tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47409802968665321772024-03-21T05:13:00.804-04:00The Reluctant HomefrontRebecca http://www.blogger.com/profile/05049268645214229527noreply@blogger.comBlogger208125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740980296866532177.post-31626406026283031082014-07-06T14:07:00.003-04:002014-07-06T14:07:26.448-04:00July Currently<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Wow, it's amazing how easily I miss each month's "Currently" from Farley at <a href="http://ohboy3rdgrade.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Oh'Boy 4th Grade</a>. Something about the beginning of the month makes it hard for me to keep on top of things like blogging and connecting with others. Thank goodness for summer, when I can find the time to play around with fun things like this!<br /></div>
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Listening: It is a quiet Sunday here at the house, so I'm not hearing much besides some quiet background noise. What a switch from last year's classroom! I'm kind of hoping that I will have fewer students who were born without volume control this year. ;)<br /><br />Loving: It's been about 3 weeks since the end of school, and I have done next to nothing in that time, unless you count chauffeuring the kids to and from day camps and running errands...or a lot of reading, some even for professional development! I've started trying to declutter the boxes of paperwork and other moving detritus from last November, too, which is feeling amazing. :)<br /><br />Thinking: I keep seeing Pinterest posts, Facebook shares, and emails that remind me how quickly the new school year will be here. Last year I spent all summer trying to sort through hand-me-down classroom items (a blessing and a curse, without a doubt!), but this summer I would like to take all of the resources I've collected and used this past year and put them in order so that I can plan my units more effectively. I'm a first year firstie no more, so there's no excuse not to make good use of that experience and improve my teaching!<br /><br />Wanting: Mmmm, is there anything better than summer fruits and vegetables? If so, I don't know what it is!</div>
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Needing: I have been struggling with feeling tired and just icky for months now, and I know part of it is my lack of sleep, lack of exercise, and poor eating habits. It's about time I get my act together, and summer is the perfect time to turn over a new leaf! I've also noticed that the kids are going through school and friend withdrawals now that they've had a week without a camp. This coming week will help with Scout camping events, but we need to take advantage of these summer days to visit with family and connect with friends. No time like the present!<br /><br />4th plans: You can read about how we spent the 4th <a href="http://thereluctanthomefront.blogspot.com/2014/07/five-years-ago.html" target="_blank">here</a>. It wasn't exactly planned, but we enjoyed it anyway! </div>
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<br />Thanks for stopping by to read about my "Currently." If you're also playing along, please leave a comment and I'll visit your blog, too. :) If you haven't done a Currently yet, check out <a href="http://ohboy3rdgrade.blogspot.com/2014/06/july-currently.html" target="_blank">this month's link-up over at Oh'Boy 4th Grade</a>. Have a happy July!Rebecca http://www.blogger.com/profile/05049268645214229527noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740980296866532177.post-84358455521536292702014-07-05T13:24:00.003-04:002014-07-05T13:24:39.215-04:00Five Years Ago<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Five years ago I posted <a href="http://thereluctanthomefront.blogspot.com/2009/07/rockets-red-glare.html" target="_blank">this blog entry</a>. I reread it on Thursday, thinking back to that summer when our lives were separate for a time. Reading it now, I smile over the heart-felt post and remember spending time on the phone asking my husband what mortars sounded like, what the day-to-day was like where he was stationed, how he would compare it to the words of the Star Spangled Banner. <br /><br />I don't know if I ever wrote about the process that informed my writing...It would be easy to assume that I was just some wife, thinking she knew it all, writing whatever she imagined life was like over there. In some ways you simply can't conjure that experience if you haven't lived it. But I did try to the best of my ability, grilling my husband like a reporter writing a day-in-the-life article.
I think it was easier to do that than to sit back as a wife and try to connect with him about his experience. <br /><br />As a "journalist," I could be objective, accepting that these were the facts for my subject, and writing the copy up. As a wife, I hurt. I was scared. I tried to push away the fear by not listening, not hearing, not connecting my husband to the small arms fire and mortars, the improvised explosive devices he swept the streets for each patrol. <br /><br /> Those are experiences we live through, but we can't always put behind us. Independence Day can be hard for combat veterans. My husband is lucky in that he only experienced one explosion on patrol (that he had to tell me about, at any rate). But the VA tells him that he likely has sustained a TBI, traumatic brain injury, that has permanently damaged his hearing in one side and has affected his vision. He complains about his night vision since the deployment, and I have to speak clearly and directly to him to be heard sometimes.
<br /><br />We go up on the mountain to see the fireworks now. The sound carries on the wind, but it's delayed and much softer. It's magical to be above everything and see the sprouts of flame going off all over the valley. It's also easier on all of us. No potential for adrenaline kicking in, no difficulty sleeping afterward. My husband points out the delayed percussion and says to the children, "real mortars are much louder than fireworks." I shiver in the breeze and feel thankful that we don't have to worry about mortars, real or entertainment-only.<br /><br />So we enjoy our birds' eye view, then head the winding way down the mountain back home. We split open a round, ripe watermelon dripping with juice and bursting with seeds begging to be spit in a contest. We light some sparklers and set off some squealing bottle rockets. The dogs wind themselves in and out of our legs, begging for reassurance that their family hasn't gone crazy and the world isn't coming to an end. We give them some gentle rubs behind the ears and head inside, thankful for a day off, thankful for freedoms, and thankful that we're all together again, safe and sound.
<br /><br />Happy Independence Day, a day late. And thank you, to those who celebrate our freedoms knowing that you have signed up to protect them as well. Have a wonderful weekend! Rebecca http://www.blogger.com/profile/05049268645214229527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740980296866532177.post-760293877520353032014-07-03T18:26:00.000-04:002014-07-03T18:26:51.964-04:00All Pinned Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A heavy sigh escaped me as I slumped in the chair. Another round of searching, another round of disappointment. <br />
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I rolled my shoulders and heard the corresponding "pop" as I stretched aching neck muscles. Funny how the joke about Rice Crispies loses its humor as each year adds to the "snap, crackle, POP" of my body's aches and pains.
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I can't help but to roll my eyes, though. I'm not sighing over research that has hit a dead-end, or students' grades that weren't what I expected after what seemed like a good lesson. I'm not disappointed with how the world is going, although that certainly hovers in the background after any time spent in front of the computer screen. <br />
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It's very much a first world problem, dare I say, a <i>mid-to-upper tier</i> of the first world problem. Perhaps it's more of a female problem, as well, although I'm sure there are corresponding issues for men, children, anyone who spends much time online. <br />
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Comparison.
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I know this isn't limited to the internet, not by a long shot. We've all dealt with comparisons in our lives, whether it's with the neighbors nearby, a person at school or work, maybe parents or grandparents comparing us with our siblings. But the internet seems to take the game of comparison to new heights, doesn't it? <br />
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My battle with comparison takes place on Pinterest. For many of us, it's on Facebook. Or Youtube. Or Instagram. <br />
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Or any of the other social networking platforms where we post pictures or statuses and look at those of others, longing to have that life, those experiences, those <i>things</i>.
The "I wish" and "I want" lists seem to grow like Pinocchio's nose when I'm on social media.
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I wish I could cook like that.
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I want that house!
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I wish I had the time to create that wonderland for my kids.
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I want to redo the kitchen now.
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I wish I were such a talented photographer.
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I want to get organized.
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I wish I were the type of person who color coordinates her closet.
Or prints off a life action plan binder.
And sticks with it for the year.
