A Time to Cry and A Time to Laugh

I love that passage in Ecclesiastes where Solomon is talking about all the seasons. Our family is currently going through a season of change. I am so glad that I have been able to be here in California for this time with them. On Wednesday we had a time to mourn and cry as we said goodbye to my grandfather. He was a loving man who loved to sing, laugh and have a good time. I have so many fond memories of him. The family all gathered and enjoyed being together. My grandpas sister June and her husband Owen came down from Seattle to be with us and they are always nice to see, I came with my kids, my sister, my cousins, and all my uncles family( though we consider them family). It was a good time of playing games with each other, remembering my grandpa and being together. My dad had done this great slide show of pictures from his life and the great Southern gospel music that he loved to honor my grandfather and so we got to remember through tons of old photos! We shared many stories of what we loved about Grandpa and laughed at all the silly things he used to do. It was a true way to honor him.
Thursday we did Disney....more on this to come later! I have tons of pictures!

Good bye OPA

Today is a sad day for me..I have to say goodbye to a place that I have truly enjoyed being for the last 2 years. That's not to say I haven't had my ups and downs, or my tears here. Our school is no more...it's now Kansas City Christian. Oxford Park Academy will now only be a memory for the students who learned and studied here. It's a place that God placed me and I know that He has a plan for me and a new place where I will be used by Him to make a difference in the life of a child but today I am weeping. I feel like I have lost a friend. So Farewell Oxford Park Academy, I have appreciated working in your classrooms and I have enjoyed my time spent here. A place like this will be missed.

California....

I get to go to California next week! I haven't been back for 10 years!

I'm sad that the reason I get to go is to attend my Grandfather's funeral. My grandpa Larry Hagman(not the actor) died on Sunday May 18th. He was 89 years old. It wasn't unexpected but still a bit of a shock at how quickly it was. I will miss him

So the kiddos and I are headed West. We leave next Tuesday and then will be there for about a week! I am excited to see the rest of the family. I also am excited to take the kids places that I remember getting to go to with the family when I was there age. It's important for my children to get to meet and hang out with my family since they have gotten enough of Dan's family.! So if you think of me on Tuesday pray as I will be traveling with 2 kids. Pray also for Dan as he is staying home to work and will be dealing with issues at home without me!

Big ol Ketle of Fish

It's craziness. I have until Friday afternoon to get my classroom completely done, finished, cleaned out. I would normally have 2 extra days but since I am leaving for California next week on Tuesday I have to be done by Friday! I have so much to do! I am feeling very stressed right now....help me!

I am feeling a little overwhelmed emotionally. I need a good cry I think! Lots happening inside right now!

Pictures of The Caves and HaHaTonka

Okay....I'm not crazy!

I asked the question if I was nuts for going on another all day field trip with my class. The answer is no I am not crazy! We had the best day! It was gorgeous! The Bridal cave is very beautiful and nice, the bear cave was a great place to get dirty! The hiking at HaHaTonka was just what I needed! I have discovered that being outside and being active is just what I need to refocus myself. I enjoyed it when I was in West Virginia, Dan and I when we were dating would go hiking and I really do enjoy it now! I got to climb rocks, view spectacular views, and just have your legs hurting at the end of the day but in that really good way! I have some great shots of the kiddos but I left my camera cord at school so I will be downloading them later this afternoon and should get some up on the blog then!

On a totally different topic...I get a night out with my husband and the kiddos are going to grandmas till tomorrow~!

Am I really crazy....

or am I really crazy? I guess I don't learn...I am again taking an all day field trip with my class. We are driving 3 hours south of here to visit Bridal Cave, Bear Cave and HaHaTonka. The kids in science have been studying about caves and water so we are going to experience it! Now here's the crazier part....I am taking my preschooler along for the ride! My mom is going too and another parent so the tally of kiddos going this time is 7 kids, 4 adults. Not as good ratio as Williamsburg!

psuedo interview later....will maybe know about the job at KCCS in about a week....There are days when I wish to be a stay at home mom and yet I love my work too...AUGHH!

