Middle of the Night

Reposted from my school blog:  http://thecallhall.weebly.com/1/post/2013/12/middle-of-the-night.html

 

Whenever my children are sick at home in the middle of the night, it's usually me who wakes up to tend the child and clean up the mess.  I sometimes think that my husband could sleep through a nuclear explosion.  (Okay, maybe that's exaggerating just a little bit.)  Well, last night, I learned that my husband can be awoken in the event of an emergency.

So, it's around midnight, and everyone in my house is deep asleep.  All of a sudden, there's a loud "Thump, Thump, Thump, *Pop*".  My husband sits up and shouts in an authoritative tone "Who's there?" while I mumble "What?  Shhhh...It's okay."  He goes in search of the noise wondering about the possibly an intruder, while I stumble into the children's rooms to calm them down.

Turns out the noise was caused by a couple of helium balloons getting caught in our ceiling fan.  But it's nice to know that in the event of an emergency, I can count on my husband to be alert and take care of us.

Cyber Monday Sale

I'm having a sale on my teacher stuff on Teachers Pay Teachers.  Just thought I'd advertise it here as well as on Facebook.  Hopefully, some profits come from it!

Christmas Advent

So I remembered to buy some chocolate Advent calendars for the kids this year before we left on vacation.  Only problem is...how does chocolate relate to the true meaning of Christmas (besides the fact that it often helps Mommy be nicer and calm down from rough days.)

But serious, I feel like I need to incorporate something more with this commercialization of counting down until Christmas.  Enter...the scripture chain.  After browsing Pinterest, I came across this blog:  http://www.thethingsilovemost.blogspot.com/2011/11/our-other-traditions.html that had a list of scriptures from both the Book of Mormon and the Bible relating to Christ.  The scriptures are super short, unlike other scripture chains out there, which really will make it palatable for my children while they wait anxiously to devour their chocolate for the day.

Let's see how it goes.

*Happy Holidays to Everyone!*

Sunday in Paradise

Someday I would love to know why it is that Sundays in my favorite vacation spot are always beautiful.  Is it so I can enjoy the beauty of the world, or is to tempt me because we choose not to indulge on the Sabbath?  Look at that sky.  There's barely a cloud present.  I think I'll go check the weather forecast for the rest of the week.

The backyard of the condo offers beauty, too.  The entire bird-of-paradise plant is in bloom right now.

Writing on a new blog

Just so you know, I've blogged 7 weeks in a row on my school blog:  http://thecallhall.weebly.com/blog.html.  Go me!

Now back to your regularly scheduled blog silence...

Educational Differences

Can something be learned if it's already been experienced but just not written down?  I hope so, because that is part of what I've learned this week.

I finished up a two-day professional development yesterday on interdisciplinary teaming.  Day 1 was incredible.  Our team worked hard to develop it's name, logo, common themes, etc.  Each activity edified, each story intrigued, and everyone seemed to leave excited for the future.  Then there was day two.  We were barraged with personal stories that left one wondering what the point was, we felt coerced into completing tasks that offered no deeper application, and we were held captive with nothing to do for two hours in order to receive our payment for the previous six hours.  I love how the facilitator  of Day 1 presented her information.  I respect the facilitator of Day 2, but it just wasn't her best teaching moment.  I guess, the whole point of this story is that "actions speak louder than words".  In order for me to NOT fall into the same trap as Day 2 facilitator I need to be aware of the ratio of actions/words that I require of my students.  I do NOT want my students coming home and telling their parents that they were held captive by their teacher...unless it's because I'm teaching something that is truly captivating. 

So, I might have bitten off something bigger than I can chew.  I decided to start this year with "standards based grading".  What is that you ask?  Or isn't that what you complained about so much last year?   (Okay, maybe I didn't complain on this blog...but if you'd been around when I finished reading some books for school, or happen to be my friend on Good Reads, you'd know that I haven't been a fan.)  Well, standards based grading is grading students entirely on the standards that you teach.  Sounds simplify enough, I know...but it isn't.  This means that a grade can NOT be lowered because of absences or tardies.   Late work and extra credit aren't allowed either.    I read 2 books last spring on Standards Based Grading and hated everything about it.

