Timetoast Treasures

Timetoast is a fun on-line tool we used recently to encourage 6th graders to write. If you want the lesson plan, email me, but the long and short of it is that students end up with on-line timelines of events in their lives. The timelines are interactive; whenever you hover your mouse over one of the black dots, the corresponding event pops up in a little window that can include more text and a photo. The kids had fun creating their timelines and commenting on each other's work. Last night, I looked at several of the kids' offerings and could not help but smile.

Student were asked to put at least ten events on their timelines. (Plus-signs indicate events that have more details when you click on them.) Photos were required for at least three of their events. Most included pretty typical milestones....

Some are extra cute.Some were particularly sad...Some cracked me up...They also had to write complete paragraphs for three of those events. Obviously, some further editing is needed on this one...
Wait a minute! He almost died? Wow! Here are the particulars (I also blew it up so you could see it better, but I liked the toaster "touch")...

(Oh, the drama!)

Some kids are the kind who love to write.

Guess what kind this kid is....

What he lacks in detail, he makes up in sense of humor :)

What?!!? I Can't Hear You! And this is why...

I think I might win a prize for "Roughest Start to a Workweek."

This morning, I went out to my car in the garage, only to find it locked (with the keys inside.) I've never locked my keys inside the car (well, not this one, anyway), so I tried to blame someone else (as is my habit under foolish circumstances) as I tried to figure out how to get in. Everyone else had left for the day, so I was kind of stuck.

Now, 20 years ago, I might have been able to stick a spindly arm through the 3-inch window space (who left that open?!), but I'm no longer a toothpick, so that was fruitless. I thought about calling AAA, but I didn't want to wait for them to get to my house; I needed to get to work.

Finally, I decided to call my friend Jacque (because who needs to sleep past 6:40 anyway, right?), and she graciously agreed to come over (she lives about five minutes away.) I figured I'd just get to work and worry about the car later. Of course, being the stubborn persistent person that I am, after I hung up the phone, I tried to figure out how to get into that car! I found a plastic coat hanger in the house and went about poking the door-lock button on the inside of the driver's control panel.

You know how annoying car alarms are when you hear them on the street from inside your house? And how annoying they are when you hear them across a parking lot? Well, I pray you never hear one at a bajillion decibels inside your garage! I'm noise-sensitive by nature, and when the car alarm went off, I about had a heart attack! Blood surged into my assaulted ears as the alarm launched its persistent bellowing. To say that it was obnoxious would be ridiculously inadequate; I was out of my mind with stress over trying to get that blasted thing to stop!

I began to hear the dog, inside the house, barking. Can you imagine what the neighbors were thinking?! Nearly insane from the noise now, I rushed inside and grabbed some earplugs (thank you, Mr.4444, for having a supply on-hand) and reluctantly ran back out to try to get it to stop. Still, the alarm was beyond tolerable, so I was elated when I finally heard the "click" of the doors unlocking.

Did you know that when you try to "steal" a car and the alarm sounds, it does not stop, even when you put your own keys in the ignition?! I started the car (blaring continued) and backed it outside (sorry, neighbors, but I was ready to lose my mind), and still the ear-splitting alarm continued. I wish I had a reading of what my blood pressure was at that moment. I pushed every button known to Honda in the next couple of minutes. I called my BIL (who sold me the car and who I figured might be able to help); no answer. I called Molly (accidentally; didn't even realize I had dialed the wrong number until I hung up; I hadn't recognized her voice over all the yelling!) and she suggested...I don't remember. It was so danged LOUD. Just as my ears threatened to start bleeding, the alarm stopped. And Jacque pulled into the driveway.

So, mind you, this alarm had been bellowing for about 7-8 minutes altogether (and my ears, as I type this, are pounding again, just thinking about it), so even though it had stopped, my ears were still ringing. I loudly and apologetically thanked Jacque for coming over and headed to school. I was only about ten minutes late in the end, but the stress of that ear assault kept me on edge for at least another hour.

At home tonight, I finally got ahold of my BIL, who let me know that if this happens again, all I need to do is put the key in the driver's door and turn it to de-activate the alarm.

Now he tells me!

