This will be a better year. Last year was the year of good intentions. My desire is that THIS year will be the year of good ACTIONS! I have laid aside the idea that making resolutions will assist in bringing this about. All that ends up happening is that the resolutions haunt me and add to my guilty feelings. However, without goals, nothing will be accomplished.
Therefore, I am making some goals today. One of those is that I will write daily. I have three blogs. I will write something on one of those daily. Therefore, at least two times per week there should be some news on each of them. Knowing myself as I do, however, I realize that this is probably too lofty a goal. I am leaving it as my goal and promising myself and my friends that I will do my best to accomplish this goal. I should have at LEAST ONE item on each blog weekly. If I achieve this, I will consider myself successful.
I am writing at least weekly for our church as well. I write the curriculum for our kids church, along with puppet skits, etc. so that really is partly why I have been so lax in attending these blogs. And I also write quite a bit for my homeschooler. Teaching him some of the weirdness of the English language often works better by writing my own stories that fit the subjects. He is much more interested in reading about topics that peek his interest, and finding those at the library takes a lot of time. Not only that, but finding interesting topics that also fit the English rules of the week, can be a daunting task! This probably sounds like another excuse, and perhaps it is...
The point is, I shall truly attempt to do better at keeping up with the blogs. The request I have from you, my friends, is to encourage me, by making comments from time to time, or at least letting me know that you are reading them. Sometimes, I am tempted to make the blogs more like a journal or diary, which, I guess, is okay. However, daily, thoughts go through my mind that may well be of interest to my readers. So, if I know I have readers, I will be more motivated to get my thoughts onto the blogs. THANK YOU!
I love to write. I love to share. I love my friends. Happy New Year!
ps- this is the only time that all my blogs will say the same thing! THAT I promise!
Friday, January 1, 2010
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Time Flies When You're Having FUN!
Wow! Where has all the time flown off to? Perhaps it went south with the ducks and geese...Oh yeah! Not all the birds leave Arizona in the winter...and then we get the "snow birds"...Now I officially rambling. But it is true...time has gotten away from me. I titled this "Time Flies When YOu're having fun" because that is mostly what I have been doing. Fun! Of one type or another.
We changed out the ocean room to a pumpkin patch and falling leaves room and now it is already time to make into the snow room for the winter...or at least part of the winter I had hoped to make it a room full of snowmen and flakes...snowflakes, that is! So far, both time and energy have eluded me during the opportune hours for such a project!
Speaking of projects...I have been consumed with them of late. I hand-made a quilt for my youngest grandson's second birthday. I do this for each grandchild on that birthday. I try to go with a theme that they or their parents choose. Last year Girlfriend got a princess one. Mr. Boo's was a "things that go" theme, mostly with trains, planes, and trucks. There were some cars, hot air balloons, school buses, and bicycles on it too. Oh! And a skateboard or two! It took me a lot longer than I anticipated. Struggling with osteo-arthritis and fibromyalgia is not fun. Such handiwork has to be done in segments...when I can take the challenge. But, that all got done and arrived by his birthday. He seems to like it very much!
The next project I tackled was making Girlfriend a dollhouse for Christmas. I started off really cheaply with a small book case I purchased for one dollar at a yard sale. Then came the paint...four different colors to match a table and chair set she has which was custom made. Then Grandpa made a roof...then I bought tiles for the flooring...and a pink placemat for the bedroom carpet. then we made or bought (depending on the room) furniture for each room. So it now has a kitchen, dining room, bathroom, famil room, bedroom, and two more unfurnished rooms at the moment. Thinking about going with a laundry room and a parent's bedroom...but I may have to make the bed...can't find one...anyway, that is almost done. Just have to velcro the furniture to the flooring so it doesn't slip around and get broken or lost! PTL!
I also picked up a doll cradle and two high chairs at yard sales...all for under ten bucks! They are all wooden...so I painted them to match all the other furniture as well. Now the challenge is finding boxes so I can wrap them up!
And now I have a few projects for the adult children in my life. I cannot disclose those here, however, just in case one or more of them should decide to read this blog. Never have yet, but who knows? Those are all easier and less intense with the physcial aspects, but time-consuming none-the-less!
On top of all this, I have managed to decorate my home almost completely, and get my Christmas cards done for the first time in like five years or more! Ha!
