Midweek Confessions

I've been following Elizabeth at E, Myself, and I for quite some time. Here are my midweek confessions. . .

So to start off this week I totally messed up my check book balance. How I could forget about writing two pretty large checks is beyond me. It doesn't help that we spend money like we're millionaires. Now we have to keep things pretty tight to the belt for the next couple of weeks. Not a nice way to begin summer vacation.

Monday night or Tuesday morning take your pick, the cat,  Sebastien, started making hackinguphairball sounds. Typically he doesn't hack up hairballs; he pukes up his food instead. We think it's because he's such a HOG and eats too fast. So I heard the heaves and ran out of the bedroom to find him. Mind you everyone else in the house was asleep. I found Sebastien in the living room so I tried to grab him and take him into the kitchen. It's easier to clean cat puke off a linoleum floor. He evaded me and ran right into Michael's bedroom and under the bed. As I tried quietly to coax him out, he puked. Did I clean it up? No. I was not about to go under the bed and clean cat puke up and wake Michael in the process. It's still there. I figure it's easier to clean it up once it's dried. I'm such the housekeeper. I am not my mother in this regard.

In my last post, here, I told you about MomMom's fountain and how we placed it in our back flower bed. Well, Matt used a metal spike pounded into the ground to help support the back of the fountain to keep it from falling over on that side. After the boys left for football conditioning I painted the goose (also mentioned here). Then when Penelope the goose was finished I sat in my chair and listened to the sounds of my beautiful fountain. While I sat there I noticed that the bowl of the fountain wasn't even on all sides. Being the perfectionist that I am, I went over to the fountain and moved the bowl so it was centered on the pedestal. Unfortunately since I moved the bowl it no longer rested on the metal spike that was supporting it. My husband noticed it the next day. So far the fountain hasn't tipped over, but I just can't seem to leave well enough alone. Matt is just waiting to say "I told you so."

This week is finals week. My honors class had their final on last Friday and it was an essay exam. Your basic read the article and right a five paragraph position essay. They had all week to prepare and they could use their notes, an outline, and the article. They just had to do the writing in class. When I should have been grading their essays this weekend, I spent my time catching up on my reading - all the blogs that I follow - as well as writing on my blog. Where are my priorities?

Lastly, I procrastinated again. It seems to be a theme for this past week. I missed a whole week of GH so I sat and watched five episodes in a row. Matt had to work that morning and wouldn't be home until two-ish. I told him I'd have the messy kitchen cleaned by the time he got home so we could have our cookout. At one I finally moved from the couch and began cleaning up in the kitchen. I had to move fast. I turned on Pandora radio to some 80s music and jammed while I rocked out the kitchen. Music always makes me get things done faster and it makes chores a little more fun. When Matt got home he thought I spent the entire morning cleaning the kitchen. I'm good.

What are you confessing this week?

On a Wing and a Prayer: My Students WILL Get to Take Their Exam in the Blue Exam Booklets Like I Promised

I came home early from school today in the pouring down rain and boy did the temperature drop. Chilly and damp. I'm NOT complaining because my flowers so needed a drink and a break from the heat. But then so did I. My classroom can get quite stuffy and stinky with sweaty freshmen boys who just came from gym class. Eeeeewwww.

Anyway, I texted Michael to bring in the mail so it didn't get soaked by the rain. See, we haven't replaced the old mailbox yet (it's been almost two years since the siding was done on the house, and the mailbox was removed at that time) and when it rains the mail tends to drown to the point where I have to get out the blowdryer. You get the picture. My point is that I was expecting a package from Amazon, and I didn't want it to get wet.

Michael brought the mail in, and when I got home he brought the package to me. It was a thin tan envelope. I thought to myself: How in the world did Amazon fit 25 Blue Book Exam booklets in that thin little envelope. Well, they didn't. I opened the envelope to find not 25 booklets, but ONE. One. Booklet. I have 25 students in my Honors English class. 25. They cannot share ONE booklet.

This is the second time I have placed this order. The first time the booklets came the pages were grids. I donated them to the math teacher on my team. I figured he could always use graph paper. He kindly thanked me for my contribution.

Panic squeezed my throat. My kiddos have been preparing for the essay exam this whole week, and I told them they would be writing them in Blue Exam Books like students use at the college level. Their exam is TOMORROW. It was now 4 p.m. Where was I going to find Blue Books by tomorrow morning?

