The dishwasher repairman came today. He actually showed!!!! Things are back to normal and my hands no longer have wrinkles from sink water. Thanks to Stefan's convincing arguments with Whirlpool that a 3 year old dishwasher (that was 2 years past its warranty) should not be having catastrophic failures like this, they agreed to cover the service charge and labor leaving us to pay for the parts. Whoever authorized this either misspoke or entered the information into their system wrong because the repairman was insistent that we were responsible for service and labor and that Whirpool was covering the parts. Good thing because the parts alone were more than $500. We have a new motor and timer (essentially a new machine altogether). A new machine would have cost less.
Anyway, we are back in the 21st century and I couldn't be happier!
Friday, September 28, 2007
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Lexism of the week
Tonight I was reading a Strawberry Shortcake story to Lexi. They characters in the book were planting a berry patch and Strawberry assigned jobs to everyone except her dog, Pupcake. When Pupcake voiced his disapproval, Strawberry said that Pupcake could supervise. Lexi stopped me and asked what 'supervise' means. I told her that it means someone that bosses other people around. I should've chosen my words more carefully.
"You've been supervising me for a long time and I DON'T LIKE IT," she exclaimed.
Oh dear!
"You've been supervising me for a long time and I DON'T LIKE IT," she exclaimed.
Oh dear!
We're officially in Mayberry
Our dishwasher is on the fritz. This stinks for a family of 4 that normally runs 1-2 loads a day. The repairman was supposed to be here sometime yesterday but never showed. I called this morning to check on the status and they told me that the earliest they could get to us is tomorrow. I was not happy but what can you do? So, I had to give in and wash the dishes by hand (Stefan dried). It's funny how much you don't realize you depend on modern conveniences until something like this happens. We were joking at the time that it felt like we were living in the sixties.
It also reminded me of a bumper sticker my mom had on her car when I was Lexi's age. It said, "If God had wanted me to cook and clean I would have been born with stainless steel hands."
Isn't that the truth!
It also reminded me of a bumper sticker my mom had on her car when I was Lexi's age. It said, "If God had wanted me to cook and clean I would have been born with stainless steel hands."
Isn't that the truth!
All In Baby!
Well, Stefan didn't have to work last night. He took the night off because I couldn't arrange a sitter to cover me yesterday while I was at school. Since I was home by 6, he decided to participate in an All In Texas Hold 'Em Tournament for a local children's charity. There was quite a decent turn out--about 70-100 people depending on who you ask. Well, Stefan worked his way through the ranks and eventually made it to the final table. I knew he played at work every once in awhile but I had no idea he was that good. Well, I am happy to report that he was the overall winner of the tournament. Yippee!!!! He got some good door prizes, but the ultimate winners out of all of this are the kids that benefit from the services provided by the Cherokee Child Advocacy Council--the charity the tournament was for.
Oh, what's funny is one of the prizes he won was the final table (the actual table) that he eventually won at. It was his to take home, but he had to have someone else bring it for him (Thanks Tim!) because Stefan took his motorcycle to the tournament. Ha ha!!!!! They were all making fun of him saying they'd strap it to his back and whatnot. Too funny.
Oh, what's funny is one of the prizes he won was the final table (the actual table) that he eventually won at. It was his to take home, but he had to have someone else bring it for him (Thanks Tim!) because Stefan took his motorcycle to the tournament. Ha ha!!!!! They were all making fun of him saying they'd strap it to his back and whatnot. Too funny.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Abbyisms of the week
#1
Stefan owns a lawn service (common sense to some of you, but not to others). Anyway, he maintains properties all over the city of Canton which also includes some properties in our neighborhood--more specifically our immediate neighbors. Whenever he pulls up in front of the house, unloads his equipment and gets it going the girls go crazy. They'll go to the nearest window to catch a glimpse of Daddy. Lexi started this awhile ago and Abby now recognizes the familiar whir of the machines. Now, with Lexi in school, Abby has a front row seat at the window which is the perfect height for her to be able to see out of it unimpeded. She'll call out, "Daddy! Daddy!" and bang on the windows laughing and screaming screams of pure delight. Stefan sees these antics and performs little tricks that just crack Abby up.
The other night, while Stefan was at his "day job" a crew that maintains the common areas in the subdivision came to perform their duties. Abby and I were upstairs and she heard the groan of a backpack blower. She ran over to my bedroom window and started her usually antics screaming, "Daddy! Daddy!" It was so cute I had to call Stefan and let him hear what he doesn't when he is deafened by the hum of his equipment. He got a kick out of that. Meanwhile, Abby could not and would not understand that it was not Daddy out there after all and I didn't have the heart to press the issue with her.
#2
Abby has figured out what bath time means. I can spell B-A-T-H and she goes running for the stairs. Her climbing prowess is also at a level that she can climb into the tub unassisted but that's another story for another time I suppose. Anyway, tonight I said the word and she was off to the races skidding and falling on the entryway floor. That's how much of a rush she was in! That didn't halt her for long, though, she was up and climbing the stairs (with me close behind of course). When we got to the bathroom I started running the water and she was beside herself with delight. She started saying, "Gibbum, gibbum...GIBBUM!" while I was undressing her. Each time her tone getting more and more persistent. Anyway, I had no idea what she was trying to say until I told her to "get in". Oh my gosh! She was trying to say "get in". I tried to call Stefan so he could hear this too, but she would not "perform" while the intimidating phone was being waved in the air. We hung up and I eased her down into the bubbles and, in a relieved what-have-you-been-waiting-for tone, she sighed one last drawn out and satisfied, "Giiiiiibbuuuuum!"
