The 12 Days of Christmas

Here I am at 5:30 in the morning at the computer. This Christmas vacation has been wonderful! I have been able to sleep in, until today. This has been awesome because before this vacation, I was getting up around 4:30 am whether it was a workout day or not. That was starting to wear me down, especially since I was staying up late correcting papers and such. It has been a while since I last posted a blog, so brace yourselves.

Day 1 – Family togetherness

This Christmas vacation started with the Pieper family driving to Wisconsin Dells just before the snowstorm arrived. We had been planning this for nearly a year when my husband’s sister had suggested it. They are part of a condo thing and were able to arrange 2 condos for the families to stay in (Our family of 4, Alex’s oldest sister’s family of 4 – the Morrisons, Alex’s other sister’s family of 4 – the Curries, and Alex’s mother). Yep, 13 of us all together. This is a picture from the front porch of ours looking out at the others - ours looked like those as well. The condos were very homey. We had a fully stocked kitchen and were able to spend many meals together in either one of the two places. Below is an awful picture of me standing in the kitchen making breakfast. I had made a lasagna supper and breakfast for two of the mornings. The menu for one morning was pancakes, eggs, sausage, breads, fruit, juices, and my specialty of bagels with egg, cheese and ham. We had tacos one day for lunch, poor boys and turkey navels on Christmas Eve and a huge ham dinner on Christmas day. I bet some of you have never heard of poor boys or turkey navels. I hadn’t either until I was integrated into the Pieper family. There is actually a story behind the turkey navels…

My husband was a small boy and was continually nagging at his father as he was making this holiday favorite. It uses (get this) white meat chicken (not turkey as the name implies), mayo, spices and almonds. Well, imagine that small boy going on and on saying “whacha doin’ …whacha makin’…” and so on until in utter desperation, his father yells “turkey navels!” The name stuck after that.

Back to the family togetherness – our family stayed at the Dells from the 22^nd until the 26^th of December and we enjoyed ourselves so much! Further details of the vacation will be written about under future days – so read on!

Day 2 – Snow fun and Snow fears.

The condo place where we were at was called Christmas Mountain, and contrary to the name, there really is no mountain but a series of big hills – hills for skiing and tubing, both of which we participated in! This was my “first time” skiing since I had children (my oldest turned 9 while were on vacation – that’s still another “day” you will read about). So with it being close to 10 years since I was last on skis, I call it my first time. In addition, this was the first for our kids as well. We opted to skip the lessons they offered for a fee too expensive for our tastes and my husband taught the kids to control their skis and how to turn and stop. They were really pretty good at it! The only thing our son and I had trouble with was the towrope. Both of us were flipped over several times by the damn thing. Actually, our son’s jacket pocket was unzipped, unbeknownst to us, until the handle of the towrope got caught on it and our son was being dragged up the hill. The guy working the station got his a** chewed by my husband and the manager by not noticing what was happening because he didn’t stop the rope, another person hit the emergency stop button. Anyway, once all of us got the hang of rope, it was a matter of staying upright. Our daughter maybe fell once or twice; she was a natural. She couldn’t wait to get on the bigger hills. And so her dad took her and she was awesome! I worked with our son to control his turns more, but he insisted that going straight down the hill was more fun. When my husband took him up on a larger hill, speed was no longer exciting, but something to avoid. I guess looking down a big slope that turned, and if you went straight there were just trees, was mighty scary for our son. For that reason, he spent the rest of the day on the bunny hill, going up slowly on the rope and going down quickly in a straight line.

On another day, almost the entire group of us went tubing. Here they have a rope that drags you while you are in the tube to the top of a hill, and then there are 3 tracks that all start at the same areas and all end in the same spot. I could see this being more fun if the tracks were not so icy. Actually we did have fun, but as a mom, I was always watching out for the other idiots who would hurt my kids because the idea of fun was all they had on their minds. We tried a group thing. Our family of 4 and the 2 teen aged Morrisons all “tied” our tubes together. Boy did we have speed. We were also safe. We waited until the people on the bottom were out of their tubes before we proceeded. We had so much speed that we got to the end of the track and went up the embankment and then started going backwards. My husband and I were trying to drag our feet to slow us/stop the movement. However, we cannot control others and someone else started down the track before we came to a stop and we plowed into each other. Our daughter got her head knocked by this guys boot. Ouch! She cried. We settled her. It wouldn’t have happened if we didn’t have so much momentum as a group, or if that guy waited until we were out of our tubes, or if there was someone monitoring the top or the bottom of the hill, spacing out people and groups appropriately. This really, really bugged by husband so he went to management to give him a piece of his mind. I just went up the towrope with the kids. When there, I waited until the person in front was out of the tube. I let one kid go. Waited. I let my other kid go. Waited. Then I went down and sure shit, the person behind me never waited for me to get out of the tube. I guess no one there was a mother. The mothers I know would do what I did. We paid for an hour of tubing and used most of it until my husband got so irritated by other people because they would walk back into the area where the tubes ended or just stand around and not watch their little kids wander off. He almost plowed into a little kid who wandered off. My sister-in-law was at the tubing hill the day before and said the tracks were much slower then. She said she didn’t see nearly as much in the way of collisions that day. We left soon after. The kids were able to be thrilled. My husband and I had fun amongst our feelings of danger. Overall the experience was good.

