A Case of the Mondays

It's been awhile since I've updated this thing, but I've been cyber watching you despite my aloofness to generating information in the Web. I'm simply exhausted. That's all.

I have papers to write, students to teach (or watch, as I'm still observing), a teacher to get along with, a roommate to keep happy, friends to call or email, family to please, oh, and a child to raise. While keeping a smile on my face. It's going to be a rough semester, but I've already heard of one job opening at the end of the semester. That makes me anticipate being a contributing member of society even more quickly!

All is well. In fact, we (Maddie, my roomie, her nephew and niece, and I) went to the Renaissance Festival yesterday. We had a great time. I have some great Maddie stories, but I don't have much time today. Maybe soon though.

One Busy Weekend...

This last weekend, which included the birthday party hubbub, was crazy busy. I'm releaved that it's over, but the rest of the summer will be just as busy. Madeline is really growing up before my eyes. I have to remind her sometimes that she still may need my help sometimes (like when she reaches for my scissors!). But lately, she's been extra cute, too.

Maddie: (On Sunday morning) "Mom, am I still four?"
Me: "Yes, you're still four. You can't go back to being three."
Maddie: "I'm almost five?!?!" [wide-eyed with excitement]
Me: "Don't push it!"

I don't know how she jumped from wondering if she was still four to being almost five. She is really looking forward to five because she'll be going to kindergarten and be a "school-ager" then. Oh boy!

As I See It

A Response to "What Schools Need to Succeed" by Stan Archie, Kansas City Star, April 4, 2008

Urban schools, including (and perhaps especially) the Kansas City school district, are in serious need of re-vamping. It's time for parents, teachers, administrators, and school board members to be concerned about the students in the district. What are they learning, and from whom they are learning? In all of this I agree with Stan Archie.

Also, parents do need to take responsibility for their children and how they act. In this too, I agree with Archie. Parents do need to be involved with their children and their learning. As a parent, I am responsible for how my daughter acts with me and at school. I am responsible for what she sees when she is at home. In that way, I am her teacher. Or at least a teacher, to her.

Archie asserts, "Teachers are not parents, and parents are not teachers. Both jobs are unique and not interchangeable" (Archie B8, KC Star). I agree that as a teacher, I am not responsible in the same way that parents are for the students, but as a parent, I am a teacher to my daughter. I was her first teacher and will (hopefully) always be around to teach and help her along her way in life.

I think if parents thought of themselves as teachers, they would have a new outlook on parenting. Being a parents is made up of being a teacher, a doctor (at least a nurse), fan, behavior specialist, counselor, tour guide, disciplinarian, and many other things all in one.

Let's encourage all parents to take responsibility for their children's learning--don't just say that it's the teacher's job. Parents need to be involved with helping their children with their homework and making sure that they are being involved in school. Teachers are not parents to all students, but parents are teachers. Sorry, Mr. Archie.

***

On a totally unrelated, but happier, note--here are some new pictures.

Maddie and Me

Maddie in a cute hat!

Playing at the park... she is really good at her "cross-eyed" look! Swinging, in MY sunglasses!
Easter Eggs!!
Easter Sunday. She totally posed for this picture... She's just a little goofy!
My adorable nephew!
Yawning... at church
I don't know who's winning... but it's a fun picture!
Anthony and his Da-da! Matching shirts... too cute!
And that's all for now. I will have more loaded on Facebook soon.

Taking my mind off the homework...

I randomly found this on another blog. It seems like fun. We'll see what happens.

THE RULES:

you need 2 internet windows open to do it
1. Go to www. photobucket. com (don't sign in)
2. Type in your answer to the question in the "search" box
3. Use only the first page
4. Copy the html and paste for the answer.

WHAT IS YOUR FIRST NAME?

This is a very random thing to show up for my first name.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CANDY?

WHAT IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP STATUS?





WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE COLOR?




WHO IS YOUR CELEBRITY CRUSH?




WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BAND?



WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE?

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PAST TIME?

WHAT IS YOUR JOB?

I found this one for "mom." Then I decided to search for "Student Mom" and found this:

WHAT DO YOU DO FOR FUN?

WHAT KIND OF CAR DO YOU DRIVE?



WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW?





ONE WORD TO DESCRIBE YOURSELF

Me? Obsessed?

Maybe Jessica will disagree, but I could not resist ordering this one on-line. Maybe I am obsessed with this movie, but did you know that I have not ever actually owned the movie? I just bought this wonderful edition though. Love it!

I hope that when I am making an actual living (i.e. have a positive rather than negative income) that I can have a room devoted to The Wizard of Oz collectibles that I have so far (and plan to keep accumulating). Hmmmm. Maybe it will have to be my "office;" how great would that be. I could grade papers in with all the happiness and brightness of the collectibles and pictures. Something to think about.

BTW...

Regarding this post. All is well now. I don't think that she suspects a thing!

I Had To...

What do you think of the new background? I couldn't resist... this makes my classy blogspot seem more like MySpace or something, but I just couldn't help it.

And, if you think about it, we're all looking for Oz. Don't deny. We're all looking for that next step in our lives to happen so that we can find something more. A brain, a heart, a home, and the nerve.

Pictures, Etc.

I haven't been very good about posting pictures, but with my favorite Christmas present and the school's WiFi, it'll be a breeze, right?




First the Christmas present of my dreams:










I love it. I really do. It makes life so much easier. But now I (hopefully) won't have the excuse that the computer ate my homework! Enjoy the rest of the random pictures that I love.




See the purple mascara? I put it on Maddie, too, but I forgot to take a picutre before it went away...

Spinning!

Thanksgiving tradition Madeline and her Granny

Having fun! Don't you love that facial expression in the Christmas picutre?

See? I did take her picture in her halloween costume!

You see the goofiness?

Friends... awwwww.

Bringing in 2008

Every year I make a stupid resolution, and I feel compelled to follow it for a couple of weeks. Later, I completely forget about it and get too busy with other stuff to care. I do have some on-going self-improvements/goals that I will be working on:

1. Just saying NO, when I want to. This year, somehow, I have reverted to someone that I used to be in doing everything I can for everyone else that I can until I am physically exhausted. I'm working on it. Do you remember high school? Danielle S. told me more than once that I should have painted my little green car yellow and charge a fair. I feel like I am back there again. Really. When I say that I don't want to do something, darn-it, I mean no. Don't guilt trip me, just respect my answer. I'm a busy person. Busier than lots of other people. Right now, technically, I have three jobs, and I'm not done with my 20 page thesis. I need to pay attention to me for awhile. Seriously, people.

2. Time management is a big issue with me. I have to get used to the idea that I can't watch Grey's and Ugly Betty every week, if I have an assignment due. Not that I'll even have to chance to watch them if they don't give the writers what they want.

3. Graduating!!!!!!!!! I'm set to graduate December of 2008 with a Bachelor's of Science in Education/English. I'm ready to be done with school. 24 credit hours to go, baby!

4. Being more attentive to Madeline. Like right now. We are at my parents' house, but they are not home. She's watching a movie, and I'm doing this. We could be playing a game or something.

5. Clearing out the bitterness and fear that hold me back. I'm not going to say much here, but this is something that I work on daily, and I'm glad that I have people around to encourage me along the way. I don't know what I would do without my family and friends.

Love this song...