Stefan owns a lawn service (common sense to some of you, but not to others). Anyway, he maintains properties all over the city of Canton which also includes some properties in our neighborhood--more specifically our immediate neighbors. Whenever he pulls up in front of the house, unloads his equipment and gets it going the girls go crazy. They'll go to the nearest window to catch a glimpse of Daddy. Lexi started this awhile ago and Abby now recognizes the familiar whir of the machines. Now, with Lexi in school, Abby has a front row seat at the window which is the perfect height for her to be able to see out of it unimpeded. She'll call out, "Daddy! Daddy!" and bang on the windows laughing and screaming screams of pure delight. Stefan sees these antics and performs little tricks that just crack Abby up.
The other night, while Stefan was at his "day job" a crew that maintains the common areas in the subdivision came to perform their duties. Abby and I were upstairs and she heard the groan of a backpack blower. She ran over to my bedroom window and started her usually antics screaming, "Daddy! Daddy!" It was so cute I had to call Stefan and let him hear what he doesn't when he is deafened by the hum of his equipment. He got a kick out of that. Meanwhile, Abby could not and would not understand that it was not Daddy out there after all and I didn't have the heart to press the issue with her.
#2
Abby has figured out what bath time means. I can spell B-A-T-H and she goes running for the stairs. Her climbing prowess is also at a level that she can climb into the tub unassisted but that's another story for another time I suppose. Anyway, tonight I said the word and she was off to the races skidding and falling on the entryway floor. That's how much of a rush she was in! That didn't halt her for long, though, she was up and climbing the stairs (with me close behind of course). When we got to the bathroom I started running the water and she was beside herself with delight. She started saying, "Gibbum, gibbum...GIBBUM!" while I was undressing her. Each time her tone getting more and more persistent. Anyway, I had no idea what she was trying to say until I told her to "get in". Oh my gosh! She was trying to say "get in". I tried to call Stefan so he could hear this too, but she would not "perform" while the intimidating phone was being waved in the air. We hung up and I eased her down into the bubbles and, in a relieved what-have-you-been-waiting-for tone, she sighed one last drawn out and satisfied, "Giiiiiibbuuuuum!"
Sanitize, sterilize, repeat
The girls have each been running on-and-off fevers since the end of last week. Lexi's has been more serious and she has been complaining of a sore throat to boot. Abby, on the other hand, is probably just teething or a experiencing a growth spurt. We took them both to the doctor today and, as luck would have it, they miraculously seemed to be better while we were there. Neither one was running a fever, Abby was awake (she slept most of the day away yesterday), and overall their spirits were as high as their normal.
The doctor must've thought we were crazy. He did, however, say that Lexi's throat was a bit red and he ordered a strep culture which came back negative. So, we left after emptying our wallets for two copays, with no prescriptions, no answers...just friggin lollipops and stickers!
"Come back if there is a change by the end of the week," the doctor said.
He really thinks we're nuts!
Anyway, we came home to pick up Lexi's school bag and drop her off at school. As I was ushering her into the building, I opened the door and put my hand on her back. Her back was burning up! Maybe it's just the heat from the sun, I tried to convince myself. I closed the door and felt her forehead. HOT!!!! We returned to the car and told Stefan. We decided she would stay home the rest of the day on regular doses of Motrin. So much for the child that presented to the doctor to be sufficiently healthy, now she's home sick!
The doctor must've thought we were crazy. He did, however, say that Lexi's throat was a bit red and he ordered a strep culture which came back negative. So, we left after emptying our wallets for two copays, with no prescriptions, no answers...just friggin lollipops and stickers!
"Come back if there is a change by the end of the week," the doctor said.
He really thinks we're nuts!
Anyway, we came home to pick up Lexi's school bag and drop her off at school. As I was ushering her into the building, I opened the door and put my hand on her back. Her back was burning up! Maybe it's just the heat from the sun, I tried to convince myself. I closed the door and felt her forehead. HOT!!!! We returned to the car and told Stefan. We decided she would stay home the rest of the day on regular doses of Motrin. So much for the child that presented to the doctor to be sufficiently healthy, now she's home sick!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Dear God: A quasy Lexism
Lexi and I have started to reread a bible story book that she has had for some time. We've also read a bible for little eyes a couple of times. I tend to concentrate mostly on the Old Testament since that is a common link between my Methodist background and Stefan's Jewish background. Anyway, we usually would read this at bedtime as her bedtime story per her request and when we were done with the reading I would lead her in prayer giving her prompts like, "What do you want to thank God for?" or "Is there anyone you want to ask God to bless?" You get the point.
All this time I thought that I was doing a decent job in making sure that she understood what we were reading, but this week she has been wanting to pray on her own and this is what she has come out with,
9-18-07
We read the story about God's creation, the Garden of Eden, and Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit. We discussed that it was bad because they didn't obey God and that God would not be happy.
Dear God,
I wish that you could be like me. But you can't because I am me.
