I can't even begin to count the number of times someone has said to me, "You should write a book!" regarding the funnies from the mouths of my children. I am happy to say that I have actually started two books. I am not even beginning to suggest that you'll see my name on a shelf at one of those large book stores some day. My two (soon to be three) books will be tucked away in a drawer at each of my daughters' houses.
Each of the girls has a book where I record funny things they say and do. I also make it a point each year to have their teachers write a little note to them regarding their year at school. It's pretty sappy, but I hope they will treasure it as much as I do. Well, now that I actually type these words I'm thinking that they may not get their books until I'm dead and gone. My original plan was to give each book to the main character at her college graduation, marriage, etc. Some big event. But, as those events begin to seem more near and less far, I'm not sure I can part with the books that soon.
With all of that out of the way, here are some great moments from the last two weeks!
Monday evening, I went walking with some friends while Chad got the girls ready for bed. When I returned home, all three girls were sleeping. Tuesday morning, I met a friend of mine to workout (yes, she's the trainer and I'm the one about to pass out). When I came in the door at 6:15 AM, Taylor was eating breakfast. She looked up at me and said, "You walked all night long?".
Thursday of last week, I asked Kennedy about her lunch at school. She's the picky kid who prefers to pack a lunch every day. She said, "My sandwich was a lot better than what those other kids were eating." I asked what the cafeteria served. She answered, "Those kids were eating chicken bladders!" I obviously grinned a little and asked more questions. She finally said that a student asked the principal what the food was and he (jokingly) said it was chicken liver. The other kids argued and said theirs was chicken bladder. I'm reasonably sure that all of the kids were joking. My silly girl is at a new school and believes e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. right now!
Continuing with the food theme...
One day last week Taylor came into my office after school. I asked how her day was. She began the usual run down about first grade happenings. Then she got all excited and said, "I ate all that greenish-yellowish stuff on my apple." I said, "You mean the skin?" She looked at me with wrinkled brows and said, "That greenish-yellowish stuff!" I explained that it is the skin of the apple. Then I asked, "Well, did you eat the apple?" She said, "Mom, I told you I ate all that greenish-yellowish stuff off and that was all!" I'm willing to bet that I am the parent of one of only a handful of six year olds in America who eat the skin off the apple and throw the rest away!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
I'm seeing red
Remember that last post about the one item on my wishlist that I did not get to mark off this summer? Well, get out the marker! A couple of good friends volunteered to help with the project. I think all I needed was some motivation.
This project has taken place in stages. The first reason was money. Other than money, what else seems to be lacking in our lives? TIME. We didn't have the money to do a total kitchen remodel so we attacked the most disturbing features first. I'll let you look at this first picture and see if you can guess what that might have been.
Yes, when we bought this house the counter tops were "burnt orange". I know some real UT fans might think that's cool. However, those of us with more sense (and Aggie dads) know that the orange color was ridiculous. The first time I walked into this house I was s.h.o.c.k.e.d. that it had these counter tops. I called Chad and said it wasn't bad, but the kitchen needed some attention.
Here's a nice close up of the wallpaper that was in the kitchen, dining area, and entry from the garage. Yes, it is all pretty open, but there is a lot of wallpaper and this is just not cool!
We obviously did buy the house. The deal was that the kitchen would get attention-QUICKLY! But, six months later we learned that Tater Tot was on the way. Obviously, our priorities changed. Eventually we did manage to have new cabinet doors and drawer fronts, counter tops, and paint on the cabinets. That is what we considered stage one of the work. Here, you can see the stage one new stuff.
Here are the new counter tops up close.
The knobs were not a necessity for stage one because the doors and drawers have an angled edge so that knobs are "optional". Well, for someone who is anal about fingerprints and has small children with grubby hands, they are NOT optional. But again, not part of stage one.