How to Get the Most Out of LIfe

by Emily Post (circa 1937)

I found this pamphlet in some of Grandpa Bob 4444's "junk" after his passing. I kept it, because I figured it would be entertaining. It is...

Personal Daintiness
Immaculacy begins with your daily bath....use a depilatory if you need it and all the aides that make you neater and sweeter. Dusting or talcum powder after the bath makes skin soft and smooth; makes your girdle slide on easier.

I'll try that the next time I'm sliding my girdle on!

Lustrous, Healthy Habits
Thick, oily hair needs a weekly shampoo. Dry or normal hair needs cleansing at least every ten days. Children's hair should be washed weekly.

She didn't say anything about fine, flat, greasy hair. I have actually never been seen in public with hair that hasn't been washed that day. Maybe I'm a slave to shampoo marketing?

Attitude
Behaviour in society or out in public can never have greater charm than that which has been unconsciously developed through daily practice at home....Never temper uncontrolled, never a slump in manners or appearance or in the work which is your job [homemaking], never a moment when you do not try your best to be at your best for those whom you love best...

Oh, man, am I in trouble...

Actually, when taking the 1930's Marital Scale quiz, I got a 57 (out of 100), which wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Husbands can take it, too. How would you rate?

Weekly Winners/Sundays in My City

Weekly Winners is a collection of favorite photos from the week. Lotus hosts Weekly Winners over at Sarcastic Mom. Unknown Mami is the delightful hostess of Sundays in My City, where contributors share pics from all over the world. Here are my contributions this week.

I took Kyle to visit a college on Saturday. The campus was very nice; on Lake Michigan, everything within walking distance, small class sizes. It is definitely in the running. Of course, Kyle was interested in the pool...

I was enamored with the flowers everywhere. Check out these gorgeous mums!

Mom's favorite color...

They were just stunning!

No wonder the tuition is so high; it must have cost a fortune to plant these all over the place. (I'm jealous.)

When I saw this on the wall, I knew we were in the Brainiac Department.

When I saw this, I knew we were in a dorm...

...though the smell left little doubt. (Boys!)

Visit Unknown Mami for Sundays in My City and Sarcastic Mom for Weekly Winners.

P.S. I apologize if you are offended by the "Jew fro" comment. I wasn't sure if it was offensive, and three of four friends who are Jewish replied that it was not offensive, so I went with it.

Good Thing She's Not Driving....

Mom (age 80) called my sister, Michelle, tonight,

"I'm just calling because I know you kids worry about me when you don't reach me. I thought I would tell you I'll be gone tomorrow."

"Where are you going?"

"I don't know!"

"You don't know?" Michelle replied, "Is it a surprise?"

"No, I just don't know. Mary [the friend who is picking her up] invited me, but she doesn't remember where we're going."

It seems mom's friend invited her on one of those day-time bus trips for senior citizens but forgot where-to. Mom said she's looking forward to going. She doesn't know what time they'll be back.

Knowing Mom, I'm sure they'll have a great time wherever they're going.

Good thing she called; I'd hate to be worrying about her....

Friday Fragments/Friday's Freewrite

Step right up and partake in Friday Fragments; bits and pieces of our weeks; plenty to fill you up, but not leave you bloated and guaranteed not to make you fat. For more info about FF and how to join in the party, click the button above. And while you're at it, visit Ordinary and Awesome, too. Sara welcomes FF links and vice versa. We're glad you're here.


***I'm using some wonderful soap that I got at BlogHer. It has a mild scent, is exfoliating, and lathers great. Now, if I could just remember who makes it. (I threw the box away accidentally.) Let me know if you know. It's light green and has little black thingies in it. Soooo nice.

***Eternal Lizdom's fragment about how seeing this sweet little face makes her forget any of her troubles made me, too, forget anything negative. What a treasure, this one....
***The good aspects of weight loss do not require discussion. A bad thing? Wrinkles. Not sure I like the new, wrinkly look under my eyes and on my smile. (Which is fine, because I've already gained the weight back since I drafted this last week, so I'm wrinkle free again, haha.)

***If you must keep your word verification (and really, must you?) would you please keep it built into the comments? I hate the new thing I've seen lately in Blogger; WV that pops up after I have posted my comment. It only adds a few seconds of time, but boy, is that annoying!