Instead of for two days.<br />
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How much of my time do I spend trying to make the house look like those professional photos done for bloggers whose living is styling homes? How much time do I spend poring over pictures and blog tutorials, dreaming of the house where I would feel comfortable hosting an amazing garden party like the one I saw pinned on Pinterest?<br />
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How embarassing to think that so much mental effort goes into dreaming and wishing and sometimes even trying to recreate these images I've allowed to fill my mind.<br />
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We are geared to appreciate beauty. There is nothing wrong with wanting to keep a clean and tidy house, or with hoping to spend less time on the little day-to-day things like searching for a misplaced shoe. But will a Martha Stewart-worthy command center really help me return phone calls better? Will I spend more time with my kids when my living room is spic-and-span, or will I spend my time waving them away from my perfectly fluffed couch cushions in the season's latest color and design?<br />
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I was feeling very sorry for myself and my inability to use printable cleaning schedules and calendars with anything approaching adult responsibility and gravity. As I scrolled through more images of printables that promised a stylish wall or bucket list or garden party invitation, another type of pin caught my eye.<br />
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All images via Pinterest.com.</div>
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So as I look around my house (which, admittedly, could use a good deal of cleaning up, purging, reusing, and organizing), I think I'll try to stay off Pinterest for a while. I'm an educated woman, I think I can figure out how to take care of things without doing the emotional equivalent of running into a brick wall of "better than." Once I've let gratitude do a spring clean on my thoughts, I might look at some organizational tools, but until then, I have real work to do...and it's not the kind that you'll find on a Pinterest craft board.<br /><br />Rebecca http://www.blogger.com/profile/05049268645214229527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740980296866532177.post-53271089407875239882014-01-03T07:04:00.000-05:002014-01-03T07:04:03.614-05:00January Currently<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We didn't get the amount of snow our neighbors to the north are getting yesterday and today, but we did get enough icy precip to delay school by two hours (thus far--kinda keeping fingers crossed for a full cancel, with this wind. I just want to be inside and bundled!). So right now I'm working on borrowed time, washing a load of clothes and doing this month's Currently from Farley at <a href="http://ohboy3rdgrade.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Oh'Boy 4th Grade</a>.<br /><br />Then I'll be rearranging my lesson plans to suit the new schedule. Funsies!<br /><br /><b>Listening</b>: obviously, to the sound of my washing machine attacking the clothes. Also to the blower on our woodstove quietly warming the room, and most importantly, to the sound of <i>silence</i>. Several of my students commented on the noise level yesterday...I think we all forgot not only how to behave in school (WOW, let me tell you!), but also how quickly the volume builds when everyone is chatting. I really enjoyed the periods of silence over break...and this one this morning is just perfect! :)<br /><br /><b>Loving</b>: We were all a bit put out by coming back on the Thursday after New Year's instead of the following Monday...but there's something to be said for easing back into the swing of things before winter assessments assail us next week. Yay for an "early" weekend!<br /><br /><b>Thinking</b>: I normally set resolutions just because it's me--I'm a goal setter-upper and never completer. It's just how I'm hardwired. I love the glossy planners, the crisp, empty calendar pages, the gorgeous spines of binders ready to use. And that's how they set. Unused. I'm horrible, I know. So this year I really would like to commit to better organization and planning--I just need to write it down in this planner over here...<br /><br /><b>Wanting</b>: I brought home a ton of paperwork at the start of break. It is still sitting here, waiting to be graded, recorded, and handed back. Yes, I am that teacher who sends a sheaf of papers home after some scarcity. Sorry! See "Thinking" for more on that. ;) So my want would be a true desk fairy (we have one in our grade, but she hasn't visited since the last harrowing time when tears ensued. Sorry, DF has exacting standards. DF also doesn't have enough Dum-dums and can't locate her notes right now. Leave a message at the tone...). Can you see a theme with my currently this month?<br /><br /><b>Needing</b>: We had relatives in over the break (more in a minute), but they brought with them a heinous, chest-clumping, cough-forcing, painful cold. I have been feeling achey all over with a scratchy throat the last few days...now I just feel under the weather and in generalized pain. I need something to recharge my batteries and kick this nonsense to the curb before it really gets a head of steam.<br /><br /><b>Memory/Tradition</b>: It's hard to pick a best memory, because this really did feel like one of the best Christmases ever. It was also the first New Year's when my kids got to stay up and watch the ball drop, so it was just a great time over all. My choice memory from this break is definitely having my brother and sister-in-law in from Texas with their kids. My brother spent most of the year in Afghanistan and returned this fall. It was wonderful to have him back safe and sound, and see my SIL feeling whole again after a difficult deployment. I also got to baby my little not-quite-one-year-old niece, and the kids got to play with their cousins (thankfully they have a girl my daughter's age and a son just a couple years younger than mine...so they play well together, when they're not ganging up on each other). Definitely a good memory, with staying up talking late into the night, waking to the sound of little guys teasing each other, and a pajama day spent in a Percy Jackson marathon. It was nice to reclaim my quiet house at the end, but I was so sad to see them go.<br /><br />So there's my wordy January Currently. If you'd like to play along, check out Farley's version and the rules here: <a href="http://ohboy3rdgrade.blogspot.com/2013/12/january-currently.html" target="_blank">January Currently</a><br /><br />Have a wonderful Friday!Rebecca http://www.blogger.com/profile/05049268645214229527noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740980296866532177.post-17536830464277799582013-12-10T07:38:00.000-05:002013-12-10T07:38:29.201-05:00On the Bookshelf<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A friend of mine shared this book challenge, and if you know me, you know I love nothing more than books--or memes. The problem was that I wanted to share <i>why</i> these books came to mind. If you're a reader, maybe you'd like to take a trip down memory lane with me and jog some of your own memories as well...<br />The challenge was to come up with ten books that have "stayed with you." Doesn't matter what reason, it could have been because they were that bad, that good, that formative, or that traumatic. I tended toward ones that were more formative or that I liked. For traumatic, I should have added Alex Haley's <i>Roots.</i> Not material for a fourth grader, looking back.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Here was the list as it came to me, trying mightily not to go to my Goodreads account or my bookshelves (not that they'd be any help, given that fully half of my collection is still in boxes in my living room floor!):</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1. <i>Jacob Have I Loved</i>, Katherine Paterson.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />I read this for a book review in fourth grade, and absolutely fell in love with it. The sibling rivalry in the story really resonated with me, as I was dealing with those pre-pre-teen emotional rollercoasters and a bratty little brother at home. Books were my outlet, and all my angsty-ness seemed to go right along with Sara Louise's. This was also where I discovered the carol "I Wonder as I Wander," so there's that in its favor.<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-MfD-kJ-QDbp0umgEJl3TyeAcxy50Zl11yQhmO0Ne9v-JJdRUz1zGCbJ2Hvpe1YI4Y8ywdP0RxSPKL_Zrox6_afz3hSaNzAuIRutu2PvpE6dZogYupauLtAkD6m2LKuKbtFzjIH_b-Ddf/s1600/summer+of+my+german+soldier.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-MfD-kJ-QDbp0umgEJl3TyeAcxy50Zl11yQhmO0Ne9v-JJdRUz1zGCbJ2Hvpe1YI4Y8ywdP0RxSPKL_Zrox6_afz3hSaNzAuIRutu2PvpE6dZogYupauLtAkD6m2LKuKbtFzjIH_b-Ddf/s200/summer+of+my+german+soldier.jpg" width="150" /></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17px;">2. <i>Summer of My German Soldier</i>, Bette Greene.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17px;">I read this book during 7th or 8th grade, when we were having a cross-curricular unit on the Holocaust. We read the <i>Dairy of Anne Frank </i>and <i>Number the Stars</i>, but this was the book that I remember best. I think it was because it made me squirm at how much Patty seemed to want Anton to like her, even though it was obvious he was too old and not interested. Then again, that's what I remember. Maybe I should reread the book next time Banned Books Week comes around.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">3. <i>Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins</i>, Eric Kimmel.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">This book goes back to when I was in second grade. I have <i>loved</i> it ever since, and was thrilled to share it with my own children. It has a <a href="http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/aleichem.html">Shalom Aleichem</a> feel to it, and the illustrations are wonderful. Hershel's face when he finally sees the King of the Goblins in true form is just perfect. The humor of the book is worth the read, too. Absolutely love it.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">4. <i>Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys</i>, Slater Brown.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">When I was in sixth grade, I was in awe of our school library. I had loved to haunt the elementary library whenever I could, but the middle school--oh, the middle school library, where I could visit <i>every single morning</i> before school! I was enchanted. Then I discovered the biography room, where a row of old, worn biographies of figures like the founding fathers sat, just waiting to be discovered! For some reason I particularly liked Ethan Allen...so much so that I was going to name our first child after him, if she had been a boy. Thankfully, she wasn't, because Ethan was the number one name in the country at the time. Going with the flow just isn't my style. But I still remember these books, and that I thought Ethan Allen was a wonderful guy. This book is probably why I remember Fort Ticonderoga!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">5. <i>To Kill a Mockingbird</i>, Harper Lee.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">I first read this in late elementary school, but it wasn't until rereading it in high school that I really understood what was going on. The night scene where Boo saves the kids was terribly confusing to me, along with the fire. It wasn't until another reread as an adult with the One Book, One Community drive (I now own two copies of the book...one with the current cover, #3 in the above image, and one with a 1960s/70s cover, #9 in the above image), that I really grasped what was going on and the undercurrents running through the book. I have loved Atticus Finch ever since, perfect man or no. It's amazing how books change as we grow, isn't it?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/30/Hobbit_cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/30/Hobbit_cover.JPG" width="128" /></a></span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">6. <i>The Hobbit,</i> J.R.R. Tolkien.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">I didn't read <i>The Hobbit </i>until I was an adult, which is apparently odd for most geek/nerd types. What can I say, the cover didn't appeal to me when I was younger, and I had no geek/nerd mentors to guide me on my way. (I also have not read <i>Hitchhiker's Guide</i>, geek friends, so we'll pause while you gasp and gather yourselves...</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">...ready?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">Ok, so it took two readings before I could really appreciate <i>The Hobbit.</i> This is shocking, I know, but Tolkien is an acquired taste, I think. <i>Hobbit </i>seems to be his most palatable work, because I am still slogging through <i>Two Towers</i> (by slogging, I mean that it is unread and I intend to finish it in my lifetime. I've read plenty in between as it languishes in my Goodreads "currently" queue). That said, the kids and I read through <i>Hobbit</i> together as a nightly read-aloud, and I loved it even more the third time around. We now celebrate Hobbit Second Breakfast yearly in September. Also, my new house makes me feel like a hobbit, with its 9 foot ceilings and high cabinets I require chairs to reach. Quite the switch from our cozy little hobbit hole, but that's another blog post.