I am really going to try to attempt at least one blog post weekly, mainly for our families and friends to be able to stay caught up with us!
We have now been in school for two weeks, and it is already feeling like I never left! I finally know all my students' names, so it is easier now to call on students or have class discussions. My students seem very sweet and capable, so I think it will be a good year.I have already hit the ground running with curriculum and have introduced Socratic circles this past week. I have never done them this early before, but I am experimenting with it to see if the students will be even better at discussion in May if I start now.
National Board is on the back burner until Thanksgiving, as I don't have a tremendous amount left to write. I hope to send off some of my completed entries to some people to read this fall, so I can get some feedback from other NBPTS teachers. I am collecting writing samples over the course of this semester in order to eventually use these student work samples to analyze for my last entry, and I am experimenting with parent surveys and other ways to increase parental contact as another component that I must document. I have until March to get it written, so my main focus now is just collecting materials and getting into my regular school year duties.
I feel like the first two weeks of school have been MUCH busier than normal due to my time commitments with the Rhea Lana consignment sale which just happened to fall during the first week of school! I tagged my items before school started, but it took me one entire evening to load up and drop off all my items I was selling. Then, I spent a half day last Saturday shopping at the pre-sale. In addition, football practice is ongoing, so that is a huge adjustment to our evenings and family life. I also participated in my school's parent open house on Thursday night and was at school from 8 a.m. until 7:30 p.m that day without a break! It was great to meet the parents, and I had an excellent turn out, but it is exhausting physically. Stuart also left early this morning for a conference out-of-state for a week! I hope I can rest this weekend and try to recuperate!
I really want to see the movie The Help since I read the book and loved it. I have heard the movie is good, but I have no spare time on weeknights to see a movie, and Stuart is gone this weekend, so I have no childcare. Maybe I can squeeze it in during the Labor Day weekend!
Stuart bought a MacBook laptop computer this week and drove all the way to Tulsa to get it (nearest Apple store) because he wanted to take a tutorial on how to use it for some specific features. Now, we have two laptops, and our desk top is still dead. It hasn't worked in over a year, but we have yet to dispose of it, so I dust it, and it acts as a decoration in the office!
The kids want to go to the pool this weekend, since it will close soon, but it looks like it might rain today. All the kids are liking their new teachers, and the school year has been smooth so far. One development is that Owen's middle school now has a bus that drops of faculty's children at my junior high on its afternoon route. So, Owen has been able to come to my classroom about three days every week and sit in the back of my classroom for 30 minutes while I finish up teaching my last class. He really enjoys watching the 7th graders, and it has been working well so far. He has been good not to interrupt or talk to me, as I told him that he can't talk to me until school is dismissed since I'm still working. He brings a book to read, gets on my computer, or listens to the activities we are doing. It is saving us a lot of money in after school care, so I am very thankful that this busing option just started!
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Monday, August 22, 2011
Life as I Used to Know It
My life as I used to know it was leisurely. I stayed home for six years and only worked part-time as an online instructor at a community college, so I set my own hours. Sure, I had 1-2 children at home and 1 in school, but I was the one who determined the pace of our family life. If we had a busy day, it was usually because I had us running errands, going to appointments, or I aggressively cleaned the house.
Fast forward. Football practice 4-5 days per week. Three kids in school programs. Homework to supervise. A full-time job. A larger house to keep clean. Did I mention football up to FIVE practices per week for a ten year old? Wow. This pace is getting a bit crazy. We have never been the ones to have our children in many (if any) activities. We made them wait until school age to play any organized sports,and then we only did Upward on a non-competitive team. I knew I didn't want the pressure. After years of begging for tackle football, we are trying it this year with the Boys Club of Benton County. Wow. It. Is. Intense. I didn't expect 12-15 hours of practice per week in 5th grade. Stuart has been going to every practice and watching, so he and Owen leave at 5:30 and usually don't get home until 8:30. Then, Owen takes a shower and goes to bed. I feel like I'm missing half my family for the whole week, and I am an only parent most nights to the younger kids. The unfortunate part (for me) is that Owen LOVES it. Stuart thinks he actually has some talent. In three seasons, he will be old enough to try out for a school team which has daily practice (and sometimes twice per day), so he needs to learn now if he ever hopes to get good enough to make the junior high team. Compared to most families, Owen is very old to finally play a real sport at age 10. The younger two kids are not even enrolled in anything. No sports or lessons for them! I can't take the stress of having every member of the family at different events all week long after I have taught school all day. I don't think it is worth it on my family life.