Day 3 - Celebrating a birthday too!
On the 23rd, we celebrated our daughter's 9th birthday. This was the day of the snow storm. We drove into town to a restaurant/bowling alley/indoor theme park/arcade. YES, all of these in one building. We stumbled upon this place during our last visit when we stayed at the Great Wolf Lodge. The restaurant is called Buffalo Phil's Grille and the amusement park is called Knuckleheads. We started out by bowling, munchies, beer and soda. After that we ate at the restaurant. Our daughter even got a birthday sundae while a dozen or so wait staff sang her "Happy Birthday". After that, my husband and I took our two kids and the youngest Morrison kid to the amusement park where they rode on several rides, including bumper cars! This place was a blast. It was starting to get dark so we opted to get going, but we wanted to stay so the kids could play in the arcade as well. When we returned to the condo, we were happy to find out that the Curries and my mother-in-law arrived at the Dells, just in time for the birthday cake I had made for my daughter. See, the night before, my 14-year old niece helped in creating the snowflakes adorning my daughter's birthday cake. I know my daughter will love the memories she has of this birthday! I have many pictures above to share in telling the story.

Day 4 - Many Cookie Monsters!
In preparation for Christmas and, in particular, Santa, I had made cut-out cookies for all the kids to decorate during our stay. Except for the youngest Morrison, who just was not interested, 5 of the cousins participated in this enjoyable activity. I had made an awesome frosting from a recipe that I received from my mother-in-law. I also brought various sprinkles and such for the kids to use. Here they are doing what they do best! I forgot to take pictures of the final products, but I will tell you that the oldest Morrison is much like me in cookie decorating - retentive. Yes, both of us spend a considerable amount of time placing the frosting in just the right place and in the right proportions to get the desired look. In addition, how sprinkles are placed is also very important. I do not know if this characteristic is inherent in the two of us, or if it comes with age, all I can say is that I am so happy that I am not the only one who enjoys making things look "perfect". Does it make the cookie taste any different? No.

Day 5 - Game Night
My husband bought a game - one to be played with just adults. It is called PervArtistry. We first played it with our siblings/siblings-in-laws. We made sure all the kids were put to bed and Grandma was sitting for the kids in the other condo. It is a team competition of pictionary and charades of terms that are for adults only. We have no pictures of this activity, and even if I did, I wouldn't be able to post the pictures we drew! We had a blast. It was one of the only activities we were able to do as just adults. I learned a few things: 1. Guys are way more perverted than females; 2. I know less than my husband, but more than one of my sister-in-laws; 3. Acting things out is difficult, drawing is easy; and 4. My husband knows more than I'd like.

Day 6 - I love vacations!
I haven't said a lot about these condos. They were really nice. My husband and I stayed in the master suite upstairs. It was huge! It had it's own bathroom with a shower and hot-tub for two. Yea, we used it. Three times. Kids took baths in it as well. On the main floor was a living room with a fire place. There was a dining area and a kitchen. The couch in the living area was a sleeper bed, and that is where our kids slept. There was a second bedroom with two twin beds. The oldest Morrison and my mother-in-law slept there. We also had two decks that we could not use (too cold, too much snow, yea, that covers it). We also had our own washer and dryer so we didn't have to come home and do huge loads of laundry. I don't know how the sleeping arrangements were in the other condo, I think it changed from night to night.

Even though we were in two condos, we were in buildings right next to each other. It was pretty easy to go from one place to another, which was nice for the cousins. They had a great time playing with each other. The oldest Morrison is 14, the Currie and Pieper kids are between ages 6 and 9 so they played well. The youngest Morrison was super with the Currie and Pieper kids. He is 11. He was so patient with all of them. He needed some alone time, which is completely understandable, but when he played with the younger kids, he did such a great job!

Although most of our meals were at the condo, we did have a meal at a restaurant before everyone arrived in the Dells. It was at the Moose Jaw Lodge. I have pictures of my family there. I think that is enough to say about the Moose Lodge.



Day 7 - The gift giving is better than receiving!
Yea, watching kids get happy about what they receive is more fun than anything I get to open. Case in point. The Morrison niece and nephew would like to make a purchase at a place that I don't have access to getting gift cards, so I made them gift certificates. It was real fun, I put in expiration dates, card numbers, pictures and a bunch of other things to personalize it. Then just put the cash behind it - rather than just giving the cash.

Another case in point. Allison got a My Twinn doll from Santa. To see her face was most delightful. I had the same joy as I watched Christian open the DS and the Star Wars Complete Saga and the Nerf Super Shot that he received from Santa. Sure, it was awesome for me to get a new digital camera that would fit in my purse. We already have this totally rockin' camera, a Canon EOS digital, but it is big and cumbersome at times. Sometimes I just want something small to carry. I have noticed that the quality of the pictures are not the same as the EOS.

I won't have many more years of this pleasure, but I love all these moments right now.

Day 8 - Time to Vent
Okay, I need to write this out. I need to say it, but I cannot gather all my thoughts in a linear time line unless I write it out first. I know this will get read. I know. I just need to say what I feel. First I need to make a few statements of evidence before I make my point.

My sister has two kids, one boy and one girl. I gave the niece a tea set for Christmas. I did this because she is of the age that my daughter was at when she became interested in tea sets. I know that not all little girls are in to tea sets, but it was something I thought about and decided this was a good gift. I was right. I gave my nephew a Connect Four game. Again, I did this because he is close to my son's age, and both of my kids like to play this game. I am not sure yet if this was a good gift for him, none-the-less, it was something I thought about carefully.

I am a teacher. I have been teaching for 17 years. 17 years having 5 classes of 20-25 students. Each of those kids (5 x 20 x 17 = 1700 students) all very unique and having their own style of learning. As a teacher, I try to find general methods that work for the majority of them, then fine tune lessons as to reach each kid. My point is that I come in contact with very unique people. I consider all activities and lessons as to reach each student. It is my job. It is my personality.

