beacherteacher

A Bowl of Mush

2007-02-19T18:16:00.001-05:00

I’ve officially re-entered my boring housewife life. I feel like I’m no longer on top of things. I’m all out of notable quotes and witty one-liners. My mind has MUSHED. I no longer search the internet as research for my papers or to look for cool things to teach in the classroom. I merely read blogs and shop for cute shoes.

I guess that’s why I didn’t know that the universe was changing time!!!!

So know you know, too. Daylight Savings Time is being adjusted this year, on March 11th, and lifehacker tells you what electronic products will be affected by the early time change and offers downloads and solutions.

Counting the Days

2007-02-11T17:15:00.000-05:00

Did you notice the little banner up there? Yea, that one. The one that is counting down the days until our cruise. Less than two weeks away and I can’t wait!

Of course, I am nowhere near ready. That New Year’s resolution to lose weight before the cruise? Um, didn’t happen. Which creates a domino effect – I have not bought any cute new summer clothes and I have not tried on any of last year’s shorts and skirts. So, I haven’t packed anything.

I love vacations, but I hate packing for them. I always forget something and when your destination is a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean, it can be hard to find a Wal-Mart.
I also have to pack for the kids, who aren’t going with us. They will be staying at their wonderful aunt’s house for a week. It doesn’t get much better.

Which brings me back to – Who cares about ten extra pounds?! I’m going to be in the sunny Caribbean in 13 days. I’ll just forget to pack the camera.

The Subject of Spam

2007-02-08T08:51:00.000-05:00

lusty assassinate

cylindric hifalutin migratory

german barrette delirious cytolysis

This is just a sampling of the 900 emails in my bulk file today. Why can’t anti-spam programs just reject any subject line that is illogical? I mean really, a German barrette that is giddily dissolving a cell? When does that ever happen and why would I be interested?

If you ever need a laugh, read through some of your trash email subjects. You know, the ones that promise bigger appendages (I really don’t need a “b1gger pen1s”) or that you’ll meet a sexy large single in your area.

My favorite~
Sender: Dorita
Subject: RE: in my toilet

I most certainly did not send out an email about anything in my toilet. On second thought, maybe my husband did!

A Not-So-Great Parenting Moment

2007-01-17T08:53:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a sad day at our house. It started something like this:

Just before my husband took the kids to school, he pulls me aside and covertly says, “The hamster died. You’ll have to get rid of it before she gets home.”

“What do you mean get rid of it”

“Just throw it in the trash and clean out the cage.” An Aside -He’s not really that cold and heartless, he just wasn’t thinking that clearly.

So, I solemnly opened the office door (the room that I had transferred the cage into the night before when the exercise-wheeling hamster was keeping my daughter awake) and peered into the cage.
Yup, the hamster was indeed dead, but, thankfully, it looked peaceful.
I began to look around the house for a proper burial box, but couldn’t find anything suitable. My idea was to go to CVS and get a gift box.

When my husband stopped home around lunchtime, he asked why there was a dead hamster still hanging around in the house.

“I thought that when M got home she might want to bury it and I haven’t been able to find a suitable box.”

“We don’t have any boxes?”

“Well, I thought I’d get a nice gift box from CVS”

To that, my husband says, “It’s not really a gift. Remember? It’s DEAD. This box will do:

Here lies TuTu, our beloved pet.

The New Year

2006-12-31T22:28:00.000-05:00

Today’s the day. The day I’ll sit down and write out my New Year’s resolutions. You know me, I write everything down. I even write a list of the lists that I have to make.

Besides the whole eat better, exercise more resolutions that I always make (and never, ever stick to), one of my goals is to redirect this blog. I will try to write more entries and I will try to make those entries more personal (and hopefully more interesting!).
As for my other resolutions, I’ll keep you posted!

Happy New Year

I still got it!

2006-11-22T10:38:00.000-05:00

Can I get a job with this now?

Your Language Arts Grade: 100%

Way to go! You know not to trust the MS Grammar Check and you know "no" from "know." Now, go forth and spread the good word (or at least, the proper use of apostrophes).

