing the doctor we all knew that the cancer was back and that it would be only a matter of time...

So... Bellesy-sweet dreams and forever afters. Say "hi" to Maxi for us and tell her we haven't forgotten her. You two have fun together and keep each other company...

Going to the dogs...

It has been all about dogs this week.  Mickey and Coco experienced their first away from home petsitting while we were in Virginia.  It seemed to have gone okay-however-we don't think Mickey pooped once in the 3 full days he was there!  Outside of our family dogs, so much has happened in doggyville-

-My girlfriend's chocolate lab is not doing so well.  He was adopted about the same time that we adopted Maxi so he is a definite geriatric.  According to my friend, Rueger's zest for life has diminished and he can't seem to get comfortable.  I have definitely walked this path with my Maxi before-it is a long and sad one!

-On the way to work yesterday, a police officer was guiding traffic around an obstruction, this obstruction was in the middle of the road covered with an orange blanket. Little furry black ears were sticking out.  Tear for this dog who lost his life!

-Belle-who is my in-law's dog took a turn for the worse.  She has mouth cancer and it really hasn't progressed much-but recently I noticed that her tongue appeared to be sticking out of her mouth constantly.  The vet examined her and said the cancer was back and blah blah blah let's do surgery.  My in-law's decided to not take any drastic measures-the dog is over 15.  This week she has developed some bleeding from her mouth-another tear.

So all you dog lovers out there-hug and kiss your sweeties!  That is exactly what I have been doing...

PS-Do you like my picture?  The artist is a good friend of ours and it was created for me as a Mother's day/birthday present.

Everything happens for a reason...

That is what I keep telling myself. Yesterday DPS made the news again and a total of 29 schools are now being closed including my sister's. So many displaced students, teachers and other auxilary staff. Wow!!! This has been on my mind all night and now all day. I worry for my sister who is once again sailing into uncharted waters. I worry for my school-EFO-emergency financial manager says he is not done-as many 40 more schools may close.

It is because of this that my move to PreSchool is likely not to happen. The Preshool teachers are going through some intensive training for the next several weeks. Since I am presently in Kindergarten I will not be able to get this training-it is state mandated, and without it, I can't move down to Preschool.

But... everything happens for a reason. I am okay with it and at peace with it. So, pray for me that the little ones coming up next year are sweet, ready to learn, and are mindful. At least I am still at the Mann-the school that I have grown to love and I have a job!

Tidbits...

Meap results from last fall's test are in.... Ben is thinking very much like a 4th grader-Good job Meadowbrook teachers!  But 4th grade teachers-can you slow down on some of the homework that is being sent out.  We have spent 2-3 hours each night on it-way too much for an elementary students...

With the media's blowup of the swine flu, of course it has trickled down to children.  Ben has become super paranoid about catching it and washes his hands much more often.  One of my Kindergartners referred to it as the "slime flu" .  I certainly got a chuckle...

How about those 80s last weekend?  It is a whisper to all of us that summer is coming-actually 7 weeks to be exact but who is counting anyway....

I am hating the new facebook more and more.  It changed again and I can no longer get updates on all my friends' statuses.  That was one of my favorite things to read-bummer, crummer, nuts...

Coco turned 3 this week.  She got some steak for dinner and will be going to the doggy store this week to pick out a special treat...

A big snapping turtle crawled onto our front lawn.  People were stopping and taking pictures of this curious, big and probably very old guy.  He was cool to observe but made me a bit nervous, what if he snapped off a finger or a toe?...

Ben and a buddy of his were having a discussion about music and they both secretly admitted that, although very uncool, they enjoyed music from artists such as the Jonas Brothers and Hannah Montana.  I had to suppress a giggle....

A day.....

It was a day....

....We found out what Detroit Public Schools were closing-Mann escaped this time!!!

....I took 30 kindergartners and Ben to go see the Butterflies at Oakland Mall.  I learned sooo much about them and held several of them-extreme coolness

....I almost broke into a bus to get the children's lunches out of it.  Our bus driver was mil.  The lunches had not been taken off the bus.  We had to do something-a mutiny was in the making if we didn't.  Luckily, after circling the mall 2 times, we went back to the bus and found the bus driver in the bus and we were able to extract the lunches.

......time stood still between the hours of 2 and 4 pm-after we visited the butterflies and came back to school.  I swear that I actually saw the hands of the clock move counter-clockwise-it felt as if the day would never end!!!!

.....last but certainly not least, I finally learned about my fate for next year-I will be teaching Preschool!!!!!  And after almost 20 years of teaching, my room will be a decent sized one-with only 17 little bodies allowed to occupy it.  

IT WAS A DAY-One to be remembered, that is for sure!!!  Spring break is here and it is a well earned one.

From the Mixed up Mind of Carol D. Weiss

1.  Does your child cry every day?  Mine does especially when he is tired.

2.  Exactly why is Mickey's goal to bark at all living things?  

3.  Since we are on the subject of dogs, why do both the dogs have to chomp on Ben's toys?  Are they truly that yummy?

4.  Exactly how many children does it take to make a kindergarten teacher crazy?  Answer-to be determined soon

5.  Did you know that canadian geese honk all night long!  

6.  How exactly is $20.00 extra/paycheck going to stimulate the economy?  

7.  If each child is worth $7,000 in each school district and times that by 95,000 students-where did all this money go in the good old district of DPS?  I can tell you for sure that it is not in my pocket book.  