Well, I did not intend to write an epistle of extraordinary lengths, but it looks like I have done so anyway! I shall try to be more accomodating to be faithful to write this blog...I have to say that Facebook is part of the problem, as I get on there and feel like I have displayed my events and overlook this blog. I shall do better...I shall do better...I shall do better... (I may have to write this on the board 1000 times!)
MERRY CHRISTMAS if I don't get around to blogging before then! AND HAVE A BLESSED SEASON OF JOY,,,not stress!
We changed out the ocean room to a pumpkin patch and falling leaves room and now it is already time to make into the snow room for the winter...or at least part of the winter I had hoped to make it a room full of snowmen and flakes...snowflakes, that is! So far, both time and energy have eluded me during the opportune hours for such a project!
Speaking of projects...I have been consumed with them of late. I hand-made a quilt for my youngest grandson's second birthday. I do this for each grandchild on that birthday. I try to go with a theme that they or their parents choose. Last year Girlfriend got a princess one. Mr. Boo's was a "things that go" theme, mostly with trains, planes, and trucks. There were some cars, hot air balloons, school buses, and bicycles on it too. Oh! And a skateboard or two! It took me a lot longer than I anticipated. Struggling with osteo-arthritis and fibromyalgia is not fun. Such handiwork has to be done in segments...when I can take the challenge. But, that all got done and arrived by his birthday. He seems to like it very much!
The next project I tackled was making Girlfriend a dollhouse for Christmas. I started off really cheaply with a small book case I purchased for one dollar at a yard sale. Then came the paint...four different colors to match a table and chair set she has which was custom made. Then Grandpa made a roof...then I bought tiles for the flooring...and a pink placemat for the bedroom carpet. then we made or bought (depending on the room) furniture for each room. So it now has a kitchen, dining room, bathroom, famil room, bedroom, and two more unfurnished rooms at the moment. Thinking about going with a laundry room and a parent's bedroom...but I may have to make the bed...can't find one...anyway, that is almost done. Just have to velcro the furniture to the flooring so it doesn't slip around and get broken or lost! PTL!
I also picked up a doll cradle and two high chairs at yard sales...all for under ten bucks! They are all wooden...so I painted them to match all the other furniture as well. Now the challenge is finding boxes so I can wrap them up!
And now I have a few projects for the adult children in my life. I cannot disclose those here, however, just in case one or more of them should decide to read this blog. Never have yet, but who knows? Those are all easier and less intense with the physcial aspects, but time-consuming none-the-less!
On top of all this, I have managed to decorate my home almost completely, and get my Christmas cards done for the first time in like five years or more! Ha!
Well, I did not intend to write an epistle of extraordinary lengths, but it looks like I have done so anyway! I shall try to be more accomodating to be faithful to write this blog...I have to say that Facebook is part of the problem, as I get on there and feel like I have displayed my events and overlook this blog. I shall do better...I shall do better...I shall do better... (I may have to write this on the board 1000 times!)
MERRY CHRISTMAS if I don't get around to blogging before then! AND HAVE A BLESSED SEASON OF JOY,,,not stress!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Out with whales and in with the leaves~
What a week! I really should say, "What a month!" It has been full of changes. We changed out our Science topic from the Ocean and its creatures to Chemistry and the study of Matter. That meant we had the sad task of taking down our ocean room and replacing it with pumpkins, leaves, and resemblences of fall. While I do not yet have current pix of the fall room, I will post some of the ocean one. While this new one is not as elaborate, it was fun putting together and designing. Three of my grandsons on Columbus Day painted the "wallpaper" and made some of the pumpkins.
As far as the Science goes, learning about matter, and atoms and the table of elements and protons and neutrons and electrons, etc. is really quite fun. Handsome has a kit from Academy of Science for Kids which has packettes with hands-on explanations and experiments. He finds them very intersting, I find them easy to use and teach. This appears to be a very good program. I never took Chemistry in school and while I picked up some of the info along the way, it is enlightening to me as well. I think I WILL try to memorize the table of elements...just to see if I can! (Maybe you can teach an "old" granny new info!)
Girlfriend is potty-training. She is so funny when she accomplishes her task. She beams and claps and points. And announces it to Daddy and sometimes Grandpa on the phone...
