Friday Fragments: Episode #178

Welcome! Feeling fragmented? You've come to the right place; we're full of 'em here!

To learn the ins and outs of FF, please click on the link above. Thank you.
Sorry if you arrived Thursday evening and found no linky. (I have lots of reasons, but zero excuses.) Please forgive me.

***I'm still on the couch, recovering from my painting adventure yesterday. After I had that epiphany, I made this and uploaded it to Pinterest:

I hope that it helps other people remember what I had forgotten. (I suppose that's why I only paint every couple of years.) 

***Speaking of senior portraits, Kendall loves playing in the snow, my sister Michelle is going to help us play around with some winter shots (if we ever get some more snow). I can't wait, as Kendall is a real snow bunny, and a senior pic that shows that side of her will be really cute.

***Poor Mr.4444....After four days with our Christmas tree, he realized he was allergic to it (we undressed it and kicked it out the door last night.) Oh, darn! That means we'll have to get an artificial tree in the future; one that's pre-lit, of course, one that will cut my job in half and result in my seeing the tree as a joy to set up, rather than a chore.  I'll probably even set it up Thanksgiving weekend, now, instead of the day before Christmas. But yeah, poor Mr.4444. Sorry, Honey. Love you...[STOP THE PRESSES--Mr.4444 says there is "no way" that we are getting a fake tree. He thinks his allergic reaction to the tree was due to the fact that instead of a Frasier Fir, this year, we got a balsam. The Internet says it's mold, not a pine allergy; that we should hose the tree down and let it dry before taking it in the house next time. Greaaat....more pain-in-the-butt jobs Christmas tree tasks.

***You may have seen or heard about Ben Breedlove's This is My Story Parts 1 & 2 videos, in which he shared a couple of weeks ago on YouTube.  The videos touched me, as he talked about his near-death experiences (the result of a heart defect) and how he had no fear of dying as a result.  I learned yesterday that Ben passed away on Christmas Day while playing with his little brother in their back yard. Today, I watched another video that Ben made, for his YouTube "News" program. In the video, you can see just what a wonderful young man he was. My heart breaks for his family.

***Here's a quick snap of one of my favorite Christmas gifts (from Grandma 4444):

It's a Kameleon necklace (which means that the center stone can be popped out and replaced with another) and I love, love, love it.  [And yes, the G is for Green Bay Packers; they were out of green and gold ones, and I didn't mind at all!]

Okay, okay--Enough of my yacking. Let's have some of yours! (SORRY FOR THE LATE LINKY!)

So THAT's Why They Spell It Like That!

I wrote this entire post before trying to think of a title, and then I had an epiphany--

Did you ever notice the first four letters of "painting?"  

[Slaps self in forehead, (or would if she could lift her arms)]

It all makes sense, now!  

I spent 12 hours painting a bathroom today, 

and I can't remember being in more pain. 

Seriously, I can barely type, and I have three ice packs strapped to my extremities. 

It was worth it, though....check it out!

First, the before. That's "builder's white."  

(It was about time I painted, given that we built this house 11 years ago.) 

This bathroom has a skylight that brings in lots of light. I had no idea how/if to paint it. 

Because it turns out that we don't have a ladder tall enough, that decision was made for me 

(I didn't touch it.). 

These shelves were fun to prep (not).

This is the upstairs (kids') bathroom. That beach-themed shower curtain has been there for 11 years.

Twelve hours, two broken shoulders and two painter's elbows later, and ta-da!

This color is absolutely gorgeous. It's called Hosta 

(at Home Depot, Martha Stewart clearance, $13 for a gallon yesterday)

Hosta? What in the world?! It has zero resemblance to hostas, but oh well.

I was a little nervous about painting a darkish color on the ceiling in the tiny shower/toilet area, 

but I'm really glad I did--It really looks nice.

Of course, it's only a matter of time before Kendall has her junk all over the counter again, 

and I obviously need towels, etc. but I'm waiting for the January bedding/bath sales. 

