Orange Belt

It looks like we found her 'thing'! Grace started Taekwondo this year and loves it. -She doesn't jump up and down and talk about it non-stop. -She complains about getting ready to go. -But when we get there... she transforms to Ms. Grace.

• She listens.
• She participates.
• She works hard.
• She smiles.
• She says, 'Yes sir' and 'Yes ma'am'.
• She learns.

About every 2 1/2 months she has the opportunity to test for a new belt level. Her instructors 'get' Grace. They allow her to test with another student.

My favorite part of TKD is the positive teaching method. The young students not only learn from the instructors, but they learn from other classmates with higher belts. There are Tiny Tigers who aren't even in school yet and there are adults also...including a Grandma Black Belt.

There are many 'typical' students and then there are a few students, like Grace, who need special consideration. All students are treated with respect. All students are expected (and do) perform to a high level of control and with respect.

After going 2x's a week for over 5 months you would think that I would be saying they almost always use positive reinforcement strategies with their students ~ but I can't. No, they ALWAYS use positive comments. I have NEVER heard NO or THAT's not right.

I wish I could say the same thing about my teaching, but I can't ~ but two times a week I can see positive reinforcement work. And, trust me, I'm watching and I'm taking notes. Hopefully, I will learn by example and be able to apply the positive teaching approach in my own classroom and make my students feel as successful as they make Grace feel.

I am pleased to introduce Ms. Grace, my orange belt!

Pendleton Easter

For the three of us at home Easter was a bit more traditional.

We had a sleepover at the Nelson's so we could enjoy an early morning egg hunt. Yes, those are our winter coats. There wasn't snow on the ground, but it fell in the mountains that night and it was FREEZING. That was another point to our sleepover. Our heat pump went out and the cold weather wasn't finished. We were snug as bugs in their wonderful house.

Then the girls had to get dressed and pose for our annual Easter pictures. Unfortunately, because of the very early Easter and crazy cold weather, there were no flowers to provide a pretty setting. Again, the girls were sport, it was freezing.

Church services were beautiful as the Children's Choir sang from the balcony. We recently remodeled the church and added a high alter to restore the original look of the church. Eventually there will be a mural above the alter. I can't wait to see it finished.

It was a blustery afternoon, but the girls ran around looking for the elusive GOLDEN egg.

As a side note: the days before Easter I spent HOURS looking for eggs. Not the type of eggs you EVER want to be looking for... in your child's hair.

We were struck with head lice for the first time.

I found a bug while brushing Reagan's hair and upon a closer look found nearly 200 nits.

It took me 3 movies and an extraordinary amount of patience on both our parts to de-lice my little lady.

There are some experiences of elementary school I would be happy to live without experiencing. We were very thorough and avoided anyone else in the house getting them. I was also successful in getting them out in one go-around (a 10 day process). I now am left wondering, how long before I can scratch an itch on my head without worrying about head lice?

What she looks like...

This is one of Taryn's many looks when she steals my camera and takes self portraits.



This is what Grace looks like when she is sick. Poor thing got the pukes the morning we needed to drive to Klamath Falls. (Best trip ever for mom and dad. A puny sick little girl = a quiet little girl.)



This is what Reagan looks like when she is singing her first (and probably last) solo at her Christmas concert.

9-9-09

As a 10 year veteran, but first year, first-grade teacher I was DELIGHTED a week ago to see this date on my plan book. It meant that for an entire day I could plan '9' activities. So we came up with 9 ways we played with 9's at the end of the day.