I hope we survive football season; maybe I will actually learn the rules (ha!). I have thought a cornerback was the same thing as a quarterback! Hopefully, it will be good experience, and Owen will learn life skills about responsibility, team work, dedication, and hard work. I think those lessons would help him develop immensely. Somehow, he does seem much older since he started playing football and began middle school last week!
When I picked him up from school the other day,he was shooting baskets in the gym with some friends. I saw him make three long distance shots in a row, and he won the shooting game they were playing. On the way home, he mentioned that he is getting pretty good at basketball and might want to try it this winter when football ends. Lord have mercy . . .
Fast forward. Football practice 4-5 days per week. Three kids in school programs. Homework to supervise. A full-time job. A larger house to keep clean. Did I mention football up to FIVE practices per week for a ten year old? Wow. This pace is getting a bit crazy. We have never been the ones to have our children in many (if any) activities. We made them wait until school age to play any organized sports,and then we only did Upward on a non-competitive team. I knew I didn't want the pressure. After years of begging for tackle football, we are trying it this year with the Boys Club of Benton County. Wow. It. Is. Intense. I didn't expect 12-15 hours of practice per week in 5th grade. Stuart has been going to every practice and watching, so he and Owen leave at 5:30 and usually don't get home until 8:30. Then, Owen takes a shower and goes to bed. I feel like I'm missing half my family for the whole week, and I am an only parent most nights to the younger kids. The unfortunate part (for me) is that Owen LOVES it. Stuart thinks he actually has some talent. In three seasons, he will be old enough to try out for a school team which has daily practice (and sometimes twice per day), so he needs to learn now if he ever hopes to get good enough to make the junior high team. Compared to most families, Owen is very old to finally play a real sport at age 10. The younger two kids are not even enrolled in anything. No sports or lessons for them! I can't take the stress of having every member of the family at different events all week long after I have taught school all day. I don't think it is worth it on my family life.
I hope we survive football season; maybe I will actually learn the rules (ha!). I have thought a cornerback was the same thing as a quarterback! Hopefully, it will be good experience, and Owen will learn life skills about responsibility, team work, dedication, and hard work. I think those lessons would help him develop immensely. Somehow, he does seem much older since he started playing football and began middle school last week!
When I picked him up from school the other day,he was shooting baskets in the gym with some friends. I saw him make three long distance shots in a row, and he won the shooting game they were playing. On the way home, he mentioned that he is getting pretty good at basketball and might want to try it this winter when football ends. Lord have mercy . . .
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Rhea Lana Sale Exceeds Expectations!
The Northwest Arkansas Rhea Lana consignment sale is this week from August 22-27 at the Frisco Station Mall in Rogers right next to Hobby Lobby. It is now open to the public daily and charges no admission! The hours are 9 am - 7 pm Monday through Wednesday and 9 am - 3 pm on Thursday. The half-price sale days are Friday with hours of 9 am - 7 pm and Saturday from 8 am - 2 pm.
I shopped during the pre-sale on Saturday when consignors are able to get in early before the sale opens to the public. I bought 60 items this time, and I averaged around $6 per item. My purchases included my daughter's ENTIRE fall/winter wardrobe including tops, pants, jeans, smocked dresses, pajamas, a light jacket, a heavy winter coat, and multiple pairs of shoes! Everything I found was name brand with styles from Gap, Children's Place, Gymboree, Matilda Jane, Orient Expressed, Stride Rite, Geox, Sperry, Petunia Pickle Bottom, Abercrombie, ZaZa Couture, and Mini Boden!
If you haven't gotten to the sale before, you need to try it out this week! This is the largest Rhea Lana sale in our area yet, and there were over 87,000 items from 1,100 consignors!!
I included pictures of some of my best deals above, and here are some more details:
1. Petunia Pickle Bottom toddler bag in mint condition - $8.00
2. Sperry Top Siders in mint condition - $10.00
3. Smocked dress by Orient Expressed - $15.00
4. Gap hooded heavy winter coat - $9.00
5. Pink Stride Rite tennis shoes in excellent condition - $3.50!!
6. Black mary jane Stride Rite shoes for $6.00
7. ZaZa Couture dress trimmed in faux fur - $10.00
8. Matilda Jane dress with minky dot ruffle pants (I am planning to use this outfit for a professional portrait this fall) - $20.00
I love the idea of recycling our used items at a consignment event because it is a form of living "green" plus it saves so much money in our family budget, even over sale shopping! So, get yourself to the Rhea Lana sale early this week to find all the good bargains that are still left! Don't forget to tell your friends! The sale also includes toys, bedding, and all sorts of baby equipment if you are needing those items. Happy shopping!