Are You Gooder at Grammar?
Make a Quiz

Give Thanks

2006-11-21T14:30:00.000-05:00

So are you completely caught up on the Grey’s Anatomy relationships? I am so addicted to this show that I can’t even wait for the DVR to tape it so I don’t have to sit through commercials. I don’t know about you, but I watch NOTHING live anymore. I love being able to fast-forward over commercials! Anyway, I stumbled across a few Grey’s Anatomy blogs on the ABC website. I personally love Grey Matter, written by the shows writers. It gives an insight into each episode, like where some of the storylines come from and why Callie is on the show?!
Anyone not watching Grey’s Anatomy? I suggest getting the first 2 seasons on DVD and catching yourself up this week before the Thanksgiving episode!

Yes, I am thankful for one good night of TV per week. I am also thankful for my beautiful children, my loving family, and thankful that my Christmas shopping is almost done (did you see the cool countdown above?)!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends and family!

Trick or Treat

2006-11-02T09:31:00.000-05:00

Life was so much easier when I got to choose the costumes that the twins wore on Halloween. At least I picked things that went together: M&Ms, Pooh & Tigger, Magenta & Blue from Blue’s Clues, or a firefighter & a kitty cat.

This year, a baby (after talking her out of being a nearly 5 foot tall pink poodle!) and a scary-faced, Pagan pentacle-wearing gatekeeper thing!
But, alas, although they strive to be individuals and do their own thing, when only one wanted to go trolling for candy, at each neighbor’s house her obligatory “Trick or Treat” was always met with “Where’s your brother?”

Lucky Number 13

2006-10-03T15:31:00.000-05:00

Yesterday my husband and I celebrated our 13th anniversary. How did we celebrate such a momentous milestone you ask?
By dining at Mickey D’s, of course.
Such is the way for two people who are too tired (or lazy) to make reservations or call a babysitter.
Please don’t feel bad; it’s not likely that I’ll soon be announcing a divorce on the grounds that McDonald’s is my husband’s favorite eating establishment. And I don’t envy lovebirds like Jules at Mildly Melancholy who is happily celebrating 6 months of coupledom. It’s just that my husband and I have learned a few things about each other in our 18+ years together. One of those things is that we don’t always have our best moments on the dates marked on the kitchen calendar.
We buy each other gifts when we see something special, something we just know the other would love and we don’t wait for a birthday or anniversary to give it. We plan weekend getaways or weeklong cruises because we’d like some time away, not just because the wedding reception hall was open on that date.
I prefer to think that we had our anniversary dinner two weeks ago, after Back to School night. We were already paying for a sitter, so we stopped for a nice dinner and a glass of wine (for me!) and we had a really nice time.

Happy (Un)Anniversary Old Man!

New Clothes

2006-09-19T20:08:00.000-05:00

My Art and Soul friends are embarking on a new venture. David (I think he’s the Art of Art and Soul) has just launched a line of fall clothing featuring some of his cool graphics and amazing surfing photos. DavidMac designs can be purchased through his site, just click here.

Thanks, but no Thats

2006-09-18T12:33:00.000-05:00

I have yet another rejection letter to add to my ever-increasing pile. Whoopee!

The letters don’t really bother me as much as I thought they would, though. When I first started to read the classifieds and send out those resumes, I crossed my fingers and prayed for an interview. Then, throughout the summer, I came to learn that most of the jobs are already filled or otherwise unavailable and that the ad is usually just a farce.

This most recent letter, however, is different.
First, it opens with “Dear Applicant”. Now, I know that this is a perfectly acceptable opening to a letter, but I’m not sending resumes to NYC Public Schools or anything. I was probably one of maybe a dozen applicants! They could have used my name; I used the principal’s name in my cover letter.

Secondly, the letter was exactly 1 sentence long, AND that 1 sentence contained two misspelled words! Well, actually one misspelled word and a “that” instead of a “thank”. Obviously, someone relies on only MSWord for proofreading.

Yes, it only takes one sentence to reject an “applicant”. But for this particular position, I had to download a five-page application, write a cover letter and a page and a half essay about my teaching philosophy and goals, and include three reference letters. Doesn’t all that legwork warrant more than a one-sentence response?

When I first read the ad for this position, I thought that I might have found my dream job. I don’t think that I would have been happy in that district after all.

BTW~ Why am I saving my rejection letters? Can anyone think of a good use for them?

Summer Update

2006-09-07T10:41:00.000-05:00

Is anyone still reading this blog? ‘Cause no one is writing it!

I have been neglectful, to say the least.