I was at a party, a book party that a friend had. She has two kids. Both are unique. One has autism. My friend, the mom of these two, researches the best techniques. I looked to her for advice. I wanted to make a purchase for my two nephews, one of which is also autistic. I carefully considered what I would purchase. I really tried hard. My sister-in-law seemed to appreciate that I was careful in this thought. She did not say this, but I heard from another voice "All autistic kids are not the same." I know that! All "normal" kids are not the same, as I stated in the earlier paragraph. However, there are some ideas that seem to work, or could be tried. I would have liked to hear, "It is so great that you care so much to really think about the kind of gift to give these boys - what a thoughtful gift!"

This was not directed at either one of my sisters-in-law. My husband needs me to say that.

Day 9 - Missing our Traditional Christmas Eve
"The true, uncorrupted spirit of Santa Claus is founded as a thankful and giving celebration of the Holiest of Holidays."
For years we've celebrated Christmas Eve by going to church, then to my parents house, then home. This year was odd. Since we were in the Dells, there was no Christmas Eve service. In my heart, I still went through the Bible stories of Christ's birth. I find I do this more now as a parent than as kid, teen or young adult. I missed our church this past Christmas. It such a friendly place to be. Every year, our population grows. More and more families with kids. It is important to me to have a faith as well as trying my best to be a good and tolerant human. I want to do right in my eyes, in the eyes of my family, in the eyes of my neighbors and in the eyes of God.

Day 10 - Going out with Friends
Upon our return we were blessed with yet another snow storm. It came on Friday. We got a lot of snow. However, one of my friends was not going to cancel our double date night and she and her husband drove to Sheboygan, from Appleton, so we could go out to eat at Stefano's Trattoria. We had an excellent meal! Actually, any words that I could think of to describe our food just would be so inadequate. You need to experience the food. Each and every time we have gone there, I have been amazed by the flavors, the drinks, the conversations, the smells - EVERYTHING! I cannot say enough thanks to my friend, Annie and her husband, for making that long and potentially scary drive in all that snow. We had a really good time - and we also hope you enjoy playing PervArtistry on New Year's Eve.

Day 11 - Reason #1, 386 and #1,387 why the Internet rocks!
Our kids got Webkinz this year. Each of my kids now have two pets to care for in the virtual world. As a matter of fact, both have been bugging me to get off the computer so that they can visit the site and see how the pets are doing. If you have kids that are computer literate (I swear they are born that way these days) your kids need to have a webkinz. My daughter was at a birthday party this week. Her friend has 9 of them. After the birthday party, she had 14 of them. That's a lot of pets to care for!
Also, I finally found the site my son loved when he was at his Grandma's house. He plays checkers and chess here. If you can not find a place that you like to play games on line, try this site!

Day 12 - I still have 3 more days of Christmas Vacation!
Is that all? Just 3 more days? I know those of you may be thinking "I can't wait until the kids go back to school". I don't think that way because when they go back to school, so do I. I still have papers to grade - lots of papers to grade - lots and lots of papers to grade. Also, we still have New Year's Eve. We are excited about that. My husband's friend and best man in our wedding will be coming with his wife. We have not seen them in a while. Yep. Just 3 more days to enjoy with my family.

Always a discovery

So, my son and I were sitting on the couch together. He wanted some snuggle time with mom. I love snuggle time! He also wanted to watch Spongebob. "No" was my response. Instead I put on the news so I could hear about the weather for the week. He was okay with this. Actually, he was interested and was asking me questions about the map. (cool) When the weather was done, I decided to scroll through the channels to see what else there is to watch. I get to the Food Network and my son says "stop here". I stop. They are making a salad with apples, walnuts and cheese. Next they make a lamb chop with a cranberry-chutney sauce. I ask my son if he wants me to find something else. "No" he says, "I like learning about cooking food." This surprised me.

Earlier today, my husband was assembling our daughter's new bed. He suggested that he stop midway and only put together the bottom part of the bunk. He was kidding - in a way - but was mostly just teasing our daughter. Well, that did not sit well with her, she said to her dad, "But that would be a waste of money. Hey, I know what you mean by wasting money!" Yes, we've taught her something and she understands in a new context!

I love learning something new about my kids!

Trimming...

Did you know that there are over 30 definitions for the word "trimming"? The trimming that we did this weekend was to decorate our tree. It took several days to get this done. Alex and the boy child put up the tree this past Tuesday when the girl child and I were at her Brownie meeting making Gyoza. Then Alex began the lights on Thursday and then had to stop when almost all the lights were not working (sh*#!). We didn't get a chance to buy more lights until Saturday. Part of the reason is that Alex has been putting in a lot of hours at Jimmy Johns the last few weeks. Nothing got done on Friday because we had a Christmas get-together with the others in the science department and their spouses. I'll do more on that later. So, the lights were purchased on Saturday. They went on the tree as soon as we got home. Moments after that the kids were trimming the tree. When it was all done, my husband sighed and began to reminiscence when we used to have a tree with a theme - color matched and everything. That was pre-kids. Now the theme is "kid" ornaments. What they make, what Santa brings them, etc. I do like this theme, for now. The kids put all the ornaments themselves. I put chairs near the tree, gave them some decorating tips and set them off on the task. I am quite proud of what they accomplished.

Actually, I am quite happy of everything we did this weekend. First we completed all the shopping (whew!). We needed to get gifts for the kid's teachers, the crossing guard, Alex's mom, my folks and the person for whom I am their secret Santa. We also needed to shop for winter wear - in particular, outdoor ski clothes for Alex and I. Since the last time I skied, I was many pounds lighter. Those clothes just do not fit me anymore. We also completed all the wrapping of Christmas gifts.

Alex also completed the floor in our daughter's room. We hope to bring home her new bed this week and maybe even begin the painting. Not only did he work on the room, but with all the snow, Alex was busy with snow removal. I was busy keeping the kids snow gear dry when they came in to warm up.