Friday, August 5, 2011
Back to School
Well, it's that time of year again, and we are getting ready to head back to school. I think this was the shortest summer ever, so I am still not quite ready to let it go! We had an amazing family vacation to Washington D.C. over the 4th of July and were away for ten days. This was our first family road trip of this length, and it was really fun. The kids did amazingly well on the 20 hour drive each way, and we enjoyed seeing sights like the arch in St. Louis and Gettysburg along the way since we were driving. We were invited to stay in a friend's apartment for free, so that was so convenient! We were only blocks from the Capitol and the Smithsonian museums.
Arden started pre-K yesterday at a new building with a new teacher, and she has been crying at drop-off. I have to begin attending teacher meetings next week, so I wanted her to have a few days to acclimate before I have to take her even earlier. I was hoping it would be an easier adjustment than this, but she really doesn't know anyone in her class right now, and she misses the security and comfort of her old building. She is still in the Bentonville School District program, but she was too old to attend in her previous location which only serves birth-3 year olds. I didn't have a choice about her being promoted to the pre-K facility, and I'm sure she would be like this at any new school. I am hoping it gets easier soon!
The boys will attend a week of day camp next week while I am in teacher inservice meetings, then they begin officially on August 15. Hudson will have Mr. Stolt for 2nd grade, and he is SO excited to have a male elementary teacher! Owen doesn't know his teacher assignment until next week, but he will be switching to middle school and also have a new building to navigate. He is very excited about it! Owen also signed up for competitive tackle football for the first time and had a skills test last night for team placement. He feels he did well and didn't have any problems auditioning in front of a panel of coaches! I am hoping the heat tapers off, so that practices are not too hot or demanding, but that is the "mom" in me! Stuart says we need to let him toughen up and follow his dreams which are to be an NFL player at this point! Ha
I am wrapping up tagging all my consignment clothes for the upcoming Rhea Lana sale and hope to finish that today, then I need to complete Arden's baby book before I go back to school. The good news from school that I found out yesterday is that I do not have to float this year! That is where a teacher teaches classes in several different rooms. I have room shared for the past two years which actually was not terrible, as I only taught one class each day in another English teacher's room. However, it will be luxury not to have a cart at all and no longer transport markers, supplies, projects, handouts, etc. up and down the crowded hallway every day!
I got a lot done on National Board Certification this summer, and I am taking a break from it for a few months to get into the routine of the new school year. I will be collecting writing samples from students this fall in order to select samples to use for my last entry where I analyze student writing. I have until March to finish the writing, and I am about 2/3 done already, so I feel good about that. I am sure I will be revising this fall as I get some professors and other NB teachers to be readers for me.
Arden started pre-K yesterday at a new building with a new teacher, and she has been crying at drop-off. I have to begin attending teacher meetings next week, so I wanted her to have a few days to acclimate before I have to take her even earlier. I was hoping it would be an easier adjustment than this, but she really doesn't know anyone in her class right now, and she misses the security and comfort of her old building. She is still in the Bentonville School District program, but she was too old to attend in her previous location which only serves birth-3 year olds. I didn't have a choice about her being promoted to the pre-K facility, and I'm sure she would be like this at any new school. I am hoping it gets easier soon!
The boys will attend a week of day camp next week while I am in teacher inservice meetings, then they begin officially on August 15. Hudson will have Mr. Stolt for 2nd grade, and he is SO excited to have a male elementary teacher! Owen doesn't know his teacher assignment until next week, but he will be switching to middle school and also have a new building to navigate. He is very excited about it! Owen also signed up for competitive tackle football for the first time and had a skills test last night for team placement. He feels he did well and didn't have any problems auditioning in front of a panel of coaches! I am hoping the heat tapers off, so that practices are not too hot or demanding, but that is the "mom" in me! Stuart says we need to let him toughen up and follow his dreams which are to be an NFL player at this point! Ha
I am wrapping up tagging all my consignment clothes for the upcoming Rhea Lana sale and hope to finish that today, then I need to complete Arden's baby book before I go back to school. The good news from school that I found out yesterday is that I do not have to float this year! That is where a teacher teaches classes in several different rooms. I have room shared for the past two years which actually was not terrible, as I only taught one class each day in another English teacher's room. However, it will be luxury not to have a cart at all and no longer transport markers, supplies, projects, handouts, etc. up and down the crowded hallway every day!
I got a lot done on National Board Certification this summer, and I am taking a break from it for a few months to get into the routine of the new school year. I will be collecting writing samples from students this fall in order to select samples to use for my last entry where I analyze student writing. I have until March to finish the writing, and I am about 2/3 done already, so I feel good about that. I am sure I will be revising this fall as I get some professors and other NB teachers to be readers for me.
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