~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Where's Mamie?
Yeah. No. That would NOT be me... I am NOT super teacher! If I were, I would have time to blog instead of...
...messing with spreadsheets to get percentages for homework, spelling tests, and the like.
...doing report cards - filling in little boxes with data that I have to collect from five different sheets of paper and three spreadsheets, and writing EXTENSIVE narrative comments for 22 kids.
...doing "student data sheets" that tells the parents all the info that our report card somehow DOESN'T!
...filling out my class awards certificates and deciding which "candy award" each kid will get.
...attaching fun golden "I [heart] reading!" pins to my reading award certificates.
...gathering up the necessary paper goods for our "build a sundae" party with our 5th grade reading buddies (thank you Mrs. A. for providing the actual sundae supplies!)
...hunting down enough coolers and blue ice bricks to transport 160 Jolly Rancher-flavored popsicles to the park for our last day of school fun fest. At least we'll gain a bunch of freezer space back!
...stuffing envelopes with our "Welcome to First Grade" brochure, "Sneak Peek" invitation, summer activity calendar, and summer reading calendar for NEXT YEAR'S CLASS, whom I will meet on Tuesday. Oh, and stuffing a second set of envelopes for the as-yet-not-publicly-named [not] "new" first grade teacher.
...editing 500+ photos, choosing the 300 or so best, timing music, compiling it all into an iMovie and burning 22 DVDs with the class movie and a complete set of all of this year's photos for each kid/family. (Mr. Mamie helps a lot with this one, fortunately!)
...playing BUNCO tonight with all my awesome school friends, and forgetting about the craziness for a few hours!
~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
P.E. Festival 2012
At our school, the third grade's spring program is traditionally the "P.E. Festival." They play awesome music and have kinds of coordinated dance moves using P.E. equipment (jump ropes, hula hoops, relay batons, etc.). I couldn't wait for Niece to be in third grade and finally get to be in this program!
I got a few photos - not super quality, because they were taken with the iPhone while I was also tending my own class during the performance, but fun to look at anyway.
~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)
I got a few photos - not super quality, because they were taken with the iPhone while I was also tending my own class during the performance, but fun to look at anyway.
~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
I finally took the plunge!
I've seen recipes on blogs and all over the interwebz in the last few years for homemade laundry soap. Mostly they all seemed to involve cooking the ingredients, and mostly they all seemed really messy and time-consuming.
But I HATE paying the cost of laundry detergent, even at Costco! And we hate the chemicals, perfumes, plastic bottles, and the fact that they all seem to be 75% water! Costco has carried an "environmentally friendly" version for a couple of years, which I liked okay, but there was still the cost issue and the plastic bottle issue.
A couple of months ago my cousin Tasha pinned a promising-sounding homemade laundry soap on her Pinterest board, and I checked it out. Hmmmm... no liquids, no cooking, easily-obtainable ingredients, makes a LOT and will last a LONG time. We mixed up a batch and it was LOVE! The cost, the ingredients, the easy mixing (we grated the Fels-Naptha using the shredder attachment on the Kitchen Aid mixer), and the mild smell ALL work for us.
I bought the container pictured above at T*rget for less than $5.00 (I didn't have a big enough one at home that I could repurpose). I put in a metal coffee scoop that holds 2 tablespoons for measuring it out. We mixed up the ingredients in a five gallon H*me Dep*t bucket (lined with a trash bag) that we scored from GolfDad's garage, and that is where the extra is stored. I made the labels on our ink jet printer using clear mailing labels, and covered them with heavy-duty packing tape.
Check out the original post on the blog Being Creative to Keep My Sanity for all the info if you want to try this out - I promise, you won't regret it!
~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)
Monday, May 14, 2012
Mollita Dogita
Molly left us today to go over the Rainbow Bridge. From the little puppy I adopted from the Berkeley Animal Shelter on December 4, 1997 to a grand old lady until she took her last morning nap on the cool tile of the hall floor, she was an amazing companion. Molly traveled tens of thousands of miles with me on adventures throughout California, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah. She was at my side in my first year of teaching and in the 14 years since. She lived in five different homes with me, and hid from the vacuum cleaner in every one. It was a good life, and she left peacefully here at home in her own time and in her own way.
We love you, MollyPollyWollyDog... your brothers Henry and Scoutie, your friends Emma and Nakita, your cousins Rusty and Roxy, and most importantly Grandma Wombat are all waiting for you on the other side.
~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)
We love you, MollyPollyWollyDog... your brothers Henry and Scoutie, your friends Emma and Nakita, your cousins Rusty and Roxy, and most importantly Grandma Wombat are all waiting for you on the other side.
~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)
Watchman Trail, April 2012
In April we took a little hike on the Watchman Trail at Zion.
~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)
Mr. Mamie stops in one of the few shady spots.