8.  How do smokers afford their habit?

9.  How the heck do my neighbors go to Disney for a short weekend-Wednesday to Sunday, redo their deck and then plan a 2 week trip to Ethiopia-especially in these tough times?

10.  Why does my brother make promises he can't keep and why the heck did he marry someone who's ultimate goal is to kill all Beckers

11.  If i were to get married again, who would be in my wedding party and who would have been kicked out?

12.  Did you know that I understand dog language?  Apparently it is news to me as well-Now please inform my dogs of this.

One final note-yes-I am addicted to Twlight and dream about Edward biting my neck-LOL!

Coco

This post is for Dave and Heather...

As you know, Coco was installed as a member of our family in January.  At first Mickey was giving us looks as if to say, "who the heck is this black mexican coo-coo and why exactly is she staying with us?"   Coco seemed displaced and not sure if she could put all her love into us.  

It has almost been 3 months and things have definitely changed for the better.  Mickey absolutely loves Coco and I absolutely believe that sometimes he thinks that she is his own personal toy to tool around with.  Coco loves and depends on Mickey.  She actually cries for him if he is outside and she is not.  

We have learned much about Coco in these past several months.   She is a very affectionate dog and loves to cuddle and be snuggled and kissed.  She curls up next to me at night and sometimes will kiss me in the middle of the night.  She still isn't super found of new people coming into the house and take s her time warming up to them.  But, she definitely comes around and then there is no stopping the attention that she gives to them.  

I have to selfishly say that she is by far my dog.  Jay and Ben love her but it is me that she looks for and comes to.  

Coco fits in perfectly in our family!  Dave and Heather, thank you for allowing us the pleasure of sharing our lives with this perfectly wonderful and very sweet canine companion.  We can not imagine our humble abode without her!

Lice Equals Mice

 My sister called me up this morning and told me a story that all most had me pee my pants.  Allow me to put a smile on your face...

Judy's family had a lice epidemic about a month ago.  Lice protocol is not only to treat the infected hair by killing  the active bugs and picking out the eggs-called nits, but also to put all pillows, bedding, stuffed animals in a plastic garbage bag.  These items can be re-introduced back into their former abodes after 2  weeks have passed.  Yesterday, my brother-in-law was cleaning the garage out and found the bags and promptly re-introduced the long-lost-once-carriers-of-lice-but-hopefully-lice-free-now items back into the house.  Here comes the funny part-Bags were opened, pillows went back on beds, stuffed animals were reunited with their ever-loving humans and a mouse promptly scampered out of one of the bags and ran down the stairs.  My niece Michelle was the one that spotted him and called my sister hysterical, barely breathing from the terror of seeing this hideous vermin. The little dude is hiding out there somewhere.  

Which would you rather have infest your house-mice or lice-I choose none of the above!  And I think I will avoid their neck of the woods for awhile longer, thank you very much!

Why????

Okay-I am awake.  It is 7:29 day light savings time which means in my body it is really 6:29.  My question is why did the powers-that-be have to change the month in which daylight savings time is suppose to start.  Ever since I have been on this planet, daylight savings time would start somewhere in the month of April.  It was a signal to all that summer was approaching.  Children, mine boy included, spend hours after school absorbing the fresh air .  Parents from all over did not share in their children's enthusiasm.  Homework and even simple things like eating dinner become back-burner to the need to soak in all the extra daylight for outside activities. 

As I gaze outside my window at this early hour I am thinking.... that this is the time of day that Ben will be going to the bus stop and it is still pretty dark out there.  In fact, this is the time that many children walk to school.  So-to gain a little bit more light at the end of the day means that the start of the day is darker.  If the time change was returned to April when our portion of the earth was a tad bit closer to the sun and the warm stickiness of summer, the day would start off with more light.  I don't quite understand why they messed with what was working.  Thanks a whole lot powers-that-be!

Spring?????

As I was walking to go feed the fish at my neighbor's house yesterday, I heard a sound a very familiar one to me.  It was the sound of a robin.  I know the robin's call well-my cockatiel Tigger could imitate almost to perfection.  

They are back!  The birds that always let me know that spring is approaching.  Today I got definitely visual confirmation.  There was the robin, perched on the naked tree.  Yup, spring will be here soon!!!!!

Missing it...

For my father-in-law's 85th birthday we bought him a 32 inch flat screen tv.  Being the bargain hunting that I am, I found one at Walmart for a reasonable price.  We bought it, plugged it into my in-law's den and went on our merry way.  And then the problems started.  It stopped working.  After much research and hours of phone calls, it was decided that the manufacturer was responsible for the repair.  The tv was taken in Dec. 10th and is still not back.  Jay and I could not deal with the constant complaining of his parents so we lent them our bedroom tv.