There are lots of tales to share...and I shall share a many soon. As for today, I just wanted to post something and some pictures now that I have my computer figured out!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
The Power of a Moment
That's all it took...a quick moment of inattentiveness...I left the scene to get a different marker since the one we were using was running low. Girlfriend had been quietly coloring with her crayons at her own desk. Upon seeing me leave, she decided to follow, at which Handsome decided to move her desk slightly.
This created a reaction which concluded by them both pushing the desk across the room. This would not have been a big issue, had not a wayward crayon gotten lodged under the leg of the desk.
YES! In a brief moment of time, the light colored carpet was hued with a dark blue streak about four feet long!
So, I spent a good deal of the afternoon trying to remove the color. In the end, I did succeed, but if you look REALLY closely, you can tell that there has been some marking. Fortunately, most of us don't look THAT closely, and if we tried to, there would be too much action of little feet dancing or playing anyway!
THis, is the power of a simple moment!
This created a reaction which concluded by them both pushing the desk across the room. This would not have been a big issue, had not a wayward crayon gotten lodged under the leg of the desk.
YES! In a brief moment of time, the light colored carpet was hued with a dark blue streak about four feet long!
So, I spent a good deal of the afternoon trying to remove the color. In the end, I did succeed, but if you look REALLY closely, you can tell that there has been some marking. Fortunately, most of us don't look THAT closely, and if we tried to, there would be too much action of little feet dancing or playing anyway!
THis, is the power of a simple moment!
Sunday, October 4, 2009
The Baby Needs You
Girlfriend is well into her twos as evidenced by her antics. And now that Hunky is attending regular Kindergarten, she requires some extra attention at times. This is fine, even wonderful, to spend special time with her. However, sometimes she prefers that one on one time to be in the middle of Handsome's instruction time.
Grandma, here, being full of antics myself, came up with a "solution"...or so I thought.
"Girlfriend! I hear your baby crying! She needs you! Go get your baby and feed her!"
This worked for a few times, with Girlfriend taking off at lightning speed to care for her baby.
But! she was not to be outdone! Later that week, when she was in need of a time out, thinking quickly to avoid "the time-out corner" she yells out "Wait! I hear my baby crying! She needs me!"
AND as if THAT wasn't funny enough...THIS week, when I tried to use the same tactic, she looks at me and says "Gramma...that baby is just fine!"
Grandma, here, being full of antics myself, came up with a "solution"...or so I thought.
"Girlfriend! I hear your baby crying! She needs you! Go get your baby and feed her!"
This worked for a few times, with Girlfriend taking off at lightning speed to care for her baby.
But! she was not to be outdone! Later that week, when she was in need of a time out, thinking quickly to avoid "the time-out corner" she yells out "Wait! I hear my baby crying! She needs me!"
AND as if THAT wasn't funny enough...THIS week, when I tried to use the same tactic, she looks at me and says "Gramma...that baby is just fine!"
Saturday, September 19, 2009
The Adventures of Girlfriend and Handsome!
I promised to try to keep this updated and I am once again failing to perform! I think it is largely because I want to be clever or funny or meaningful. alas, there are some days, and even weeks, in which I do not feel funny, clever, or even meaningful...
I will however, blog about our recent field trips...I signed Handsome up for the homeschool program at the Science Center and we attended two classes so far. This last one had to do with magnification...using all kinds of magnifiers...water, lenses, microscopes, etc. It was really fun!
But we went to the AZ Museum of Natural History a few days ago. THAT was really fun! We got to see scenes from the Old West, pan for gold, lock ourselves in a jail cell, examine a stage coach, put together a Native American pootery puzzle,toured a mine shaft set-up and much more! And that was all just in the Old West section.
There is a section on Earth Science where we met Elivs, an alligator, and an alligator turtle who snapped at us through the glass aquarium. We saw the Universe models and the star system. We saw how houses were built before bricks and plaster.
The only "bummer" was that the fantastic dinosaur section was down for repairs. We got to see the "life-size" dinos, but they did not make their noises and movements like they advertise. Oh well. they were awesome anyway! And there were plenty of skeletons too!
I would post pictures, but I forgot my camera and had to buy a one-use type at the gift shop. Not sure if I can scan those or not. This new computer has a different photo program than I am used to, which is why I have not been posting. I will figure it out and get some up soon!