Google. I googled Blue Exam booklets and found them all over the internet, but I would have to order them and have them shipped. I needed a store. A place I could drive to and purchase exam booklets for tomorrow. Staples. No. Office Depot. No. Walmart. No. No. No. No. There wasn't one store that carried them. I had to order them from the online version of the store. I sat there staring at my computer screen wracking my brain for an answer.

Then it hit me. The bookstore at Bowling Green State University Fireland's campus that is located in Huron. Just 12 miles down the road. It was now 4:35. I called the bookstore before heading out. The young lady said yes they did have the Blue Exam booklets. I asked if she had 25 booklets. She said yes. I asked her what the hours were for today. She said the bookstore closed at 5 p.m. I told her I was leaving now from Vermilion and coming there to purchase 25 of the exam booklets. I thought I could make it.

I grabbed my purse and keys and ran out the door yelling to Michael over my shoulder that I was heading to BGSU and would be right back. At 4:42 I pulled out of my driveway. Once I got to Route 2, I literally flew down the highway. I asked God to send an angel to make sure I made it there in time, safely, and without getting picked up. It was still pouring down rain as I frantically drove the 12 miles to Huron. I also asked God to send an angel to the bookstore to make sure it was open when I arrived.

At 4:58 I pulled into a parking place, shut off the car, popped open my umbrella, and made a mad dash in my red dress and white high heeled sandals for the bookstore. When I got to the main door I pulled it open and thrust my umbrella through. Right. I didn't even put the umbrella down.

The girl, a college student by the looks of her, stood just inside the doors of the bookstore speaking with someone. I ran to the doors finally putting my umbrella down. The young lady behind the counter said "Can I help you?" Huffing and puffing I told her I was the woman who called about the exam booklets. She said "Oh. Yes. They're right over here." She led me to the shelf and asked me if I wanted the smaller version or the larger. I chose the larger.

We walked back to the counter. My breathing began to quiet. She told me she hoped I hadn't rushed too much. She said, "After you called I decided to keep the store open for a few extra minutes to make sure you got the booklets you needed."

"Bless your heart!" I beamed at her.

God answered my prayer getting me safely to the bookstore in time and without getting a ticket. He also answered my prayers in the form of a lovely young lady who was kind enough to give me some extra time. Talk about wonderful customer service. I'm writing a letter to BGSU to thank whoever hired this young woman and sing her praises.

I walked out of the bookstore with my orange BGSU bag filled with 25 exam booklets in hand. Unlocking the car door, I placed the bag on the passenger seat, put my umbrella down, and sat behind the wheel. I thanked God over and over again. When I turned the key in the ignition the low fuel light came on. I hadn't even realized how low I was on gas. I couldn't tell you if it was on while I was driving to the bookstore or not. A sense of calm came over me, and I just sat and breathed in and out. Smiling from ear to ear.

Thanks to God and this young lady, my students will get to take their exam in the Blue Exam booklets I've been telling them about.

I just had to share this with all of you because usually you hear people complain about poor customer service. Not this time. What a nice surprise.

When's the last time you received great customer service? Please share.

Reader's Notebook Turned Blog - A Teaching Moment

Back at the beginning of the school year, I wrote about The Book Whisperer and The Reading Zone. Both books inspired me to incorporate more reading into my classroom. Reading books that students chose as opposed to teacher or curriculum selected books. If you recall, my students read for 10 minutes a day, five days a week which adds up to 50 minutes a week. Not bad for high school. Side note: their reading scores improved! YEAH! More on that later.

They also created Reader's Notebooks. You can see the post on Reader's Notebook here. In their notebooks they listed the books that they were reading or had finished, including the name of the author, date finished, genre, and if it was easy, just right, or challenging. They abandoned books that they didn't like. Yes. They didn't have to stick with a book that they hated. The notebook also contained a section for someday books where students listed books that sounded interesting. Another section contained notes on genres, and the final section housed the letters they wrote to me about their books. Now that I've summed that up, let's move on.

Here at Perkins we're a pretty techie district. Students in grades six through twelve have their own laptops. Teachers are encouraged to incorporate technology into their curriculum maps. With that said, the Reader's Notebooks have been sitting in my classroom in their designated crates on top of my bookshelf, taking up much needed space. I decided to try blogging the Reader's Notebook. My honors English class was more than happy to play the guinea pigs if they received extra credit. Go figure.