The view behind us as we made the trek up.
Lots of lizards and other creatures were out enjoying the spring sunshine. See the little guy hanging on the edge of the rock on the right side? I love his yellow arms!
~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Mother's Day 2012
Miss you, Wombat
~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)
Face of a Champion
Nephew just finished another season of "spring" football - basically, a way to keep the players active and engaged during non-football time. Spring ball can be rough, in part because a lot of the boys also play baseball, leaving fewer players to fill the roster. Yes, they get more playing time, but it's tough on their bodies - Nephew's team is suffering turf burns, whacked-up elbows, a possible concussion, and more.
But they're dedicated (and so are their parents!). These boys, now 7th graders/almost 8th graders, have been playing together since third grade. I remember being at one of their very first practices and thinking "this is NEVER going to work!"
But it did. And they made the play-offs every fall season, often right into the championship game. And every year they lost, even in 2009 when their championship game was dedicated to The Wombat, the most devoted football grandma ever, who passed away just two weeks before the game.
Nephew is so smart, and such a hard worker. He maintains an A average in school, he volunteers as a lunch worker every day, he participates in Boy Scouts and school activities, he helps both at our house and at GolfDad's with heavy labor whenever asked. He's generally polite and well-mannered, he's a voracious reader, and he'll eat ANYTHING. You could not ask for a more delightful teenage boy!
But of course, something was missing for him and his teammates... until November 2011. Finally they succeeded! And THIS is the face of a champion, for so many reasons!
~Mamie
"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!"
(Hunter S. Thompson)
But they're dedicated (and so are their parents!). These boys, now 7th graders/almost 8th graders, have been playing together since third grade. I remember being at one of their very first practices and thinking "this is NEVER going to work!"
But it did. And they made the play-offs every fall season, often right into the championship game. And every year they lost, even in 2009 when their championship game was dedicated to The Wombat, the most devoted football grandma ever, who passed away just two weeks before the game.
Nephew is so smart, and such a hard worker. He maintains an A average in school, he volunteers as a lunch worker every day, he participates in Boy Scouts and school activities, he helps both at our house and at GolfDad's with heavy labor whenever asked. He's generally polite and well-mannered, he's a voracious reader, and he'll eat ANYTHING. You could not ask for a more delightful teenage boy!
But of course, something was missing for him and his teammates... until November 2011. Finally they succeeded! And THIS is the face of a champion, for so many reasons!
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Congratulations!
Congratulations to my very good friend and first grade teammate TM, who got engaged to her boyfriend (and his two cute kids!) last weekend - may your future be happy, and not require these costumes on a regular basis!
~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)
~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)
Friday, May 11, 2012
Fly Away...
Every spring our first graders participate in a butterfly life cycle project. We order Painted Lady butterfly eggs from Insect Lore, and then each child tends the egg and caterpillar through the chrysalis stage. Once they form a chrysalis, all the pupae are put into a special enclosure to continue their metamorphosis. Once they emerge, we keep them a few days longer so that the kids can see the butterflies use their proboscis to sip "nectar" from orange segments. Throughout the experience the kids keep an observation journal where they record everything they see happening.
Finally, the big day arrives and we release the butterflies into the "wild" so that they can start the life cycle all over again. It is so precious to see the kids hold a butterfly in the finger for a few moments before it flies away....
~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)
Finally, the big day arrives and we release the butterflies into the "wild" so that they can start the life cycle all over again. It is so precious to see the kids hold a butterfly in the finger for a few moments before it flies away....
... a lot like my little firsties as we finish the year and they become big second graders.
~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Twenty-three!
I SHOULD have posted this on 5/5, but sometimes I'm a slacker like that...
My Little Mermaid turned 23 on May 5th! I "nannied" her full-time from ages 3 to 7, and then off and on in various capacities until she was in high school. Together we've been to Disney Land, Denver, Seattle, all over California, to fairs, parks, parades, malls, plays (notably, "Wicked" with the Broadway cast in San Francisco previews!), beaches, boardwalks, Alcatraz, Zion National Park, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary (twice!), and countless other places. When she redecorated her room in high school, the dominant color was PURPLE... when her mother bought her a car, it was a RAV4, just like mine! OK, so she had an iPhone before me... the kid's gotta be first sometimes, right?
Through her parents divorce, the loss of her sister, both parents' serious illnesses, the challenges of middle school and high school... well, sometimes it was a long, tough road. But she is SO STRONG, and SO SMART, and SO TALENTED, and I am SO PROUD to know her and be part of her life!
She's graduating from the Tisch School of Drama at New York University in just over a week. She's 23 years old now, and heading out into the world.
I love you with all my heart, Mermaid... you're all grown up, and so amazing!
~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)
My "baby" with HER baby!