"More Than A Memory"
Written by Lee Brice
Currently performed as a #1 hit by Garth Brooks

People say she's only in my head
Gonna take time but I'll forget
They say I need to get on with my life
But they don't realize

Is when you're dialing 6 numbers just to hang up the phone
Driving cross town just to see if she's home
Waking a friend in the dead of the night
just to hear him say it's going to be alright
When you're finding things to do, not to fall asleep
Cause you know she will be there in your dreams
that's when she's
more than a memory

I took a match to everything she ever wrote
watched her words go up in smoke
tore all her pictures off the wall that aint helping me at all

'Cause when you're talking out loud and nobody's there
you look like hell and you just don't care
you're drinking more than you ever drank
sinking down lower than you ever sank
when you find yourself falling down upon your knees
praying to God, begging him "please"
that's when she's
more than a memory

she's more
she's more

'Cause when you're dialing her number
just to hang up the phone
Driving cross town just to see if she's home
Waking a friend in the dead of the night
just to hear him say its going to be alright
When you're finding things to do, not to fall asleep
Cause you know she 's waiting in your dreams
that's when she's
more than a memory

People say she's only in my head
Gonna take time but I'll forget

Do you think it's too much when...

Do you think I watch too much Grey's if my daughter is pretending to be Dr. Bailey? And, is it bad that we're in a study room and the first thing that I though to do with this fun piece of information was to "blog" it?

Long Overdue for an Update

This school year has been a busy one so far. Among work, work, school, and Madeline, I feel a little (okay, a lot) overwhelmed with everything. I'm working at Taco Bell only on Fridays now (thank goodness), and I'm tutoring for one-two hours the other four days.

I love the tutoring. I'm not working with the age group that I plan to teach, but that's okay. My "favorite" (only because I have worked with him the longest) is a boy that I will call "James." James has come so far already with me. He is so much fun to work with. He has already written one story for me and is writing another one how. I love his creatvity. I had forgetten how much fun kids his age (8 or so) can be. I haven't been around them for so long...

I'm working on my senior thesis this semester... an enchanting twenty page paper. Did I already tell you what I'm writing about? If I haven't told you, you're going to laugh. Go here: and here:

Those two links take you to the subject of my official senior thesis. I'm analyzing them rhetorically. In a twenty page paper. Doesn't that sound like fun? I'm excited anyway...


In actual news, our President of these United States stated the following during a press conference yesterday:

"No Child Left Behind is helping replace a culture of low expectations with a commitment to high achievement for all. And the hard work being done by principals, teachers, parents and students across our country is producing results. Last month, we learned that 4th graders earned the highest math and reading scores in the history of our Nation's Report Card -- and that's good news. I'm able to report that because we actually measure now in the schools.

There is more work to be done. So long as there is an achievement gap, we have work to do. Our goal is to have every child reading and doing math at grade level by 2014. That seems reasonable to me. Seems like a reasonable thing to ask, is to have every child reading at grade level by 2014, or being able to do math at grade level by 2014. So now is the time not to roll back the accountability or water down standards.

It's reasonable to set an important goal such as that because..."

Now, if you know anything about NCLB, you know that it has many, many great features; however, you must also know that the above statement is a problem. It is stated like a poorly worded binary question. Not "every child" can achieve at grade level. I think DW and the Diva can back me up on that as they have both worked with children with disabilities. I don't know why politicians don't know this. Ugh.

Here I Am

I'm ready to be done with classes for the summer. Really, really, really ready. Thursday is the last day. Thank goodness!

This summer has been good so far, but I don't think that I have accomplished much. Well, maybe I have and just don't realize it because I don't feel that I've thought any of it through.

In May was Madeline's 3rd birthday then my "lil" brother's 21st birthday (he made it through alive!). In June, my first class ended, and the other two began. I've been reading like crazy for school and on my own this summer. I love that. I started a new job 3 1/2 weeks ago. Taco Bell for life... well, at least for now... more on that later.

This summer I've read Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Midsummer Night's Dream, Twelve Night, Macbeth, Hamlet, and a couple of others that aren't coming to mind right now. For my literature class right now I've read Bless Me, Ultima, So Far From God, La Maravilla, Silver Cloud Cafe, and Tatoo the Wicked Cross. Any of these I would recommend. The last of these is a little "icky" as in it has issues that wouldn't be easily discussed. Ewww. But I still liked it. Weird. I know. I've also read Operating Instructions by Anne Lamott. Loved, loved this book. Loved it. Anyone who is or going to be a mother should read it.