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"><a href="http://everythingmarie.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/harry-potter-series.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="http://everythingmarie.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/harry-potter-series.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">7. The <i>Harry Potter</i> series, J.K. Rowling.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">I know, I know, all people of a certain age have read this series. University courses have been created about it, college Quidditch teams have been formed, and that doesn't even include the movie fans (read the book before the movie, nah-nah-nah-nah, nah!).</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">Yes, I devolve into my younger self when I read children's books. I'm sorry. Maybe that's why I love to teach--so I can keep in touch with my younger side.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">Although I was a bit older when I began the series, so I can't say I grew up with Harry, something about the books really hit that "great read, great thoughts" chord. Some disagree, and I'll be the first to say that <i>Sorcerer's Stone,</i> while great children's reading, is not high on my picks for "great literature." On the other hand, it is wonderful story-telling, and the fullness of Harry's world is amazing to me, down to the sickles and knuts. I love the Latin and Greek origins of so much of Rowling's mythology, and what can I say...I'm a geek. It has to be on the list.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">8. <i>The Scarlet Pimpernel</i>, Emmusca Orczy.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">This was a high school read, 9th grade, in fact. We even watched the movie version after reading the book. I think I may have been the only person to read ahead of our class readings (this was in the day of every person reading a section, Round-Robin style, so that we could all daydream or sleep until we heard the person in front of us perk up and begin to read). I read ahead enough that I decided to reread it before we were done with the movie. I'm not sure why I liked it so well, but it's up there with <i>A Tale of Two Cities</i> in my "books about the French Revolution that I simply adore for reasons unknown to man."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOnn1p3o_WVnmvQaKkpNSS7gk7AjGluW6TwDc6TZHxbePIZOjSH8hHs_KmG4UeCzrfpr3PR2tsbwLISBHOL6599uEVEwkaQcC2nHWO0gzKJP2VzlrScMwlSLmo0GtxFXjAUnJiLZNAw0-d/s400/Outlander-407032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOnn1p3o_WVnmvQaKkpNSS7gk7AjGluW6TwDc6TZHxbePIZOjSH8hHs_KmG4UeCzrfpr3PR2tsbwLISBHOL6599uEVEwkaQcC2nHWO0gzKJP2VzlrScMwlSLmo0GtxFXjAUnJiLZNAw0-d/s200/Outlander-407032.jpg" width="142" /></a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">9. <i>Outlander</i>, Diana Gabaldon.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">When I was in my early twenties, my best best friend in the whole wide world (BBFITWWW) was reading this series. We had always talked about our book interests, both being complete bibliophiles of one strand or another, but frequently our interests weren't quite in tune. She told me about what seemed at the time to be a bodice-ripper, and I tuned it out. I noticed that her shelf was beginning to be populated with some colorful bindings, but as soon as she told me it was part of the Outlander series, I was out. I'm not the romance/bodice-ripper type, especially when I had a little girl toddling around my ankles and getting into mischief as I visited with my BBFITWWW who was single and, in my mind, free as a bird.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">Then, nearly 10 years later, another friend started raving to me about how I would love this series. Post-<i>Twilight,</i> I was up for anything. So I read <i>Outlander</i>.</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">Oh, my word, I loved it! I still skimmed the bodice-rippy parts, but the story itself...time travel, knowing history as it's happening, the feeling of a married woman torn between building a new life or trying desperately to return to the old one...perhaps it's not great literature, but it's wonderful storytelling, and I fell in love with the characters. I can tell I love them when I want to throttle them for poor choices, and throttling definitely happens in these books.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">And my BBFITWWW glared at me and asked why I hadn't just listened to her in the first place. We agreed it was because I am terribly hard-headed. She loves me anyway.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">10. <i>The Stars for A Light</i>, Gilbert Morris.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">No list would be complete without mentioning my teenage obsession with all Gilbert Morris books. I received the Cheney Duvall series one Christmas (probably after much begging and list submission on my part) because I was tired of waiting on the library to have my newest books available as they came out. Then I guarded the set with my life, hoarding it like the treasure I thought it was. I didn't even want to let my own mother borrow them, it was that bad.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">Gilbert Morris includes religious messages in all his books, but the draw is following the families in his House of Winslow series (I made it through thirty-plus of what seems to be a forty-plus book series), or his other series. The Cheney Duvall and Cheney and Shiloh series were written with his daughter, Lynn, however, which gives them a different tone. Because they're not following a family line, but two particular people, they also don't give in to his normal formulaic approach. Again, not great literature, but certainly a series that was well-loved when I was younger. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">Do you have a favorite/most memorable books list? Comment below or blog and share the link with me, I'd love to hear about them!</span></span></span><br />
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Rebecca http://www.blogger.com/profile/05049268645214229527noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740980296866532177.post-67593682536579114232013-11-30T09:16:00.004-05:002013-11-30T09:16:54.234-05:00Happy Five Years Blogging!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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November 21st was the five-year anniversary of my blog here at The Reluctant Homefront.<br />
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<i>Five years.</i><br />
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That seems like a lifetime ago, and yet just like the other day. We've been through so many different things over that time...love, loss, change, growth. The original reason for starting this blog was so that my husband could keep in touch over his deployment, and because I wanted to try out a new way of journaling my life. It became much more, and then over time I slowly stopped blogging like I had. Blogging friends have also left their blogs, so the connectedness that was originally there is largely gone. I still try to keep up with blogs every now and then, but there is so much going on with school, the kids becoming involved in extracurricular activities--our daughter even developing a pre-teen social life at the middle school!<br /><br />I'm not sure where this blog will go from here, but I wanted to say that I'm thankful for the last five years. Thankful for friendships, for a medium to express myself, for feedback, and for new thoughts to consider. I feel that I've grown in that time, and this blog is a valuable way to see that growth taking place.<br /><br />I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Now it's the time to turn our thoughts toward the holiday season, with all its hustle, bustle, cares and joys. May you experience all the wonders of this season and few of the stresses.<br /><br />Blessings!Rebecca http://www.blogger.com/profile/05049268645214229527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740980296866532177.post-24018456041277887292013-11-04T18:12:00.000-05:002013-11-04T18:12:31.074-05:00Hardships and Policies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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He was so careful picking his lunch today. It had to match his best friend's, all the way down to the color of the sherbet. They compared bananas before setting them on their trays. They got the same chocolate milks. They both ordered the peanut butter and jelly with a string cheese. They both got a mixed salad, and they both refused the ranch dressing. This was a change of pace from their usual puddle of creamy goodness. Then they dickered over the sherbet. There was only one green one left in a sea of orange. What to do?<br /><br />The friend wanted green, and time won out. They didn't entirely match.<br /><br />Then they didn't match at all.<br /><br />His account was charged to the limit. He had received three charge slips last week, each with a strong warning that he would need to put money on his account. This time there was no warning. The carefully arranged tray, nearly but not entirely matching his best friend, was taken from him and slipped under the cafeteria worker's computer shelf.<br /><br />I saw the wave as I shepherded the last few of my students through the line. The cafeteria worker said, "he charged $6.00. He gets the sandwich." His eyes were apologetic, but unmoved. It was policy.<br /><br />I saw my student, my child, a piece of my heart for this year, watch with wide eyes as his tray was taken and a foil wrapper and milk carton were placed into his outstretched, empty hands. I turned to help another student with an issue and then followed him to his table where his best friend was waiting behind him. They both stood, my student staring blankly into his hands where his tray should be, his friend carefully watching him with sad eyes.<br /><br />I slipped a hand around my student's shoulders and asked, "are you ok?" He ducked his head, finally out of his trance, and slipped onto the seat at the table. He muttered "yes." Then as I slipped onto the seat next to him, he ducked his head further onto his arms, and his lip trembled in the shadows. He slipped his head up to wipe his nose and a tear ran down his cheek as he sniffled. "I'm fine."<br /><br />I offered to have him come eat lunch with me in the classroom, where I had a granola bar stashed and lollipops in a desk drawer. He elected to stay with his friends. A new coworker was flabbergasted and wanted to go to the principal over it, until I explained that it was cafeteria policy for the school system. Then she crossed her arms and huffed, "It's not <i>right!</i>"<br /><br />It's not right. A student embarrassed and hurt because his account wasn't paid. A family with whatever issues they're facing, frustrated and angered that their child, entrusted to our daily care, was put in such a position. A teacher whose heart was breaking, wanting to step in and afraid to violate family boundaries or professional ones.<br /><br />But it's policy. It was policy.Rebecca http://www.blogger.com/profile/05049268645214229527noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740980296866532177.post-65426610235418346412013-11-01T20:07:00.000-04:002013-11-01T20:07:06.056-04:00Thankful Month<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I haven't been blogging as often as I had hoped I would. I'm not really surprised by that, especially with as difficult as this first year's learning curve has been. I love my students, I love my job, but it is <i>hard</i>. They say you shouldn't make any big life decisions during the first year because it is that much of a transition--and yet my husband and I are trying to buy a house. This is still better than my coworker who graduated, started her new job, bought a house, and is getting married tomorrow--the only way she could make her life more stressful is to add a new baby to the mix! But she's doing an amazing job keeping things together. She's so organized, it amazes me. I joke that she's the Martha Stewart of teaching--her classroom is organized, labeled, and so cute at the same time. I dream of being that awesome when I grow up. ;)<br /><br />On to seriousness, though...this has been a time of major transition. I graduated, got a long term sub position that led into this current role, and now the new house and student loans coming due. There's an enormous amount of information to juggle. While I do feel that I'm improving since that first six weeks that felt more like a prolonged hazing than the beginning of the school year, I can't say that I've completely gotten my feet under me. I'm still working at developing my teaching art while I'm also working at organizing and planning--and time management so that I can fit little things like reading and blogging back into my schedule.