Hot Flashes

You would have thought I was going through Menopause or something today! I could not get my internal thermostat to work properly.

My classroom is in the basement and I have the thermostat problems I blogged about below and I was freezing all morning long. It was cold! I came upstairs at one point and another teacher said to me"the cold is just radiating off you". This afternoon I worked at the front desk and I thought I was going to start sweating! I was so hot!

I tell you...if this is what hot flashes will be like in 20 years or so then I would rather not face "the change".

Stupidity in Action

Explain to me the reasoning behind putting the thermostat for a buildings air conditioning system in the basement? At school I have control of the airconditioner in the sense that the thermostat is in my classroom in the basement. If I could have things my way then I wouldn't turn it on unless it was super hot! I don't have control of the a/c so they are continually asking me to turn it down...so I have to run the thing at like 64 degrees to keep everyone upstairs happy and I get to freeze to death all day long! Right now I am wearing a light sweater, a sweatshirt jacket and I am freezing...while one of the preschool teachers is upstairs sweating to death!

Being A Girl

I'm struggling right now with my girliness. I am not a real girly-girl. Pink has never been my favorite color, I am not super into clothes or hair or the like. My daughter on the other hand is a girly-girl. She likes clothes, shoes, Princesses and pink! I am trying to raise her to be a strong person, a woman to be looked up to in life. This is really hard. My issue is I want her to be strong like me yet more gentle, more loving and more accepting of others. She is rather intolerant of things that are perfect lately or things that she doesn't find acceptable. I am struggling with how do I someone who isn't always girly and soft be that teacher that she needs to show her that being tough isn't always the way to go. I don't want her to face the same issues that I have faced growing up and into my adult life yet I also do not want her to be a wimp. I sometimes find that I am softer and gentler with my son than I am with my daughter...I am struggling to overcome this!

Countdown to Summer

9 more days...I keep telling myself that there are only 9 more days and I can make, I will make it!

My class is beyond done...they see nice weather and want summer vacation to start today!

It's been a good year...we need to finish strong...9 days to go!

Pain and Suffering

This is me right now....Step..."ow".....Step...."ow"....step...."ow"!

I played volleyball last night and my legs hurt so bad right now....so I thought I would take some Aleve to help me aleve my pain but I only have 1 pill left in my bottle and I need 2! Usually when I play volleyball my lower legs hurt and my feet hurt. Well this morning my thighs are killing me and my feet hurt!

Good news...we won our game last night!

Good Quote on Prayer

This has been on the prayer sheet at church the last few weeks and I really like it....

When we PRAY...

If our REQUEST is wrong...

...God says NO

If the TIMING is wrong...

...God says WAIT

If Our HEART is wrong...

...God says GROW

If the Request, Timing and Heart

are RIGHT...

...God says YES

Happy Mother's Day

I had a good Mother's day! I have two great kids who hugged me like a billion times today! My husband gave me this really sweet card that sings a "Barenaked Ladies" song...and right now as I sit here I can't remember the name of the song. That's really sweet since there are several Bare naked Ladies songs that we love! So this afternoon Dan has a great idea that we should go to Independence Center(local mall) and hang out...they have a carousel and kiddie stuff and a large play area! Yeah, I think every dad in the greater KC area had the same idea! It was packed! The kids did have a good time on the carousel and Jaron loves riding up and down the escalators! Good Times! The Disney store at this mall is closing so I picked Janea up a new princess shirt for under $8.00 and she is on cloud nine! Now I am trying to stay up later then my kids so I can go to bed and sleep and be ready for work tomorrow!

A shout out to my dear sweet mother and all the other mothers who love me! I love you all!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Dan...Happy Birthday to you!

Today is my husbands 34th birthday! Here's to many more!

Being a Mom is Hard Work

This has been a long week...juggling being a mom with my job and my roles at church has been very challenging. Janea and I are going through some issues and she is also trying the patience of the other teachers at school. The last 3 days have been particularly challenging.