After a fun-filled summer, the twins went back to school earlier this week. Yippee!

Over the past few months I have stayed as far away from the computer as possible. Sure, I’ve checked my email regularly and I’ve shopped just as much, but I didn’t write a thing all summer and it felt GREAT!

Instead, the kids and I spent our time lounging on the beach, visiting a few pools, camping in Virginia, and we just got back from a weeklong trip to Florida. I had booked the FL trip to see the space shuttle Atlantis launch, but it was delayed due to Hurricane (T.S.) Ernesto. We visited Kennedy Space Center, and then spent the next four days deluged by the storm all the way up the east coast.
Oh well, we’ll try again next summer!

Clog Blog

2006-06-24T08:36:00.000-05:00

I’ll admit it; I’m a shoe fanatic! I have amassed so many pairs of flip-flops already this summer that my husband doesn’t know when I’ve bought a new pair (that’s a good thing!). I have summer shoes in every size, shape, and color with ribbons, beads, sequins, etc.

So, what’s the point, you ask?
Well, my point is this; the one shoe you will never catch me wearing this summer is the Croc clog. I don’t care how brightly colored they are or how comfortable or easy to clean, or blah, blah ,blah. They’re ugly and they look stupid with anything you wear! And, are you kidding me, thirty dollars for 2 pieces of molded plastic?!

Give me a pair of flip-flops any day. They come in thousands of colors, they’re comfortable and even keep my leg and foot muscles toned. They’re easy to clean or you can just buy a new pair. But, the biggest pro for us flip-floppers – the chance to show off our pretty polished toes!

I think dooce would agree.

Diet Coke & Mentos Fountain

2006-06-14T08:02:00.000-05:00

On a day-to-day basis I drink only water (without lemon anymore, thanks to the whole burning a hole in my esophagus thing) and milk. Sometimes, when we’re at a restaurant or somewhere where I don’t trust the source of the water or milk, I will drink a soda.

For me, having a soda is a very rare occurrence. This video shows perfectly well why I’m not comfortable gulping down the chemicals in that stuff. Thankfully, I’m not a big fan of Mentos either, and I would probably never mix my Mentos with a diet Coke.

Grad Week Photos

2006-06-04T08:02:00.000-05:00

Our ship docked in King's Wharf, Bermuda.

I'm somewhere in this sea of 2600 graduates. My husband couldn't find me, so I have no pictures of me graduating.

Grad Week

2006-06-04T07:57:00.000-05:00

My last entry was over Easter vacation?!?
So much has happened since then…where should I start?

Oh yeah, I graduated! I have never felt such a huge sense of relief. I graduated on Friday morning, May 12th, and then we had an awesome graduation party in Cape May later that night.
On Sunday, beacherhusband and I sailed out of New York harbor for a five-day cruise to Bermuda. We were total bums for 5 days. We ate, shopped, and slept a lot! I think I went through about six full semesters in only two years, with about 4 or 5 hours sleep every night, so I really needed the rest!

When we got home, I got right back into the swing of my busy life and started subbing every day. There is no job lined up yet, so I’ll sub until I at least land an interview.

With only two more weeks left of school, the kids and I are looking forward to our first summer off together! Memorial Day weekend was filled with gorgeous beach days, and we even had a close encounter with a couple of dolphins that were playing very close to the shore one afternoon. I never have my camera when I need it. I should look into one of those camera phones for just such an occasion.

Spring Break

2006-04-16T07:49:00.000-05:00

So much has been happening these last few weeks. Where should I start?

I had my final supervisor observation. High marks all around. Now I just have to stop procrastinating and finish my management and unit plan.

I just finished my third week of teaching full time. Definitely the best part of the whole student teaching thing! I've had to do so much work though.
I put together a small school store to coincide with the money lessons in math. Each student started with a 50 cent "nest egg" and earned money throughout the week for good deeds or some lost money for bad behavior. We made the nests out of milk cartons covered with tufts of brown tissue paper. We filled them with Easter grass and added a large plastic egg. We used play money and each student was encouraged to save money to build up their nest egg.
I've also taught during the school book fair, a technology exposition, class pictures, and the Easter holiday.

Thank goodness for Easter vacation!

Thanks also go out to Melissa Mae and her husband David for faithfully reading my boring blog. And thanks to the reflective teacher for the graduation congrats! See their links on the left.