Anyway, life is interesting and different with just Handsome and Girlfriend. Hunky is in regular Kindergarten and doing quite well. Girlfriend misses him. It becomes a delicate balancing act to keep her occupied while Handsome receives instructions for school. She doesn't want to miss out on anything! I need her to self-entertain somewhat, with things I provide of course, and yet, I don't want her to feel lonely or left out. She needs some 1:1 time too. Getting all the topics and proper instruction done AND meeting her needs is quite the challenge. So far, we are managing it...I hope fairly well...
She loves going with us to the field trips and Science classes. So far, she is doing well with it all. I bring along her own special activity box to the classes, which helps a lot. These are things she does not get to play with elsewhere, so they are fresh and exciting!
Hunky comes home before I leave. He gets a snack...or two...or three! Sometimes the neighbor children, with whom he rides to and from school, stay to play for awhile.
All in all, I love my job! I love being with my grandchildren. I love the learning opportunities I have. I love passing on knowlege. I think I should have been a full-time teacher years all along! But then, I loved doing ALL the things I have done in my life...career-wise anyway. What a way to "retire" (which is what my last job called my departure)...AND NOW WE HAVE NEW ADVENTURES DAILY!
I will however, blog about our recent field trips...I signed Handsome up for the homeschool program at the Science Center and we attended two classes so far. This last one had to do with magnification...using all kinds of magnifiers...water, lenses, microscopes, etc. It was really fun!
But we went to the AZ Museum of Natural History a few days ago. THAT was really fun! We got to see scenes from the Old West, pan for gold, lock ourselves in a jail cell, examine a stage coach, put together a Native American pootery puzzle,toured a mine shaft set-up and much more! And that was all just in the Old West section.
There is a section on Earth Science where we met Elivs, an alligator, and an alligator turtle who snapped at us through the glass aquarium. We saw the Universe models and the star system. We saw how houses were built before bricks and plaster.
The only "bummer" was that the fantastic dinosaur section was down for repairs. We got to see the "life-size" dinos, but they did not make their noises and movements like they advertise. Oh well. they were awesome anyway! And there were plenty of skeletons too!
I would post pictures, but I forgot my camera and had to buy a one-use type at the gift shop. Not sure if I can scan those or not. This new computer has a different photo program than I am used to, which is why I have not been posting. I will figure it out and get some up soon!
Anyway, life is interesting and different with just Handsome and Girlfriend. Hunky is in regular Kindergarten and doing quite well. Girlfriend misses him. It becomes a delicate balancing act to keep her occupied while Handsome receives instructions for school. She doesn't want to miss out on anything! I need her to self-entertain somewhat, with things I provide of course, and yet, I don't want her to feel lonely or left out. She needs some 1:1 time too. Getting all the topics and proper instruction done AND meeting her needs is quite the challenge. So far, we are managing it...I hope fairly well...
She loves going with us to the field trips and Science classes. So far, she is doing well with it all. I bring along her own special activity box to the classes, which helps a lot. These are things she does not get to play with elsewhere, so they are fresh and exciting!
Hunky comes home before I leave. He gets a snack...or two...or three! Sometimes the neighbor children, with whom he rides to and from school, stay to play for awhile.
All in all, I love my job! I love being with my grandchildren. I love the learning opportunities I have. I love passing on knowlege. I think I should have been a full-time teacher years all along! But then, I loved doing ALL the things I have done in my life...career-wise anyway. What a way to "retire" (which is what my last job called my departure)...AND NOW WE HAVE NEW ADVENTURES DAILY!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Somewhere Over the Rainbows!
Aren't children great? If only we could harness their energy and their imaginations to release for them later in life. I realize that not all of the energy is directed in the most appropriate places. Nor are the tales they spin full of accurate details. But what fun they are!
I have been substitute teaching the Rainbows...3 year olds through Kindergarten on Wednesday evenings at church for about 13 weeks. Last night was my last class. They made me promise to visit and bring some of my puppets back too. We had cupcakes and Capri Sun drinks and made some messess. The great thing here is that the janitor comes on Thursday mornings. He told me to just surface clean and he would do the rest. What a guy!