Apart from the shopping stuff, I managed to get the kids to the chess club on Friday after school while making peanut-soy sauce marinated chicken skewers for the science department Christmas party. I was also martini girl (brought the sour apple and lemon-drop martini fixings)!

What still needs to get done is the school work - correcting papers and such. So this is when my story must end.

Animaniacs!

Last night as I was out with the ladies, my husband did a good thing.
1. He did not buy the kids fast food for supper.
2. He did not take them out to a sit-down restaurant for supper.
3. He did not just pop a video in and had them glued to the television.

What he did do was make them a supper and sat at the dinner table with them. After that he played with them (games and you-tube). We talked about what they saw, and I had such happy memories.

Time to share!

Geography Lesson: Get to know the world around you...



The Universe: I teach a unit on the universe...



Capitals/States of the US: I know Madison, Wisconsin (and a few more)...




Belch! (Haa Haa Haa)


Alright - You have to admit that these things are funny. I remember watching these all the time. I wasn't even a kid - I think it was during my first years teaching. I was a grown-up! These are classics!

10 Things I Love to Share

First, let me say that there are many noteworthy items that I have wanted to share, and this week has been incredibly exhausting that I just haven't been able to sit down and share. Make sure you have 10 minutes before you continue on reading...


1. We started it. We started the renovation of our daughter's bedroom. When we bought the house 8 years ago, I painted her room. See the stenciling on the wall? All of it done by hand. It took me two days to do that. Well, now our girl wants to change her room, including the walls. So, rather than just painting the walls, my husband and I tore out the carpeting and decided to refinish the floors. We started the project last week - when we had all the snow. I am sharing photos of the project - the before, during and more during photos since we are not done yet - not even close to being done. All we have done right now are the floors and those aren't even done yet...it took my husband a good 10 hours just to remove all the stain and sand the floors. the stain was thick and old. We still are going to strip the wood baseboards, the doors and the trim around the window. Painting the walls will come next followed by making the wood beautiful by varnishing it. I know it is a lot to do, but we've been wanting to do this anyway. No time like the present.

2. I created and ordered my Christmas cards before Thanksgiving this year. My kids helped me address them (I did the writing, they did the stickers- stamps and return address labels) and we have them all mailed out! There was a lesson I learned about having kids help with the stamps. Let them know that the big sticker is NOT a stamp, but just a sticker to show what the stamp looks like. Those were very difficult to remove from the envelopes. In addition, they are not stickers for the room either. Note: remove the light switch plate and soak with fingernail polish remover.

3. I've begun and exercising program. One, I'm over-weight and need to be more in shape. Two, I should do it - it is good for me. Three - our new health insurance has a way for us to reduce our premiums by $800/year if we do certain things - one of which was to get into a regular exercising program. Our school district is offering spinning classes taught by our own faculty. I get up at 4:20 am two days a week, drive to Plymouth and get on a bike for 45 minutes with others from our district. (It is a 5 am class) We sweat! My legs get weak and I get an awesome workout! This is my first time spinning and I tell you, it is a really, really, really good workout!

4. Last weekend, with all the snow, Alex had much to do for snow removal. He's the one that operates the snowblower until he teaches me how to use it (it is new - for us). Anyway, I took a few pictures. I need to share the one I took of Alex and our daughter shoveling. Notice the winter wear that each chooses to do the job. If my husband wears a t-shirt, shorts and sandals (do you see those sandals???) for shoveling are you wondering what is worn when the grass is being cut?

5. Let me talk about St. Nick. When I was a kid, there was no St. Nick in our house. Alex's family embraced it as he was a child. Well, we have a situation now. You need to know that I get my way - and I think St. Nick is one more hype to take away from the spirit of Christmas which is not about Santa but the birth of our Christ. This is why our kids may ask for Santa three gifts for Christmas, to represent the three gifts given to Jesus by the three wise men. Off on a tangent here...so I would rather not have St. Nick visit, but our school did something. The teachers talk about St. Nick. The administration send home a "calendar" of activities for the grade school kids and on that list (can you guess what I am going to say next?) is ST NICK! So now our kids are talking about it, talking about writing letters and planning what they want. I dislike that kind of behavior. Need to nip this and nip it soon. Anyway, I didn't get my way. St. Nick came to our house.

6. My son decided he wants to learn chess. Cool! Oh yeah, no one here knows how to play chess so, now what? Well, he's started playing it online. The computer will not let him make certain moves so essentially it is teaching him some of the rules (I hope). I went to a book party about a week ago; I ordered a "rules of chess" book for him. Then just this week, we receive an e-mail from the school. KSD is starting a chess club for JK to 12th grade. He went to his first club meeting and LOVED it! He's been asking when the chess club will meet again. My mom has this handled as his birthday will be coming in January. Thanks Mom! Besides getting the e-mail from school about the chess thing, we received a letter from Human Services in regards to our son. Yikes! It seems the school did a vision screening and his eye sight is not good. I didn't know that. We have an appointment set for this week for our son to see the eye doctor.

7. I am trying to be a proactive social planner at work - I organized this year's secret Santa. I put a twist on it, with the help of last year's planner. We have themed days this year. One day will be the "Warm and Fuzzy Tree Day" where we will donate kids winter-wear in the name of our secret Santa recipient. Another day is "Sweet and Sassy Day" - we are not to obey any diet rules and make, bake or buy sweet treats. A third is "White Elephant Day" and there we recycle a bad gift and pass it on to the recipient. Fourth is "Make a Play Date" and here we give the gift of a game like sudoku books, lottery tickets, something fun. Our final day is when we meet our secret Santa and give a nice gift that they would like.

8. I am happy. I'm happy for lots of things but for entry #8, I am happy because we finally have a date night set with my friend Annie and her hubby. It's been a long time coming. Many back and forth-s (is that a word?) saying let's look at the calendar. It's done! Let's hope a snow storm does not ruin it for us.