So, why do it this year?  Well, my principal gave me a new book for summer reading and the approach is completely different.  Instead of "everything you've ever done for grading is WRONG" like in one of the spring time books, this book is "tweak a few things and you're there."  So, I tweaked.  This year instead of having categories for tests, homework, participation, etc for my grades, the categories will be Number Sense, Proportional Relationships, Executive Functioning Skills, etc.  I will still give the same homework and tests as before, I'll just group them differently.  I don't know if it's truly Standard Based Grading, but that's what I'm doing.  So, here goes.  Wish me luck!  (I'm sure there will be more posts in the future on how it works/doesn't work.)

First Sunday

Well, my first Sunday as Primary President was mostly a success.  A couple of glitches occurred with timing issues, and I lost the kids' attention the last 5 minutes of Sharing Time.  But overall, we made it!

 * ~ * ~ * ~ *

What I learned last week was that it really stresses me out when someone pushes my boundaries.  You'd think that would be an obvious piece of knowledge, but it was news to me.  So, here's what happened.  I got a phone call on Monday and was informed of several things that this individual was expecting me to do.  That shouldn't have caused too much stress but the children were running around and crying for dinner which was on the stove cooking and Nate had just arrived home.  I did NOT have time then for a 20 minute phone call.  So, rather than ask if we could have the conversation later, I just stood there and took it all.  Then I hung up the phone and cried.  I felt alone and useless and overwhelmed and harassed.  Needless to say, I wasn't very polite to my family.

Things improved after dinner when we went to the Draper Temple for family night.  I apologized to everyone, and we discussed the blessings of the temple.  Later, Nate and I dissected what had set me off.  I don't mind doing things for others, or completing what I'm supposed to do.  What I DON'T like is for someone to assume that I'll do whatever they ask--without asking.  That's the Boundary that was crossed.

So, how am I going to prevent that from happening again?  I don't know.  But I do know how to recognize it after it happens.  I think I just need to be aware of it to begin with, and move on from there.

Mid-Century Architecture

This week I learned that my entire township is banned from setting off fireworks.  I also learned that no one follows that ordinance.

I also learned that my house is a classic example of mid-century architecture.  (I wonder what would happen to the property value if I typed that into Zillow.). That little tid-bit came from our new neighbors (who I met for the first time yesterday).  Derek and Micah originally come from San Diego.  They've bought the house two down from us.  His thesis was on mid-century architecture, so he was very pleased to find it here in Utah at an affordable price.  (And here I was thinking that the builders of our house were just crazy with their design.)

I suspect that my learning level is about to GREATLY increase.  I'm getting a new calling in church today (more in what it is after it happens).  Scared?  Yes.  Excited?  Yes.  Humbled?  Greatly.

Video by Request

So, um, what I learned last week was to double-check that my post actually got published and not just saved as a draft.  Oops.  So, below is what I tried to post from my i-pad.

~ * ~

Ally requested more videos of my kids, so here you go.  This is from today.  The temperature was over 100, so we didn't stay outside for too long.

And here's the rest of the adventure.  After I stopped Carter from playing with the next door neighbor's sprinklers.  (It's so exciting!)

This one's from Friday when Mom and I took the kids down to the Mountain Man Rendezvous at Energy Solutions Arena.  They had FREE pony rides!  Couldn't beat the price!  (But the heat was awful!)

 Here's another video from earlier in the summer.

 Enjoy!  (Oh, and another thing that I learned...or was at least reminded of...is that Blogger only allows you post videos that are less than 100 MB.  So, if you want the others, you'll need to come see them on my computer.)

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So, because I'm at the computer and I know that I'll forget by Friday--here are some other things that I have learned this past weekend.

1.  The piping on couches and other upholstery is actually called "welting".
2.  Costco has a really easy-to-use photobook maker.  I can even use my Creative Memories software to make the pages and then use those pages in the book.  Here's hoping that their turnaround time is accurate.   (I used the software to make a sign-in book for my brother-in-law's wedding on the 1st of August.  5-8 business days is just fine.  Any longer than that will get me in trouble.)