Actually, last night, we made more noise than mess. We made maraccas out of two plastic cups partially filled with beans, and duct-taped together! Works pretty well, but it can get loud! Especially with more boys than girls. So I told them a story and every time they heard the word "God" in the story, they got to shake their maraccas. One boy got a little carried away and I had to limit the amounts of shakes. Some of the other children got so enrapt in the story that they forgot to shake their maraccas! All in all it was a good night!
This class has made me laugh more times than I can count! Children say such amazing things. One night we were talking about listening and were playing a game where I made two statements about something...one of which was true and one of which was not. I said silly things to keep them laughing, but one girl totally cracked me up! I had said..."girls are pretty but they have purple eyes" and she corrected me about the eyes. So my next statement was "boys are strong, but they smell bad", to which she repleid "That's not right! Boys are not strong!" I couldn't help it! I lost it! But even the boys thought it was funny. Of course, they then wanted to inform us about HOW they get smelly...but that's another story!
I have delightful pictures of them showing me their muscles when the lesson had to do with being strong and healthy. I have silly pictures of them wearing a multi-colored wig...well they story was about Joseph's COAT of many colors, but I didn't have a coat...a wig, I DID have! They loved it! We have painted with paint rollers on butcher paper, painted with jello and glue, gone rock hunting in the parking areas, picked up trash on a "hike" in the parking areas, and made many interesting crafts! And oh, the stories I heard!
Don't worry! If your child was in my class, I did NOT believe everything I heard! In fact, on several occasions, I mentioned these tales to the parents who set the record straight and got a good laugh at the same time! Such stories like..."I have four dogs, three cats, a lizard, a frog, two rats, and fourteen fish at my house!" She actually has two dogs and that is all!
I shall miss these children. But I am also glad to return to the world of the adults. It will not be so entertaining I am sure! It will have a different set of challenges and delight. And I shall visit these children often...along with puppets Ezra, Bubba, and Thing-a-ma-jig! And I might even show up in that Rainbow wig!
I have been substitute teaching the Rainbows...3 year olds through Kindergarten on Wednesday evenings at church for about 13 weeks. Last night was my last class. They made me promise to visit and bring some of my puppets back too. We had cupcakes and Capri Sun drinks and made some messess. The great thing here is that the janitor comes on Thursday mornings. He told me to just surface clean and he would do the rest. What a guy!
Actually, last night, we made more noise than mess. We made maraccas out of two plastic cups partially filled with beans, and duct-taped together! Works pretty well, but it can get loud! Especially with more boys than girls. So I told them a story and every time they heard the word "God" in the story, they got to shake their maraccas. One boy got a little carried away and I had to limit the amounts of shakes. Some of the other children got so enrapt in the story that they forgot to shake their maraccas! All in all it was a good night!
This class has made me laugh more times than I can count! Children say such amazing things. One night we were talking about listening and were playing a game where I made two statements about something...one of which was true and one of which was not. I said silly things to keep them laughing, but one girl totally cracked me up! I had said..."girls are pretty but they have purple eyes" and she corrected me about the eyes. So my next statement was "boys are strong, but they smell bad", to which she repleid "That's not right! Boys are not strong!" I couldn't help it! I lost it! But even the boys thought it was funny. Of course, they then wanted to inform us about HOW they get smelly...but that's another story!
I have delightful pictures of them showing me their muscles when the lesson had to do with being strong and healthy. I have silly pictures of them wearing a multi-colored wig...well they story was about Joseph's COAT of many colors, but I didn't have a coat...a wig, I DID have! They loved it! We have painted with paint rollers on butcher paper, painted with jello and glue, gone rock hunting in the parking areas, picked up trash on a "hike" in the parking areas, and made many interesting crafts! And oh, the stories I heard!
Don't worry! If your child was in my class, I did NOT believe everything I heard! In fact, on several occasions, I mentioned these tales to the parents who set the record straight and got a good laugh at the same time! Such stories like..."I have four dogs, three cats, a lizard, a frog, two rats, and fourteen fish at my house!" She actually has two dogs and that is all!
I shall miss these children. But I am also glad to return to the world of the adults. It will not be so entertaining I am sure! It will have a different set of challenges and delight. And I shall visit these children often...along with puppets Ezra, Bubba, and Thing-a-ma-jig! And I might even show up in that Rainbow wig!
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