Friday Funnies

Just in case you have been wondering....I STILL am around, just haven't had time for blogging lately. A friend said on facebook that "May is just as busy as December". Do you feel that way as well? I sure do! Anyway, here's a little video that made my family laugh out loud every time we watched it! It's titled "Montana Pole Dancer" but don't worry - it's totally G rated!

Friday Funnies

Miss M's school has Track & Field Day today but they call it Olympic Day. When I was teaching kindergarten one little boy was a little disappointed at our track and field day on year. He kept looking for the dragon because he thought we were calling it "DRAGON Field Day". Little ears and minds are funny!

Favorite Books

So...I'm back FINALLY!! I have been sick for about three weeks and am finally getting over it! Lots of things have taken a backseat in those weeks, including blogging. I was operating in survival mode people! To get back in the blogging mode, I am linking up to Show Me Your Life at Kelly's Korner. This week it's all about books.

Let me first say that I am a former elementary teacher, with all of my experience no higher than first grade. My heart swelled with pride at the mall playground with Miss M when she was about 2 1/2....she left the playground to visit the bookstore located next door! She will complete kindergarten in a few weeks and both reading and writing ability and confidence have swelled. Here is a sampling of what you might find on a nightstand in our house:

Miss M:

Nancy Drew Clue Crew Series - Nancy and the gang are in 3rd grade and solve mysteries in their school and neighborhood

Junie B Jones Series - I know some parents don't like these books but they provide great teaching points and Junie B always does pay for her misdeeds in the end. Think Ramona Quimby books in a more modern setting. We have several on CD and they are great for car trips - the entire family laughs outloud!

Meghan Rose Series - A lot like Junie B only tamer and with a Christian influence...Meghan's mom prays with her about situations.

Skippyjon Jones - a Siamese cat with an imagination on high speed who pretends to be a sword-fighting Chiwawa due to his overly large ears. Miss M still enjoys a great picture book every once in awhile and this fits the bill!

Mr C:Still too young for a "series" but he really enjoys books by David Shannon of the "No David" books. Funny illustrations and we always enjoy looking for drawings of his real life dog Fergus hidden in several books. When he is a older, I plan to introduce him to Hank the Cow Dog. Hank lives on a ranch in Texas and gets pretty big for his britches some days! All of the conversations in the series are between the dogs and other animals. They are laugh out loud funny too.

Cupcake Mama:

Not a lot of time for reading but I just finished up Lies Women Believe and the Truth that Sets Them Free...read it...lots of great stuff in there! Also, I enjoy most anything by Karen Kingsbury. Her books are are usually a quick read of Christian fiction.

Although I really enjoyed several of the books already mentioned (Little House series, Little Women, Nancy Drew) I want to mention a few others as well. As a child, the last book my mom read aloud to me was Rabbit Hill, pictured above. It was summer break and she would read a chapter at night or in the morning. I also remember reading the Ramona series by Beverly Cleary - well, pretty much anything by her was read by me! I have heard there is a movie in the works - maybe some new Ramona readers will be introduced to the gang.

Finally, I LOVED the Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart-Lovelace. We meet these two buddies in the first book when they are only 5 years old and the series continues until Betsy's Wedding. Written and set in the 1940's, I always enjoyed a visit on Hill Street with my Betsy and friends.

Friday Funnies

A recent conversation at my house - the words with dashes were spelled orally by the speaker.

Miss M: Can we play R-o-c-k B-a-n-d after lunch?
Me: No, because your brother needs to take a -N-a-p first. Maybe afterwards, though.
Mr C: How about B-i-b-l-e?

We cracked up...it's the only word he knows how to spell - but it's a good one to know!

Friday Funnies

In looking at the last few Friday posts, I am beginning to think I should change this series to something like "Photos to Show the Future Dates of Miss M and Mr C"! Anyway, this week is no different. I am not sure exactly what was going on, but Miss M convinced her daddy and brother to participate in a "Rock Star" photo shoot. Happy Friday! I have been sick ALL week with a major ear infection (yes, adults can get them too!) but am heading to at least part of my church's annual women's retreat tonight and tomorrow.

Teacher Gifts

If you are via Kelly's Corner, welcome! When I saw this blog hop topic coming up, I KNEW I wanted to be sure and participate. I taught elementary school for 6 years before the birth of my first child. Now that Miss M is in kindergarten, it has been strange to be on the other side of the desk! Keep reading to learn more about the water bottle gift.

First off, the two major don'ts for teacher gifts: nothing that says #1 teacher or with an apple motif and no more coffee mugs....we have plenty and some teachers don't even like coffee! Some of my favorite gifts or ones fellow teachers have received:

• One family asked my partner teacher a few of my favorite places to eat and they used her suggestions to get a gift card from one.
• Target giftcard
• gift certificate for a car wash/detail
• handwritten note from one of my more difficult students

As the home room mother for Miss M's class, I am putting together a little thank you gift for her teacher from the entire class. The best parts: it's one of a kind, personal, AND only costs about $2!! Have you heard of Wordle? I posted about it here when I made some Christmas gifts. Basically, you type in words or phrases until a free program and Wordle creates a word cloud using the text. You can play around with the fonts, colors, and arrangements until you find one you like. Then print it out on glossy paper or card stock, trim to an 8 x 10, and frame. That's IT...couldn't be easier, could it? Two hints: to make any word larger (like the name) just type it several times. Also, use this ~ to connect text into a complete phrase. There is also a great FAQ page that answers most basic questions. It's hard to describe but makes a really special gift, so be sure to check it out!

I will send a letter home next week with each student, explaining what I am making. They will have 1 week to return the note with a phrase or words that either describe their teacher or something they liked about being in her class. Simpler and shorter phrases work best. I usually get unfinished wooden frames at the dollar store, paint it black and you are done! Hobby Lobby also has some cute wooden cutouts if you wanted to add a few on the frame. I don't know yet if I will do that or not - have to see how it turns out!

Now, back to to the water bottle. This easy gift is for other teachers and instructors in the building...art, computer, music and the like. I saw the original idea here. Hers is much cuter but I managed to make a sample using materials I had on hand. I don't remember the exact price per bottle, but I will guess it was maybe 50 cents. I found both the water and mixes on sale. No exact directions to post - I think you can see from the picture how to construct it. I am sure some of you card making people would really make a cute one! Let me know...I would love to see them!

Friday Funnies

I have laryngitis and this crazy guy...

keeps whispering back to me! He also felt my forehead and told me "Mama, you are berry, berry sick." Miss M made me a get well card from "your toe (two) kids".... I L-O-V-E being their mom!