Here's the general timeline so you can appreciate my patience with this project. We moved into this house in July 2004. Stage one happened in August-October 2008. Toward the end of stage one Chad and I were discussing what would happen next. I explained that the wallpaper had to go. So, he conveniently reached over and pulled a piece of paper off the wall. I almost had heart failure as I tried to explain to him that I meant it would EVENTUALLY have to go. But, it was too late. So, for the last 3 years I have enjoyed looking at a large random ripped wallpaper. If you look closely behind the adorable (and much younger) Kennedy and Sadie you can see the hideousness by the trashcan.
Finally, August 2011, we began stage two of the project. Here's what my house looked like Friday night as Chad and I had some awesome conversations while destroying the kitchen.
Saturday morning we had been to two different home improvement stores and were back home working by 8:15. Chad continued to remove the wallpaper while I began to texture the wall. Mid-morning our awesome friends, the Lee family, came over to help. By 4:30 Saturday afternoon, we had 2 coats of the taupe paint on the bottom and one coat of red paint on the top. We took the evening to enjoy our "crap, summer's almost over" cook out with the Lee family. Sunday morning I was painting by 7:15. Here's what it looked like at about 5:00 Sunday evening.
It's amazing what some texture and paint can do for a kitchen. Kennedy came in the door (from Nanny and Pa's house for the weekend) and said, "Wow! It looks like a whole new house!".
Obviously, we aren't finished. I still have some touch up painting and two doors to paint. We will also have new blinds in the windows, new light fixtures, and knobs for the doors and drawers.
In a perfect world, I'd also like new appliances. Since we've replaced everything except the refrigerator in the last 6 years, it's not likely. We replaced them one at a time as needed and just matched what was left. We didn't realize (or even consider the possibility) that the major appliances would be replaced within a few years or I would've gotten stainless along the way. Maybe one day...
This project has taken place in stages. The first reason was money. Other than money, what else seems to be lacking in our lives? TIME. We didn't have the money to do a total kitchen remodel so we attacked the most disturbing features first. I'll let you look at this first picture and see if you can guess what that might have been.
Yes, when we bought this house the counter tops were "burnt orange". I know some real UT fans might think that's cool. However, those of us with more sense (and Aggie dads) know that the orange color was ridiculous. The first time I walked into this house I was s.h.o.c.k.e.d. that it had these counter tops. I called Chad and said it wasn't bad, but the kitchen needed some attention.
Here's a nice close up of the wallpaper that was in the kitchen, dining area, and entry from the garage. Yes, it is all pretty open, but there is a lot of wallpaper and this is just not cool!
We obviously did buy the house. The deal was that the kitchen would get attention-QUICKLY! But, six months later we learned that Tater Tot was on the way. Obviously, our priorities changed. Eventually we did manage to have new cabinet doors and drawer fronts, counter tops, and paint on the cabinets. That is what we considered stage one of the work. Here, you can see the stage one new stuff.
Here are the new counter tops up close.
The knobs were not a necessity for stage one because the doors and drawers have an angled edge so that knobs are "optional". Well, for someone who is anal about fingerprints and has small children with grubby hands, they are NOT optional. But again, not part of stage one.
Here's the general timeline so you can appreciate my patience with this project. We moved into this house in July 2004. Stage one happened in August-October 2008. Toward the end of stage one Chad and I were discussing what would happen next. I explained that the wallpaper had to go. So, he conveniently reached over and pulled a piece of paper off the wall. I almost had heart failure as I tried to explain to him that I meant it would EVENTUALLY have to go. But, it was too late. So, for the last 3 years I have enjoyed looking at a large random ripped wallpaper. If you look closely behind the adorable (and much younger) Kennedy and Sadie you can see the hideousness by the trashcan.
Finally, August 2011, we began stage two of the project. Here's what my house looked like Friday night as Chad and I had some awesome conversations while destroying the kitchen.
Saturday morning we had been to two different home improvement stores and were back home working by 8:15. Chad continued to remove the wallpaper while I began to texture the wall. Mid-morning our awesome friends, the Lee family, came over to help. By 4:30 Saturday afternoon, we had 2 coats of the taupe paint on the bottom and one coat of red paint on the top. We took the evening to enjoy our "crap, summer's almost over" cook out with the Lee family. Sunday morning I was painting by 7:15. Here's what it looked like at about 5:00 Sunday evening.