<br /><br />You may have noticed that my summer reading challenge went unmet. I have two words of explanation: school started.<br /><br />This seems to be the explanation for a lot of things...including why I'm not keeping up with my blogging or my friends around the blogosphere. I'm sorry for that...I hope everyone is well and I do look forward to catching up sooner or later. Maybe during this month of thankfulness?<br /><br />So for the first day of the month: I'm thankful for my job, despite the attendant stressors and hard work that are involved. I'm doing something I love with little people I care about deeply. I can only hope it gets even better with time!Rebecca http://www.blogger.com/profile/05049268645214229527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740980296866532177.post-2203009303308996952013-07-19T18:58:00.000-04:002013-07-19T18:58:35.642-04:00In Search of a Vision<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I went into the school yesterday to work on my classroom. The smell of floor wax was thick in the air, and the halls were cluttered with stacked furniture. If you've read the Berenstain Bears story <i>In the Dark</i>, maybe you can remember what the furniture up in Mama and Papa Bear's attic looked like: chairs stacked with a clock and a rug forming some horrible monster in the shadows. I agree with Sister, there's something a little sinister about stacked up furniture in the dark. I'd be a bit nervous to walk the halls in the dark, but mainly because I'd knock into something and hurt myself.<br /><br />I picked up my keys and made it to my room without incident. Then I spent a lot of time gazing at stacked desks and kidney tables, wondering where on earth to start.<br /><br />If you read teacher blogs or Pinterest, you'll know that you need a <i>vision</i> for your classroom, a <i>direction</i> for where you want to go, a <i>theme </i>to create an atmosphere of learning and community. I learned as much from a quick visit with my fellow first-year teacher and hall neighbor when she showed me her organized room yesterday. She said she had started like me (overwhelmed by the task, underwhelmed by what she had to work with), but at some point she achieved a <i>vision</i>, and now she has a reading center with a beribboned and fire-safetied chandelier in her dry-erase, colorfully organized heaven.<br /><br />I do like her, I really do, and her room is ah-maz-ing. You'd drool, too. Or cry. I wasn't sure which I wanted to do first.<br /><br /><b>This is starting to feel like the hunt for my philosophy of education...do I lack the requisite teacher qualities that make defining myself, my classroom, my philosophy so difficult?</b><br /><br />(If you are an observant or curious visitor, you may have checked the "About Me" tab on my blog when it appeared.<br /><br />Or you may have checked it just the other day.<br /><br />Or you may have checked it just now, since I mentioned it.<br /><br />If you are one of those people {like me} who right-click-new-tabs everything so that you don't lose your spot, or you're planning on waiting to finish this post before going up there, let me save you the trouble:<br /><br />As of a quarter to 7 on the eve of July 19, 2013...that's still under construction.)<br /><br />I think it's telling that I can't write a quick definition of myself any more than I can quickly define how I view education and my place in it, or quickly develop a <i>vision</i> of what my classroom should do and be (and how it should look). I just don't know. I'm changeable. I'm a magpie for ideas and thoughts. I'm also indecisive sometimes. A lot of the time. Ok, <i>most</i> of the time.<br /><br />And I have a class website to build, starting with an "About Me."<br /><br /><b>So here's who I am:</b><br />a woman who still almost believes in magic, especially the magic of books.<br />a mother who never feels like she quite has it all together, except for those crystalline moments I want to capture in a Mason jar and save forever.<br />
a wife who is thrilled her husband is out of the military, but somehow manages to pop out deployment stories like it was just yesterday.<br />
a teacher who is just getting started, feeling overwhelmed and underprepared despite those degrees, licenses, and all of Pinterest and Teachers Pay Teachers at my finger tips.<br /><br /><b>And just like that, a snap of the fingers and it's done. </b><br /><br />Now for that <i>vision</i> in my classroom...Rebecca http://www.blogger.com/profile/05049268645214229527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740980296866532177.post-11851160882113786722013-07-17T08:26:00.002-04:002013-07-17T08:27:55.788-04:00Hodgepodge Travels<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's that time again: <a href="http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/2013/07/indulging-in-hodgepodge.html">Joyce's Wednesday Hodgepodge</a>! Come check out the plethora of responses and add your own!<br />
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<strong>1. Picture postcards were first printed back in the mid-1800's and deltiology is the official name for postcard collecting. When did you last send a postcard? Receive one? Do you save postcards sent to you? Do you collect and/or send postcards when you travel?</strong><br />
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I can't remember the last time I sent a postcard. I guess when Adam was deployed, because I wanted him to have a bit of mail and a reminder of home. So that would be sometime in 2009. I last received one a couple months ago from my brother in Afghanistan.<br />
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I absolutely save postcards! I love to collect them, mainly because between my husband and my brother being in the military I can receive them from around the world. Since I'm not a traveler myself, this is my little piece of exotic places. :)<br />
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<strong>2. What treat do you most like to indulge in while on vacation?</strong><br />
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S'mores! We always camp while on vacation with the rare exception being a trip to DC that we were given after the deployment. That was a very inexpensive trip by necessity, with mainly Starbucks and Subway for food, so I won't count that.<br />
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<strong>3. Are you good at hiding your feelings?</strong><br />
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Not at all. My face shows everything I'm thinking, and I'm usually thinking about things that have nothing to do with what's going on at the time, which can be quite a problem in meetings!<br />
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<strong>4. Does your town/city/county still deliver telephone books to your home? Do you check the yellow pages when searching for a local business number or has the internet replaced the phone book in your home?</strong><br />
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Amazingly enough, our phone company still does...and since we have competing cell phone companies, for several years we received a copy of the "yellow pages" from each. I haven't seen the underdog's submission for a while, though, so maybe they decided it wasn't worth the cost. <br />
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I never use the yellow pages or even the white pages...it's so much quicker and usually more reliable to check online. <br />
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<strong>5. Would you rather be first or last?</strong><br />
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Neither, I much prefer being second or third. I like seeing someone else go first, so I know what to expect and can plan or adjust for it...but I also don't want to be the one everyone else is watching "wrap things up." That's just awkward.<br />
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<strong>6. July is </strong><a href="http://www.nrpa.org/july/"><span style="color: #6e698f;"><strong>National Park and Recreation Month</strong></span></a><strong> (in America, but everyone can still play along)...where and when were you last in a park? Did you participate in any recreational activities while you were there?</strong><br />
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Does the Blue Ridge Parkway count? (I double checked. Answer: <a href="http://www.nps.gov/blri/index.htm">yes, it does</a>! ) We were last up there on the Fourth, and it was beautiful: <br />
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We live very close to national forest, national, and state parks, so we tend to find hiking paths, scenic views, and camping. That's how we vacation, remember! :)<br />
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<strong>7. What was one of your worst ideas?</strong><br />
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I'd have to say buying this house. We were full of dreams and wanting our own place, but it would have been better to spend more time renting and saving up so that we could afford more than a money pit--especially when the market dropped within a couple of years of signing!<br />
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<strong>8. Insert your own random thought here.</strong> <br />
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I've been trying to keep up with <a href="http://fatmumslim.com.au/how-to-play/">Fat Mum Slim's July Photo A Day challenge</a>, and I have to say, doing the same thing day in and day out is just not easy! This is why I'm terrible with remembering to take medicine on a schedule... Rebecca http://www.blogger.com/profile/05049268645214229527noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740980296866532177.post-21529617508474599862013-07-13T15:33:00.001-04:002013-07-13T15:33:28.898-04:00When Planners are Exciting...If this sounds like the start to a "You might be a teacher <i>if</i>" punchline, you're probably on the right track. I love finding teacher-made items, mainly because I know that they've been field-tested and I can trust that the person putting the file up for sale or giveaway is willing to say that it worked for them. Being still "wet behind the ears" in the teaching profession, I take all the expert advice I can get!
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I've been antsy all summer to get started planning for the new year. My team will be meeting on Monday to do a get-to-know you session and some planning. Because our school is adding a large number of students due to redistricting and because two team members chose to do other things with their year, we have a mix of seasoned veterans and new-to-the-school or just <i>new</i> teachers.
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Did I mention that I was not only excited but also a bit petrified about this meeting?
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Thankfully the excitement is over-running the petrification right now, so I can do some prep work of my own.<br />
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In my blog reader today I discovered a post from Polka Dot Lesson Plans that has set me up with a cute ~FREE~ printable calendar/planner! What better way to start my first year? Here are the pics as I printed them for myself...if you like what you see, please visit <a href="http://polkadotlessonplans.blogspot.com/2013/07/diy-teacher-planner-optimum-organization.html">Polka Dot Lesson Plans' DIY Teacher Planner</a> post!<br />
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The title page, an interesting design with hot-to-the-moment chevron: </div>
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I added a tree to a quote page. I love that this quote she chose will remind me of my purpose every day!</div>
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These awesome calendar pages came from <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/2013-2014-School-Calendar-722168">Marshall in the Middle's TPT shop.</a></div>
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If you're interested, there is also an editable version for purchase, but this template is FREE!</div>
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Polka Dot Lesson Plan's great idea: a parent contact log with places for students' contact info, great if you have students with multiple homes and contacts to keep track of. I also added her notes page to this, so that I can make note of contact attempts and changes to remember.</div>
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What a perfect place to keep up with birthdays and all the logins for the wonderful webpages our school subscribes to!</div>
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As you can see, I just printed these and put them into my binder. I've been wanting to create a "command central" binder for weeks, so it's a relief to have that completed and ready to start adding info! Now I just need a steno pad to take with me to my meeting...I do like taking copious notes. Yay for getting the jump on the new year! Rebecca http://www.blogger.com/profile/05049268645214229527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740980296866532177.post-29208621504554868922013-07-10T07:00:00.000-04:002013-07-10T07:00:14.404-04:00Vacation-y Wednesday HodgepodgeI can't believe I just put that made up word in my title...