Wednesday: A long day at school, I had an interview that afternoon at a preschool and then we had AWANA awards night at church. Janea has been striving and working toward being the girl Spark of the Year. She got through her book and review in record time and then was working through the workbook, she did most of this completely on her own. Well, she took 2nd place for the second year in a row and she took it really hard. I am the Sparks Director and I am in charge of passing out rewards and she broke down crying. On one hand since things come easily to her when it comes to memorizing and schoolwork its good for her to come in 2nd. It gives her the desire to want to acheive...on the other hand she really wanted it and it really was hard to lose to someone who is younger than her.

Thursday: A good day at school, Janea got her work done no trouble until the very end of the day. She is struggling with knowing her place as a student and as the teachers daughter. It's not unlike me growing up in a pastor's house. She and I have both agreed that I should never be her teacher again...we butt heads a little too often! Well, she had a big struggle with another teacher and it's hard for me to remove my teacher hat and just wear my mom hat..

Friday: We are all tired and struggling with keeping a positive attitude toward one another.

Countdown to Summer Vacation

There are 2 weeks and today left of school...11 days!

Fun with Mrs. J

Today...I've decided we are going to have some fun in our class.

We have been reading the Roald Dahl classic "James and the Giant Peach" as a class and today we are going to watch the movie! The kids have to compare the similarities and the differences between the novel and the movie!

We also had a fun spelling activity of trying to spell our spelling words with AlphaBits cereal!

Another one of those days...

My child is trying to kill me...really she is...I am not exaggerating. She has decided to push that line...the one she knows she is not allowed to cross! She keeps going right up to it and then doing one of these numbers" let's see how many toes can cross, oh here's my whole foot, now maybe my leg!" Then I get to be mean momma!

Janea has serious food issues. She will only eat like 6 things...I'm serious...6 things without complaint, whiny, and snivelling. I'm done catering to her pickiness and I am bring down the hammer...she has to taste everything..she doesn't have to like it but she does have to swallow it. Today it was sesame chicken, and broccoli with a few mandarin oranges thrown in. A very good, healthy lunch...I got gagging, sweating, choking, gasping, covering her mouth, the whole shebang....I think God is punishing me for all the hassle I gave my mom and dad! I'm so sorry I was a picky eater!

On a side not....I have an interview tomorrow at a school, am sending an application to another school tomorrow, and we got word that all hope might not be lost with KCC...it's all in God's hands and I am just going to trust!

Countdown to Summer

13 more days....13 more days... I keep telling myself only 13 more days....it's not really helping!

Declaration of Independence

My class is studying about the Revolutionary Period and I had them break into groups to write their own version of the Declaration of Independence....I had initially taxed them and I am a bit tyrannical on eating their vegetables at the table...so here is what my 2 Fourth Graders and my daughter who techinically is in Second grade wrote(I left the spelling errors and punctuation as it was turned in.)

We all deserve the respect witch you had not given us.

We should get to eat whatever we wnat whenever we wnat.

We should be treated with the respect.;

We should be able to do work when we want to.

We will not eat are vegies.

We demand a fish as a class pet.

We not pay are taxes.

We should have the privet.

We will do nothing un less we get what we want.

We want freedom from taxation.

I love the way that this group was able to work together and make a declaration of what rights and demands that they feel we should be granted.

Now my other group of 3 second grade girls wrote the following Declaration:

We do not want to keep our shoes on at recess.

We do not want to eat food we hate.

The Queen gives us shelter.

Frankly, I am impressed that they got anything down on paper since the argued for 2 weeks and could not come up with any good reasons for declaring Independence!

So now I have to transfer them into the computer in a flowery font, print them on a parchmenty paper and add them too their portfolios!

On with the Show...

Tonight is the night of our Spring Musicals. We have been working pretty hard and our rehearsal went pretty well today...we'll see how tonight goes.

Jaron is playing a Billy Goat in the Three Nanny Goats Gruff and Janea is the narrator.

Janea is also a narrator in Goldilocks and the Three Bears which the K-1 class and my class 2-4 is doing.

I'll post pictures tonight!