Dear God.
[And she opens her eyes to scan my face for approval]
I had to tell her that her goal should be to be like Him. She was upset.
9-19-07
We read about Adam and Eve's struggles outside the Garden, Noah's obedience in building the ark, and God's promise to Abraham to give him many children.
Dear God,
I wish that you would let Adam and Eve stay in the garden. Please obey my word.
Amen.
Then she opens her eyes and says, "He’s going to get that one for real! FOR REAL!!"
All this time I thought that I was doing a decent job in making sure that she understood what we were reading, but this week she has been wanting to pray on her own and this is what she has come out with,
9-18-07
We read the story about God's creation, the Garden of Eden, and Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit. We discussed that it was bad because they didn't obey God and that God would not be happy.
Dear God,
I wish that you could be like me. But you can't because I am me.
Dear God.
[And she opens her eyes to scan my face for approval]
I had to tell her that her goal should be to be like Him. She was upset.
9-19-07
We read about Adam and Eve's struggles outside the Garden, Noah's obedience in building the ark, and God's promise to Abraham to give him many children.
Dear God,
I wish that you would let Adam and Eve stay in the garden. Please obey my word.
Amen.
Then she opens her eyes and says, "He’s going to get that one for real! FOR REAL!!"
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Sunday, sunday...
Today, we went to a different church just to check it out. I’ve been watching the pastor’s blog for awhile and thought that it would be interesting. It is kind of a scaled down smaller version of the church we attended for two years and reminds me of the early days of that church before it became so big. When we were leaving, Lexi asked if we could go somewhere expensive for brunch. After some back-and-forth banter she remained steadfast. She wanted something expensive. Watch out Tiffany & Co. she’s coming for you in the future!
We went to Jocks & Jills for their brunch buffet. As we were getting settled in, we ran into Gary–the lead pastor from the aforementioned “big” church. It was a bit awkward. I kind of felt like we had cheated on him by going to another church if that makes any sense at all. It wasn’t awkward in the sense that I felt when I posted this. It was very friendly and cordial.
Anyway, Lexi got her wish. That brunch was much more expensive than we had planned on, but boy was it yummy!!!!
Tonight, we were having dinner at home and Lexi was sitting on her knees in her seat and squirming like she had ants in her pants.
“Sit on your hieny,” I told her.
“I am.”
“Stop talking back.”
“I’m not.” This was too much for Stefan and I. We saw the irony in her response yet she had not.
“Eat your dinner,” I continued.
”I am.”
I know there is such a thing as a rhetorical question –one that is asked without an expected response –but is there such a thing as a rhetorical statement?
We went to Jocks & Jills for their brunch buffet. As we were getting settled in, we ran into Gary–the lead pastor from the aforementioned “big” church. It was a bit awkward. I kind of felt like we had cheated on him by going to another church if that makes any sense at all. It wasn’t awkward in the sense that I felt when I posted this. It was very friendly and cordial.
Anyway, Lexi got her wish. That brunch was much more expensive than we had planned on, but boy was it yummy!!!!
Tonight, we were having dinner at home and Lexi was sitting on her knees in her seat and squirming like she had ants in her pants.
“Sit on your hieny,” I told her.
“I am.”
“Stop talking back.”
“I’m not.” This was too much for Stefan and I. We saw the irony in her response yet she had not.
“Eat your dinner,” I continued.
”I am.”
I know there is such a thing as a rhetorical question –one that is asked without an expected response –but is there such a thing as a rhetorical statement?
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Field of Dreams
current mood: proud
Lexi was super excited about her soccer game today. When she woke up, she got dressed in her uniform and then came in to wake us although we were already up with Abby. She looked so cute. She told us that this week was going to be different than last and she did not underestimate that at all. She played quite a bit more than she did last week and in the first half of the game, she actually kicked the ball about 10 times as much as she did last week.
Lexi's team, The Rockets, played a team called the Lions. When we first got settled in we saw a familiar face, Preston from Revolution church. His son plays on the Lions. His wife is about to have their third child any day now and I could not believe that she was there, too. I tell you what, if I were in her condition that's the last place I would want to be. What a trooper and she looked great!
At one point of the game, Lexi got control of the ball close to the other team's goal and took it all the way to The Rockets' goal before she got tripped by one of her own teammates. She quickly bounced right up and got back in the action. Quite different than her fall last week. At one point, she almost even scored a goal for the Rockets. Lexi was a great team player with a great attitude and we were very proud of her today.
Go Rockets!!!!!!
Lexi was super excited about her soccer game today. When she woke up, she got dressed in her uniform and then came in to wake us although we were already up with Abby. She looked so cute. She told us that this week was going to be different than last and she did not underestimate that at all. She played quite a bit more than she did last week and in the first half of the game, she actually kicked the ball about 10 times as much as she did last week.
Lexi's team, The Rockets, played a team called the Lions. When we first got settled in we saw a familiar face, Preston from Revolution church. His son plays on the Lions. His wife is about to have their third child any day now and I could not believe that she was there, too. I tell you what, if I were in her condition that's the last place I would want to be. What a trooper and she looked great!