But it's time for another Wednesday Hodgepodge from Joyce!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Click me!</em></td></tr>
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<strong>1. What's something people might ask <i>you</i> for help with?</strong><br />
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I wouldn't normally know how to answer this, but since someone <em>did</em> request my help before the end of the school year, I have an actual, field-tested answer: I've been asked to draw things for other teachers. Word got out that I can be a bit handy with sketches. I think some teachers had higher expectations for me than I was able to meet, but I never promised Picasso! :)<br />
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<strong>2. What's something <i>you </i>might ask someone else for help with?</strong><br />
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I ask for confirmation on things all the time ("Are we meeting there at such-and-such time?" "They did say they'd call the classes down, right?"). I also routinely ask my husband for help doing heavy lifting and your average insect killing spree. I'm a bit of a wuss.<br />
<strong>3. Did your family take summer vacations when you were a child? If so, where did you go? If you're a parent, did/do you plan summer vacations with your own family? Did/do they resemble those you took as a child?</strong><br />
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When I was a child we would go camping at the beach every year...and every year we would get rained out. My father and I would pitch camp and clear it. We sometimes would take a long weekend to camp in the mountains, too, so he and I became adept at pitching and breaking camp. We were an awesome team!<br />
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As parents we actually have taken the kids to the exact same camp site at the beach...and we got rained on, even though it was two months after the normal week my parents would go. Go figure! Otherwise we haven't been able to take any vacations, but we do try to take the kids on local outings all summer long and create our own traditions. Some of our favorites are visiting museums, hiking to a waterfall, and picking blueberries on the mountain.<br />
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<strong>4. Pool-lake-ocean...which one is most appealing to you on a hot summer day?</strong><br />
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I have always been more a fan of the pool due to its relatively clean appearance. The ocean is a good bit of a drive, and I'm not a fan of the smell. The lake is always a favorite, and there's a hiking trail as well...so each of them are appealing in their own way. <br />
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<strong>5. Have you ever justified using the expression, 'you gotta be cruel to be kind'? Was it really necessary or were you rationalizing?</strong><br />
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I haven't, probably because this is what comes to mind: <br />
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As far as the saying, I think that being "cruel" is unnecessary, but sometimes what's needed in a situation turns out to be a bitter pill. As Mary Poppins would say, though, a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down...<br /><br /><strong>6. The </strong><a href="http://blog.helloenvoy.com/the-10-most-hated-foods/"><span style="color: #6e698f;"><strong>Journal of Psychology</strong></span></a><strong> recently mentioned the results of a survey identifying the ten most hated foods as-liver, lima beans, mayonnaise, mushrooms, eggs, okra, beets, brussel sprouts, tuna, and gelatin. Of those foods, how many do you actually hate? Anything you'd add to the list?</strong> <br />
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I don't really <em>hate</em> them, since that seems like a very strong term for a food item. I gag on lima beans--always have. Just can't stand the flavor and texture, blech! I do like brussel sprouts and gelatin (flavored, of course, plain gelatin isn't terribly appetizing, is it?). I haven't had the misfortune of eating liver or okra, but I hear I'm not missing much. I'll add nuts and coconut to the list, since my body doesn't seem to like them one bit!<br />
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<strong>7. What's your favorite book or movie set in a beach or lake town?</strong><br />
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I'm not sure...I can't really think of anything set in a beach or lake town off the top of my head, since I'm not a fan of Nicholas Sparks or <em>Dirty Dancing</em>. Perhaps <em>Rebecca?</em> At least I know it's set by the shore!<br />
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<strong>8. Insert your own random thought here.</strong> <br />
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It's hard to believe it's already July and school supplies are on the shelves again! I think my daughter is enjoying my being a teacher just because she loves the classroom supplies and knick-knacks as much as I do. She would fill the buggy to the top if I didn't make her put things back!<br />
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Rebecca http://www.blogger.com/profile/05049268645214229527noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740980296866532177.post-2029612406824912242013-07-05T10:51:00.000-04:002013-07-05T11:09:05.698-04:00Bloglovin' and a giveawayI've seen a lot of hullabaloo over the demise of Google Reader, but I have to admit...I never really used it. <br />
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*crickets*<br />
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Now that many of my teacher blog friends are establishing themselves on Bloglovin', I thought I'd better figure out what all the fuss was.<br />
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If you're interested in finding me there, here is my link: <br />
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<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/6076857/?claim=gsz6j8thper">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a><br />
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And while you're on Bloglovin', check out Tori's Teacher Tips. She's having an amazing Erin Condren giveaway!<br /><br />A friend of mine created and purchased a customized EC planner to help her keep up with all the craziness that is life as a college student (on the president's list, no less!) with twin girls. Yes, she is amazing...and she had only <strike>good</strike> <em>amazing </em>things to say about her planner. When I saw that Tori had posted a new gift certificate giveaway, you can imagine how excited I got! So go check that out if you're in the market for a new planner or other EC items. :)Rebecca http://www.blogger.com/profile/05049268645214229527noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740980296866532177.post-79734580151769533302013-07-03T07:00:00.000-04:002013-07-03T07:00:02.375-04:00Patriotic Wednesday Hodgepodge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>1. What's one simple small pleasure on your summer 'to-do' list?</b> <br />
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A lot of my simple pleasures in the summer involve the sun, and that creates a bit of problem lately. I would like to go blueberry picking with the kids this month, which is one of our favorite things to do during the summer. It's hard to beat the gorgeous views from the top of the mountain or the juicy sweetness of the fresh berries.<br />
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<b>2. Do you have strong feelings or opinions regarding the immigration
debate in your home country? Feel free to share your thoughts, but
please play nice.</b><br />
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My father has been working on mapping our family tree for over a year and has traced at least one branch back to the 1640s, all right here in Virginia. Once we came over and settled in the mountains, we stuck pretty close to home. It makes me smile, because my Arabic teacher is an immigrant from Iraq. He couldn't believe that someone's family could actually call the United States home as far back as they could remember. That doesn't even take into account the Native American blood we believe is found on one side--not enough to claim legal ancestry, but it's there. <br />
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Does this affect my thoughts on immigration one iota? Not really. I'm not decided on how I feel about the issue, but it does seem odd to me that we had open immigration into the twentieth century, and now we're trying to shut it down as much as possible. My immigrating ancestors were free to work their way to "citizenship" without a lot of red tape or fees involved, no citizenship tests or applications. Things change and times are different now, I understand that, but it's something I turn over in my head pretty often. I don't know what the answer to the issue is. Change is a scary thing. Closing out those who are deserving is, too.<br />
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<b>3. What's something in your home or wardrobe that could be described as 'star spangled'?</b><br />
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If there's a theme to my house, it's along the lines of "prim/Americana." My walls could even be considered 'star spangled,' as I have several decorations that involve stars. It makes decorating for Independence Day relatively simple. ;) <br />
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<b>4. Is your house set up for a party?</b><br />
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I'm not sure if I should take this to mean is it ready for a party currently or is it structurally designed for parties...the answer is neither. Our house isn't very well designed, so it's difficult to host things. Because of this, we only host family get-togethers twice a year: once for the kids' birthday party and once on Christmas Eve. What a boring response, maybe I should make up the wonderful Fourth of July party we're not having with twinkling fairy lights strung from our non-existent pergola by the pool that shimmers in the darkness from the ingenious landscape lighting ...<br />
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Ok, ok, so the answer is no. :)<br />
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<b>5. What one never-before-visited city in America, would you most like to see?</b><br />
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I've been to relatively few cities, so that leaves my options very open with this question. Although New York, Philadelphia, Boston, New Orleans, Las Vegas, Seattle, or San Francisco all could be very interesting, I think I would most like to visit Charleston, SC. I have seen so many pictures of the beautiful old architecture, and there is so much history there! That would definitely be my choice. And being southern is, of course, a bonus. <br />
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<b>6. Your favorite red food? White food? Blue food?</b><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">Red food</span>: Something involving tomato sauce! I love tomatoes and the yummy goodness that comes from them.<br />
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<span style="color: white;">White food</span>: It would probably be too basic to simply answer sugar, wouldn't it? Ok, I'll go with cream cheese frosting...only because it is whiter than buttercream frosting.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">Blue food</span>: Blueberry pancakes. Or muffins. Or cobbler. Yum! <br />
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<b>7. What freedom do you value the most, and why?</b><br />
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I find this hard to answer. I value my freedom of speech, but I don't frequently exercise it in the way that it is constitutionally protected. I value freedom of religion, so that I can follow what I believe rather than go through the motions of what someone else says to believe. I value the freedom to feel safe in my own home, both to be protected by my husband and from unlawful search and seizure. I think the freedom that I most often exercise and truly value is the freedom and responsibility to vote. It is so striking to me that women were not allowed to have a voice in their government for the longest time--I think that will be the answer I'll choose. <br />
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<b>8. Insert your own random thought here.</b><br />
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I am enjoying this rainy, cool weather enormously! I don't think I can say as much for this poor fawn, though...<br />
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This is part of the Wednesday Hodgepodge link-up hosted by <a href="http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/">Joyce at From This Side of the Pond</a>. Come join us, link up, and let me know to come look for your post!</div>
Rebecca http://www.blogger.com/profile/05049268645214229527noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740980296866532177.post-39669519340413217352013-07-01T19:09:00.001-04:002013-07-02T15:08:38.875-04:00Currently<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I know, I just promised to start a reading challenge and here I am updating with another inter-blogging post. I couldn't decide on which book to start, so I was catching up with my blogging friends instead. </div>
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I've been doing some "research" over the course of my student teaching, finding teacher blogs that help me either by offering suggestions, reminding me that teachers can have lives outside of school, or helping me feel less alone in this huge endeavor I've become a part of. Several of the blogs I've found have taken part in a fun activity hosted by <a href="http://ohboy3rdgrade.blogspot.com/2013/06/currently-july.html" target="_blank">Farley at Oh'Boy 4th Grade</a>.<br />
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"Currently" is a fun link-up where you fill in whatever you're doing currently, give a quick explanation, and then link up with other teachers/bloggers. Farley's link-up follows the "rule of three:" you must comment to the two links ahead of yours and one behind. It's a nice way to spread the love and make sure that everyone is involved--trust a teacher to think of that. ;)</div>
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I've been itching to take part in one, so here's my first entry:<br />