It has been 2 weeks since the tv in our bedroom was borrowed by my in-laws.  I miss it so much!!!!!  But, I do have to admit that some of my habits have changed.  Before the tv was gone,  I would turn it on and fall asleep to whatever I was watching.  I was like a lullaby to me.  Now, I actually have been reading before bedtime.  In fact, I have read 2 books in 2 weeks.  Amazing for me in the middle of the school year.  

I miss my tv when I am folding laundry.  I bring my dried laundry upstairs and watch on-demand shows.  It makes for a more entertaining folding session.  And I despise doing laundry with a passion.  I miss this special bonding time between me, the laundry and the Sopranos!  Sob!

Now a new scenario has been presented to us.  When the tv is finally fixed, my in-law's have offered us to keep the newly fixed tv and they will keep the one from our bedroom.  I don't know what to  do.  On one hand, their broken tv was a flat screen and bigger then the old one.  On the other hand, it had issues 6 months after it was purchased.  Could it have been the way it was cared for by my in-law's?  Sure, a distinct possibility!  But what if it is the brand?  And servicing this tv has not exactly been a walk in the park.  

What do you think?

tales from the deep

Somedays I feel that my job is one of the hardest ones out there.  My list of responsibilities are never-ending.  This afternoon we had a meeting with the "facilities manager"-a fancy name for boss custodian.  Our building is the dirtiest that it has ever been.  Our rooms are swept and vacuumed every other day.  Mice are making themselves comfortable in the cracks an crevices all around the building.  

When the boss man came out, we told him all about our tales from the deep-the mice dropping, our having to not only teach the children, but mop, dust, sweep and vacuum.  He really didn't seem to care and gave us lame explanations and excuses.  In other words, he circumvented the issue.

So my tales from the deep will continue.  I will arrive at school to prepare for the children by readying lessons, running copies and vacuuming.  All I can say is "only in Detroit".

Ben's comments about being 10!

I just asked Ben about what was cool about finally being 10.  His answers:

1.  I am finally in double digits

2.  I get to go to bed later

3.  I am more mature and that is the last reason it is cool being 10.

Well put little man!

My question:

How could 10 years have gone by so quickly?  It just seems like yesterday when I held my newborn baby in my arms for the first time. 

 Enjoy Ten Ben or should i say Ben10?

Everybody's Waiting

Dear President Obama:

It's here!  What everyone has been waiting for you, the commencement of your presidency.  Tomorrow we will watch you take the oath of office and history will have been made.  My school is actually dedicating the day to you and all curriculum will be suspended to celebrate.  There is excitement and anticipation in the air.  You are being compared to the likenesses of other African-American heroes such as the late Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr.  These people impacted this community in a very positive way.  You can too!

Please do us proud, Mr. President.  I, personally, am not expecting a miracle.  This country has so many problems that they surely can not be solved in a year or two.  Look within our boundaries and especially in Michigan where jobs and people are lost.  Help us help each other.  That is what America really needs.

President Obama, make history, good history.  Make good choices and make good decisions>  Keep your promises and when you do make new ones.  Follow thru on everything.  We need answers even if they are not always what we want to hear.  

 We are all waiting with hope and awe and we all support you. 

Sincerely,

A Concerned Citizen

The Winter Blues

I am seriously so down in the dumps right now. It is dangerously cold outside. Snow is piled up everywhere. I would guess it to be around a foot give or take. The sun makes random guest appearances in the sky, but not enough to melt the snow or warm a soul.

In the classroom, the little ones are restless and downright ugly to each other. They are forever trying to get each other in trouble. I think they have the winter blues as well.

Looking at the calendar doesn't help-It is only January 14th. That means over 2 months left of winter-not a robin in sight. I seriously need a band-aid for my mental well-being!!! Help me fellow bloggers and friends!!

TGIF

Is it just me or has this week seemed endless. Hope everyone's weekends are full of fun. Try not to be like me and have that eternal need to get everything done in 2 very short days. And go play in the snow. Make a snowball fight and make snow angels. I, personally, plan on going down our sled hill several times. See ya!

Out of the mouths of babes...

Kindergarten children.  It takes a special person to teach such youngsters.  They are needy, clingy, loving, touching, and most of all entertaining.  This is my favorite time of year-the children have become less ego-centric and are starting to interact and share ideas, even the shy ones.  

I had some interesting responses from my students today.  We were talking about the new year and the inauguration of our 44th president, Barack Obama.  This led into our writing topic of wishes of things that Barack Obama can do to help us.  Here are some of my favorite responses-

Amajhia said, "I wish to President Obama to plant beautiful flowers everywhere so I can smell them every day when I get up.

LiJay stated that, "Barack can help all the old people so they don't fall as much!"

Vincente said, "I wish for everyone to have lots of good food to eat like ribs, steak and nuggets-my favorite.  And corn.  And vegetables, even broccoli.

Keiontay said, "Keep the world safe and come walk with me to my school and meet my teacher.  She is a good teacher.  Be good to my mom so she doesn't get sad and make sure that people don't hurt each other.

Peace, democracy, fairness-even in the minds of today's youth, they got those concepts already.  It was an amazing conversation I had with them.  Rock the planet little people and I will give you the tools that you need in order to do so!