1. Sang 9 songs...
2. Stuck 9 stickers on a nine inch piece of paper...
3. Sat quiet for 9 seconds (and not one second longer)...
4. Wrote '9 or nine' for 9 minutes quietly (my favorite)...
5. Made 9 rhymes (they didn't get 'wine' but did get Frankenstein-wow)...
6. Fact families of 9...
7. Read Comet's Nine Lives by Jan Brett...
8. Read Girl Wonder: A Baseball Story in Nine Innings by Deborah Hopkinson...
9. Had a 9 min. recess (oops...should have be 15, but I can't get my schedule down)

Another bit of interest for the day was the lead story in the EO, our local newspaper. Yep, that is yours truly. Now, in the honor of 9-9-09 may I share these thoughts:

1. Thank you for leaving out the nose picking boy.
2. Thank you for not mentioning the farting that was taking place.
3. Thank you for not showing my roots that got colored/covered today.
4. Thank you for taking time to show a bit of extra effort we all do in education.
5. Thank you for sharing that we do our best to be resourceful.
6. Thank you for an article not about a teacher having sex with her students.
7. Mental note: Starch is better than a quick iron job.
   
8. Next time, let's not take the picture at that angle, please.
9. Next time, could you leave out the 'vultures on roadkill' comment?

And my final, too good to leave out Reagan-ism, overheard by dad as she and Grace were circling the catalogs for Christmas, (yes, already.)

Grace: I want this.
Reagan: I want this.
Grace: I want this.
Reagan: I want this - oh and this too. Because you know Grace, when Taryn moves out we are going to have a lot more room, and then Mom and Dad can spend all their money on us!

Oh, so that's how that works!

Mark your calendars everyone...the next time we can have this much fun on a school day will be 11-11-11. I can hardly wait! (It is a Friday, BTW)

My favorite....

from Beth!

She rocks!

Photoshop Elements #1 & #2

THANK YOU BETH!

This one is going to be framed! Grace was so tickled to see herself...Taryn wanted to know why she didn't have a 'fancy' picture. I may be digging out the old digital files to see if I (read:Beth) can work magic on any of Taryn's pictures from three years ago. (That may require a miracle...who knows where those are safely stored!)

I actually surprised myself and was able to 'cut-out' Grace and do a few layers myself. This is what I came up with ... fun times!

Sunday Sacrament...

Grace received her First Communion this weekend. She has been learning and practicing and asking questions and waiting for this day. Being that I am such a sentimental sap, I was tickled pink when I discovered that she would fit into the same dress that Taryn wore for her First Communion three years ago. I ordered Grace a flower halo to wear, just like Taryn wore. I took too many pictures, just like I did of Taryn.

Grace is usually not the most patient girlie when I have my camera out. If I am letting her make faces she will tolerate about 4 shots. Sunday I took more than 100. Relax, I'm not going to make you look at all of them. -I have even deleted some of them already. I think I have narrowed it down to 70 or so.

I e-mailed Beth, (my bloggy friend that Marc swears I don't know just because I have never met her in real life - HA, what does he know) and asked her to do some of her Photoshop Element magic with some of the pictures. I can't wait to see what she surprises me with. (No pressure, right?)

Here are just a few of my favorites. Rest assured...more will follow, eventually...

47 days...

Lent: 47 days of:

• no Facebook


• no Blogging...or blog surfing


• no Diet Coke


• no coffee
  
• (almost) no Chocolate*

*Does accidental ingestion count? I mean, I didn't accidentally eat the chocolate donut gems, but I just did it without thinking. As far as I can tell, it was my only slip.

While I was 'out' I kept myself plenty busy. I wasn't sure what would be the worst of my sacrifices. The computer withdrawal was pretty tough, but I think it helped me the most. The Diet Coke was only really bad one time...that was at the movie theater. Gatorade simply does not wash down movie theater popcorn adequately. The chocolate was bad! No coffee was the worst! I really missed my morning cup of java. I think it is just so routine in the way I start the day. It is also impossible to isolate yourself from the tempting 'fresh coffee smell' in the staff room. Tea just didn't quite cut it.

Here is a quick recap of events around here:

Baby bummer lambs - two - Flower & Rose - adopted from people who quickly realized that the 'cute' takes a lot of work. Luckily, by the time we got them they were only needing 2-3 bottles a day...and they are now completely weaned.