***If you're in the mood to laugh and you've never seen my Go-Girl video from last May, I strongly recommend that you view it. Anyone who has seen it will back me up-It's priceless.

***My Favorite Friday Fragment this week came from Evansmom, at Just Sayin':

"Did you read about the couple that got robbed while having an "intimate moment" in a dumpster? They had jewelry and money stolen so it isn't like they were homeless. I wonder how they happened to end up in a dumpster. "Let's go back to your place." "No, honey, my place is an absolute wreck. Let's go to a dumpster instead!" or perhaps "I can't wait to get you alone!" "Hey, look there is an empty dumpster! We don't have to wait!". Seriously, if my husband ever asked for an intimate moment in a dumpster, I would have him climb in first and leave him there. Yuck!"

Here's your award, Evansmom! Thanks for the smile.

***On Friday of last week, I saw a scumbag, pig, pervert who was arrested the previous week for breaking into a tanning room to stare at a naked woman. He's been arrested several times for the same behavior, including sneaking into a college dorm to watch girls shower (I guess nine months in jail didn't fix him.) Here's his photo: Doesn't he even look like a loser/pervert? Guess where I saw him? At the high school football game! That's right. There he was, oggling teenage girls on the dance team, etc. I was appalled, and when I phoned the police to report it (surely a man with his record would have some type of restrictions, right?) I was told that he was not doing anything against the terms of his probation. DISGUSTING!

***It is impossible for me to properly judge the value of a post. Sometimes, those I love turn out to be flops in the comment department, but some posts that I expect will recieve a ho-hum response often end up with some of the richest, most rewarding comments. Hello? Is Anybody There? is one such post. I will forever treasure the intimacy of the comments on that post. If you commented, thank you. If you didn't, you're probably going to hell. (Sorry, I couldn't resist writing that last line-it cracked me up a lot!)

***Thanks for the love and care you showed me this week; your emails, comments of support, and prayers for Molly have been very comforting. Keep the prayers coming; as you know, CG's conviction does not bring Ryan back, and there is much more healing to do.

Ready to join in the Fragmenting fun? Link your FRIDAY FRAGMENTS or FRIDAY'S FREEWRITE post here:

The Verdict is In!

After two hours of deliberating, seven men and five women found C.G. GUILTY of first degree reckless homicide. He faces up to 52 years in prison. Sentencing is to be held November 9th. I'm SO relieved. It certainly doesn't bring Ryan back, but at least C.G. won't be able to continue selling (on the street, anyway.)

Bent, But Not Broken II

My first Bent, But Not Broken was an inspiring story of the triumph of the human spirit. Ironically, that post was relayed by my friend, Molly, who I hope will claim the title for her own story one day.

Today, while driving past the park that is a block from the middle school, I noticed a crippled, yet beautiful, maple tree that could also claim the "Bent, But Not Broken" title. See for yourself.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out how this school neighborhood tree found herself near death, savagely broken. Marrow exposed...

And yet, she has persevered. In defiance of her tormenters, she has blossomed.

It's unlikely that she will ever stand as tall as she once did, but her wounds will continue to heal, and I have confidence that her beauty and strength will inspire for years to come.


For more pictures that say a thousand words, visit Jen at Cheaper Than Therapy.

TMI Thursday, Grandma-Style

(Yes, I know it's Wednesday, but it's my blog, so I can change the days of the week if I feel like it, haha!)

Mommy Jamie has a giveaway going on, in which you are asked to share a breast cancer survivor story. At first, I didn't respond because I don't know anyone in that category. However, tonight, I remembered that years ago, Mr.4444's Grandma Grace survived breast cancer.

She was 70-something when she was diagnosed and underwent a mastectomy. I didn't know her very well, as she lived in the U.P. and didn't get up to Green Bay much, but I'll never forget the time I got to know her better than I wanted to. Mr.4444 and I gone to his parents' house, where Grace was visiting for Christmas.