Speaking of mothers... my friend Hannah and her husband Luke are going have a baby sometime in the next 7 or 8 months. I'm so excited for them. I know that they are very happy with all that's happening in their lives. Congrats!

Pictures, etc.

This has been a very long semester. I'm a little stressed, but all is well. My new nephew is adorable, and I can't wait to get my hands on him to babysit (that is, I can't wait to have the time to get my hands on him to babysit). Here are a couple of my new favorite pictures. I have officially joined the digital camera world. I love it, but I miss my regular old film. My advantix film camera finally bit the dust. The battery went dead, and now I can't get the last roll of partially used film out or used. I'm not sure that that kind of film is still readily available anyway. C'est la vive. There are lots more pictures posted on facebook if you want to check that out.

Madeline, with attitude (below: Anthony Matthew and Madeline Grace)

Hey, It's me, The Complainer

I'm trying to not complain. I don't have much to complain about, really. I'm complaing about getting B's or how 1/2 point took me from a B to a C. How does that happen? It's a freakin' half of a point!!!!

I worked and worked on that stuff this week. However, I worked too hard on the new stuff and not enough on the review stuff. I will not get an A on the test that I have studied for all week. Maybe I'm just mad at myself for not realizing all that I needed to do...

Life is good despite my current mood...

...it's warm outside...
...I don't have to do homework tonight if I don't want to...
...I have the change at 30 points of extra credit between two classes...
...I got a nap yesterday...
...my daughter is beautiful and smart....
...and entertaining...

Back When...

Today, I feel like blogging something with real meaning, but I'm only getting mush from my brain. At one time, I had great things to say. But, today... not so much. I think writing so much for school drains the rest of my creativity to write.

Madeline is so much fun at this age. This morning she climbed up to me, put her face right in my face and said, "Ah, there's a smile, Mommy." Then she told me, "Mommy, my tummy hurts. I need a 'tummy egg.'" I have no idea what that is, but I think she thinks that it will make her feel all better. She got a kiss instead. (BTW, I think she was hungry... she fell asleep before dinner last night, and I couldn't wake her up for anything. She got breakfast this morning a little earlier than usual!)

Sesame Street:Live!

There's nothing like a kids' show to make a woman feel young again! I had so much fun on Saturday! Oh, Maddie did too, no worries. We both danced, bopped and sang to the music the whole time. My camera phone wasn't working with the lighting or I would have taken pictures for 'ya. I was afraid she might get bored part way through the show or something, but no, she was tuned in the whole time. I did feel pretty young though. Most of the moms around me were "older" (by that I don't mean "old," just 10+ years older than I am). I was the only one I could see boppin' around as much as I was. But I wanted to make sure Maddie stayed interested in the music. That's my excuse, and I'm stickin' to it.

Guess What?

Having a child means that I get to be a child every now and then... We're going to Sesame Street Live tomorrow! I'm excited. I think Madeline will really enjoy it. Of course, I don't get to be a kid the whole time--I had to buy the tickets, I have to drive there and be "the mom (read, really overprotective)," etc.). I think it will be lots of fun! I'll let you know how it goes!

Copying off of Jessica....

This was too fun!

Me + Madeline... I hope you can tell the difference!

Redneck Time-Out

I got this in an email from my cousin the other day. It made me laugh out loud (which was quite a feat considering my bitter mood at the time). Enjoy. Note that it is NOT a picture of my daughter. I would not consider doing this to her, unless... No, really, I wouldn't.

**********************

In other news, Madeline is taking to potty training like a pro. I'm extremely proud of her. She's really trying. She wants to wear "big girl panties" all the time. She's had a couple of "minor" accidents, but for the most part, she's done wonderfully.