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<i>Listening: </i>My son is a bit bored this afternoon since coming home from a friend's house, so he is walking around the living room bouncing his handled "hoppy ball" against the wall and floor. We're having a bit of a problem keeping things interesting this summer. I think I may have spoiled them with an early summer day camp and lots of library visits, because he and his sister are at loose ends after reading and playing outside. My mother used to tell me that boredom was good for the soul and encouraged ingenuity. I had no idea how trying it must have been for her to practice what she preached every summer as we whined our way through the weeks. One more reason to love and miss my mother.<br />
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<i>Loving: </i>I can't tell you how soothing I find rainy days and cool weather this summer. As much as I love the sun, being diagnosed with an allergic reaction to it on my skin has really put a damper on my spirits. Rainy days not only make the perfect atmosphere for reading, they also put me a bit more at ease than that [literally] blistering sun. If only we had decided to put in a garden this summer, I'd have even more to love!<br />
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<i>Thinking: </i>As much as I'm trying to enjoy my summer off since my subbing ended, at the back of my mind lingers the reminder that the time is passing quickly and I will soon be trying to set my room to rights and preparing for my <b>first year of teaching!</b> I can almost hear the echoes of doom in that phrase. To say that I'm quietly terrified wouldn't be an understatement. I keep reminding myself that they didn't give me a degree and a license (and a long-term sub position and later a <i>job</i>) for nothing. At the same time, it's a very daunting prospect. When I'm not bursting out of my seams with excitement, I'm panicking inside.<br />
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<i>Wanting: </i>This summer hasn't gotten off to the most brilliant start, so I am very much wanting to find a day when we can all go out and do something to make wonderful memories together. I don't know if this Thursday will bring that opportunity, or if we'll find another way to make it happen, but I am determined that the sun issue will not get me down, and we <i>will</i> enjoy our summer!</div>
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<i>Needing: </i>I have had conflicting advice about how to spend this summer. Some teacher friends strongly urged me to use it preparing for the year ahead, looking over pacing guides, Standards of Learning, and the program our school uses, "Reading Their Way." Others rolled their eyes and sternly pushed me out the classroom door, saying "Don't think about a thing this summer, just enjoy it with your children." I'm trying to do a little bit of both, preparing myself mentally so I can hit the ground running, but also spending time making homemade ice cream, reading <i>The Lord of the Rings</i> outloud, and catching fireflies with the neighbors. I really <i>do</i> need to do that reading, though--our grade level team meeting is in just a couple of weeks, and I want to know what I'm talking about as we discuss our plans for the year ahead!</div>
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<i>Tips, Tricks, or Hints: </i>I don't really have any teaching advice just yet, I'm very much on the receiving end (and gratefully!) at this point. As far as my blog is concerned, I just float along, not trying to monetize or really spread my base. Either you like me or you don't, and you have the patience to wait between posts or you don't. I don't blame you either way, dear reader! So my best advice to give is just this: be who you are as a blogger, and just write. Otherwise you end up like me, wondering whatever happened to that lovely blog and those wonderful blogger buddies you used to have. So that's my thought: Just Do It! ☼</div>
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I hope you enjoyed my little foray into the "Currently" link-up. If you were inspired to take part, please drop me a line so I'll know to visit you and see what <i>you</i> are doing "currently!" Happy July!</div>
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<br />Rebecca http://www.blogger.com/profile/05049268645214229527noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740980296866532177.post-46624720600347660382013-07-01T14:53:00.000-04:002013-07-05T09:48:37.859-04:00A Book Challenge!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you know me, you know I love to pick up challenges. I then drop them precipitously. It's a fault of mine, I know. So let's see if I can complete a challenge this summer (after all, I <i>did</i> complete a blogging challenge back in November, so there's proof that it can be done if I set my mind to it...and to it...and to it...). Luckily for me, I just met my Goodreads 2013 goal (a paltry 10 books, if you can believe it!), and decided to double the count just for kicks. Maybe this challenge will help me meet that new goal before the school year begins!<br />
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The gauntlet has been thrown down by <a href="http://megancstroup.blogspot.com/2013/06/semi-charmed-summer-2013-book-challenge_24.html" target="_blank">Megan at Semi-Charmed Kind of Life</a>. Here are the instructions:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Rules:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>The challenge will run from July 1, 2013, to September 30, 2013.
No books that are started before 12 a.m. on July 1 or finished after
11:59 p.m. on September 30 will count.</li>
<li>No re-reads (unless specifically stated)! I want you to experience new books with this challenge.</li>
<li>Each book must be at least 200 pages long. Audiobooks are fine, as long as the print versions meet the page requirements.</li>
<li>A book can only be used for one category. If you want to switch the
category later, that's fine, just be sure to account for that in your
point total.</li>
<li>The highest possible total is 200 points, and the first five people who finish the challenge will win a featured/guest post on <i>Semi-Charmed Kind of Life</i>.<b> Good luck!</b></li>
</ul>
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<b>The Challenge:</b><br />
<b>5 points: </b>Freebie! Read any book you'd like, as long as it follows the above rules. :)<br />
<b>5: </b> Read a book that is less than 150 pages long. (Yes, this is an exception to the general rules! You're welcome haha.)<br />
<b>10: </b>Read a book with a color in the title. <i>Submitted by Erinn of </i><a href="http://www.itjblog.com/" target="_blank">it's the journey</a> <i>on <a href="https://twitter.com/ecattheak" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.</i><br />
<b>10: </b>Read a book that is not the first in its series. (And yes, it must be in a series.)<br />
<b>15: </b>Read a book it seems <i>everyone</i> but you has read! <i>Submitted by Brighton of </i><a href="http://www.simplebrighton.com/" target="_blank">Dear Brighton</a> <i>on <a href="https://twitter.com/dearbrighton" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.</i><br />
<b>15: </b>Read a banned book. (For consistency's sake, the book must be found on one of <a href="http://www.ala.org/advocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged" target="_blank">these lists</a>. See the links in the first paragraph for book lists.)<br />
<b>20: </b>Read a book written by a celebrity. This can be a memoir or a
fiction book published by someone who was already famous by another
means (e.g. James Franco). <i>Submitted by Brighton of </i><a href="http://www.simplebrighton.com/" target="_blank">Dear Brighton</a> <i>on <a href="https://twitter.com/dearbrighton" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.</i><br />
<b>20:</b> Read a non-fiction book that is <i>not </i>a memoir. It can be pure non-fiction or narrative non-fiction. <i>Submitted by </i><a href="http://blairsheadband.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Blair's Head<i> </i>Band</a> <i>on <a href="https://twitter.com/blairsheadband" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.</i><br />
<b>20: </b>Read a book that takes place in a state you have never been
in. If you have been to all 50 states, choose a book that takes place in
a country you have never been in. Also do the latter option if you are
not American.<br />
<b>25:</b> Read a book that is at least 400 pages long.<br />
<b>25:</b><i> </i>Read a book with a main character who shares your
first name. If you have an uncommon name and really can't find a book,
let me know and we can come up with an alternative. :) <i>Submitted by Erinn of </i><a href="http://www.itjblog.com/" target="_blank">it's the journey</a> <i>on <a href="https://twitter.com/ecattheak" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.</i><br />
<b>30:</b> Read a book written by an author who was born in the same year as you. </blockquote>
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Think I can accomplish this? I'm not too sure, either, so wish me luck and join in if you're of a mind. <a href="http://thereluctanthomefront.blogspot.com/p/the.html">I'll keep track of my progress here</a>. Hurray for summer!
Rebecca http://www.blogger.com/profile/05049268645214229527noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740980296866532177.post-35012444096364973812013-06-26T18:05:00.000-04:002013-06-26T18:05:09.171-04:00A Summery Wednesday Hodge Podge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's time for another round of Wednesday Hodge Podge from Joyce over at <a href="http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/" target="_blank">From This Side of the Pond!</a><b> </b><br />
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<b>1. Summertime is a season of reunions, weddings, and other family
celebrations and gatherings...are any of the above on your calendar in
the next two months? </b><br />
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<i>Unfortunately none of the families (between the two of us) seem to do reunions anymore. The old guard is pretty much gone, and the youngsters keep up sporadically on Fb. We already attended the one wedding on the calendar back in May, which was a beautiful country wedding under the willows. </i><br />
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<i>We'll also be having a family gathering as my sister-in-law is back home from Texas for a few weeks. My brother is still serving in Afghanistan, so the gathering won't be as full of joy as it could be--but it will be overflowing with love as we greet our newest niece for the first time. She just turned five months old today!</i><br />
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<b>2. June is National Iced Tea Month...are you an iced tea drinker? If so, how do you like yours (sweet, flavored, etc)?</b><br />
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<i>I am absolutely an iced tea drinker, but only if it's sweet tea! (I'm from the South, can you expect any less?) My husband never ceased to be amazed that after a certain point in travels north, the restaurants stopped offering sweet tea and only asked if you'd like sweetener with the iced. I'm sure diabetics will disagree with me, but tea without sugar? It just ain't right, y'all, it just ain't right. </i><br />
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<b>3. When were you last nervous? Looking back, was the event actually 'nerve-worthy'?</b><br />
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<i>The last time I was nervous was when I went in to central office for my interview. I didn't realize at the time that it was more of a "meet and greet," in the words of the head of HR for the school district--nervous was an understatement! I do think a little nerves were called for as I was signing a year's contract with the school district, but perhaps I didn't need to worry as much as I had prior to going. </i><br />
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<b>4. The bristle toothbrush was <a href="http://voices.yahoo.com/this-day-history-june-26th-1498-first-toothbrush-3679606.html?cat=5">invented in China on June 26, 1498</a>...not
sure how that date was pinned down so precisely but, on a scale of 1-10
with 10 being sick to your stomach and 1 being not at all, how nervous
do you feel when you're headed to the dentist? Do you see your dentist
twice a year?</b><br />
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<i>On a scale of 1-10, I'm an 8 or 9. I don't have a panic attack (normally), but I've had enough dental work done that I know it's only a matter of time. Most of the time anymore, I go in knowing I have a problem tooth already, so the follow-up appointment is a given. I'm sad that a friend who was my dental hygienist left the practice. She helped me feel more at home and was so careful and understanding about my past (not positive) history with a previous dentist. <br /><br />You may have guessed, but I easily see my dentist three or four times a year. Pregnancies seem to have done a number on the old choppers.</i><br />
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<b>5. What's making news in your town this week?</b><br />
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<i>The big news last week was a deer in Walmart...this week it was a bear on the loose in downtown. I do love living in a rural area! </i><i></i><br />
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<b>6. Curtains, drapes, blinds...your window treatment of choice? Are
there any bare windows in your house? Is that by choice or because you
just haven't gotten around to covering them?</b><br />
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<i>Curtains, and in the common areas all but the kitchen curtains were handmade by me--I couldn't find what I wanted, which was a blue and cream plaid/gingham style, a warm, modern country look. Our windows are all odd sizes, as well, so I simply made them as needed! I can't stand bare windows after it gets dark, so we have none in the house.</i><br />
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<b>7. Summertime is officially here (in the Northern hemisphere anyway)....what <i>one</i> song is a must-have on your summer playlist?</b><br />
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<i>I don't really have a single summer song. I do enjoy the Beach Boys for a summer mood, though! Maybe "Good Vibrations." </i><i> </i><i></i><br />
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<b>8. Insert your own random thought here.</b><br />
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<i>My daughter has gotten to be a moon hound...every night she looks up to see if the moon is at all photogenic, and if it is she comes racing in to beg for my camera or to drag me outside myself to capture it. We enjoyed the moon's perigee this Sunday--so beautiful!