Now, Grace was very hard-of-hearing, so she had a tendency to talk very loudly. Mr.4444 greeted her in the livingroom, and gave her a big hug. Before he could even sit down, Grace hollered, "Mark! Do you want to see the scar from my surgery?!" She did not wait for a response; just whipped the top of her shirt down and thrust her chest out for her grandson to see the ugly, red scar above an empty Grandma-boob.

After he swallowed the vomit in his mouth, Mr.4444 said, "Thanks, Gram. I'm glad you're feeling better." She went on to tell her story, but I don't remember it much (because I was laughing pretty hard.)

Grandma Grace lived another twenty years. During that time, she earned the nickname, "Polyp Queen" from Mr.4444 (no, he didn't call her that to her face), because of her many issues with polyps in her...um....colon.

Thankfully, she never offered to show us those...



For more TMI Thursday posts, visit Lilu at Live It, Love It. And give Jamie a little love, too, will you? Your odds of winning right now are excellent, and she'd appreciate your visit a lot.

Hello? Is Anybody There?

It's normal to question God's existence when you are at the depths of sorrow and see no hope in sight.* It's also normal to question His existence when you are young and thinking you're the master of your fate.

I was 20 when I decided there was no God and I no longer needed to bother going to church. (It was so boring! And all they really wanted was money, right?) There wasn't any big catalyst or anything; I just decided that what I'd been taught in my Catholic upbringing was probably just a manipulation tactic and I would be just fine without "faith." I didn't know anything about this "Jesus guy" and figured I could handle my life on my own. And for the next year or two, I did.

I'm sorry to be vague, but something happened to me around that time, something that literally brought me to my knees (in spite of myself) and left me crying out for help. (Well, sobbing, really, with lots of choking, and snot. Good thing I was in the shower)

He answered, loud and clear, in the form of an unexpected event a day or two later and by placing two people in my path whose revelations to me made me realize that I was not alone in my suffering. I've been a believer ever since and have a peace in me that I consider the greatest gift I have ever received.

I still struggle with many unknowns in this world, like why absolutely horrific things happen to very innocent children** and the explanation for natural disasters that kill thousands, etc. I still don't really "know" Jesus in the way some might insist that I need to, but my faith is strong. I enjoy church now (though I don't go as often as I should); I find the rituals of my faith and the sense of community comforting. I've been at church in the depths of sorrow (when we've lost family members) and in the same church at times of celebration, with my heart full of joy. It's home to me.

I respect you for your own beliefs (even if you don't believe in God), and I wonder (regardless of your beliefs, and if you feel like sharing) when/how did you know for sure?



*P.S. While Molly's (and her ex-husband Mike's) experience does have me feeling introspective and a little melancholy lately, this statement is in no way representative of how she is feeling right now. I am not talking about Molly here. [Also, the trial starts tomorrow and, with any luck, will end Friday.]

**Again, not referring to the Molly situation.

Best Email Ever

Last week, we had the kids sign up for Gaggle.net email accounts. (Gaggle is great for teacher-student communication.) We asked students to confirm that they had added our teacher email addresses correctly by sending us an email message. Here's Sharon's. [Sharon is cognitively disabled and quite a character.]

From: Sharon [mailto:sharonstudent@gaggle.net]
Sent: Wednesday, September 16, 2009 1:57 PM
To: Mrs.4444 (not really, but I wasn't going to leave my name there)
Cc: Mrs.K
Subject: hi

Dear Mrs.4444,you are inusent. You are beautiful.

You look lovely mrs 4444 . When is your birthday. nock nock whos there bunny i like you.


This one's going in the "In Case I Need to Smile" file....

Measuring Up

I know what you're here for, and I'm sorry; I had no time to take any Weekly Winners or Sundays in My City pics this week. (unless you count yesterday's video.) Instead, I want to celebrate!

I'm half-way to my weight loss goal, which (if you read my Tweet or Facebook page) you know was to get both bewbs down to one handful each. (I'll let you figure out what "half-way" means.)
Oh, and that's my hands, not Mr.4444's, though he frequently offers to help me measure. [Clearly, I have plenty of help in this regard, so no volunteers will be necessary, thank you!]

I was musing about weight loss to Mr.4444, "I think that as long as I'm able to suck it all in [my gut] and be satisfied with my appearance, I don't get too worried. I hope I never see the day when I can't suck it in anymore."