At one point of the game, Lexi got control of the ball close to the other team's goal and took it all the way to The Rockets' goal before she got tripped by one of her own teammates. She quickly bounced right up and got back in the action. Quite different than her fall last week. At one point, she almost even scored a goal for the Rockets. Lexi was a great team player with a great attitude and we were very proud of her today.
Go Rockets!!!!!!
Friday, September 14, 2007
Lexisms of the week
#1
This week, I attended Curriculum Night at Lexi's school. This is when the entire Kindergarten team gets the parents together to discuss what the goals are for the year. I had to arrange a sitter to stay with the kids because I received a note in Lexi's folder stating that they would like to make an effort for this to be a "adult only" event. Whatever! Anyway, when I was telling Lexi about the sitter, whom had sat before but Lexi never met (I used this sitter for when I was bowling a league that started after Lexi's bedtime) Lexi asked me what I was going to. I told her Curriculum Night. "What's Maricicum Night?" I did my best to spell it the way she said it. Stefan and I just laughed.
#2
Lexi had her first spelling quiz today. Her teacher had sent home a short, 9 word list on Monday. On Monday, we went through the list. On Tuesday we wrote the words. On Wednesday, I had her start spelling the words out loud. On Thursday, I wanted to quiz her like she could expect to be quizzed. By then though Lexi was sick of these nine words and didn't want to participate in the exercise. Thinking quick, I suggested we play school and that I'll be the teacher and she be the student. She quickly agreed and I said, "Okay class. Today we are having a spelling quiz. Get out your pencils and a sheet of paper..." Lexi sprung into action. So much for not wanting to participate. I instructed her to write her name on the top of the paper which she did. Then she looked at me and said, "Mommy, let's pretend you're my teacher from last year, Mrs. E." Too cute. She doesn't forget a thing.
By the way, in our mock quiz she spelled all the words correctly with the exception of 'igloo' which she got on the second try. Not to shabby!!!
This week, I attended Curriculum Night at Lexi's school. This is when the entire Kindergarten team gets the parents together to discuss what the goals are for the year. I had to arrange a sitter to stay with the kids because I received a note in Lexi's folder stating that they would like to make an effort for this to be a "adult only" event. Whatever! Anyway, when I was telling Lexi about the sitter, whom had sat before but Lexi never met (I used this sitter for when I was bowling a league that started after Lexi's bedtime) Lexi asked me what I was going to. I told her Curriculum Night. "What's Maricicum Night?" I did my best to spell it the way she said it. Stefan and I just laughed.
#2
Lexi had her first spelling quiz today. Her teacher had sent home a short, 9 word list on Monday. On Monday, we went through the list. On Tuesday we wrote the words. On Wednesday, I had her start spelling the words out loud. On Thursday, I wanted to quiz her like she could expect to be quizzed. By then though Lexi was sick of these nine words and didn't want to participate in the exercise. Thinking quick, I suggested we play school and that I'll be the teacher and she be the student. She quickly agreed and I said, "Okay class. Today we are having a spelling quiz. Get out your pencils and a sheet of paper..." Lexi sprung into action. So much for not wanting to participate. I instructed her to write her name on the top of the paper which she did. Then she looked at me and said, "Mommy, let's pretend you're my teacher from last year, Mrs. E." Too cute. She doesn't forget a thing.
By the way, in our mock quiz she spelled all the words correctly with the exception of 'igloo' which she got on the second try. Not to shabby!!!
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Piddly dribble
Okay, so I noticed after my last post that this (the one I am writing now) would be my 200th post. To be quite honest, I didn't want to waste this milestone on piddly dribble. I wanted it to be something poignant. I've got nothing, so piddly dribble it is.
So Fancy
Lexi has observed that parents can go to her school and have lunch. She asked me when me or Daddy would have lunch with her. I mentioned this to Stefan and he jumped at the opportunity arranging today to be the big day. Now let me break away from this for a moment...
When I wake Lexi in the morning, I'll turn on the bathroom light in the hallway (so she's not bombarded with a room of brightness if I turned her room light on), then I go and sit next to her on her bed and place my hand on her back. She'll usually stir a bit, but when she realizes that I'm trying to wake her, she'll fight the disturbance and try to resume with her peaceful slumber. Then I usually have to resort to tactics of desperation to get her tiny toosh out of bed and this entails telling her something that will happen at school that I know she will be excited about.
...This morning, I went in Lexi's room and no sooner did I put my hand on her back, she jumped out of bed. "Daddy's coming for lunch today!" she exclaimed. She insisted on wearing a dress and being "fancy". I even had to use styling product in her hair because I do so on days when she needs to be her fanciest. It was too cute.
A Little Relief
I mentioned here that I'm a bit overwhelmed. Well, I decided that I need to stop pretending I can do it all (full-time school, full-time mom (soccer and dance), gym, etc.) I've been in a funk the last week and haven't been able to pinpoint why...until yesterday. I was sitting in my English class and I looked at the clock it was 4:20 and I knew that I only had 40 more minutes until the class from H---...er, Spanish. I started getting a tension headache that ended up getting much worse while I was in Spanish and continued until about midnight.
Something had to give and I decided after yesterday that Spanish would be it. I officially dropped the class today. I have not dropped a class this far in the semester since my first stint with school 9 years ago. It was a humbling and somewhat disappointing thing for me, but I feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I think it was the right choice.