6 Weeks and Counting

2006-03-30T20:37:00.000-05:00

I can’t believe I’m going so long between posts! It really doesn’t seem like 3 weeks have passed.

The countdown has officially begun. My graduation is exactly 6 weeks away!!!!!

One of those weeks is Easter break and I’m off for a week before I graduate. So, that’s really the sad news. I have only twenty school days left with the twenty little beings that I have called “my kids” for the past few months. I choke up just thinking about it. I am going to just be a puddle of tears in May.

Cap and gowns came in last week and I was almost crying when I went to pay for mine. What is wrong with me?

I guess I can say that going back to school has been the most grueling thing I’ve ever done (remember, I am finishing 6 months earlier than originally planned). But I do believe that teaching is going to be one of the most rewarding jobs I’ve ever had.

OK, enough sobbing and sappiness for one day!

Where Have You Been?

2006-03-09T19:58:00.000-05:00

I talked to my mom today and she commented that I hadn’t posted here in a few weeks. So, I apologize for the lack of postings.

During the last month, if I am on the computer at all, I am only looking for lesson plan ideas or submitting work to my dreadful Senior Seminar professor. Besides, I have nothing exciting to write about. Every day I am in my pajamas by seven and usually sound asleep by ten!

I’ve only lost a total of two pounds on WW. It is tough to lose when we’ve had 2 faculty breakfasts, 2 teacher birthdays, 4 student birthdays, a Valentine’s Day party, a class play party, Dr. Seuss’s birthday party, and a spring concert party all in one month!

I can’t wait for warmer weather so I can start biking and walking outside. The garage treadmill is getting SO boring! My latest iTunes downloads are “Dirty Little Secret” by AAR and “Bad Day” by Daniel Powter. Hmmm…wonder if there are hidden meanings in the songs people chose to download!

Do I have to get a job?

2006-02-19T11:37:00.000-05:00

Well, I am finally down to short (1 page) lesson plans for math and science. Life is getting much easier!
My next hurdle is this electronic portfolio that showcases all of my teaching work to date. It is easily put together on this Task stream website that we need to subscribe to, but I just don’t know where to start!
I hate being assigned something that is completely new and unfamiliar. Without even a sample to look at, I am just staring at a blank screen and I need to sell myself and my ability to plan meaningful instruction in 300-500 words! That, by the way, is only part one of ten.
I wish that I could just focus on my student teaching and creating good lessons.
Well, I guess I should get back to work. Thank you Presidents Washington and Lincoln for an extra day this weekend. I need it!

Free Fun Fonts

2006-02-12T08:53:00.000-05:00

This is one for all my scrapbook friends out there and some teachers may be interested, too. Click here for a really cool site that has downloadable font templates from movie titles, TV, games, cars, and even candy.

The Price is Right font has inspired me to develop a game for my math (money) lesson plans. And don’t miss the Jeopardy or Survivor lettering!
There are even band logos for all my concert pages. I’ll finally be able to scrap those concert tickets. I’m going to do a family page with the Brady Bunch font, too.

But, I’m still trying to think of a way to use the PEZ font. Stay tuned.

I Like It, I REALLY Like It

2006-01-31T23:09:00.000-05:00

I can’t believe how much I really like this job. I have wanted to be a teacher for so long and I was nervous that the whole student teaching experience would slap with the “real world” horrors of the teaching profession. But, I love it and I can’t wait to go back in the classroom each day.

Don’t get me wrong, there is a TON of work and I’m starting to feel a little overwhelmed and completely swamped. How many times have I yawned in the past 2 weeks????!! I’m completely wiped out at the end of the day.

I’m looking forward to a little R&R this weekend with my best girlfriends at our annual Super Bowl spa getaway. We’re scrapbookers and we’ll spend the whole weekend talking, scrapping, and eating. It’s like a big slumber party.

Check out the Dream Events website for Scrapbook Vacation Getaway information.

Hat's Off

2006-01-25T18:53:00.000-05:00

Once again, my hat is off to ALL teachers. I have been student teaching for exactly seven days and I am completely exhausted and my feet are killing me!
I don’t know how you do it every day…but you must wear more comfortable shoes!

I know that I’m not posting very much, but I will write more when I catch up on my sleep.