Puppies - two - You saw Griz as a little ball of fur...he now looks HUGE compared to our new addition 'Basil'. They are only 2 months apart in age, but right now Griz looks enormous next to her. We think Griz is 1/2 poodle & 1/2 terrier. Basil is 1/2 Shih Tzu & 1/2 Schnauzer. We love them LOTS.

4H Lambs -two - Buck (who jumps very high) & Storm (who escaped his pen one very windy afternoon) are growing and thriving.

Sewing - lots -

• 4H outfits:

Reagan: Olivia PJ bottoms & T-Shirt

Grace: Marco Polo Monkey swim pants & T-Shirt

Taryn: Flower tank top & demin capri's

• Anne: Bird quilt as a house warming gift for the Nelson's

Phew... there was more... but I'm getting sleepy. Did I mention that by stepping away from the computer that I got at least one or two extra hours of sleep each night?

She's packing heat!

Grace got a bb gun for Christmas. She and Marc are excited for the weather to warm up so they can spend more time in the back field hunting soda cans.

A Gingerbread House

Grace has a way of touching people. She never forgets a face.

One special friend is 'Grandma Julie' from our church.

She is a retired Special Education teacher.

She has never been Grace's teacher, but she has always loved Grace.

A few years back she started a special tradition with Grace.

Grandma Julie bakes homemade Gingerbread Houses and invites Grace over to decorate.

She has a great time and consumes WAY to MUCH sugar,

but I am so pleased that Grace has her own special friends and traditions.

Some things in life won't ever be easy for this girl of mine,

but touching people will always be her gift I am sure.

A touch of Christmas

We are going with a 'less-is-more' approach this Christmas. In keeping with that theme, there are less decorations out, fewer ornaments on the tree and a downsizing of gifts under the tree.

I remember there were some tough times when I was young, I also remember the years when there were stacks of presents surrounding me. The greatest of my memories though are of being with my family. Those are memories I want to be creating for my girls. The presents they will forget, the time spent together, the laughter, the games, the creating...those are the memories that I want to last.

Here is a touch of our home:

Fisher Price Nativity on my first table runner.

This Nativity set has allowed my breakable sets to stay safe. The girls can move this around all they want...it is one of their favorite things to come out of the Christmas boxes.

The table runner is ok. I am more critical of my work than anyone else would be. It is definitely nice enough to go on MY table but it wasn't 'gift worthy.' It was the first of six that needed to be sewn...each of them, one of a kind. Each of them a bit better than the one before.

This is a close up of my Christmas tree. The bird house was a birthday gift from my parents a few years ago. It is my answer to the question: "How do you fill a large hole in your tree?"

I stuck with my simple homemade or nature-like ornaments. Now I am looking for some small little decorative birds to sit on the branches. If the girls and I get another snow day, I'd like to make some bird seed ornaments too.

Santa's Key

When we moved to this house there was no fireplace. It was essential that we get a magic key so that Santa could get in to fill our stockings.

The green chair was my Grandma's chair. I can't bear to get it refinished because it was hers, and I don't want to change how it looks. The springs are broken and the underside sheds when you sit down on it...but I love it just the same. The can is also from back home. I found it in one of the old machine sheds. Grace made the candle decoration on top in her 4-H Wildlife Stewards club. She was so proud to bring it home. The Santa came from St. Mary's bazaar. I try to get a new Santa each year. There weren't any this year that grabbed my attention.

* * *

Even though I didn't put out all my ornaments and decorations this year, I looked at each and every one of them. I love that I have ornaments my girls have made, ones from my past students, some from friends new and old, or from places we have visited. I don't know that I could choose a favorite, but together they are a sampling of many happy memories.

Pumpkins & Swimming?

Who knew a Tuesday swim lesson could be so much fun? We have a new coach for swimming this year. Most swim nights are routine.

