Sunday morning, again

Sunday, October 30, 2011, @ 11:34 amadventure, Family, jobs, Life in General, pets, Reading, Writingchildren, education, fall in the Midwest, fall leaves, Family, hard work, high school football, politics, reading, seventh grade, teaching, writingClay

It is Sunday morning and somehow, Saturday passed me by. Saturday morning, I got up late, about quarter to eight. The rest of the house slept and it was quiet, peaceful, it was wonderful. Everyone needed rest, I included, but I was awake, so I got up. Friday night we had been out at a – you guessed it – high school football game Friday night and had been the last off the field as William and Olivia helped the grounds crew pick up the yard markers, end zone cones, and put them away for another week and perhaps the season. The Tigers had made the state playoffs but have had a difficult season dropping three games this year. They won Friday night, but next week play the number one seed in the bracket – in their stadium, so it will be interesting.

This morning, the phone rang and woke Beth and me up. She went back to sleep, or tried to and I came downstairs, let Ivy out and made coffee. We let the kids sleep; Continue reading Sunday morning, again →

Catchin’ up

Thursday, October 27, 2011, @ 4:31 amFamily, pets, teaching, Teaching and Learningchildren, fall in the Midwest, fall leaves, great days, making the days count, pets, reading, teaching, weather, writingClay

re_orange_leaf — a leaf from the maple, picked this morning

Monday night I came home to be with Olivia. Monday night has been harried for me this year because I have to get out of school and home before Olivia makes it home from school. William has a standing appointment and that leaves Olivia unsupervised, unless I am there. Until this past Monday, Monday also included softball practice and an opportunity to get outside. But, on Saturday Olivia’s softball season ended with an 8-1 win and the Fall League championship, way to go. Continue reading Catchin’ up →

Another beautiful Fall day

Monday, October 10, 2011, @ 12:56 pmadventure, country, Family, Life in General, pets, Reading, teaching, Writingchildren, eating, Family, pets, reading, teaching, weather, writingClay

pumpkin_stack — a stack of pumkins, checking to see how they look!

Wow, what a beautiful morning. I am on the deck, again. I came out to supervise Ivy. You would think one would not need to supervise a dog, but, they are like children: curious and they can get themselves in a jam when you are not watching. A couple of weeks ago, she had an encounter with a raccoon and won. Last week Beth found a dead chipmunk. And, a notice came from the wildlife center that the raccoon had distemper a seriously nasty canine virus. Continue reading Another beautiful Fall day →

Saturday, update – Falling ahead

Saturday, October 8, 2011, @ 8:31 amadventure, Family, Life in General, pets, Reading, sports, teaching, Writingchildren, education, Family, football, hard work, high school football, reading, restaurants, sports, teaching, writingClay

The kids and the Pink lady apples - a bright, sunny, and beautiful afternoon

It has been a while, too long a while. But, I’m back. Over the past two weeks, I’ve had so many ideas to write, but so little time. I know that almost sounds like a whine, and it is. I really enjoy the time to sit, think, and create. When I started writing MtDC in May 2010, I had no idea where it would take me or what it would teach me; all I knew was that I wanted to be a better teacher and that if I was going to teach writing, I had better get good at it. I really wanted to write about Making the Days Count and I think I have, though at times it is more diary than other blogs and chronicles how the days count to me and the people and things I care most about. Continue reading Saturday, update – Falling ahead →

Knee jerk leads to what a jerk!

Saturday, September 24, 2011, @ 7:42 amFamily, Life in General, pets, Reading, sports, teaching, Writingchildren, education, Family, high school football, pets, reading, seventh grade, weather, writingClay

MR_Grumpy — Mr. Grumpy - courtesy of http://www.mrmen.com

It’s Saturday morning and I should’ve been writing for over an hour, but I’m just starting right now. I have successfully distracted myself with various interesting, but not necessarily important tasks this morning. It has been a crazy week and I should have done the smart thing last night and simply gone home, gone downstairs to the basement to my incredibly messy work area and tried to work before going to bed on a Friday night at a sensible time, say nine o’clock. But, I didn’t and I ended up making an idiot of myself and staying up far too late.