So Fancy
Lexi has observed that parents can go to her school and have lunch. She asked me when me or Daddy would have lunch with her. I mentioned this to Stefan and he jumped at the opportunity arranging today to be the big day. Now let me break away from this for a moment...
When I wake Lexi in the morning, I'll turn on the bathroom light in the hallway (so she's not bombarded with a room of brightness if I turned her room light on), then I go and sit next to her on her bed and place my hand on her back. She'll usually stir a bit, but when she realizes that I'm trying to wake her, she'll fight the disturbance and try to resume with her peaceful slumber. Then I usually have to resort to tactics of desperation to get her tiny toosh out of bed and this entails telling her something that will happen at school that I know she will be excited about.
...This morning, I went in Lexi's room and no sooner did I put my hand on her back, she jumped out of bed. "Daddy's coming for lunch today!" she exclaimed. She insisted on wearing a dress and being "fancy". I even had to use styling product in her hair because I do so on days when she needs to be her fanciest. It was too cute.
A Little Relief
I mentioned here that I'm a bit overwhelmed. Well, I decided that I need to stop pretending I can do it all (full-time school, full-time mom (soccer and dance), gym, etc.) I've been in a funk the last week and haven't been able to pinpoint why...until yesterday. I was sitting in my English class and I looked at the clock it was 4:20 and I knew that I only had 40 more minutes until the class from H---...er, Spanish. I started getting a tension headache that ended up getting much worse while I was in Spanish and continued until about midnight.
Something had to give and I decided after yesterday that Spanish would be it. I officially dropped the class today. I have not dropped a class this far in the semester since my first stint with school 9 years ago. It was a humbling and somewhat disappointing thing for me, but I feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I think it was the right choice.
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Lexism and Soccer
Lexism
Stefan came by some free Brave tickets for Saturday's game. Unfortunately I have too much schoolwork to do to be able to break away for that much time, but also we couldn't find a sitter. We tried to regift the tickets without any luck. Everyone already had plans of their own. Feeling guilty that the tickets were about to go to waste, Stefan asked if I would mind if he took Lexi to the game. Of course I didn't mind! It would give me some quiet time to get my work done, so off they went.
When they were sitting in their seats, apparently a tall gentleman sat in front of Lexi. Lexi said (in a not-so-quiet voice), "Daddy, I can't see. That man's head is too big!" The guy then moved to a seat behind Stefan and Lexi.
Soccer
Yesterday was also Lexi's first soccer game. She plays with 4 and 5 year olds (although two of them will be 6 next month) and it is too cute. They chase the ball like they are bees and the ball is their honey. At one point Lexi took a hit to the eye and she got pretty upset. She cried uncontrollably but we were finally able to get her back out there. The first time Lexi kicked the ball, she looked to Stefan and said, "Daddy, did you see that?" I think there were only two times her body made any contact with the ball the entire game, but it was cute and worth watching.
Here's a picture of her during warm ups.
And here's a picture of Abby cheering Sissy on...okay she was in it for the juice.
Stefan came by some free Brave tickets for Saturday's game. Unfortunately I have too much schoolwork to do to be able to break away for that much time, but also we couldn't find a sitter. We tried to regift the tickets without any luck. Everyone already had plans of their own. Feeling guilty that the tickets were about to go to waste, Stefan asked if I would mind if he took Lexi to the game. Of course I didn't mind! It would give me some quiet time to get my work done, so off they went.
When they were sitting in their seats, apparently a tall gentleman sat in front of Lexi. Lexi said (in a not-so-quiet voice), "Daddy, I can't see. That man's head is too big!" The guy then moved to a seat behind Stefan and Lexi.
Soccer
Yesterday was also Lexi's first soccer game. She plays with 4 and 5 year olds (although two of them will be 6 next month) and it is too cute. They chase the ball like they are bees and the ball is their honey. At one point Lexi took a hit to the eye and she got pretty upset. She cried uncontrollably but we were finally able to get her back out there. The first time Lexi kicked the ball, she looked to Stefan and said, "Daddy, did you see that?" I think there were only two times her body made any contact with the ball the entire game, but it was cute and worth watching.
Here's a picture of her during warm ups.
And here's a picture of Abby cheering Sissy on...okay she was in it for the juice.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Beaten Down
This semester is quite frustrating to me. I am in a Spanish class that the teacher expects to just run itself. Seriously. She assigns a reading, we read it and answer the questions, then she goes over the questions during the next class. She never budges from her chair and is the most boring teacher I have ever had.
With that aside, it is a literature class. I hate literature classes - I have since high school when I realized that teachers interpret the works the way they want to and it doesn't matter how you (the student) interpret it. If your interpretation of the author's intent and meaning differs from that of the teacher, you're wrong. Plain and simple. That is exactly how this NON teacher is. It is so frustrating. Especially when it comes test time and I have no way of knowing what her ideas are.
This class is the last class have each day I go to school and I always leave feeling beaten down, worthless, and angry.
Dilemma
Everything I have been taught thus far in the teaching program with regard to students that are learning English as a second language tells me that these students would do their best in a total immersion atmosphere. This means that they are taught in only English and not their native tongues. All the "experts" say that this is the method that will make them learn the language the quickest.