So So Saturday

2006-01-15T12:25:00.000-05:00

We spent a soggy Saturday in Philadelphia yesterday. We did some shopping and visited with friends. One of our stops was IKEA. I love this store, but I buy so much stuff that I don’t really need. Everything seems so cheap ~ I now have enough tea light candles to last me a year! I had to buy them; they were only $2.99 for a bag of 100.

Anyway, I’m not really a city person. I love my lazy beach life. With the rain, the city seemed even more dismal and the traffic seemed even more crazy and congested. As we arrived home, a light snow began to fall and everything seemed perfect at the shore.

Do You Sudoku?

2006-01-10T00:10:00.000-05:00

So, it’s midnight and I am still at the computer when everyone in the house is sound asleep. Why, you ask?
I am addicted to a little numbers puzzle called Sudoku!
You can find them at brainbashers.
I suggest you start with an easy or very easy. The premise is simple; insert numbers 1 through 9 into the rows, columns, and 3x3 grids so that no one number is repeated in the same row, column, or grid.

Maybe it’s good that I only have one week until spring semester starts. I have way too much time on my hands!

Busy, Busy

2006-01-06T13:53:00.000-05:00

January 6th and my New Year’s resolutions are still on track! I think this is a record for me.
I have been organizing my rear end off.
All the new toys have been put away, old junk has been packed up, and the kids’ rooms are spotless (this week). I’ve organized all of the CDs, videotapes, and DVDs in the house. ALL of our music is now on the computer and the videos are being digitized as well.

I now have a designated scrapbook area in my bedroom and the 1,000s of photos are being sorted and dated. I even organized my nail polish, make-up, and jewelry last night!

As I’ve said before, I have some major clean-freak issues. I bought lots of new gadgets at organize-everything.com and I watch all the home improvement and organizing shows. Check out HGTV’s organizing page for some great ideas.

Resolution #2 is going pretty well, but so far, I’m the only one in the family who is eating better. Luckily, ice cream isn’t my weakness because my husband and kids are still eating Ben and Jerry’s almost every night!

How is everyone else doing with their resolutions?

Welcome 2006

2006-01-01T21:01:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year everyone!

I love the start of the New Year, a chance to start fresh and look forward!

My New Year’s resolutions:

I want to organize everything in my life and to try to stay as organized as possible all year.

I want to eat right and exercise every day. Hopefully, this habit will start to rub off on my husband and children.

I want to jump in headfirst and enjoy all of the new experiences that await me this year.

This year already promises to be very exciting. I will begin student teaching and my last college semester in two weeks! I will finally have the same spring break as my kids. I will graduate in May and go on a Bermuda cruise to celebrate! I will turn thirty-five (still not sure if that’s good or bad!). I will have my first summer off since junior high school and I will hopefully land a teaching job this fall!

What a year to look forward to!

Relax... It's Christmas

2005-12-29T09:15:00.000-05:00

I got exactly what I wanted from Santa this year ~ a relaxing Christmas.

M & M got up at around seven and opened their gifts. They were very happy with the presents that Santa brought. They each got iPods and cool accessories. Their favorite is the iDog that connects to the iPod and acts like a speaker, a cute little speaker that moves and lights to the beat of the music.

Later, we had Christmas dinner with family and went to the movies to see The Chronicles of Narnia. This is an excellent movie. The kids, the teenagers, and the adults all loved it.

It was the most relaxing day I’ve had in several months and just what I wished for!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

2005-12-25T12:28:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas to all my friends and family.

Where's Your Holiday Spirit?

2005-12-23T16:52:00.000-05:00

I’m exhausted.

I have stayed up late every night wrapping presents, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, and decorating the house. Even though I finished my shopping over a month ago, I’m still falling behind! Christmas will be here in two days and I have no holiday spirit.

This whole month has been nothing but work. We didn’t go to any holiday concerts or plays. We didn’t go visit Santa and sit on his lap. We didn’t even take a drive and look at all the Christmas lights. Nothing feels Christmas-y to me.

Ok, so I’m being Bah Humbug, but I really need a boost of Christmas spirit.

Quick!

What an experience!

2005-12-21T13:05:00.000-05:00

Now I can’t wait for January! I will be student teaching first grade and the teacher is awesome!

I visited the classroom on Monday. I met the students, some of the other 1st grade teachers, and the principal. The atmosphere at the school is very inviting; there are student-made decorations everywhere, parent volunteers, and tons of staff.