Each student, voluntarily, created a personal blog through our school gmail account and blogger. They created a theme, personal profiles, cute animal widgets, number of hits, . . . - the whole nine yards. The home page was designated for posts like the letters they wrote to me about their books. They also created pages to house the Reader's Log, Someday Books, and Genre Notes. I gave them a week to create their blogs and write their final book review (letter) to post. Wow! . . . Wow!

Many of their blogs were something else! Plus their writing improved, immensely. You know why? Because anyone in the world could read their book review. Oh my gosh! How excited were they when they checked their stats and found out someone from Germany had visited their blog.

They decided that I just HAD to have next year's freshmen keep their Reader's Notebook on a blog. But not only that, they want me to have students write more of their assignments on the blog rather than turn them in the "old fashioned" way, typed. I was a little hesitant so they reassured me and suggested they post their final paper, a memoir, on their blog. Strictly voluntary, only those people who want to since writing a memoir is so personal.

We went back over the idea of how a blog is public.  We also spoke again about the power of words and that once we write them and send them out into the wide world of the internet, we can't get them back before someone reads them. No problem. We can handle it. And they did.

I'm so pleased with their enthusiasm for the blogs,  and the writing of their memoirs. With a "real" audience (I guess I'm chopped liver) they took extra care to make sure everything was perfect. You should have heard the conversations on revision and editing going on in this room. I wish I could share their blogs with you. Maybe some will say yes and I can post their links in the near future.

I'M THRILLED to say the least! Definitely a HAPPY teaching moment!

Have you used blogs in your classroom? If so please share what you've done and how it worked for you. Thanks! Have a blessed day.

Monday Musings

Monday Musings is not my idea. I borrowed it from another blogger. Her blog is called Stop and Smell the Chocolates. I really want to try to write more often so I thought this might help me out, especially on those frantic Mondays.

What I'm thinking: That today was the last Monday before school's out for Summer!

What I'm reading: Reading Blogger Behave: Make your blog benefit your life, so you can love both by Laura Booz. 

What I'm listening to: The whirring of my window fan. It went from winter to summer here in Ohio. It's hot in this house.

What we're learning:  I learned that sometimes I have to give more than one second chance. 

What I'm watching: I'm watching a ton of documentaries lately. We have apple TV and I never realized how many movies, TV shows, documentaries, etc are out there. Free! I'm also watching "Boy in the Striped Pajamas" with my freshmen. We read Night by Elie Wiesel which we loved. Sadly there isn't a movie. Although we did watch the Oprah interview with Elie at Auschwitz. I can't believe he was able to go back there. I don't think I could do it. Anyway we're watching "Boy in the Striped Pajamas." It gives my kiddos a different perspective about the Holocaust since it's about a little boy whose father is a Nazi officer in charge of one of the concentration camps. If your interested have tissues handy.

What's cooking: Matt fixed Boca burgers with lettuce, tomato, onion, and mayo along with tater tots. YUM! I can't wait for fresh veges for our "burgers".

What I'm buying:  We spent a ton of money this weekend on our yard. We bought boards to make our garden boxes (more on that later), paint for the goose and the fountain, a trellis for the climbing rose bush, bird seed, a new pole system for the bird feeder since ours bent, and flexible tube like things for the downspouts.

What I'm thankful for: I'm thankful for my friend Danielle who is so encouraging, creative, and always has my back. 

What I'm creating: A final exam to give to my adorable freshmen.

What I'm planning: I'm planning on writing in my blog more often. 

What we did this last weekend: Running around the stores for all the stuff we purchased and working in the yard to build the garden boxes, paint the fountain and goose, weed the flower beds, and sit quietly sipping iced tea and watching the birds.

What I'm looking forward to: Summer. I love my students. They've been such a wonderful bunch of kids this year. But I'm ready for a break before I begin planning for next year. I never seem to teach the same thing in the same way from year to year. I'm always changing to find what works best with the kiddos I have for that particular year. I'm looking forward to lazy days on the beach with a good book, weeding in my garden, riding our bikes, and riding the rides at Cedar Point.

A picture to share: 

I can't wait!

Mid Week Confessions

In July we renovated our bathroom, new tub and shower, new walls and ceiling, and new floor. We still have to put up the chair rail, base board, and mirror. We have procrastination down to a science.

I have a bad habit of coming home, eating dinner, and parking my butt on the couch to watch television. I don't even watch current shows. I watch reruns of NCIS, Cold Case, Law and Order, and Criminal Minds. Can you tell I enjoy crime and mystery stories. Maybe I was a detective in another life.