9. I went to my scrap night last night. I was exhausted because I was up at 4:20 for my spinning class (mentioned above in #3), taught an entire day, then off to scrap. I have been falling asleep on the couch every night this week from exhaustion. I didn't think I would be able to sit up straight to scrap. I got really tired about 6 pm, but then more of the girls arrived and we began to talk. Oh, we were all funny and sharing and laughing and I got my second wind! Didn't do much for scrapping. I really need to do more scrapping. I missed the last two months, but I think that is why I did so much talking. There were others there in the same boat - they have missed a month or two and we just needed time to catch up on all our stories or vent or laugh. Thank you girls!

10. I received an e-mail today from my cousin in North Carolina, Melissa. It was nice to hear from her. She had seen the Christmas card we sent and e-mailed us of what is new. Thank you Melissa! Oh, I did receive those pictures of Grandma - I had saved them to our computer. When the computer crashed, the Geek squad was able to recover all our photos (Whew!). I am so happy that you have Grandma's china. I was not in NC often for those holiday celebrations, but was there enough to remember what it looks like. I am going to post a picture from our last visit to NC. Melissa, my aunt Toni, aunt Missy, my Grandma, my kids and me are all in this picture. Melissa - keep those e-mails coming or leave a comment!

Hilarious Physics Rap

I have funny students. Some real characters. I love it when they show me their creative, intelligent sides. I have this one; he's got a lot of potential and just doesn't want to do anything considered a "norm" with it. However, he did share a funny physics video that I'd like to share as well. Just click on the link below.

hilarious physics rap

Movie Review

This past weekend has been a relaxing one. Our family stayed home and we had no plans to go and do anything. However, one day my husband and I decided to take the kids to a movie. The kids really wanted to see Bee Movie, but I have not heard good reviews about it so we were not so keen on that idea. I have seen some ads for Enchanted and that looked interesting. My husband was game as well. Now it was time to try to convince the kids that they will like it. It was easier than I had anticipated.

WE LOVED THE MOVIE! The last time I enjoyed a movie this much was when my husband and I saw Stardust. The actress Amy Adams plays the lead role of Gizelle and she was perfect for that role. I swear that they had her in mind as the character was developed because she was so perfect! She perfected every expression that I had ever seen in Disney princess movies. And the movie was funny. My husband and I found ourselves laughing and enjoying everything from the various situations the characters are in, to the music and lyrics of the "Happy Working Song". That song was cute and amusing. My husband and I found ourselves singing the melody as we were walking to the car. Later in the day, we were even playing on the computer and looked for any film footage of the movie and found a site that had a clip of when that song was sung in the movie. Everything was predictable. But really, isn't that the way with all the other Disney or even children's movies? Even though it is predictable, it's an enjoyable experience. I would highly recommend this movie to anyone. My husband told me that this movie has to be one that we buy for our video collection. I agree.

Besides seeing this movie, I also watched some movies at home. We recently installed DishNet and now have a DVR. My husband has recorded some movies that he's thought I'd enjoy. One was The Da Vinci Code. I read the book this summer and really enjoyed the read. I know that the book and movie had much controversy about it and many religious groups were outraged over the innuendos made, but I feel that if you are strong in your religion, a single book or movie is not going to change my belief system. I enjoyed the book for the suspense and mystery. I loved the puzzles that the characters solve and the way the author links puzzles from earlier in the book to later ones. The challenge it provides to one's religious beliefs allows one the opportunity to reflect, and that is a good thing. Anyway, I really enjoyed the book. The first part of the movie was enjoyable, but I was later disappointed by the movie because it did vary from the written story. In addition, when I read the book, I pictured Sir Leigh Teabing to be like Tucker from the movie There's Something About Mary. I am not saying that Ian McKellen (aka Magneto) wasn't good, he just wasn't what I had imagined and therefore it was a hard thing for me to get past. Finally, I do not remember the book dragging out the ending but I felt it happened in the movie.

There is something fun about reviewing movies. I wish I could use more creative and descriptive terms when doing so. It could be that it is midnight right now and really should be sleeping since I have work tomorrow.

The bird can't take any more stuffing

Thanksgiving Day was really good - really, really good. We were able to watch the Packers win on the big screen; we had lots of yummy munchies to eat while watching the game and I made some very tasty mimosas; the turkey and all the other foods were well prepared and ready at the same time for consumption; and the kids were well behaved.

Being Thankful

Before I sat down to write this entry, I did a bit of research. I think you could call it research since I was searching for information and opinions. About what? Thanksgiving.

My kids, year after year, learn about the pilgrims and their journey to a new land. They draw, paint and make all different kinds of artwork displaying turkeys or native American designs. But I wanted to know what others thought of Thanksgiving and giving thanks.

I found definitions, poems, quotes, articles and even blogs where there were heated discussions to the idea of giving thanks. Yes, heated discussions! This one is a blog from a year ago called Dean's world.

But I want to write about what I am thankful about...
I am thankful for my family. My husband loves me and puts up with all my neuroses and appreciates the good things I do to contribute to our relationship. My kids still vie for my attention and want me to spend time with them. They love it when we snuggle, when we have family game night and when we read books and watch movies together.
I am thankful for my parents in all that they taught me. I may not do or say what they want me to do or say, but their words are always in my thoughts and I try my best to be the same role model they were for me.
I am thankful for the family I have that are still here on this earth and for being loved by the ones that have left this world for heaven. I greatly miss my grandma and grandpa Bolding, my uncle Dana and my father-in-law - Jack Pieper.
I am thankful for my friends. They are great sounding boards. They have great ideas. They have wonderfully different perspectives. They teach me to be a better person.
I am thankful to be given the opportunity to continue the tradition of families getting together for Thanksgiving. Yes, folks, I am hosting a small gathering of some family for a Thanksgiving dinner of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, rolls, green and yellow beans, carrots, cucumbers, pomegranate, Jello, apple and craisin lettuce salad, and pumpkin, apple and pecan pies with ice cream or whipped topping. Yummy?
I am thankful for where I am today. I like my job and where I work. I like what I do. I like being able to share my thoughts like this. I like being a scrap booker. I like living in Kohler. I like being an American and having the opportunity to be thankful for those pilgrims who came to a new world free from religious persecution. I am thankful for being a Christian and allowed to share my beliefs with others.