The best part, though, was my class. I learned all of the students’ names, read a couple of holiday stories, and helped with a holiday craft project. I left the school with 5 notebook pages full of great ideas that I had seen all over the classroom! I am definitely going to learn a lot.

Wish Me Luck

2005-12-18T20:14:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is my visitation day at the school where I will be student teaching in January. I’m a little excited and a little apprehensive. I substitute teach and I have kids of my own, so talking in front of a classroom to 20 six year-olds doesn’t bother me. The fact that I have to spend sixteen weeks with them makes me nervous!

I have never stayed in one job for too long (most of my jobs were summer jobs, I live in a resort town) and I don’t usually like the monotony of M-F, 9-5. I guess like any college student, this will be a test of whether or not I’m ready for the real world.

Well, wish me luck and if anyone has any advice I’d appreciate it!

Little Bloggers

2005-12-15T19:31:00.000-05:00

I now have little bloggers. The kids wanted to have their own pages to write about their favorite things.
Check out the links that I’ve added on the left. The first one is my favorite teacher site; the other two are the kids’ creations. They would LOVE comments!
Just as much as they love finding mail for them in the mailbox!

Last Class

2005-12-14T20:24:00.000-05:00

It’s finally over!
I just finished my last final exam and the fall semester is officially over for me!
Wahooo! I ‘m so ecstatic!

I have a month off before I begin student teaching 1st grade in January. Now, I can finally have a real life; one where I go to school from 8 to 3, Monday through Friday.

This last semester was rough, mainly because I took seven classes over the summer and haven’t really had a break since last January. I’m definitely burned out!

Let’s hope life gets more interesting from here. Cheers!

Art & Soul

2005-12-10T19:44:00.000-05:00

We have a wonderful little paint-your-own pottery studio near the beach in Cape May, NJ. Art & Soul Pottery is owned by David and Melissa, two of the nicest people you could ever meet!

The kids and I hang out there every chance we get. M & M even had their 7th birthday party there with a dozen of their friends! The picture above shows just a few of the projects that the kids have painted over the last two years. Today we finished our holiday ornaments at a kid's holiday painting party.

So, if you're ever in Cape May, visit Art & Soul on Gurney Street and take home a one-of-a-kind souvenir! If you can't get to Cape May, find a pottery store like this in your area. The kids (and adults) will love it and it's always nice to give local store owners our business.

David's journal and photo-a-day blog http://davidmacomber.com/
Melissa's blog http://melissamae.blogspot.com/

Lucy, You've got some 'splaining to do...

2005-12-09T08:26:00.000-05:00

Okay, well I feel the need to explain that last entry (and in doing so, explain my ten day absence). This blog was created for a class assignment. The assignment required creation of a blog, eight blog entries, and several outside links. The due date was December 1st.

Notice that my last (number 8) entry was posted late on November 30th. Have I mentioned that I am an insane procrastinator?
Yes, there were light blue accents on my blog page that night, although they were gone the next day! Still trying to get to the bottom of that mystery.

The class has now moved on to creating web pages, which has diverted all of my attention from my blog baby. When my page is even close to looking the way I would like, I will post the link. Have I mentioned that I am also a bit of a perfectionist?

For now, I will try to keep up with my blog. I wasn’t a big fan of this blog stuff in the beginning, but now I’ve learned to like it. Life is about to get a lot more interesting—finals week, the holidays, student teaching 1st graders, and college graduation! I’ll try to write about it all here!

Crazy Eight

2005-11-30T22:40:00.000-05:00

Oh, cool. Now my blog looks even better.

Blogger has added this lovely light blue color to highlight my links and has also added nice blue accents under the titles and around my picture.

This makes me especially happy since I’ve been trying for about a week to add different elements to no avail. I still can’t figure out how to make a links heading on the sidebar or how to categorize my growing list of blog entries. The failed attempt to add a cute counter was, admittedly, all my fault.

I was just beginning to lose hope when Blogger made me feel good again! So sad, it doesn’t take much does it?

Anyway, here’s a toast (with one of A.M.’s Wednesday night $1 beers) to blog entry number eight!

2005 Christmas Card (Spoiler)

2005-11-25T22:27:00.000-05:00

Here it is, the 2005 Christmas card photo!