Besides, I'm pretty sure I will need that long to recover! Anyone have any ibuprofen?

Careful With That Ray Gun, Boys!

Is this photo of Uncle Bob and his brother, Mr.4444 cute, or what?!

So many points of interest in this photo...

*the Lost-in-Space helmet (of course)

*cute pajamas

*grandma's knee-highs at her ankles

*tinsel...ah, tinsel...and the size of those lights on the tree (no wonder trees caught on fire)

*the hip ashtray on the coffee table

*those drapes

Mr.4444 (reading my blog) just exclaimed, "Frageelay! We got something from Italy, too!"

I want to know what a Go-Go Bug is.

You'll be glad to know that no eyes were shot out following this gift-opening.

Got a Good Story (or Joke)?

In our family, there are a couple of really good jokes well-told by certain members of the family. Mr.4444, in particular, has a really, really, really good one that is (sadly) Rated R. (No, sorry; I simply cannot share it here, nor can I share it on my YouTube channel. I guess you'll just have to ask him to share it with you in person some time.) I will share a different favorite, though; this one, from me.

What? No video? Yeah, well, I posted it for about 15 minutes and then had second thoughts, as it, too, is a little risque. Shoot. Now I'll have to think of another story to tell. In the meantime, here's the linky, in case anyone wants to share.

Got a great video of you or someone you know telling a story/joke? Link it up here! Please note that I've set this linky to allow me to approve the link after you enter it. (Just experimenting...) Looking forward to your offerings! :)

Sundays in My City: Christmas Recap

Yes, I'm aware that today is Monday,
but since everyone gets their days mixed up when they're on vacation,
I figure I could get away with posting this on Monday.

Yesterday was, of course, Christmas.

On Christmas Eve, we went to church, put our Christmas pajamas on, and ate a "fancy" dinner of fondue

 (chicken, venison, and beef) with twice-baked potatoes. Mmmmmmmm

Mr.4444 made creme brulee for dessert!!

Santa was good to us.

We had the makings of a beautiful family photo this morning, 

but you know how it goes when Grandmas hold "fancy" cameras.haha

(Love you, Grandma 4444!!)

I got some nice shots of the kids, though..

and Kendall and her dad.

I also made sure we got the rare mom-son shot,

 as Kyle leaves in a few days for someone else's city, Ecuador.

(12 days, for a class).

So, we have a lot to be grateful for this year:

More than enough to eat.

A roof over our heads.

Good health.

Plenty of love.

It's my wish for you that you have the same.

For photos from cities near and far, visit Unknown Mami's Sundays in My City.

P.S. Just a reminder that December 28th is the day I'll be sharing another funny story via vlog and inviting you to do the same and link yours up. New or old posts are welcome, as long as they are videos. I hope to see you then! :)

This just in:  Kay is also hosting a Memory Lane post, sharing holiday memories of present or past. Feel free to link up your memories post at her place!

Merry Christmas

If you celebrate Christmas, have a merry one!

If you do not, I hope you will find this photo of my sisters and me amusing

Contrary to what the photo suggests, I have not had a sex-change operation, 

(and no, that's not Kyle).

Wrapping Things Up

On my docket today (for starters):

*Make Christmas cake bites [check!]

*Make twice-baked potatoes for dinner tonight [check!]

*Make Blueberry French Toast for breakfast tomorrow

*Wrap more presents

I would have bought a cat this year, but I couldn't figure out how to wrap it. Then I found this (Thanks, Jen!):

I could adopt an adult cat, too (over Mr.4444's dead body).  I want that cat, but I'm pretty sure his owner wouldn't give him up. I guess that means cats are out this year (sorry, Karen :).

Here's hoping your wrapping goes well. Happy Holidays!! :)

Friday Fragments, Episode #177

I'm drafting this on Wednesday night, three days before Christmas eve. I'm short on presents but long enough on fragments, so here I go. Thanks for joining our community of fragmented goodness. [First time here? Please click on the FF tab above.]