It's amazing what some texture and paint can do for a kitchen. Kennedy came in the door (from Nanny and Pa's house for the weekend) and said, "Wow! It looks like a whole new house!".
Obviously, we aren't finished. I still have some touch up painting and two doors to paint. We will also have new blinds in the windows, new light fixtures, and knobs for the doors and drawers.
In a perfect world, I'd also like new appliances. Since we've replaced everything except the refrigerator in the last 6 years, it's not likely. We replaced them one at a time as needed and just matched what was left. We didn't realize (or even consider the possibility) that the major appliances would be replaced within a few years or I would've gotten stainless along the way. Maybe one day...
Friday, August 5, 2011
School Supplies?
I am not necessarily ready to go back to work, but it is the time of year that I yearn for routine. I know I could figure out how to incorporate routine into our summer days. But, I don't. We just take one day at a time and periodically stop to evaluate our progress on each wish list.
This summer my wish list had one major item. The kitchen wallpaper needed to come down (at least the part that my husband didn't rip down almost 2 years ago) and the wall be textured and painted or re-papered. I have one week of summer left. I haven't started!
But, none of that was the point of this post. The point of this post is school supplies. Today the girls and I are headed out to buy school supplies for the upcoming year. I am as bad as the kids. I L.O.V.E. new school supplies.
After 10 years of teaching, I have discovered that you should buy school supplies now while things are cheaper. It amazes me that 12 Crayola map colors cost $0.99 in August and $2.97 in October. I'm sure that is a true reflection of the cost of production, right? :)
So, this morning I pull out the school supplies lists and get on the computer to check out some of my favorite office supply store weekly ads. Yes, I am that person who will make a list of where things like crayons are 1 penny per box and make four stops around town.
Last year, we did well. We bought the school supplies from both kiddos list and managed to spend less than $20. Now, I know some of you are wondering, "how the heck did she do that?" This is where things get a little "icky". If you are an elementary teacher, you should probably tune out here...
So, no more elementary teacher readers now. Right? Yep. I knew they wouldn't stop reading. They want to know my secret too!
Here's the big, ugly, dark secret...I did not buy all the things in the quantities on the list. Specifically those items that are not traditionally school supplies. Sshhhh. I know. I am a teacher. I should know better. But, on the other hand. I am a teacher and have "heard" how some classrooms work.
I've randomly selected some lists from local schools. Here are some of my favorite things for school supplies lists for elementary kids this school year. Do a little mental calculations assuming 20 kids in each class bring this stuff.
box of gallon and quart zipper bags (and many other combinations at various schools)
bottle of alcohol
package of cotton balls
3-5 boxes of tissues (200 count)
2-3 packs of baby wipes
Ranch dressing--yes, it was on there!
3x3 post it notes
96 #2 pencils (yes, it clearly requested 96 pencils)
4 packages of dry erase markers
package of 100 sheets of multi-colored cardstock
2 (minimum 8oz) bottles of liquid hand sanitizer
3 packages of wide ruled paper
1-4 reams of printer paper
Some lists even had over 15 lines of items with a note at the bottom that said something about a $4-10 "supply fee" or "science fee" in addition to the other stuff.
I know every situation probably has an explanation. I am sure that none of these items are just carried forward from year to year without addressing if a surplus from the year before might be enough for the following year. I also know that some of these are purely for convenience. Yes, I know kids who have come home from school with a zipper bag of papers in the same backpack as an empty folder.
I've thought a lot about this over the last few years. Here are my thoughts (again, I have never taught elementary so I may be CLUELESS).
Allow students to keep their own tissues, hand sanitizer, pencils, etc. in their personal space. I know my personal children understand that they don't need 4 tissues at a time to blow their noses. They have also learned that when you are wasteful you get less than desirable consequences...like maybe those awesome brown paper towels for tissue? I also realize that some students are not mature enough to keep up with their own supplies and ration out their 96 pencils through out the year. But, isn't that a great skill to learn in elementary?