This Thanksgiving I hope to let everyone know what they mean to me. Do the same!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Funny AND Smart

My daughter was watching the news with my husband. There was story about a deer hunter who shot at what he thought was a deer and was successful in his shot. See, it had the coloring of a deer, but the antlers were too big and the length of the body was too long to be a deer. The hunter had the DNR come and examine the animal.

See, it was a deer. But it was also and elk. The body length and antlers were that of an elk. Supposedly this was a result of a deer and elk mating. (Did you know that it could result in offspring?)

Any way, my daughter heard all this and says to dad. "It is half deer and half elk. So, it must be a delk!":)

Okay - this is really funny if you add to this that Allison saw a movie (I haven't seen it, Open Season, but I guess in it is a line that a character says; "I'm half doe and half buck - I'm a duck!) So what Alex and I appreciate in what Allison said is that she took a line from a movie, applied it to something she heard on the news and made a damn funny joke!

Expostulate

I was asked by a student today "Do you love or hate parent-teacher conferences?"

Whoa! First I didn't like the choices I was given...way too extreme. But as I thought about it, this is what my answer is:

I like seeing the genetic resemblance these kids have to their parents. I love telling kids how much they look like their mom or dad. My students hate it that they look like their mom or dad.

I like meeting the parents. It answers a lot of questions of why the student is the way he/she is. The saying "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree" is often (not always) true. This can be both a compliment and a slap in the face to some parents.

I like explaining how things are run in the classroom - expectations - course requirements - activities and lessons learned. I think parents get a better picture of my class and what I am like.

I like being able to say good things about my student to the parent. I don't enjoy having to state the obvious when I have to say negative comments. I hate it when parents of a teenager say "I just don't know what to do...(my son/daughter) just doesn't do what I say." I want to yell "BE A PARENT! Set limits and enforce them!"

I hate being away from my own kids. They still miss me when I am not home. I dislike working these extra long talking days. My throat gets soar, my head aches and I crash when I get home.

I like it that parents get to see that the teachers here at PHS are hard working people. We want what is best for our students and we work hard to give them the best.

So, do I love or hate parent-teacher conferences? I think I answered it.

An Expanding Vocabulary

So, my son was playing with his K'nex and made some creature/robot/being. He needed to share his creation so he went to dad.
"Dad, look what I made"
Dad takes the creation to examine it better.
Our son quickly takes his creation back from dad and says "Hey, he doesn't like to be man handled!"

Where do they get this stuff?

Why Fall Rocks

Fall. I hate that it is dark so early. I really don't like frost on my windows when I need to leave for work in the morning. Did I mention it is dark then as well? I do LOVE the fun my kids have in the fall. I love the pictures my husband and I take in the fall.

First, Halloween just rocks! This year the kids picked costumes that really matched their personal interests. Our son was Obi Wan Kanobi. Did I even spell that correctly?!? I am a fan of Star Wars but our son is even more of a fan. He loves the Legos Star Wars video games, the movies, the toys and now he has the costume. Oh, did I mention that he was Darth Vader for Halloween two years ago as well? Our son IS A STAR WARS FAN! Our daughter was a pirate. She wasn't Jack Sparrow or any other movie character, no, she likes to be her own character - someone original. But really, how original can you be with a purchased costume? None-the less, she was so happy about her eye patch, the clip on earring and the sword that could do some serious damage. (It was heavy even though it was made of plastic.)

We had a blast Trick-or-Treating. We were able to walk for about an hour and a half with some of the neighborhood kids and moms. We went to one neighbor's house - Holly. WOW! She had the foyer and front room of her house all decked out to look like a dungeon. She was dressed as a witch and had potions brewing and many other really cool details - I took a picture!

Then there was today, as I was driving into Kohler, there was a plethora of leaves falling - it almost looked like it was snowing leaves. Alex had raked a huge pile of leaves for the kids to play in when they got home from school. He also had the camera ready to take a ton of pictures. I had so many favorites. I decided to put too many pictures in the entry today.

I love it when we have a good weather Fall day. The sun is out so it seems warmer than what it is in actuality. It is best when it isn't so windy, but that is hard to come by. Today was one of those days...sunny...warm...not to breezy. It was a good Fall day.

Take a look at these pictures. My kids now know how to pose for me and still just be kids. I always get such fun shots of them. I love the one of my son...look at the height that he gets with that jump! And my daughter, she is such a ham for the camera.

What did we do before You Tube???

So there are days when I have a ton of work to do. If it is a day that Alex is home and can play with the kids, he gets out his laptop and connects to You Tube. There he finds all types of videos and songs that he plays for the kids. I decided to share some of their favorites.

The Muppets - Never Smile at a Crocodile -


The Muppets - Mahnahmahnah -


The Lion Sings Tonight -


The Muppets - Banana Boat song -


There are more that my husband has searched for the kids, but I cannot remember all of them. As I write this entry, the kids are coming over to the computer to view the links that I am posting. They really love this stuff!