We took the kids down to the beach a few weekends ago when the weather was still unseasonably warm. We had a great time! We were the only brave souls in bathing suits on the beach that day. We built a four foot tall sandman and even dipped our feet in the water!

For my friends and family this may spoil the annual surprise, but I think the photo turned out great this year and I was anxious to show it off!

For the techies, the picture was taken in black and white and the features were colorized using Print Shop Photo Pro. The finished product was then uploaded to Snapfish and my photo cards should arrive in about a week.

The real surprise will be how long it will actually take me to address and mail all the cards! Maybe I should have used a Happy New Year Sign!

Better Quote Site

2005-11-23T21:33:00.000-05:00

Ok…I’ve been outdone by my favorite blog.

Plugged In Teacher posted a new searchable quote site, Wikiquote. Browse for quotes in films, TV shows, literary works, and even electronic games. Quotes are available in several different languages and new quotes are being added daily.

Also, check out other free projects by the Wikimedia Foundation – Wikipedia, Wiktionary, or Wikinews

Click here for more information about Plugged In Teacher, a new blog dedicated to helping teachers get the most out of technology in the classroom.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year?

2005-11-21T09:41:00.000-05:00

Well, it’s that time of the year again! No, not the family holidays or the first snowfall-- that time of year when all college students, especially seniors like myself, are busy pounding on their keyboards hour after hour, churning out final papers.

My eyes are glazing over and my desk is stacked high with reference books and overflowing with cardboard coffee cups. I get out of my pajamas only to go to class. This semester will be over with only four days left before Christmas!

Some helpful advice for others whose butts are stuck in front of the computer night and day:

1. Easybib – a free online paper citation tool that allows you to fill in the blanks to create an MLA or APA format bibliography that is Word-ready.

2. Quotationspage – searchable quotations to add to that paper or to jump-start an introductory paragraph.

3. Kimskruises – when you feel like you can’t type another word, click here and start planning a cruise for winter break!

For The Love of Books

2005-11-17T09:10:00.000-05:00

While sitting in my pajamas one Saturday afternoon, I flipped on the TV and saw a children’s book author reading a picture book aloud to a group of adults, mainly teachers and librarians. I’m sorry that I don’t remember the title of the book now, but she read the book aloud and it didn’t seem to be a very well written book. Then, she played an instrumental tape of jazz (scat) music and read the book in time to the beat. The words seemed to jump right off of the page!

Esmé Raji Codell is an author and teacher who has written several children’s books and adult books including Educating Esmé: Diary of a Teacher’s First Year and How To Get Your Child To Love Reading. All of her books are currently available on Amazon.

Her website, Planet Esme, is jam-packed with children’s book titles, teacher resources, illustrations, and information about her new venture, Bookroom, a private, non-circulating library and literary salon in Chicago.

This website is a must for parents and teachers who are looking for ways to inspire young readers.

The Ron Clark Academy

2005-11-14T21:40:00.000-05:00

I first saw Ron Clark on the Oprah Winfrey show after he won Disney’s 2000 Teacher of the Year. Since then, I have read both of his books and visited his website countless times.

Ron Clark’s latest educational venture is the opening of The Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, Georgia. This innovative middle school (5th – 8th grade) will offer a wealth of opportunities for a select number of low-income students. The Ron Clark Academy is currently accepting applications for exceptional teachers. Visit Mr. Clark’s website for more information or to make a donation.

Also, look for a made-for-television movie about Ron Clark to be aired on TNT early in 2006.

Online Shopping Deals

2005-11-10T11:27:00.000-05:00

This year’s Christmas shopping is nearly complete. I usually try to finish up by Thanksgiving. After that, my schedule gets pretty tight with final papers, projects, and exams along with all the kids’ school activities and the Christmas parties that start the first week of December!

I did all of my shopping online this year and was able to save a lot of money on gifts and shipping charges by using dealcoupon. Search this site for discount codes for many online retailers and sign up to be notified when new promotions are added for your favorite stores.

Welcome to the Beach!

2005-11-08T23:34:00.000-05:00

I am a thirtysomething college student who will begin student teaching in the very near future. This blog will contain posts on everything you'd expect (and some things you wouldn't!) from a wife, mother, college student, and beginning teacher from the Jersey shore.

One thing you shouldn't expect are daily posts. I'll do my best to update at least once a week. Enjoy!