Or, if that is too much trouble. Maybe some teacher somewhere should do a trial run at not having a school supply list. Instead, request that each student pay a supply fee. Then the teacher can use discount supply catalogues (and not pay sales tax) to order in bulk. A classroom of 20 kids with a $25 fee would have $500.
I did notice that some school lists specified that boys bring some items while girls bring others. That is helpful in reducing the amount of items collected. And, I did notice that it seems that fewer schools are requiring specific brands of items.
Yes, I do know that elementary teachers spend a fortune of their own money for classroom things. I also know that my kids have been blessed with amazing teachers who do amazing projects and their supplies are expensive. I am not criticizing a specific grade, teacher, or even school district. It is just the whole concept of massive amounts of EXPENSIVE items that are not found in the school supply section of the local department store and a nice note at the bottom that requests that you NOT label items (in some districts).
Anyone have any other ideas?
This summer my wish list had one major item. The kitchen wallpaper needed to come down (at least the part that my husband didn't rip down almost 2 years ago) and the wall be textured and painted or re-papered. I have one week of summer left. I haven't started!
But, none of that was the point of this post. The point of this post is school supplies. Today the girls and I are headed out to buy school supplies for the upcoming year. I am as bad as the kids. I L.O.V.E. new school supplies.
After 10 years of teaching, I have discovered that you should buy school supplies now while things are cheaper. It amazes me that 12 Crayola map colors cost $0.99 in August and $2.97 in October. I'm sure that is a true reflection of the cost of production, right? :)
So, this morning I pull out the school supplies lists and get on the computer to check out some of my favorite office supply store weekly ads. Yes, I am that person who will make a list of where things like crayons are 1 penny per box and make four stops around town.
Last year, we did well. We bought the school supplies from both kiddos list and managed to spend less than $20. Now, I know some of you are wondering, "how the heck did she do that?" This is where things get a little "icky". If you are an elementary teacher, you should probably tune out here...
So, no more elementary teacher readers now. Right? Yep. I knew they wouldn't stop reading. They want to know my secret too!
Here's the big, ugly, dark secret...I did not buy all the things in the quantities on the list. Specifically those items that are not traditionally school supplies. Sshhhh. I know. I am a teacher. I should know better. But, on the other hand. I am a teacher and have "heard" how some classrooms work.
I've randomly selected some lists from local schools. Here are some of my favorite things for school supplies lists for elementary kids this school year. Do a little mental calculations assuming 20 kids in each class bring this stuff.
box of gallon and quart zipper bags (and many other combinations at various schools)
bottle of alcohol
package of cotton balls
3-5 boxes of tissues (200 count)
2-3 packs of baby wipes
Ranch dressing--yes, it was on there!
3x3 post it notes
96 #2 pencils (yes, it clearly requested 96 pencils)
4 packages of dry erase markers
package of 100 sheets of multi-colored cardstock
2 (minimum 8oz) bottles of liquid hand sanitizer
3 packages of wide ruled paper
1-4 reams of printer paper
Some lists even had over 15 lines of items with a note at the bottom that said something about a $4-10 "supply fee" or "science fee" in addition to the other stuff.
I know every situation probably has an explanation. I am sure that none of these items are just carried forward from year to year without addressing if a surplus from the year before might be enough for the following year. I also know that some of these are purely for convenience. Yes, I know kids who have come home from school with a zipper bag of papers in the same backpack as an empty folder.
I've thought a lot about this over the last few years. Here are my thoughts (again, I have never taught elementary so I may be CLUELESS).
Allow students to keep their own tissues, hand sanitizer, pencils, etc. in their personal space. I know my personal children understand that they don't need 4 tissues at a time to blow their noses. They have also learned that when you are wasteful you get less than desirable consequences...like maybe those awesome brown paper towels for tissue? I also realize that some students are not mature enough to keep up with their own supplies and ration out their 96 pencils through out the year. But, isn't that a great skill to learn in elementary?