***I'm very happy with my phone, now that I've done the following:

1) Downloaded Smart Silencer (android app) to allow only certain communications between 10pm and 6am. 

2) Downloaded Smart SMS Responder to use when I'm driving (or otherwise busy). It messages callers/texters that I'm driving and will call/text them back later.

3) Accepted that if I want to take excellent photos without red-eyes, I should use my "real" camera

4) Set up the most wonderful, calming wake-up alarm. (This is my most favorite feature about having a smartphone. 

***I believe that pleasant wake-up alarm are extremely important. I don't know how I survived this long in life without one. 

***I love, love, love that I can now keep up with my email via my smart phone! Next thing you know, I'll be keeping up with my reader!hahaha

***One afternoon this week, a student of mine (she's kind of surly) randomly snapped, "Why do you have a 'Dictionary of American Idiots' in your classroom?!"  I didn't even have to look at the book to know which one she was holding. I smiled gently and invited her to read the title again.

Of course, she smiled. I love it when crabby kids just have to laugh at themselves.

 ***My almost-13, self-proclaimed-geek nephew, Logan, has started a Tech Tips from a Bacon Lover page on Facebook. He's got three great tips up so far this week (two that I wasn't aware of!), and he  would really, really love it if you'd pay his page a visit and "Like" it. Thanks.

***By the way....Remember my Go Wait in the Car! vlog, telling the funny story from Unknown Mami? In that vlog, I invited you to record yourself or someone you love telling a funny/interesting/well-loved story. This is a reminder that I'll put up a linky thing for that on Wednesday, December 28th at 7am.  I hope at least some of you plan to link up (old or new posts with someone telling a good story are welcome), as I love a good story.  Go ahead--Get Grandma to tell her family classic when you're together for the holidays; it'll be fun!

***I'm going to go out on a limb here and write to the blogger who never actually reads my fragments (or anyone else's, for that matter) but links up faithfully each week, having never read or heeded the rules. My Friend, I delete your link every week. The fact that you haven't noticed validates me. Thanks.

***I would really, really love to have a fragmenter meet-up via Google Hangouts some time. Anyone in? I think we'd have a blast.

Okay, I'm wrapping this up. No school for me today, but you can bet I'll be out shopping. I plan to stop by your blogs to catch up very soon! Thanks for the trail of breadcrumbs below...

Concession Fun

A couple of weeks ago, I helped our high school music boosters club raise money for kids in band and choir.  I thought you might appreciate seeing a photo of our stand.

All we sell is two kinds of beer and one kind of peanuts; it's nothing complicated. However, that kind of simplicity should not be underestimated; in approximately three hours, we sold $8500 worth of beer and peanuts that day. Maybe it was the Packers' crushing victory over the Oakland Raiders (46 to 16), but people were quite cheerful that evening, and, for what it's worth, we sold out of Miller Genuine Draft.

Yes, I was a little cold, but not because I can't handle 38 degrees Fahrenheit; it was the 15-20 mph winds from the southwest that that made things a bit uncomfortable. My eyes always, always tear up in winter wind, so that was kind of annoying.  Did I mention that our stand is on the southwest side of the stadium?

It was actually kind of fun, though, and every now and then, I got to steal away into the stadium and take a peek.

I'm signed up again for the New Year's Day game. I don't know what I was thinking when I did that. After all, we're talking the Frozen Tundra here, home of the infamous Ice Bowl in 1967.  It was "the coldest game in league history," with temps at -15 and winds gusting at 18 mph. You'll never guess what date that was (unless you know football history, of course)...It was December 31st, 1967.

Thank goodness, my friend Dawn has agreed to throw caution to the wind that day, as well. (Thanks, Dawn!)  We think it might actually be fun; you know, like a story we can tell our grandkids some day, just like those who were in attendance at the great Ice Bowl. Just think! We might be able to say, "We were there when...."

...assuming we don't freeze to death.

It's Never Too Late to Fake It

Kyle believed in Santa until he was about nine years old. It was the Easter Bunny who blew it first, actually....