</i>Rebecca http://www.blogger.com/profile/05049268645214229527noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740980296866532177.post-76473202701896056242013-06-23T13:19:00.001-04:002013-06-23T14:08:10.374-04:00In the Good Ol' Summertime<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There's something about the first day of summer that speaks to me. I'm sure part of it is just the magical thought of a new season, because it's not as if the earth itself knows that at the stroke of midnight it's suddenly no longer spring. The length of the day has been building steadily since the winter solstice, the warmth of the air has been rising since early March, and the humidity increases with every rainy afternoon, ebbing and flowing like the clouds racing over the sky.<br />
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Whether the actual day has meaning beyond human calculations, though, there does seem to be a shift. The sky is clearer, the mountains aren't yet hazy with those mucky, humid afternoons in July and August. And does it seem that the clouds are more often puffy cumulus than the dismal stratus? At least it seems that way to me.<br />
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Summer hasn't been kind to me the last couple of years. Last year I had horrible allergy flare-ups beginning in June and carrying through the fall. This year my allergies decided to step up the game: I've begun reacting to sunlight with an itchy rash. My sister in law joked that we'd have to start keeping me in a bubble, which honestly sounds nice right about now. For someone who loves the outdoors and the smells and feels of summer, it's a bit galling to find that indoors with air conditioning is a safer place to be. I've been scratching and moping my way through the month of June, hoping to learn what new bane caused my allergy. I could only laugh to learn that my pale skin preferred to live like a vampire, only coming out at night. How typical!<br />
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But there are bright spots. The moon that kept me up last night also lit my way as I walked the dog. I can still enjoy the night, the peaceful hush with everyone asleep and cool air to calm my irritated skin. The promise of stylist "maxi dresses" and floppy sun hats to block out that harmful UV action. The knowledge that it probably <i>wasn't</i> my herb and flower garden that caused me to break out, which was breaking my heart when it first started.<br />
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And the excitement of having my own class in the fall. Even with the drawbacks of my personal health, that by itself is very exciting! My kindergarteners from my substitute position just might end up in my first grade class. I can't wait to get my classroom in order and begin to put all the plans that I worked on in theory into practice! How can a person be too terribly down when <i>that</i> promise awaits me in a couple months? Rebecca http://www.blogger.com/profile/05049268645214229527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740980296866532177.post-41139948051869777572013-06-12T14:32:00.000-04:002013-06-12T14:32:46.941-04:00A Busy Wednesday Hodge-Podge<br />
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<b><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"> Today<b> </b></span></i></b><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">I am finally taking some time to catch up on my blog reading. It was only due to a chance conversation with my younger brother (who is currently deployed to Afghanistan) about blogs that I realized just how long it has been since I used mine! I'll try to post updates about everything that has been going on during this busy, busy spring, but for now I'm enjoying a quick meander through the <a href="http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/2013/06/discovering-hodgepodge.html" target="_blank">Wednesday Hodgepodge from Joyce</a>. Feel free to join in, link up, and become part of the fun!</span></i><b><i><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
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<b>1. What do you think makes a good dad?</b><br />
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I think that more than anything, a good father loves and wants the best for his child. This doesn't have to mean going outside to play catch or teaching a child how to properly cast a line, but a good father works hard to live a life worth emulating and encourages his child's interests and desires. Being able to admit mistakes and work to rectify them is pretty important, too...we parents are human, and we are the longest running example to our children of how to live. Treating others with respect, showing kindness and love, and being a strong support are at the top of my list. I'm thankful that my father and my husband both meet those requirements. :)<br />
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<b>2. What’s something you learned from your own father?</b><br />
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My father taught me the beauty in music...all different kids of music were found in our home over the course of my young life as my father played everything from a fiddle, mandolin, dulcimer, and banjo in bluegrass bands to electric guitar and big bass in rock bands. He also taught me the value in pursuing something you love even when it's not easy. As a self-taught musician, he had to work hard in order to meet his own expectations--and having a family to support didn't make meeting his goals any easier. He also taught me not to allow myself to be subsumed by my children and family life. I have never been the mother who lost her identity to motherhood, and I have him to thank for that.<br />
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<b>3. It’s your birthday-what kind of cake will we be having?</b><br />
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Something nut free and homemade, so I know it's safe for me to eat! :) A butter cake is sounding pretty good right now! Then again, we might just have homemade cinnamon rolls instead.<br />
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<b>4. When you’re faced with a big decision are you more of a go
with your gut type of person, or are you someone who reasons it all out,
weighing the pros and cons? <br /></b>I do both...I find my gut feeling, then weigh the pros and cons if I'm still not sure. I'm also good about asking others for direction or thoughts--Then I make a choice and stick with it!<br />
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<b>5. June is National Dairy Month. What’s your favorite dairy item? Most often purchased dairy item? </b><br />
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My favorite dairy item is butter...it's just so versatile and tasty! :) My most often purchase dairy item would be a toss up between milk and cheese. We go through a lot of both in this house.<br />
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<b><b>6. Explorer Jacques Cousteau was born on June 11, 1910….what’s
something you’ve recently discovered or something you’d like to explore?</b></b><br />
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I recently discovered the treasure trove of items left in my new classroom by a retiring teacher, so I'm excited to explore everything that's there for me. :) Other than that, I haven't done much discovery or exploration lately. Life has been pretty busy.<b><b> </b></b><br />
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<b>7. Are you typical of your generation?</b><br />
<b> </b><b><br /></b>Probably not...I tend to be more of a throw-back in many ways. I'm darn near a Luddite compared to some of my more tech-savvy friends. I still have a cell phone without internet access, and we have a landline with a newly installed answering machine. The phone is corded, no less! :)<br />
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<b>8. Insert your own random thought here.</b><br />
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After dealing with a big outbreak of itchy hives that just doesn't want to calm down, I think I can safely say that this is worse than Chinese water torture--just as unending, just a crazy-making, and just as difficult to get to sleep more than a short snatch at a time. Boooo! <b> </b><b> </b>Rebecca http://www.blogger.com/profile/05049268645214229527noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740980296866532177.post-66403007596146330652013-05-14T19:07:00.000-04:002013-05-14T19:07:10.046-04:00Mother's DayI read an article today, one that I've read before. It's about mothers, and how many of us feel that we're not photogenic enough anymore to jump in front of a camera and document our lives with our young children. The article talks about soft bellies and messy hair, dark circles and cellulite. Then the author takes a detour, looking at photos of her own mother and grandmother, thinking that she doesn't judge them in the way she judges herself. She sees the beauty in them, the love and the care, the person behind the freckles and the wrinkles, the full face and the milk-stained shirts.<br />
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I sometimes wonder if my children will remember me as fondly. I'm not that romanticized stay-at-home mom. I always struggled with that part of myself. I wanted to be out, to be learning, to be pushing farther and becoming more. I thought that was the legacy I wanted to leave for my children--and in a way it is. I do want them to believe that nothing can hold back a dream and that hard work will take you farther than you expected and through twists and turns that you never dreamed would be part of your story. <br /><br />Part of me also wants to be that mom who is always there with a listening ear, a kind word, a soft smile, and a quiet heart. The mother that I had growing up, the one whose hardships and imperfections I have softened and smoothed out like an expert photographer. I know those details in my head, but when I look at her pictures or picture her in my mind, the reel slows, the picture becomes rosey-toned, and I see the ruffles of an apron, the dusting of flour, and see a smile curve slowly across her face. I see the round cheeks and the small fullness of her limbs, but I'm not judging a beauty pageant with emaciated models. I'm seeing that caricature of womanliness, the cook whose work shows in her own figure, proving that she is able to well provide for her family.<br /><br />It is easy to romanticize those we love who are passed. It is comforting and seems a tribute in a way. What will my own children romanticize, if anything? Mom curled up with them around a book? Mom's flair for the dramatic, her push for their best?<br /><br />I hope that when the time comes, they are able to sort through my library with a smile, to page through photo albums filled with pictures of Mom alongside them because the camera was set to self-timer or pushed into the hands of their father, or the fun self-portraits where we wish our arms were just a <em>little</em> bit longer so we didn't look so self-aggrandizing...<br /><br />Yes, I hope that my children have fond memories of me, even if it's with a laugh at how goofy and lime-light stealing Mom could be from time to time. I do love a good audience, especially if it's my little ones there to enjoy the show.Rebecca http://www.blogger.com/profile/05049268645214229527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740980296866532177.post-21539125735707364712013-01-24T07:19:00.001-05:002013-01-24T07:19:30.860-05:00Clutter and Joy<a href="http://beta.photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo clutter_zps42386942.jpg" border="0" src="http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f108/Country2005/clutter_zps42386942.jpg" /></a><br />
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It has been some time since I've participated in a Faith Jam from Faith Barista. Student teaching is not for the faint of heart, and I have felt more like I am being run over by my schedule than running my schedule. That's what makes today's prompt so perfect: <i>clutter</i>.<br />
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Clutter.<br />
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Mess.<br />
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Hectic.<br />
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Stressful.<br />
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My house has become amazingly cluttered since I began student teaching at the start of the month. It's hard to imagine that the every day things like laundry and the detritus of children can add up <i>so quickly</i>. Things might not be put back as soon as they're laid aside, and so it begins. A glove can't be found. Then a library book that needs to be returned to the school. Then the piece to a kit mysteriously vanishes from where it was set down.<br />