• They get their suits on.
• They eat dinner.
• We load up.
• They swim.
• They shower.
• They cry as I brush their hair... etc....

Tonight was different. Tonight Coach Susie brought pumpkins to the pool. The big kids were first. They threw their pumpkins in the pool and had to race with their pumpkins down and back. The little fishies were sooooooo excited to watch the big kids swim with their pumpkins.





Next the little fishies got to get back into the pool with their pumpkins. Squeals of delight echoed when they realized the pumpkins would float. They would have stayed in the pool all night but the time ran out.





Coach Susie then passed out glow sticks and Halloween necklaces.





Coach Susie rocked swimming tonight!!! And thanks to Liz for taking a picture for me!!!

Sokoloski Day Spa?

One empty flower bed, +

one shovel, & one watering can, +

one Gracie =

&

&

Thank goodness for water warmed in the hose and a huge bucket of warm water to get her 'cleaned up.' I had promised Grace she could make a mud bath this summer. Today was the perfect day to make good on my promise...it was nice and warm...not too hot. She loves the squishy stuff that is evident. Reagan got into a swim suit and gingerly put her ten toes in and decided that she wanted NOTHING to do with the mud bath. She certainly is my girlie girl.

The Lemonade Ladies

Last year, on July 17, Taryn's 10th birthday, she received a hand-built lemonade stand. We had many successful sales. This year, due to all the wonderful travels and adventures, we had not yet set out the stand. Until today!

Taryn's Treats was again open for business. It took a lot of sampling for us to find a perfect recipe for our fresh squeezed lemonade. Taryn and her sisters also sell fresh baked cookies and candy. Their specialty is the strawberry lemonade. (Remember all the June strawberries? Some were frozen especially for the lemonade stand.)

Total Sales: $32

50% = College = $16
25% = Charity = $8
25% =Fun $ = $8

Taryn isn't responsible for buying her supplies. We do that for her. We also will make a $5 deposit in Grace and Reagan's college account for helping and another $5 for their fun money. Once Taryn 'graduates' her stand for bigger and better jobs it will become Grace's Goodies and then eventually Reagan's Refreshments.

I am feeling terrible about my lack of blogging effort lately. But there have been just too many other important activities to occupy my time. I vow to at least upload a few pics of each event and jot a note or two, so that I don't forget about all our wonderful summer events when school roles around. My worst lack of blogging offense was for Taryn's birthday.

Miss Taryn turned 11 while we were on our trip home from Montana. With some of her funds from last year's lemonade sales, and her profit from Max, she wanted to purchase my old laptop from me, to call her own. Not knowing how much life is left in my old laptop, we decided to surprise her with her own desktop computer. She had agreed to 'trade' a birthday party with friends, for a nicer gift. In Missoula we gave her a puppy mouse pad and told her about her computer waiting at home. We told her she had to contribute all her fun money she had saved. She stated, and I quote, "I got a new computer. I only had to pay $200 and my parents paid the rest. The best part is I am still filthy rich!!!" I guess, in a way, she is. All my girls have been blessed with birthday/Christmas money from family to have nice little nest eggs growing for college.

Happy Belated Birthday Taryn. We love you, our little entrepreneur.

The party!

Eight is Great!

The goodie bags: Silly string, water bottle, glow necklaces,

flashlights, birdhouses, gum, bubbles, and a tote.

Before the surprise -

Almost there!

Surprise:

The RED cheeks:

Beading necklaces in the tent.

Painting bird houses.

Silly String Fight!

(My personal favorite.)

Roasting marshmallows.

(Hmm...maybe this one was my favorite.)

My favorite card!

Grace Penny Thoughts for the night:

This was the best birthday ever!
So that's why you were cleaning the basement last night.

In response to the fact that she doesn't like surprises or to have people looking at her, "I do like it mom, I just have to get used to it." *See this post for more on the topic.