Practice Makes Humble

I finished reading Jon Acuff's book Start yesterday and felt inspired.  I've wanted to do a blog for school for the last couple of years, but couldn't really think of a topic to blog about.  I even created a blog last Spring when I updated my school website--but I still didn't know what to write about.  I mean, if I complained about a student online--I might just get in a little bit of trouble.  I found a couple of 180 teacher blogs, meaning that they blog every day of the school year.  Yikes!  I have a hard enough time trying to update this blog monthly.

So, after finishing Start, the idea came to me.  I'm always telling my students that learning is a life-long process and that I'm continually learning new things--math related and not.  Now I have the opportunity to prove it.  I want to write WEEKLY about what new things I learned that week.  I believe that the flexibility of the subject and time frame will make it possible...and hopefully, some what interesting.

Since there are still 5 weeks until school starts, I should practice now to make sure that it's really something that I want to commit 36 weeks of my life to.

~ * ~

This week I learned about home remodeling.  I've watched Nate fix drywall, mud, sand, and make basic repairs for the last couple of years since we bought our house.  But this week, it was my turn.  In the process of finally painting Kaylie's room (see video below), we found blue paint at Home Depot for $7.  Jackpot!  Which means it was time to also paint Carter's room.  Nate decided that it was time for me to learn the finer arts of home construction.  So, Tuesday I learned how to mud the correct way and Wednesday I learned about how much work sanding correctly really is.

Three days and a couple of tears later, the real thing that I learned is that I'm still stuck in a "Fixed Mindset" (See Carol Dewak's book Mindset).  When learning something new, I want to be able to just do what I'm asked and move on to the end results.  I often don't care about the why and how of it.  Which means I get REALLY touchy when I'm told that I'm doing it wrong--like with sanding.  Once I calmed down, dried my tears, and apologized to my husband, I realized that my pride was getting in the way of being in the "Growth Mindset".  After that realization, I was able to see the need to ask clarifying questions and actually learn how and why to do something the correct way.  The work continued and Carter now has a newly painted room  (see 2nd video below).

It's hard to admit that the teacher in me is having the same troubles that I complain about with my students.  I'm afraid to ask questions because of what someone else might think of me!  Good grief!  If I don't ask questions, how am I ever going to learn it correctly.

~ * ~

Kaylie's new room

Carter's new room

FYI.  My new school blog can be found at http://thecallhall.weebly.com/blog.html.  I won't start posting there until school starts.

Dear TomTom,

Just to let you know, the route that you planned for us today from Grandma O's grave in Avon to the dairy in Ogden, while technically shorter in distance than the traditional path back through Sardine Canyon and such, was not shorter in time.  The road was also tougher on my car than I'd like.  Highway 186 or whatever the number was nothing more than a dirt pathway.  And while the nature and scenery were beautiful--that dirt path was extremely bumpy and uncomfortable for over 25 miles.  I'm sure we gave the four wheelers and campers a good laugh when they saw us drive by.

Next time, TomTom, we shall NOT take the path less traveled.

Sincerely,

The weary Call family

My Son, the Grasshopper

Since I'm awake and it's WAY too early to go to school, I thought I'd update my blog (preserve for posterity) with an event that happened at dinner on Sunday night.  To begin, if you didn't know that my brother Brandon served a LDS mission in Thailand, you either aren't a part of my family or haven't talked to me in person in a long while.  Anyway, while Brandon was serving his mission, he had all the traditional cultural experiences, including eating bugs.  (See pictures at end of post here.) 

Well, while preparing for dinner on Sunday, Brandon and my other brother, Connor, were playing with my son.  A small grasshopper had landed on Brandon's shirt.  He gently took it off and cupped it in his hands.  Someone (I believe it was my dad) teased him about having eaten bugs on his mission, so Brandon pretended to eat the grasshopper.  My son was fascinated.  Brandon then opened his hand to show the almost 2 year old that the grasshopper was undamaged.  And just like that, my boy decided to follow his uncle's example.  Everyone was shocked at how quickly his hand snatched the grasshopper and traveled to his mouth!

Now, before PETA or anyone else gets involved, let me say that no grasshoppers were hurt or digested in the making of this post...or in real life.