I finally broke down and purchased a Kindel. I never thought that I would because I love the smell and feel of books when I read. But I LOVE it! In one click I can purchase a book, and it downloads instantly to my Kindel. Maybe that's not so good for a book junkie like me.

 Since I purchased my Kindel, I'm addicted. I can't seem to wait to get home and read my book. I do think I'm reading more since I'm able to carry my Kindel in my purse with me. If I'm waiting somewhere like the doctor's office I just pull out my Kindel and read my book.

I'm eyeballing a Vera Bradley bag for my Kindel. Yes I know I'm obsessed! However, the bag is a little big for my Kindle Touch. But it's so CUTE! So far it's still sitting at one of my favorite stores in town, Decidedly Different.

DId I mention I bought a Kindel Touch? Just asking.

Mid Week Confessions

Well my first confession would be that I'm confessing on Saturday rather than on Wednesday which is the mid week point.

I broke down and purchased a Kindel and I absolutely LOVE it so far! I can't wait to get home each day to read my Kindel. I'm looking for a carrier that I can put it in to protect it from the craziness of my purse. Then I can bring it with me. Have Kindel - will read.

I baked a pumpkin pie today for my family along with four dozen chocolate chip cookies. The chocolate chip cookies are for church. So far I've eaten five. YIKES! And we haven't even cut into the pie yet.

I had a Big Mac attack today. What is it with me and food today?

Instead of writing on my blog, I went walking with my son in downtown Vermilion today. We popped into several of the shops along the way.

I got my hair cut and my husband couldn't even tell. Is that good or bad? Hmmm.

I've been driving to school with only two breaks working. Yesterday's snow on the morning drive was frightful. If you see a silver Ford Focus with a white knuckled woman driving get out of the way!

Hugs,

HopeAnn

ABC's All About Me

This morning while I was waiting for my pumpkin pie to bake, I was reading through the blogs I follow. I totally stole this idea for today's blog from Lisa at her blog Stop and Smell the Chocolates. 


Here are my ABC's:

Age: 44 - Not to bad so far.

Bed size: Queen - We said good bye to the king because it just didn't fit in our tiny house. More snuggling.

Chore you dislike: Am I allowed to say all of them? The only chore I don't mind is washing dishes. It reminds me of girl time with my MomMom and Aunt Danna.

Dogs: Isabella Rose my Yorkie, Sophia Mae my Chaweenie, and Jack Straw my Black Lab who is laying at my feet with his head under the chair. Sophia is in my lap making it difficult to type, and Isabella is laying on the kitchen floor wishing she were brave enough to jump down the one step to our back porch so she could join us. We also have a cat named Sebastian who sometimes thinks he's a dog. He would be irritated if I didn't include him somewhere.

Essential start to your day: A cup of tea.

Favorite color: Blue

Gold or silver: It dependes on my mood. Today - silver.

Height: 5'7"...ish That also seems to depend on the day.

Instruments you play(ed): Piano, clarinet, saxophone

Job title: Teacher

Kids: 1 joy of a boy

Live: Ohio - Go BUCKS!

Mom’s name: Sherry and Tish (I will probably share this story in the near future.)

Nicknames: Hopie, Inkie, Brown-eyed Doll, Hopeless, Hoppo, Boone - Some of these I have no idea where they came from.

Overnight hospital stays: Pneumonia when I was a child. When I gave birth to my son.

Pet Peeves: Poor customer service, people who only pretend to listen, automated telephones - you know, if you would like to speak to a live human being press any number you like because there aren't any here, and people who interrupt.

Quote from a movie: The first thing that popped into my mind was "Hakuna Matata!" 

Righty or Lefty: Righty

Siblings: This is also part of another story I might write about later. One older brother, two younger sisters, and six younger brothers.

Time you wake up: School - 5:30 am; Weekends and Summer - 8 ish.

Underwear: Yeah, I wear it!

Vegetables you don’t like: Brussel sprouts and Lima Beans!

What makes you run late: ME.  Poor time management.

X-Rays you’ve had: Chest (lungs), dental, and the one for ladies over 40.  :)

Yummy food you make: These are my husband and son's favorite things that I bake. Cheese cake, pumpkin pie, chocolate chip cookies, sugar cookies, and homemade macaroni and cheese.

Zoo animal favorite: Elephant

Now I've shared my ABC's. Please won't you share your ABC's with me? Use the linky below share your ABC's.

Hugs,

HopeAnn