Mr.4444 wisely replied, "I will love you, no matter how much you weigh."

"Awwww. Thanks."

He continued, "I might leave you, but I will always love you." (Always good for a laugh, that Mr.4444.)

And..."The deal-breaker would be a mustache."

Great. (I don't have much of a mustache yet.)

Mr. Compassionate mused further, "I suppose some ladies might just have bad eyes and don't see the mustache when they look in the mirror."

Here's to bifocals...

Saturday Sampling

Still fragmenting, I guess...

***Mr.4444 discovered something freaky on a tree in our yard this morning. Check it out. (Sorry about the lack of focus, but you'll still get the creepy-factor. Ignore my "Shhhhhaa" comment; I was in shock.) Upon looking, Mr.4444 found 25 such "infestations" on our property. UPDATE: It's the Beech Blight Aphid, found now all over the neighborhood. Also known as the Boogie Woogie Aphid, for how they "dance" when disturbed. YIKES

***The trial starts on Wednesday. The newspaper yesterday reported that the defense will claim that Ryan's death was a suicide, not an accidental drug overdose (confirmed by the coronor). Poor Molly--She will be going through hell in that courtroom. I am choking up typing this. Keep the prayers coming, please....

***Heard about Second Life this week. It's an on-line virtual community in which you can have "a second life." I only checked it out briefly, because it was recommended to me, but it looks pretty amazing to me. You can create a character and make friends, do things your real-life body would never allow you to do (sports, etc.), buy property, travel the world, and even shop for clothes and accessories. It looks to be a lot like SIMS, but the graphics are impressive. One thing I did not appreciate is the fact that every "person" on Second Life appears to be gorgeous and stick-thin. When I tried to proceed after signing up, though, I found that Firefox could not launch the program. (since I was only signing up to check it out, that was okay with me, but I thought I would mention it.) When I canceled my account, I learned that Second Life is free but costs $9.95 per month for the Premium version. I'm busy enough with my own life to worry about getting involved with a virtual life, but it is the largest site of its kind in the world. So, if you are lonely, would like to be skinny, and have money burning a hole in your pocket, I recommend this site.

***Snopes.com is one of my top favorite websites, though I don't often need to use it. Snopes has been around for a while, but if you don't know about it, I wanted to enlighten you. It's an urban legends site; the place to go when you receive those annoying OMG email forwards that try to get you to forward to "everyone you know" in the name of alarmism. Whenever I get one of those stupid emails, I go to Snopes (where I find the story is false, of course) and copy and paste the link into a return email. If you think you have truly alarming news to send to the masses, check it out at Snopes, first, before you make a fool of yourself. :)

***I also wandered onto Idea Paint this week. Idea Paint is a product that allows you to paint a whiteboard on any surface. That's the cool part; I would LOVE to have this in my house! It appears to be easy to use, has a guarantee, etc. The downside is that it's $199 to cover 50 square feet. I'm mentioning it anyway, because I LOVE the idea, and YOU might be able to afford it.

Okay, off to catch up on yesterday's fragmenters! Have a wonderful weekend...

Friday Fragments

I don't know what I would do without Friday Fragments, honestly. FF is my haven; my retreat from structure and the confines of paragraphs. I'm just so happy to be here, setting all of my random thoughts free. I'm glad you decided to join me. Thanks :) Want to feel this same level of peace? Click on the FF button above.

Friday's Freewrite, hosted by Ordinary and Awesome, is also a happy place; wander over and experience the freedom! Friday Fragmenters and Freewriters are always welcome to link up!

***Unknown Mami was my Favorite Friday Fragmenter last week:

Have you heard of the "Sperm Wug"? It's a type of parasite that attaches itself to otherwise healthy men's sperm and causes them severe pain when they scratch their genitals. I had never heard of it either until word verification told me about it.



Okay, I might have made that up, but you know I hate word verification.

Mami, this award is yours :) ***In her Fragments, Sue (of As Cape Cod Turns) turned me to following ShitMyDadSays on Twitter. This 28-year-old guy who lives with his 73-year-old dad has more than 300,000 followers who read his tweets, which are entertaining quips from his dad. I absolutely love it! Thanks, Sue!