Making a puppet

So, my daughter is to read a certain number of chapter books each quarter. She meets with her teacher each week to talk about the book and set new goals for her to meet in reading the book. She never has a problem meeting and then also exceeding those goals. SHE LOVES TO READ! I love it that she loves to read! One of the books she read was The Fish in Room 11. It is about a family of mermaids/mermen that save a human child, raise him for a year while living in a cave near the ocean and then leave him for a certain human to find so that she will raise him. When the baby grows to a boy, they meet him again and then pose as humans (wheelchair bound humans) so that they can spend time with the boy. Okay, now back to the point. Allison needs to pick one book and then do a quarter project for that book. She chose to make a puppet of one of the main characters and then write a brief introduction of that character. These are pictures I took as my husband and I helped her make that puppet. I have to say that this puppet is so cool. My husband went to the craft store with our daughter to pick out supplies. We actually sewed a felt square to a Nerf ball for the head. We ironed on the face features. We sewed on each strand of hair. We made the fin and body sections from felt. The head is held firmly in place using a skewer that is pushed into the Nerf ball and extends down into the body so that there is something to hold on to. All this was made without any patterns. The design came mainly from our daughter with the technical means to put it together came from my husband and I. I made a point to have my daughter DO the work and not have the parents do all the work. I think she did a wonderful job. She is so excited about taking it to school tomorrow. I am so very proud of her as well. I'm also a little proud of myself and my husband for being creative enough with the stuff we had around the house to help put this whole thing together.

We're all so exhausted from this. I still had four sections of chemistry grades to enter this evening. End of quarters are hard work. Thank goodness there are only three more quarters to go for this school year!

Rabbit...Rabbit...Rabbit

It is the first of the month. I wake early, before anyone in the house. I always do that. I quietly get myself showered and make the kids' lunches for the day. I wait in silence for when my husband awakes. I do not want to be mean and wake him too early. I hear him sneaking down the stairs as I brush my teeth. I think he thinks I do not hear him, but I do. I wait, turn around and we simultaneously say rabbit rabbit rabbit. My parents did this all the time. I do not know why I introduced this to our marriage, but I loved watching my parents battle as to who would say it first to the other. It was fun to watch and now it is fun to participate. This month we had a tie. I guess we will have to share the good luck this month. I really was not sure about the history until I did a search this evening. I found several links, but sadly, Wiki had what everybody else said in one easy to read spot. I included a link to the origin of the saying...rabbit,rabbit, rabbit

Boo! Aaaahhhh!!

Boo!
This is what my son wanted when Dad helped him carve his pumpkin. Both of the kids carved their pumpkins today. My daughter's is a bit more...refined. I still have to take a picture of hers. She made hers look like a vampire. My son, he likes the gore - the gross - the ghoulish type look. I think he was successful. I just love their pumpkins. Tomorrow is trick-or-treating. I'll have pictures of that as well.

jocund

The kids are playing. They have been doing this the entire 4 day weekend. They have so much fun with each other. How did I get two such smart, fun-loving, playful, well-behaved children. Yes, I did say well-behaved. At ages 8 and 6 (nearly 9 and 7), my two kids actually play really well together. They even share neighborhood friends nicely.

My husband and I do really try to set boundaries and then be consistent. It sometimes is difficult, but I see students come and go in my classroom that have had little to no boundaries set and then consistency by the parents is just not there. Our kids do not get everything they want. We can't afford getting them everything (or nearly anything) they want. What they always get is our attention, our affection and our time. Isn't that what really counts? So, the way I figure things, our kids are awesome because we've taught them to be so.

I've been gone awhile

So I read my last post, and when I wrote that it was summer. It was around 80 degrees. I wasn't back to school yet and life seemed almost refreshing.

Today, although a Friday, is a vacation day. WEAC convention time. Teachers and kids get a four-day weekend. It is about 50 degrees outside. I have a box of tests and projects sitting to my right that are calling to me "correct me, correct me, give me a grade!" I hate it when they talk to me like that. Life is not so laid back and refreshing.

At least not like it was last weekend. What made last weekend so special? I was away at my scrapbooking weekend with my sister and friends. Oh, it was so much fun. So many wonderful, funny women. Such nice and grounded women...women that think much like me, have similar values, are smart and talented and caring. I needed them. I was spending time this summer with my friends either walking or riding my bike five times a week. Since school began, I have hardly seen my exercising buddies. I had to give up exercising at 6 am since I am getting ready for work at that time.

Then there is the scrapping. I hope to scan in pictures and show off some of the pages.




I actually completed 36 pages, but these are my favorites. I couldn't scan them, it seems that my scanner can only do 8.5 by 11 pages, not 12 by 12 pages, so I had to take pictures of my scrapped pictures. Seems a bit odd? Yes, but it was successful.

So much time but yet so little

Yesterday my parents took my kids to Mt. Olympus in Wisconsin Dells. In addition, the kids slept over at the grandparent's house. So many opportunities opened up with the kids gone all day long (and all night). I could go shopping. I could clean the house from top to bottom. I could spend the day with my husband. The options were endless. What did I do?

I read. I relaxed. I scrapped. Then I did all that all over again. See, the husband thing when out the window because he wanted to spend the day at Road America with some friends - fine with me because I didn't want to be there. I used to work in a food stand at RA when I first began teaching. It was my summer job. It also sucked - as do most food service jobs. I REALLY didn't want to clean...I mean, who really wants to do that? Shopping? It will only let me realize that I am spending money I shouldn't be spending. Seeing my fat a** in a mirror is not my idea of fun. However, reading and scrapping - I do enjoy and I was able to do that without interruption. My husband and I did spend the evening together. That was great. We even treated ourselves to a late night at the movie theatre. Both of us were able to sleep in as well.

On the note of scrapping, I just received notification of a scrap weekend that will occur in October. I do this twice a year - get out of the house, get away for a 3 day/2 night weekend and scrap like crazy. It is almost spiritual. I seem to have these ephiphanic moments about my family and friends. When I get back home I am so in-love with them.