I have a dilemma with this. My philosophy is that the language is not as important as the content. The longer we as educators concentrate on language, the further behind these kids get. That is the main reason I chose to pursue a Spanish minor - so that I can help the majority of the kids that fall in this category and hopefully give them a better education. The problem with my philosophy is that it goes against the "experts."
I've done a couple of field observations so far. In the first observation, I was in a middle school and observing two different English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes. In one class, I admitted the first day of observation that I spoke Spanish and observed how they treated me and the teacher as well as their learning. They were cautious to express many things socially and their main communication was with regard to the curriculum. The other ESOL class, I pretended that I didn't speak any Spanish. I witnessed these kids say things that were not appropriate for a classroom - things about their peers, about their teacher, and about me. At the end of my observation (that went over the course of 12 weeks) I went in to the second class speaking Spanish. Their eyes got as big as saucers as they recounted their behavior over the previous 12 weeks. Behavior that was off-task, mostly social, and not curriculum based at all.
Yesterday, I had the privilege to help out in Lexi's kindergarten classroom for literary centers - when the class is divided into groups that rotate around the room to various centers that are set up. The teacher was with one group, the parapro was with another, I was with another, and one group worked at the computers. After the first switch the group I had had one student that spoke nothing but French and one that spoke nothing but Spanish. (Yes, the school followed the immersion policy and these kids were in the general education classroom, but I don't feel that their being placed in the same literary group is what the "experts" meant about full immersion.) Anyway, I have 5 years of French from middle and high school as well as 4 recent years of Spanish so I knew, if I had to, I would be able to communicate with these children. When they first sat down on the carpet with me, they were solemn, quiet, blank expressions, shoulders slumped. I felt terrible! I tried to instruct them in English as to what they were supposed to do, but it was obvious they didn't understand. I broke the rules of the "experts" and spoke to them in their language reiterating every sentence in English and then encouraging English responses from them. Their eyes lit up. It was like someone just threw them a life preserver. They did the activity as instructed and looked to me constantly for positive reinforcement. They knew that I was proud of them and that gave them their boost.
That. That right there is why I want to be a teacher AND why I want this Spanish minor. BUT, it is against what the "experts" say is in the best interest of the child. I'm so torn. What should I believe...what I read in a book somewhere or what I know from experience? Quite the quandary.
I've seen a documentary on PBS about the benefits of bilingual education. In fact Dalton, GA which is somewhat nearby is #2 in the nation for hispanic immigrants and they experimented with bilingual education and it was very successful to the children's English language development as well as their curriculum knowledge. Now that's a success story! I know that the state does not have the resources for this to be possible in every school, but I honestly believe that it should be a requirement of all graduating education majors to also have minors in some language. Think of what a difference that would make further down the road. Afterall, according to law every child is entitled to a free and appropriate public education (FAPE). How is teaching in a language the child doesn't understand appropriate? I imagine they feel as I do when I leave school everyday but they have to deal with it for the majority of their day while I only have to deal with it for an hour and 15 minutes. I feel for those kids.
On a brighter note...
I had a telephone conference with Lexi's teacher today. According to the Georgia Kindergarten Assesment, she has achieved just about everything they would expect except she struggles with the concept of in front of and behind (something I guess I never noticed before because this took me by surprise) and she struggles with recognizing lower case 'b' and 'd' which is very common. According to some other assessment that she took on the computer, her reading is at a 722. I don't know what this necessarily means, but her teacher said that normally they would like for students to be at a 700 when entering 1st grade, so I guess it means that she is reading at a beginning 1st grade level. Something like that.
Anyway, this has gone on for so long that I guess I should close now.
This semester is quite frustrating to me. I am in a Spanish class that the teacher expects to just run itself. Seriously. She assigns a reading, we read it and answer the questions, then she goes over the questions during the next class. She never budges from her chair and is the most boring teacher I have ever had.
With that aside, it is a literature class. I hate literature classes - I have since high school when I realized that teachers interpret the works the way they want to and it doesn't matter how you (the student) interpret it. If your interpretation of the author's intent and meaning differs from that of the teacher, you're wrong. Plain and simple. That is exactly how this NON teacher is. It is so frustrating. Especially when it comes test time and I have no way of knowing what her ideas are.
This class is the last class have each day I go to school and I always leave feeling beaten down, worthless, and angry.
Dilemma
Everything I have been taught thus far in the teaching program with regard to students that are learning English as a second language tells me that these students would do their best in a total immersion atmosphere. This means that they are taught in only English and not their native tongues. All the "experts" say that this is the method that will make them learn the language the quickest.
I have a dilemma with this. My philosophy is that the language is not as important as the content. The longer we as educators concentrate on language, the further behind these kids get. That is the main reason I chose to pursue a Spanish minor - so that I can help the majority of the kids that fall in this category and hopefully give them a better education. The problem with my philosophy is that it goes against the "experts."
I've done a couple of field observations so far. In the first observation, I was in a middle school and observing two different English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes. In one class, I admitted the first day of observation that I spoke Spanish and observed how they treated me and the teacher as well as their learning. They were cautious to express many things socially and their main communication was with regard to the curriculum. The other ESOL class, I pretended that I didn't speak any Spanish. I witnessed these kids say things that were not appropriate for a classroom - things about their peers, about their teacher, and about me. At the end of my observation (that went over the course of 12 weeks) I went in to the second class speaking Spanish. Their eyes got as big as saucers as they recounted their behavior over the previous 12 weeks. Behavior that was off-task, mostly social, and not curriculum based at all.