My Little Mermaid turned 23 on May 5th! I "nannied" her full-time from ages 3 to 7, and then off and on in various capacities until she was in high school. Together we've been to Disney Land, Denver, Seattle, all over California, to fairs, parks, parades, malls, plays (notably, "Wicked" with the Broadway cast in San Francisco previews!), beaches, boardwalks, Alcatraz, Zion National Park, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary (twice!), and countless other places. When she redecorated her room in high school, the dominant color was PURPLE... when her mother bought her a car, it was a RAV4, just like mine! OK, so she had an iPhone before me... the kid's gotta be first sometimes, right?
Through her parents divorce, the loss of her sister, both parents' serious illnesses, the challenges of middle school and high school... well, sometimes it was a long, tough road. But she is SO STRONG, and SO SMART, and SO TALENTED, and I am SO PROUD to know her and be part of her life!
She's graduating from the Tisch School of Drama at New York University in just over a week. She's 23 years old now, and heading out into the world.
I love you with all my heart, Mermaid... you're all grown up, and so amazing!
~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Read Aloud
A couple of weeks ago I brought home a book one of my guided reading groups was reading in class - Borreguita and the Coyote. There were several funny things in it that I wanted to share with Mr. Mamie.
As he sat in the recliner reading it aloud, Copper climbed up to listen... *clearly* the dog of a first grade teacher!
~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)
As he sat in the recliner reading it aloud, Copper climbed up to listen... *clearly* the dog of a first grade teacher!
~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Sing a Rainbow 2012
Last week was the annual first grade musical program, "Sing a Rainbow." In addition to our usual speaking parts, "soloists" (one group of four kids from each class who sing part of each color song), and rhythm stick players, we added 30 ribbon twirlers and 12 drummers. This made it so that EVERY CHILD had a "special" part, which was awesome!
The kids start learning the songs at the begging of the school year, and continue through the spring. For the last two weeks we had special rehearsals where each teachers worked with one of the groups - I somehow ended up as the drum leader!
Here's a shot of the main group in one of dress rehearsal performances for the other classes at school. Since I was using the iPhone, I didn't even have a wide enough shot to fit everyone in (the "orange kids" got cut off on the right). The drummers were in chairs, six to a side, spreading out from the risers.
And here are five TIRED teachers - this is after a week of rehearsals and performances, after striking the set, and after our little "post party" of pop, Red Vines, and cheddar popcorn!
~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)
The kids start learning the songs at the begging of the school year, and continue through the spring. For the last two weeks we had special rehearsals where each teachers worked with one of the groups - I somehow ended up as the drum leader!
Here's a shot of the main group in one of dress rehearsal performances for the other classes at school. Since I was using the iPhone, I didn't even have a wide enough shot to fit everyone in (the "orange kids" got cut off on the right). The drummers were in chairs, six to a side, spreading out from the risers.
And here are five TIRED teachers - this is after a week of rehearsals and performances, after striking the set, and after our little "post party" of pop, Red Vines, and cheddar popcorn!
I work with the BEST TEAM EVER!
~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)
Monday, May 7, 2012
Cute and Fuzzy
A few weeks ago Mr. Mamie and I were dropping off our folding chairs at a friends to be used for our Bunco night. The friend had recently gotten a Yorkie-mix puppy, and Mr. Mamie was pretty taken with it. Maybe someday Copper will get to have a cute, fuzzy little friend!
~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)
~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)
Sunday, May 6, 2012
The Patchwork Yard
Since I moved into this house, I have wanted to "do something" about the back yard. Namely, have grass! GolfDad and Wombat paid to have a sprinkler system put in and concrete curbing poured, but we never got much further than that in terms of a lawn.
Wombat and I planted a Globe Willow (which thrived) and a Carolina Cherry (which croaked). We also planted two honeysuckle vines and two star jasmines, which have done well. GrandmaT has planted a number of day lillies and irises that have also done very well and produce beautiful flowers every spring. My friend KP gifted me a lilac bush for my birthday 5 years ago, and it has flourished.
We've used various parts of the yard as gardening space, with four raised beds now permanently installed on the west side, and a gate to keep pesky doggies out. We have four bins/barrels of compost "going." Mr. Mamie put up an outdoor clothes line for me a couple of years ago. We've got a big gas grill on the (small) patio, and we have a decent table inherited from the Igor family that is jealous that we always use the table on the front patio. In short, just about everything a backyard could want.
But.. no grass. At one point Mr. Igor had a rented rototiller he was using in his yard that he brought over, and we tilled up all the hard packed dirt. But... no grass. Somehow we just never followed through on either planting seed (so much tending!) or ordering/paying for/laying sod. It seemed like an overwhelming task to do it all at once.
But.. grass! On Thanksgiving weekend of last year a friend/colleague posted on Facebook that her family had 11 rolls left over from their sod installation. I piped up immediately that we would gladly take it, and my friend and her nice husband very kindly delivered it. Niece and Nephew were drafted to help get it laid out - a great "learning experience" for them!