That is how I am feeling today. The kids were gone, getting spoiled by their grandparents and I was missing them. My husband was at the track, hanging out with the guys and I was missing him. I was at home, scrapping, looking at pictures of my beautiful kids and handsome husband and missing them. I also can't help loving the creative ways I display our pictures.

Now, what am I going to do for the next two weeks? Both of the children are going to be at day-camp for the next two weeks (from 8 am to 4 pm) and my husband drives full days for the next two weeks as well. Except for two days in which I am to be at school for some organization of the chemical supply room, I have a completely open schedule. I may get some more scrapping completed, spend time with my girlfriends or maybe begin preparing for the the beginning of the 2007-2008 school year. I have to have some sort of plan or I will go nuts!

I did it again...

So my husband did the IQ test and then showed me he got a 133. I needed to try it again (Alex says you can't change your IQ). Well I showed him (hee hee hee). Now I scored a 136! Better! This time my paragraph read the following:

"This number is based on a scientific formula that compares how many questions you answered correctly on the Classic IQ Test relative to others. Your Intellectual Type is Visionary Philosopher. This means you are highly intelligent and have a powerful mix of skills and insight that can be applied in a variety of different ways. Like Plato, your exceptional math and verbal skills make you very adept at explaining things to others — and at anticipating and predicting patterns. And that's just some of what we know about you from your IQ results."

So, first I am a mathematician and now I am a philosopher - either way, I do like how I am described. It makes me feel...

For my amusement

I took an on-line IQ test today. This is what it said...

"Congratulations, Carrie! Your IQ score is 131" (is this poor? good? great? awesome?)

"This number is based on a scientific formula that compares how many questions you answered correctly on the Classic IQ Test relative to others. Your Intellectual Type is Visual Mathematician. This means you are gifted at spotting patterns — both in pictures and in numbers. These talents combined with your overall high intelligence make you good at understanding the big picture, which is why people trust your instincts and turn to you for direction — especially in the workplace. And that's just some of what we know about you from your test results."

At the end of the quiz, the site wanted me to purchase some stuff - which I didn't, but the test was cool to do! If interested, this is the site I went to, then at the end is all the advertisements. I just kept clicking "SKIP" and you'll get your results. http://web.tickle.com/tests/uiq/index-pop.jsp?sid=&supp=&z=

Have fun if you try it!

Women I admire

I just got back from a three day class that I took at UW-Oshkosh. It was about Women in Science, Math, Technology & Engineering. I am earning 3 credits by taking this class and learning a ton about women in STEM careers (and the need for more). There were some startling stats that I never knew about the importance of Math as an indicator of person's success in college - or even graduating from college! I learned even more statistics about the low number of women in STEM careers (by the way, medical careers are not included in STEM careers-they are considered allied health careers).

Now - to get to the point of my entry today. I have been talking to many women and listening to several speakers over the past three days. I have been "wow"ed! In addition, I have been reflecting on other women in my life and how much I respect and admire them.

Kim - my biking partner. She is a full time mom. She has a psychology degree and became a full time mom when her first child was born. She is no ordinary mom. Her unique impact on me is how avid she works on her family life and making sure her son has every advantage working for him - he has autism. Her constant research, planning, education, networking and involvement are what I admire. By the way, I do not think she knows all of this.

My Grandma - She will be 87 this month. About two years ago she fell down going into church and hit her head hard - very hard. Within a week she was having brain surgery because of the blood pooling because of the fall. She had some short term memory loss. She was tired. At one point she even talked about letting go, but she didn't. She prayed. She trusted. She got better. She's practically back to where she was before the accident - and that a strong willed, independent, social and lovable grandmother. I love you grandma!

Kate - I met Kate about 2 months ago. If you read her blog about her husband's battle with colon cancer you will learn as I did about her inspiring courage. I know of no one person who has shown as much bravery, fear, honesty and love. Her blog address is http://www.marventano.blogspot.com/

Catherine - my friend. She teaches math at the same school as I do. How she can raise three boys (four if you include her husband), teach, run a household and undertake a rigorous graduate program in two short years is what I admire. In addition, she is honest, caring and isn't afraid to speak her mind. I LOVE THAT!

My daughter - I know, I know...she is only 8 so she is not a "woman", but she will be. What I admire about her is she is my future. She is kind - to her brother and her friends. She has so much energy and enthusiasm for everything she does. She amazes me at every turn in her development. She's smart (I know, I know... we say that about our own children all the time). She picks up on the smallest detail and retains that knowledge for, well, ever (again, she's only 8, so forever is 8 years now). She loves to read! She loves to learn math! She loves that I know and teach science and she is willing to learn from me! I would love to see her be one of those success stories I heard about this past week at UW-O Women in STEM careers.

Dr. Bonnie Bassler - I heard her speak at UW-O. WOW!! She is a Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University. She spoke so well and with so much passion for her work. She mentors many of the best researchers of today. Her research and discovery seems so simple, now, (as she puts it) but was far fetched and absurd when she began. Now, there are hundreds of labs doing what she is doing and trying to find ways to apply what she discovered to anything from new ways to treat bacterial infections to learning how cells within our own bodies communicate to each other. Here is an excerpt about her discovery. "Bonnie Bassler has discovered that bacteria communicate with a chemical language. This process, called quorum sensing, allows bacteria to count their numbers, determine when they have reached a critical mass, and then change their behavior in unison to carry out processes that require many cells acting together to be effective."

I need to stop now. My list is not complete. My friends - they are all awesome! I just picked out some characteristics that I do not feel I possess and that is why these women are ones I admire. I thank each of them for showing me their personalities. I thank my friends for being there for me and I hope I am there for you as well.