Yesterday, I had the privilege to help out in Lexi's kindergarten classroom for literary centers - when the class is divided into groups that rotate around the room to various centers that are set up. The teacher was with one group, the parapro was with another, I was with another, and one group worked at the computers. After the first switch the group I had had one student that spoke nothing but French and one that spoke nothing but Spanish. (Yes, the school followed the immersion policy and these kids were in the general education classroom, but I don't feel that their being placed in the same literary group is what the "experts" meant about full immersion.) Anyway, I have 5 years of French from middle and high school as well as 4 recent years of Spanish so I knew, if I had to, I would be able to communicate with these children. When they first sat down on the carpet with me, they were solemn, quiet, blank expressions, shoulders slumped. I felt terrible! I tried to instruct them in English as to what they were supposed to do, but it was obvious they didn't understand. I broke the rules of the "experts" and spoke to them in their language reiterating every sentence in English and then encouraging English responses from them. Their eyes lit up. It was like someone just threw them a life preserver. They did the activity as instructed and looked to me constantly for positive reinforcement. They knew that I was proud of them and that gave them their boost.
That. That right there is why I want to be a teacher AND why I want this Spanish minor. BUT, it is against what the "experts" say is in the best interest of the child. I'm so torn. What should I believe...what I read in a book somewhere or what I know from experience? Quite the quandary.
I've seen a documentary on PBS about the benefits of bilingual education. In fact Dalton, GA which is somewhat nearby is #2 in the nation for hispanic immigrants and they experimented with bilingual education and it was very successful to the children's English language development as well as their curriculum knowledge. Now that's a success story! I know that the state does not have the resources for this to be possible in every school, but I honestly believe that it should be a requirement of all graduating education majors to also have minors in some language. Think of what a difference that would make further down the road. Afterall, according to law every child is entitled to a free and appropriate public education (FAPE). How is teaching in a language the child doesn't understand appropriate? I imagine they feel as I do when I leave school everyday but they have to deal with it for the majority of their day while I only have to deal with it for an hour and 15 minutes. I feel for those kids.
On a brighter note...
I had a telephone conference with Lexi's teacher today. According to the Georgia Kindergarten Assesment, she has achieved just about everything they would expect except she struggles with the concept of in front of and behind (something I guess I never noticed before because this took me by surprise) and she struggles with recognizing lower case 'b' and 'd' which is very common. According to some other assessment that she took on the computer, her reading is at a 722. I don't know what this necessarily means, but her teacher said that normally they would like for students to be at a 700 when entering 1st grade, so I guess it means that she is reading at a beginning 1st grade level. Something like that.
Anyway, this has gone on for so long that I guess I should close now.
Monday, September 03, 2007
Ahh....
Today is officially the 7th anniversary of the day I married Stefan. I say officially because we celebrated yesterday. We dropped the girls off for a sleep over at Stefan's parents' house, went to work out at the Y, came home and got cleaned up, then we went to Long Horn (using gift cards gifted for the occasion) and a movie (The Nanny Diaries). In between, we had about an hour to kill so we went to Wal-Mart to scope out birthday ideas for Lexi since her birthday is only a month away. It's funny, I think we do that every year when we're out for our anniversary. While perusing the toy aisles, I noticed that Barbie has a new line out (something about the Island Princess) and said that Lexi would probably like that. Today she saw a commercial and guess what...she wants it. Do I know my girl or what?
Anyway, this morning we were able to sleep in until 10:30. It was such a nice break and soooooo needed. Talk about recharging your batteries, that was what I've been needing. Not only do I feel well-rested, but I also feel like it made a little bit of my sinus problems go away. Wouldn't that be nice, if you could just sleep away sinus problems?
Anyway, this morning we were able to sleep in until 10:30. It was such a nice break and soooooo needed. Talk about recharging your batteries, that was what I've been needing. Not only do I feel well-rested, but I also feel like it made a little bit of my sinus problems go away. Wouldn't that be nice, if you could just sleep away sinus problems?
Saturday, September 01, 2007
Where does time go?
Current mood: fuzzy-headed nostalgia
Stefan "The Handyman" struck again this weekend. He hung a much needed extra shelf in each of the girls' minuscule closets. That meant more work for me. I had to organize their clothes and sort through the existing hanging garbs to weed out the ones that no longer fit. This is always a sad time for me. It makes me realize how much they have grown in such a short time.
I remember when Lexi outgrew her preemie clothes that she wore for the first few months of her life. It saddened me to pack them away but at the same time it made me realize how far she had come from her 1 pound 6 ounce beginning. It was a day with mixed emotions to say the least.
I haven't had such emotional journeys with Abby's closet until today. I was hanging the soon-to-be outgrown 12-18 month clothes on her top rack and bringing down the box of hand-me-downs of 18-24 month fall season clothes left over from Lexi. Now remember the fact that Lexi has a super-petite frame, but it saddened me to see that clothes that Lexi wore only 2-3 years ago are now hanging in Abby's closet to be worn this year! Memories flooded me of things that occurred while Lexi was wearing some of the clothes and I couldn't believe that Abby would be wearing them soon creating even more memories in the same garbs. This also made me realize that Abby, too, is growing up quicker than I would like. I don't know where the last 16 months have gone!