We were able to do the whole strip between the back of the house and the back wall (south side). That left the east side, where the compost corner, globe willow, a/c compressor, clothesline, and double gate between our rock driveway and yard are.
About three weeks ago our neighbor across the street had sod delivered for his back yard and the neighbor on our east side's front yard. They had four rolls left over, so they brought them over and we extended out from the narrow section behind the house.
And THEN, a few days ago the same neighbor said that they guy behind his house (on the next street over) had a BUNCH of rolls left over - as in, 23! Last night he brought it over in a truck (so much better than walking around the block with a wheelbarrow!), backed up to our double gate, and we unloaded it.
Rather then rent or borrow a rototiller for a relatively small space, we just used the Igors' "claw" tool, as we did in November. You can see the handles of the claw below, along with Copper being (not) helpful.
After thoroughly wetting the dirt to make it easier to break up/pull weeds, we could see that we had some very un-level spots!
Nephew did a lot of dirt-breaking and weed-pulling.
Brother Igor shoveled dirt around to try to level the area a bit.
Igor takes a break while Mr. Mamie shovels. Nephew is clucking over the wall at the neighbor chickens.
Mr. Mamie and Nephew, unrolling and cutting sod... yay! Igor's in the back, cutting pieces to fit around the tree and in the curved corner by the compost bins.
Igor filling in along the curbing. Copper is chewing up a stick.
Nephew takes a break while Niece's cute friend tries to entertain Copper.
WE HAVE GRASS!
We need about 16 more rolls to finish the east side and do a tiny section in the southwest corner behind the house. That's a manageable amount to purchase and haul home from Home Depot, which I hope to do at the end of the month (once school's out).
Happy!
~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)
Wombat and I planted a Globe Willow (which thrived) and a Carolina Cherry (which croaked). We also planted two honeysuckle vines and two star jasmines, which have done well. GrandmaT has planted a number of day lillies and irises that have also done very well and produce beautiful flowers every spring. My friend KP gifted me a lilac bush for my birthday 5 years ago, and it has flourished.
We've used various parts of the yard as gardening space, with four raised beds now permanently installed on the west side, and a gate to keep pesky doggies out. We have four bins/barrels of compost "going." Mr. Mamie put up an outdoor clothes line for me a couple of years ago. We've got a big gas grill on the (small) patio, and we have a decent table inherited from the Igor family that is jealous that we always use the table on the front patio. In short, just about everything a backyard could want.
But.. no grass. At one point Mr. Igor had a rented rototiller he was using in his yard that he brought over, and we tilled up all the hard packed dirt. But... no grass. Somehow we just never followed through on either planting seed (so much tending!) or ordering/paying for/laying sod. It seemed like an overwhelming task to do it all at once.
But.. grass! On Thanksgiving weekend of last year a friend/colleague posted on Facebook that her family had 11 rolls left over from their sod installation. I piped up immediately that we would gladly take it, and my friend and her nice husband very kindly delivered it. Niece and Nephew were drafted to help get it laid out - a great "learning experience" for them!
We were able to do the whole strip between the back of the house and the back wall (south side). That left the east side, where the compost corner, globe willow, a/c compressor, clothesline, and double gate between our rock driveway and yard are.
About three weeks ago our neighbor across the street had sod delivered for his back yard and the neighbor on our east side's front yard. They had four rolls left over, so they brought them over and we extended out from the narrow section behind the house.
And THEN, a few days ago the same neighbor said that they guy behind his house (on the next street over) had a BUNCH of rolls left over - as in, 23! Last night he brought it over in a truck (so much better than walking around the block with a wheelbarrow!), backed up to our double gate, and we unloaded it.
Rather then rent or borrow a rototiller for a relatively small space, we just used the Igors' "claw" tool, as we did in November. You can see the handles of the claw below, along with Copper being (not) helpful.
After thoroughly wetting the dirt to make it easier to break up/pull weeds, we could see that we had some very un-level spots!
Nephew did a lot of dirt-breaking and weed-pulling.
Brother Igor shoveled dirt around to try to level the area a bit.
Igor takes a break while Mr. Mamie shovels. Nephew is clucking over the wall at the neighbor chickens.
Mr. Mamie and Nephew, unrolling and cutting sod... yay! Igor's in the back, cutting pieces to fit around the tree and in the curved corner by the compost bins.
Igor filling in along the curbing. Copper is chewing up a stick.
Nephew takes a break while Niece's cute friend tries to entertain Copper.
WE HAVE GRASS!
We need about 16 more rolls to finish the east side and do a tiny section in the southwest corner behind the house. That's a manageable amount to purchase and haul home from Home Depot, which I hope to do at the end of the month (once school's out).
Happy!
~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)
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