Today's Lesson

"Mrs. M, why are we watching so much TV today?" "Because today is a very historical day. Boys and girls, why is history being made today?" And the lesson began. One day this group of first graders will remember where they were on this day and how lucky they were to watch it. Today was a great day to be a teacher:) So many things to discuss and learn about!

A great book

As a teacher I read many, many stories aloud to my class. One of my favorites is Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Doreen Rappaport and Bryan Collier. This book was given a Caldecott honor. It is a great story with beautiful pictures. This is one of those books that when I read it aloud the class becomes so quiet. You can tell they understand the seriousness the book is conveying to its young audience. So, friends, if you are looking for a book to read to your children about the life of Dr. King this is the one!

Ahhh....weekends

I so enjoy the weekends! Especially lately. CS and I have vowed to be more organized during the week thus not making the weekends all about cleaning! We chatted about it on Thursday - how much happier we are that the clutter is cleaned up and the house is more tidy! Now on Saturdays CJ and I get up snuggle and watch a little TV then head off to grocery shop. He is a such a good boy - helping me by putting things in the cart. This gives Daddy a chance to sleep in. By the time we come home, Daddy is straightening up and then we can all have lunch together. It is relaxing! Then Sundays is cooking day. I will get up tomorrow and make dinner for the week. Another thing that has made our week much easier to deal with. Although the dirty dishes are plentiful on this day - the rest of the week is bearable. Of course this is working for now because it is soooo cold outside no one wants to be out. I wonder how/if it will change when the weather turns warmer. We need to remember how much easier this routine makes our lives. So when the weather turns....someone remind me:)

Super Scott

CJ is having a great time playing a Superhero - ask him what he does his relpy - "I pick up garbage to keep the Earth clean." I love it:)

Game Play

We have a slew of new games to play with CJ. I have fond memories of playing many of these games as a child. Although they look a little different than I remember. So far game playing is not a favorite thing for CJ to do. For one thing there are rules to follow and well - CJ doesn't like being told what to do. If he could make up the rules, he would be a lot happier. So far we have played Candy Land - but just with Mama, apparently no one else is allowed to play! We have managed to play Go Fish as a family - although the colors are not your normal run of the mill colors - this pack includes Jade, Chartreuse, Cafe Au Lait, Apricot, Hot Pink, Indigo, and Turquoise. I can barely spell them let alone have CJ pronounce them. So we have our own names - light blue, dark blue, light green, dark green...you get the point. CJ does like this game a lot. For Christmas this year Aunt Tiffy sent CJ a lot of great games. Chutes and Ladders, Phase 10 for kids, Baking Cookies, and a Thomas card game. So far CJ enjoys the Baking Cookies game. You get a recipe card and a spoon with a suction cup on it. The object of the game is to be the first person to collect all the ingredients you need to make your cookies. This is lots of fun - except for CJ he must go in order of the recipe. So if he finds the flour before the sugar then that doesn't count for him because sugar is the first ingredient listed. I'm sure as the weeks of winter pass by we will be trying more of these games.

Party Time

We had the best New Year's Eve Party ever yesterday...and it was all over by 1:00 pm. Our friends Bud, Sis, and Miss J came over at 10:00 for brunch type food, to play and to ring in the New Year at 12:00! It was great fun. We ate, and ate, and ate on yummy baked brie, monkey bread, scones, omelets and then we had punch and fresh snow cones! It snowed quite a bit yesterday morning and I wasn't sure the crew were going to make it and Miss J is from Texas and doesn't like driving in the snow! But they braved the roads (luckily Miss G was home to drive everyone home) with Miss J even drove here!!! Sis started playing the game store which CJ had never played before, and he discovered that he loves it! We had a countdown to 12:00 and made lots of noise complete with noisemakers! What fun! Of course by the time the "real" New Year came into effect I was half asleep and was barely able to get out a Happy New Year. I think our noon party just may have to become a new tradition!

Happy New Year

Another year has come and gone! And what it year it was. For Christmas, CS made a DVD for me with pictures of all the things we had done this past year. It began with the new house last year and ended with December 2008. We saw Laurie Berkner, went to a hockey game, rode on a pony at the circus (CJ not me!), went to the zoo, our niece was born, had family over for a BBQ to celebrate summer birthdays, became members of the Mystic Seaport and have made 3 trips there, CJ went to summer school, went to Six Flags with some great friends and rode many rides for the first time, CJ turned 4, went to a baseball game and CJ got to start the game with "Let's play ball!", CJ started Pre-K, we had a piratey Halloween, had a Thankful Thanksgiving, and then here we are back at December. Not on the DVD, but worth mentioning for the year CS company was sold, and sold again; I began the fall like I do every year - optimistic then by conference time and back to where I was; I met a great friend at a WW meeting (I may not be losing the weight quickly, but am very thankful to WW for introducing me to J), and thanks to J I have met many moms here and have begun scrap booking, and having Mom's Nights Out; CJ has learned to ride his big wheel on his own, we have found great babysitters, and I started selling Tupperware. I'm sure I'm forgetting something...but I'm sure you can go back in the blog and read about it!

Here's to a happy, healthy 2009!