Or, if that is too much trouble. Maybe some teacher somewhere should do a trial run at not having a school supply list. Instead, request that each student pay a supply fee. Then the teacher can use discount supply catalogues (and not pay sales tax) to order in bulk. A classroom of 20 kids with a $25 fee would have $500.
I did notice that some school lists specified that boys bring some items while girls bring others. That is helpful in reducing the amount of items collected. And, I did notice that it seems that fewer schools are requiring specific brands of items.
Yes, I do know that elementary teachers spend a fortune of their own money for classroom things. I also know that my kids have been blessed with amazing teachers who do amazing projects and their supplies are expensive. I am not criticizing a specific grade, teacher, or even school district. It is just the whole concept of massive amounts of EXPENSIVE items that are not found in the school supply section of the local department store and a nice note at the bottom that requests that you NOT label items (in some districts).
Anyone have any other ideas?
Monday, August 1, 2011
Tater Tot Doesn't Stop...E.V.E.R.
All three of my girls are special. All three of my girls make my heart swell with pride. All three of my girls make me want to pull my hair out by the root occassionally too!
This particular girl
loves life. She compliments everyone. She laughs big. She is precious. She is curious about the world around her. She isexhausting thorough with her questions about the world.
Here's the conversation we recently had while driving down the road.
Taylor: Mom, have you ever scared a bird?
Me: I don't know Taylor. What do you mean?
Taylor: Have you ever scared a bird?
Me: I don't know.
Taylor: Have you ever had bird poop on your windwhield?
Me: Yes.
Taylor: Well, then you HAVE scared a bird.
Me: Well then I guess I have scared a bird.
Taylor: When did you scare a bird?
Me: I don't know.
Taylor: When did a bird poop on your window?
Me: I don't remember, Taylor.
Taylor: What kind of bird was it?
Me: I don't know, Taylor
Taylor: Well, what color was the bird?
Me: Taylor, I don't remember.
Taylor: Mom, how do you know you scared a bird if you don't remember what color it was?
Me: Taylor, I don't remember all of the deatials but I am sure a bird has pooped on my windshield before.
Taylor: Mom, how do you know the bird was scared?
Me: Taylor, can we just be quiet for a few minutes?
Taylor: Yes m'am.
(Silence for less than 45 seconds)
Taylor: Mom...
People keep asking if Blake can talk yet. She does say a few words and communicats quite well with signs. But, she is definitely not as verbal as the oldest two Dickerson girls were at her age. Somehow I feel blessed.
This particular girl
loves life. She compliments everyone. She laughs big. She is precious. She is curious about the world around her. She is
Here's the conversation we recently had while driving down the road.
Taylor: Mom, have you ever scared a bird?
Me: I don't know Taylor. What do you mean?
Taylor: Have you ever scared a bird?
Me: I don't know.
Taylor: Have you ever had bird poop on your windwhield?
Me: Yes.
Taylor: Well, then you HAVE scared a bird.
Me: Well then I guess I have scared a bird.
Taylor: When did you scare a bird?
Me: I don't know.
Taylor: When did a bird poop on your window?
Me: I don't remember, Taylor.
Taylor: What kind of bird was it?
Me: I don't know, Taylor
Taylor: Well, what color was the bird?
Me: Taylor, I don't remember.
Taylor: Mom, how do you know you scared a bird if you don't remember what color it was?
Me: Taylor, I don't remember all of the deatials but I am sure a bird has pooped on my windshield before.
Taylor: Mom, how do you know the bird was scared?
Me: Taylor, can we just be quiet for a few minutes?
Taylor: Yes m'am.
(Silence for less than 45 seconds)
Taylor: Mom...
People keep asking if Blake can talk yet. She does say a few words and communicats quite well with signs. But, she is definitely not as verbal as the oldest two Dickerson girls were at her age. Somehow I feel blessed.
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