Luckily, Connor stopped my son's hand from reaching his mouth by a fraction of an inch.  The grasshopper was released--probably wiser because of its knowledge to avoid 2 year olds and 23 year olds--and everyone laughed til we cried.  For a week now, my son has been called "Grasshopper".  I think I'm okay if the nickname sticks.

Spring Break

Two post in one day?  That's got to count for something.

As I sit here and reflect on what I've done this spring break, I'm rather pleased everything that I've accomplished.  I cleaned out three clothing closets, went shopping for three members of my family, baked cookies, completed two books, played with my children and my mother, and spent time with my husband.  This is on top of the regular grading of papers, cleaning, laundry, food shopping,  Sunbeam lesson preparation that needs to occur within a normal week.  I did a bit of gardening, spent time with friends and extended family, got my toes done all sparkly, and in general, just relaxed.  And even though my to-do list isn't quite done yet, I feel like I had a really productive Spring break.

Is this what being a stay-at-home mom feels like?

Dragon Procrasination

Procrastination.  You've got to love it.  I'm sitting here, on Nate's computer – not technically ON  his computer, but NEAR his computer – and playing with his really cool software.  This software allows me to speak while it writes for me.

Yes, I should be doing something productive – like laundry, or grading tests – but this is more fun.   I'm still getting random letters that show up sporadically as I speak.  Not sure why.  Perhaps, I need to do more of the practice tutorials or the dictation tutorials in order to better enhance my profile on Dragon.

I'm sure that Nate could tell you more about it.  Perhaps he will, when he finishes school on May 10!

ETA:   You know, I forget between postings how much I really do enjoy blogging.  I wonder if I will ever feel like I have enough time to blog with any regularity.

Blogger now has an i-pad App. Shiny!

Since the beginning of the year, I've been trying to remember all of my resolutions in my head. Silly me! I should know better. I mean I can keep the general ideas going, but the specifics? And then there's the monthly goals, and all the details. Yes, I should know better.

So, here's me doing something about it. I thought about writing down ALL my resolutions, but not only would that bore you...I don't think my house could stand that long without supervision. So, dear readers, you get just the month of February's goals. (Wow! Watching the "Lizzie Bennet Diaries" on YouTube has really influenced my internal dialogue.)

-Simplify My Waistline: Continue January's goal of eating out once a week or LESS, eating LESS school lunch, and drinking MORE water. The new part is to do 30 minutes of exercise RIGHT after school TWICE a week. (No, I'm not shouting at you...the capitalization is for my benefit.) Not the perfect routine yet, but we're doing baby-steps.

-Simplify My Memory: Rather than trying to attack the every going pile and digital files of photographs, how about a plan? Can't believe that it's taken me this long to develop one. During the month of February, I will scrapbook 6 months of Kaylie's life (age 12 months to 18 months). I will spend time early Sunday morning doing this, and late evenings when Nate's working on his schoolwork. (That's much more productive than finding new shows to watch on Netflix...or watching LBD for 6 hours. Bad Jen!)

-Simplify My Saturdays: Haven't figured out practical way to do this yet.

-Simplify My Husband's Waistline: He wants me to wait until he graduates from Grad School in May (Yay!), but I'd like to get started now. Simple change for this month. Place healthy snacks in visible places. Can't begrudge someone eating an apple before dinner.

-*New One* Simplify my house: Once a month I will attack a different room of my house and DI and garbage lots. (Last month, Nate helped me with the Craft Room...I have one now!) This month, I'd like to finish cleaning out the former library. We'd like for the kids to have their own room, but that has meant finding a home for all of our books. Yes, I'm actually going to DI a couple dozen books today. Shocking! I'd like to paint on President's Day, which means that I need to find a comforter, bed, dresser, and curtain fabric(?) for the child we decide to put into this new room. Still haven't decided which one.

-ELIMINATE Debt: We are SOOOOO close. All we have left are student loans. My February goal is to be on top of withdrawing our cash so it doesn't accidentally get spent on other stuff. I will need to do this on pay day exactly, otherwise, life will get in the way.

So, there you have it. February's goals for 2013. Now, it's time to implement.