Category Archives: adventure

March Saturday Morning

Saturday, March 3, 2012, @ 10:33 amadventure, Family, history, Reading, teaching, travel, Writingbrothers, children, education, Family, great days, history, making the days count, Paris, reading, seventh grade, teaching, word parts, writingClay

bros_cambronne_park — the picture that distracted me this morning!

It is another three-day weekend for the kids and they need it. Yesterday was a teacher institute day (teacher learning) across the county and all schools were out. I sat through a class on vocabulary acquisition our district rolled out at the beginning of the year. It is a pretty successful program focusing on Greek and Latin roots. I like it because it is concrete. There is a right answer and a right way. As much as the kids needed a day out of school because state testing begins next week, I needed a day in the classroom. I got a lot of the learning yesterday and am looking forward to applying it, but most of all it was it was good to get confirmation that what we are doing is helping kids learn. Continue reading March Saturday Morning →

Stamps, stamps, and more stamps

Tuesday, February 28, 2012, @ 9:35 amadventure, Family, history, Hobbies and Fun, Life in General, Reading, teaching, Teaching and Learning, travel, Writingchildren, education, Family, great days, history, making the days count, patriotism, politics, reading, seventh grade, stamp collecting, teaching, writingClay

lovestamp_1973 — Love postage – circa 1973

For those of you who know me and maybe those of you who don’t – I like stamps. My last post included a mention of stamps and I have mentioned stamps and letter writing several times. But, I love stamps, postage stamps, commemorative postage stamps to be precise. Continue reading Stamps, stamps, and more stamps →

Embarrassed, seriously.

Saturday, January 28, 2012, @ 10:58 amadventure, Cooking, Family, food, pets, Reading, Scouting, teaching, Weather, Writingchildren, eating, Grayling, great days, making the days count, scouting, seventh grade, snow sports, Summer Vacation, teaching, writingClay

I got up early this morning and finished my book, Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt. I have been reading it since early January at night before bed, reading as much as I could before I could no longer hold my eyes open. Last night, when I got home from the dance, I wanted to finish it, but I was exhausted and spent from a long week and read only a few pages before falling asleep. I woke in the middle of the night and went downstairs to read – to go back to sleep. I read a bit on the couch before dozing off with the light on and the dog at my feet, I woke up to a bark and dog who needed to go out. I made pot of coffee and covered up on the couch and finished the book. Overnight, we got a dusting of snow and the dreary cloudy days of Thursday and Friday were erased by a clear, bright sunny Saturday morning. Continue reading Embarrassed, seriously. →

Let it snow – part 2

Monday, January 2, 2012, @ 8:01 amadventure, Cooking, Family, pets, Reading, teaching, Weather, Writingchildren, eating, education, Family, Grayling, great days, hard work, making the days count, pets, reading, teaching, weather, writingClay

ivy_stairs — Ivy looks down from upstairs

It is still snowing and I hope it doesn’t stop, or at least doesn’t stop until I want it to. I was up late, too late, last night and when I woke up this morning, I peered out the front window and was relieved to see a blanket of fresh snow covering the front yard and extending out into the lake Evidence Ivy’s and my walk had been erased.

Olivia is sleeping and I hope she sleeps for a bit longer; she was up late, though not as late as I was. This morning, Ivy barked and wanted out and I was afraid she was getting up, but she went back to bed. Ivy went outside did her business and came back inside and snuggled up on the blanket by my feet and went back to sleep, too. Continue reading Let it snow – part 2 →

Rising Action, falling leaves

Saturday, November 5, 2011, @ 7:30 amadventure, Family, Life in General, pets, Reading, teaching, Writingchildren, Coleen McGregor, Dulles Jr. High Class of 1976, education, fall in the Midwest, fall leaves, Family, hard work, high school football, making the days count, pets, reading, seventh grade, weather, writingClay

Yesterday was a glorious Fall day. It had been windy and wet in the middle of the week, but Thursday night the skies cleared and the temperatures dropped leaving a hint of frost everywhere. I know there is more of that to come, a lot more of it. I was up late Thursday night writing my narrative and getting ready for school even though I was out of school Friday, I still had to prepare via the web and the Blackboard – an electronic Blackboard – of sorts. Beth is out of town visiting her parents in Ohio and the kids needed me at home before school started and after when they came home. Continue reading Rising Action, falling leaves →

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 →

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 →

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… →