As I mentioned it has been a doozy of a week. Overall, it has been good and I can count several successes along the way. I have wanted to write several posts Continue reading Knee jerk leads to what a jerk! →

Saturday morning

Saturday, September 17, 2011, @ 5:46 amcountry, Family, jobs, Life in General, pets, Reading, Scouting, teaching, Writingchildren, education, Family, hard work, patriotism, pets, reading, seventh grade, teaching, writingClay

It seems the last two posts have been Sundays, so I decided to start a new day with the blog. But, to tell you the truth it has been very busy since school resumed in late August and I have been struggling to keep all of the plates spinning, or balls in the air, or even my nose above the water. You get the idea. It’s not just for me but the entire family, including Ivy. Well, maybe not Ivy, but the rest of us.

Last week, as all of us were painfully aware, was the 10^th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. I can remember precisely where I was and what I was doing that morning. I know all of us who remember that awful day have those memories seared into the fabric of our being, the makeup of who we are and how we look at life. Last Saturday morning, I watched Olivia play softball and was incredibly distracted by the air traffic overhead. Continue reading Saturday morning →

Sunday morning – part two

Sunday, September 4, 2011, @ 9:05 amadventure, Family, Life in General, Reading, Writingchildren, education, Family, football, hard work, pets, Summer Vacation, teaching, weather, writingClay

boat_trailer — Olivia pilots, William directs, and the trailer waits!

It’s yet another Sunday morning. This one finds me in Michigan, for perhaps the last time for a while. It’s the end of summer. Summer has been ending for us for the last few weeks. The end began with school re-starting; first with me, then the kids. I’ve been back at school for over two weeks and had kids in my classroom for ten full days. William and Olivia have been back in school for nine days and we find ourselves at the official end of summer – Labor Day weekend. Continue reading Sunday morning – part two →

Sunday morning…

Sunday, August 28, 2011, @ 8:21 amadventure, Family, Reading, Scouting, sports, teaching, Writingchildren, education, Family, high school football, Summer Vacation, teaching, writingClay

Helmet_WheatonWSouth2005 — '77' is for Red Grange a Wheaton alum and NFL Hall of Famer

It’s the first weekend of the school year and it felt good to sleep past four. Though it is almost over, it was packed full of activities and appointments and I am finally sitting down to think and reflect back over the first week and look ahead to the second week and our first break – Labor Day. It seems unfair that we get started with two full weeks; then interrupt it with a four-day holiday for the kids and a three-day break for the teachers – the day after Labor Day is a teacher in-service day.

The next five days will go quickly with all sorts of activities in the classroom and skill and content learning will begin. The first few days of school are for introducing the class, beginning routines, and getting to know the students and allowing them to know me. I teach honestly and from the heart sharing my experiences as a student and a parent. Having ‘lived seventh grade’ last year, I know what happens at home. I’ll get to ‘live seventh grade’ once more, when Olivia gets there and I’ll see it from a female perspective. Continue reading Sunday morning… →

First days of school

Monday, August 22, 2011, @ 4:21 amFamily, history, Life in General, Reading, teaching, Teaching and Learning, Writingchildren, church, eating, education, Family, hard work, reading, Summer Vacation, teaching, writingClay

lakeview_elementary — Lakeview Elementary - courtesy of Fort Bend ISD

Today is the first day of school – WITH KIDS! I am excited. I have spent the summer resting, relaxing, and re-setting for this day. The best part of teaching is every year you get to start all over and begin again. Today is the day. I remember my mom telling me, “You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.” I am ready. Continue reading First days of school →

First Day

Wednesday, August 17, 2011, @ 4:34 amadventure, Family, history, Life in General, Reading, teaching, Writingchildren, education, Family, history, pets, reading, Summer Vacation, teaching, writingClay

Ivy greeted me very enthusiastically this morning. It had been a while since we had seen each other and she wanted me to know she had missed me, at least that’s the spin I am going to take. It was just after five with the moon sliding over the horizon and the sun was beginning to creep up, just enough light to cast a faint light in the yard. It is the time in summer when the days are getting shorter and evening’s dark before nine. It can only mean one thing, school’s back. Continue reading First Day →