Today we took the girls to the park to play on the playground and it was Abby's first time doing her little toddle waddle around the magnificent play contraption and sliding down the mammoth slides all on her lonesome. After the closet experience and this I am a bit fuzzy headed. I know when I was a child, it seemed like the years dragged on for eternity, but now that I am older it seems like I blink and a year has passed.
Another eye opening milestone that is making me wonder where time has gone is coming up - the 7th anniversary of the day that Stefan and I said our I do's and arguably one of the best days of my life. 7 years! That just amazes me. I remember in my younger days and in previous relationships when a 1 year anniversary seemed like forever to achieve and by then the newness of the relationship had definitely worn off and we were starting to become bored or sick of each other. But here we are rapidly approaching our 7th and it still seems as new as that day in the early Fall 7 years ago when we took each other as lifelong partners. I guess that's how you know it was meant to be - when you can stay with someone that long and still love them as much as the day you began. ::sigh::
Stefan "The Handyman" struck again this weekend. He hung a much needed extra shelf in each of the girls' minuscule closets. That meant more work for me. I had to organize their clothes and sort through the existing hanging garbs to weed out the ones that no longer fit. This is always a sad time for me. It makes me realize how much they have grown in such a short time.
I remember when Lexi outgrew her preemie clothes that she wore for the first few months of her life. It saddened me to pack them away but at the same time it made me realize how far she had come from her 1 pound 6 ounce beginning. It was a day with mixed emotions to say the least.
I haven't had such emotional journeys with Abby's closet until today. I was hanging the soon-to-be outgrown 12-18 month clothes on her top rack and bringing down the box of hand-me-downs of 18-24 month fall season clothes left over from Lexi. Now remember the fact that Lexi has a super-petite frame, but it saddened me to see that clothes that Lexi wore only 2-3 years ago are now hanging in Abby's closet to be worn this year! Memories flooded me of things that occurred while Lexi was wearing some of the clothes and I couldn't believe that Abby would be wearing them soon creating even more memories in the same garbs. This also made me realize that Abby, too, is growing up quicker than I would like. I don't know where the last 16 months have gone!
Today we took the girls to the park to play on the playground and it was Abby's first time doing her little toddle waddle around the magnificent play contraption and sliding down the mammoth slides all on her lonesome. After the closet experience and this I am a bit fuzzy headed. I know when I was a child, it seemed like the years dragged on for eternity, but now that I am older it seems like I blink and a year has passed.
Another eye opening milestone that is making me wonder where time has gone is coming up - the 7th anniversary of the day that Stefan and I said our I do's and arguably one of the best days of my life. 7 years! That just amazes me. I remember in my younger days and in previous relationships when a 1 year anniversary seemed like forever to achieve and by then the newness of the relationship had definitely worn off and we were starting to become bored or sick of each other. But here we are rapidly approaching our 7th and it still seems as new as that day in the early Fall 7 years ago when we took each other as lifelong partners. I guess that's how you know it was meant to be - when you can stay with someone that long and still love them as much as the day you began. ::sigh::
Abbyism of the week
I love peanut butter M&M's. They are my downfall. One day this week I was munching on some when Abby scaled the couch to set next to me with expecting eyes hoping for her first taste of the yummy goodness. I gave her one and she looked at me, puckered her lips and curled the pucker upwards so as to seal off her nostrils, and said an emphatic, "Mmmmmmmmmmmmm...."
In other not-so-cute news, she has become prone to fits. If she doesn't get her way, she will fling herself back, scream, and kick her feet. Sometimes she even hits! This is something I haven't had to deal with in the past but hopefully it is only a phase that will soon become a part of the past. Hopefully.
In other not-so-cute news, she has become prone to fits. If she doesn't get her way, she will fling herself back, scream, and kick her feet. Sometimes she even hits! This is something I haven't had to deal with in the past but hopefully it is only a phase that will soon become a part of the past. Hopefully.
Lexism of the week
Stefan took off from work Thursday and Friday of this week. It's been a nice break for him, I know. I regret, though, that I have become my mother. You see, when I was growing up my dad worked out of town alot and whenever he would return home not only was he returning to us, but he was returning to a "Honey Do List" that my mom had compiled. Unfortunately for Stefan, this has been inherited and, although he doesn't have a tangible list, he was reminded of the many things around the house that need to be done (i.e. repainting a wall in the kitchen, repairing and touching up baseboards, and hanging extra shelves in the girls' closets).
Yesterday he got the stuff at Home Depot to do the closets and got to work on them in the afternoon when Lexi was home from school. Lexi's always a good helper so she was helping Daddy out with the proper measurements. She was stringing the tape measure out as far as it would go and tell Daddy in the ever-so-serious voice, "It's (fill in the blank) minches."
Minches....gotta love it.
Yesterday he got the stuff at Home Depot to do the closets and got to work on them in the afternoon when Lexi was home from school. Lexi's always a good helper so she was helping Daddy out with the proper measurements. She was stringing the tape measure out as far as it would go and tell Daddy in the ever-so-serious voice, "It's (fill in the blank) minches."
Minches....gotta love it.
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