Jamie, of Him, Me, and Our Three wrote this:
***Princess joined me as I was getting dressed the other day. She saw me putting on lotion and asked for some. It was a bottle of Vanilla Bean Noel that I'd found hidden in the back of my cabinet. She rubbed it on her arms and then looked up and exclaimed "Mommy! I smells like a cookie!"

I loved this. It reminded me how much I hate lotion scents that smell like food. Really-Why would anyone want to smell like a cinnamon bun or caramel corn?! Vanilla scent is fine with me, but once you start going down the bakery lane, I find it sickening.

***I'm kinda bummed that I can't really ride my bike "no-handed" anymore without risking emergency intervention.

***Mrs. K entertained budding scientists today by showing them what could happen if they do not wear their goggles in the lab. (She dropped acid onto cow eyeballs in the lab station.) I let her have all the fun. (I wonder, Where does one buy cow eyeballs, anyway? Eyeballs 'R Us?)

***I let Kyle get supper at The Urban Frog tonight, even though it's very expensive there; everything is organic and healthy-looking. However, he's such a good kid that I agreed, and I'm glad I did; there's nothing like watching a boy eat a nice, big, healthy meal. His comment after drinking his bright orange carrot, apple, berry smoothie was, "This doesn't really have a flavor; it's more like an emotion. It's like liquid happy." (Tough to say no to that.)

***Found a dime on the floor of the shower this morning. How weird is that?!

***At Mom's tonight, she shared a bunch of idioms from a book she's reading, and I had never heard of one of them, but I love it; "All hat and no cattle" refers to someone who pretends to be something that they are not or maybe someone who is all talk and no action. Although I hope to never hang out with anyone who is all hat and no cattle, I hope I get to use the expression some day.

Okay, you know what to do-If you have a FRIDAY FRAGMENTS post, add your link below, visit some other Fragmenters, and head over to do the same at Sara's place. Bring treats, though; she has a lot of pets who will greet you when you arrive!

Letting Our Fingers Do the Walking

As a way to build community in our 6th grade classroom, Mrs. K and I led the kids in a Tribes activity called Classroom Yellow Pages. The premise is that everyone has something to offer and can be a resource to others in the classroom. Having helped them find some of their talents via a Multiple Intelligences inventory and after explaining the concept of Yellow Pages, we handed each student two pieces of yellow paper with the words, "I can help with..." printed on them. Students were instructed to write something they are good at and could help others with.

We told the kids that instead of asking us for help with various assignments or problems, they should first "consult the Yellow Pages!" We were elated when, during work time a couple of days later, a student (with no prompting at all) walked over to the Yellow Pages and apparently saw this...because he then approached Rachel and asked her how to spell a word he needed! Seriously, People; my heart soared to see our idea take off without any prompting from us!

Today, I took a closer look at the board and found these...

Remember our 911 "student teacher?" Here's one we added for him that day...

And my three personal favorites...

Don't you wish you were in our class? :)

Wordless Wednesday

On the way home from work, I saw this tree amongst the gorgeous yellow of what I'm guessing is soybeans or something. Regardless, I just loved it and decided I didn't want to wait til Sunday to post it. I played a little in Picnik and could not choose a favorite, so here you go....




Have a Happy Hump Day :)

Tuesday's Tip

One day, I was walking home with my middle school friend, "Jane," who was in tears and lamenting about how mean her older sister was. I felt for her, because honestly, her sister was the snottiest, snobbiest, most know-it-all, bossy crab-ass I knew. To say she was moody would be like saying Joan Rivers has had "a little work done."

Thinking I was showing solidarity for my poor friend, I offered up, "I know! She's such a bitch!"

Jane wheeled around, stopped dead in her tracks and angrily snapped , "Don't you ever call my sister a bitch again!"

(Sheesh! I was only trying to be supportive!)

That day, I learned a life lesson that has obviously stayed with me; never, never, never agree with someone when they complain about a family member or loved one, no matter how vehemently. Just nod your head and be supportive, because we can all rip on our own family members, but no one else is allowed to.


For more Tuesday Tips, visit Texas Family of Four. And to find memes for every day of the week, visit The Daily Meme.