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But worse than the usual clutter and its aftermath is the mental clutter I seem to carry around. <i>To do: groceries...did I remember to write that thing down? It's on the tip of my tongue...Wait, I have to study for my licensure exam, is that </i>this<i> Saturday? Don't forget to brainstorm the lessons for next week, I want to impress my observers. Oh, no, I nearly forgot that appointment! That's more time lost.</i><br />
I'm sure we all have some of that mental clutter. I would write it down (and usually do), but then it's apt to be lost in the physical clutter on my desk!<br />
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My nearest thing to a New Year's resolution was to become more organized. My cooperating teacher has commented several times on how "organized" I am. I give her a crooked grin and explain that it's only because I would lose everything otherwise, and <i>believe me, my house is nothing like this!</i> Thankfully she is a mother to two young girls, so she understands very well how difficult the juggling game can be, especially for a teacher just starting out.<br />
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I'm not looking for perfection this year, but I do want to get a better handle on the clutter. Controlled chaos, perhaps. Those stressed-out words that came immediately to mind? I want to let them recede in my life, so that I can enjoy the moments of discovery and joy with my children and husband that I've been too strained and hectic to notice lately. As much as the physical clutter does need wrangling, it's the mental clutter that I'm most concerned with. <br />
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So I'll pack it up, one box at a time. Closing the flaps on self-judgment and doubt, opening wide the box where whimsy and spontaneity have been stored for too long. It's time for a mental spring cleaning. <br />
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And I'll also put the laundry away. :)<br /><br />_________<br /><br /><a href="http://www.faithbarista.com/join-faith-barista-jam-thursdays/" target="blank"><img src="http://www.faithbarista.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/FaithBarista_FreshJamBadge_Stacked2.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Thank you for visiting if you're here through Bonnie's Faith Jam. If you haven't participated in a Faith Jam before, please visit her blog and see the variety of responses we all have to the prompt of the week, and consider adding your own!Rebecca http://www.blogger.com/profile/05049268645214229527noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740980296866532177.post-80550244700083567872012-12-16T22:29:00.000-05:002012-12-16T22:29:40.544-05:00Something You Made<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />It's hard to move past the news this weekend, but I noticed that some people were still posting their photo-a-day captures, and thought I might take a moment to jump in as well. In some ways I don't want to deal with the holiday season or daily life, because it feels wrong to continue as if nothing happened. On the other hand, it feels unfair to those who haven't died in "tragic" circumstances not to mourn them just as deeply. I think there is something to the argument that the media is sensationalizing this incident and perhaps encouraging a sick individual with this notoriety. Certainly being too close to the article shares and discussions hasn't helped me deal with the pain or the concerns that Newtown has brought forward. Although it is difficult, it may be that this season will help many find hope in the despair, peace for their anxiety, and eventually joy from this awful sadness. I certainly hope that the families and friends of those who were lost will find at least a small measure of comfort in the weeks ahead. My thoughts are with them.<br /><br />My photo-a-day submission is a picture of "something I made" for a junior Latin convention entry in the textiles division. Appropriately for this time of year, it is a hand-drawn pattern of the Virgin and child, with the text of the first verse of "Adeste Fideles," the Latin version of "O Come, All Ye Faithful." Completely designed and stitched by my fifteen-year-old self, hand-framed by my dad...so, something I made, something my father made, it's a two-for-one presentation. <br />____________<br />
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This post is part of the <a href="http://fatmumslim.com.au/december-photo-a-day-lets-end-the-year-with-a-snap/" target="_blank">December Photo a Day challenge hosted by Fat Mum Slim</a>.
There's no pressure, you can join in or not at your leisure...but I'd
love to see your take on the prompts! Join in via blog, Instagram, or
Twitter, and use the hashtag #FMSPHOTOADAY.
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<br />Rebecca http://www.blogger.com/profile/05049268645214229527noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740980296866532177.post-20049488786395875482012-12-14T13:27:00.000-05:002012-12-14T13:27:29.961-05:00Rattling the KnobOne of the most chilling things I've been through in my experiences becoming a teacher was something called the "Code Yellow" drill. We were warned that it would be happening and instructed in what to do that morning during announcements: there would be a 2 minute warning for everyone in the halls to get to a room. During that time teachers would shut the blinds, turn off the lights, check the hallways for stragglers to pull into the room, cover the door window, and then lock the door and get the students into a protected area of the room. <br /><br />I happened to have gone to the bathroom right before the drill was sounded, so it was with a little bit of anxiety that I rushed through washing and drying my hands and hustled back down the hall to the room. I slipped in the door in time to help with some stubborn blinds, and soon we had darkened the room and huddled the students into a corner away from the door's line of sight. The students were calm but surprisingly muted. They're too young to remember Columbine and Paducah. Not too young to understand that someone in the halls of our school without permission is a threat. Not too young to have heard about the movie theater slayings. Not too young to be anxious.<br /><br />I think we all startled when the door knob rattled. It was our principal checking each door for access, we knew that. But in that darkened room, it took on other dimensions.<br /><br />I relate this as I sit in horror, tears streaming down my face for those innocent victims of the Newtown, CT school shooting this morning. I'm not just sad, though. I'm angry--angry that these things still happen, that we still have no way of stopping them. Angry that people with obvious issues are being ignored by those around them, pooh-poohed or seen with blind or intimidated eyes. Angry that these little lives have been snuffed out just as they've begun. Who knows what wonders those particular children might have uncovered, revealed to the world? Who knows what small joys and love they would have spread around them for years to come?<br /><br />My heart goes out to those families who are receiving this horrible, horrible news. I sit with head bowed in sorrow, but also with a fist clenched in anger. When will this stop? And why...always why to the senseless violence we must deal with. Rebecca http://www.blogger.com/profile/05049268645214229527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740980296866532177.post-68940421286300989362012-12-12T07:21:00.000-05:002012-12-12T07:22:41.386-05:00A Spangled Wednesday Hodgepodge<br />
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<b>1. So, when did <i>you</i> last take a walk in the woods? A stroll along the beach? A drive going nowhere in particular in the car? </b><br />
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It's been over a month, I guess...we go all over the mountains and the Parkway in the fall, but I think the last time was before Thanksgiving. I love being out in the woods and seeing the sights from the mountains. :)</div>
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<b>2. Are you sending Christmas cards this year? About how many do you
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Absolutely! I love sending and receiving Christmas cards. Our list is around 50, nothing outrageous. I like to do both photo cards and traditional cards...for those people who see the kids every day or who are business contacts, I don't do a photo card. For the family friends who live farther away, though, a photo card and an update on how we're doing is a must. And I can't *not* add a small note to every card, even if the photo card has our "signature" on it--it just wouldn't feel right! <br />
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To display our cards, I like to put the photo cards from friends on the refrigerator, and the traditional cards go into our "card tree." I bought a red metal cupcake stand with the spiral holders and bent them to be vertical instead of horizontal. It makes a neat centerpiece.<br />
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<b>3. What's a word you've heard too much of in the past week?</b><br />
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Planning. With my student teaching getting ready to start, I've had several meetings (with my cooperating teacher, my advisor, an orientation, soon a background check as well). My mind is overwhelmed with information and trying to start planning my approach, despite my CT telling me not to think about it over the break and to just enjoy Christmas with the family. I think I really like this woman.<br />
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<b>4. December 13th is National Cocoa Day-are you a fan? Plain or flavored? Marshmallows or no marshmallows?</b><br />
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Ooooh, I'll take any kind except white chocolate. (Sorry, I really can't stand the taste of white chocolate. Why call something chocolate when it doesn't taste like it?) I like both marshmallows and whipped cream, so anything will make me a happy camper!<br />
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<b>5. What is something you do to help alleviate the hectic pace of the Christmas season?</b><br />
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Right now I'm escaping by watching Marvel superhero movies: Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, Iron Man 2, Thor, and the Avengers. And then I waste time pinning funny pictures or artwork on my Pinterest "fandom" board. Apologies to anyone who had the misfortune to be following that board--I've wasted a lot of time this week!<br />
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<b>6. Besides jewelry, what's a favorite sparkly-glittery item in your home or closet?</b><br />
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I'm actually not a sparkly-glittery person (despite having a penchant for spangled superheroes right now). I'm sure there's nothing sparkly or glittery in my closet, so I'll say one of the sparkly ornaments we have for the tree.<br />
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<b>7. Share a favorite line or two from any Christmas carol.</b></div>
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"And wild and sweet the words repeat of peace on earth, goodwill toward men."<br />
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<b>8. Insert your own random thought here.</b><br />
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Please hold a thought for my unfortunate cat, who has to be greeted every morning with "PIP-pin!" in a high, girly tone while he's dragged up from a comfortable sleep and held like a rag doll for a nose rub. Actually, don't, the crazy thing seems to enjoy it. I hope everyone has a wonderful Wednesday!<b> </b></div>
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Rebecca http://www.blogger.com/profile/05049268645214229527noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4740980296866532177.post-8110939977947395542012-12-08T23:33:00.000-05:002012-12-08T23:33:45.277-05:00Someone You Love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A couple someones whom I loved, and whose memories I cherish.</div>
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This post is part of the <a href="http://fatmumslim.com.au/december-photo-a-day-lets-end-the-year-with-a-snap/" target="_blank">December Photo a Day challenge hosted by Fat Mum Slim</a>.
There's no pressure, you can join in or not at your leisure...but I'd
love to see your take on the prompts! Join in via blog, Instagram, or
Twitter, and use the hashtag #FMSPHOTOADAY. Let me know if you take
part, I hope to see you there!
Rebecca http://www.blogger.com/profile/05049268645214229527noreply@blogger.com2