Kyle revealed, "Mom, you know how I know that you and dad are the Easter Bunny? There is no way that a rabbit could jump all the way up to top of the closet to put my basket up there."

He didn't connect the Easter Bunny to Santa for several months, though.  I can still remember the look on his face when he made the connection (so cute).

Kendall, though, was just six the day she asked me to tell her the truth about Santa. I gave her our standard, "Santa is a tradition that our family celebrates, yes."  

"No, Mom. That's not what I mean. Are you and Daddy Santa?"

Now, I didn't want to tell her, but I also didn't want to lie. I once met a grown woman who was traumatized by learning her parents were Santa (She lost all faith in them and even doubted the existence of God, as a result.) For that reason, Mr.4444 and I did talk about Santa and practiced some traditions related to him (stockings, for example), but we never stressed the Santa-thing as the center of it all. 

"Kendall, what do you want me to say?"  (See, I'd read somewhere that if a kid asks a question point-blank, you should answer it truthfully, and I wanted to give her an out, because if you ask me a question, I will tell you the answer, and Kendall knew that.)

"I want to know if you and Daddy are Santa."

"Yes, Honey. We're Santa."

And she jumped up (there might have been a little fist-pump) and cried, "I knew it! I knew it!" She was so proud of herself. I told her that even though she now knew who Santa was, she must respect that her friends' parents wouldn't appreciate her sharing her new information. We also talked about how she had a new and special role of helping spread the "magic" of Santa to her little cousins, etc. And that was that.

Or so I thought.

Six months later, at 7 o'clock in the morning, Kendall comes down the stairs from her bedroom, marches into mine, bursts into tears, and sobs, "Why did you tell me there's no Santa?!"  There followed bawling and the application of parental guilt; it seems you're damned if you do and damned if you don't!

So, Kendall obviously survived, but to this day, I feel a little bad about "ruining" Santa before she was ready.  She's a teenager now, though, and last year, when I decided to put all of the presents under the tree on Christmas Eve, I figured it was no big deal. 

Apparently, I was wrong; it is a big deal. 

Oh, she was nice enough about it at the time, but this year, she made a point of telling me that "Santa" doesn't leave unwrapped gifts laying around the house (even if the recipient knows what she's getting), and Santa doesn't put all of the presents under the tree before anyone goes to bed. And guess what? Apparently, just because "Santa" doesn't come to our house any more doesn't mean he isn't responsible for buying candy canes to "secretly" put on the tree in the middle of the night on Christmas eve, either. 

Okay, I get the point. I've learned; my Santa days are not over. I'm being a good mom and doing my best to make Christmas feels special, just for Kendall. 

That includes saying, "How am I supposed to know?" when she asks what Santa's bringing her this year (numerous times).

And that makes Kendall very happy.

[Shoot! She just admonished me for leaving the candy canes on the table in the kitchen. (What?! I was wrapping presents today, and they were in the bag. I did have a thought about hiding them, but I forgot.) "Be more careful!" she chastised.

 I just told her to stop harassing me. Santa's watching, after all.  Right?!

Christmas Fantasy

Before either of my children were even born, I was writing a journal for them. Eventually (as the kids arrived), I split it in two and wrote specifics for each kid.  I haven't written in it in years, but I do enjoy flipping back through the many, many entries. This one is from Kyle's journal. I wrote it when he was about six years old.

***

In regard to Santa, you haven’t said a lot, but it is clear that you believe.  He called the other night (actually the Elk’s Club volunteers), and you seemed quite impressed that he knew who your best friend is and the fact that underneath your bed is a mess.  Cute.
You almost had me, the other day, when we were reading a book called Baby Santa Mouse.  It’s about a little mouse who is discovered by Santa and ends up flying with Santa on his sleigh, helping him every year.  Towards the end of the story you quietly observed,

“This is fantasy.”

Slowly, still holding my cards to my vest, I replied, “Why do you think so?” 

“Because mice don’t wear clothes.”

Whew!  What a relief!

It is charming to see your sweet innocence in regard to Santa, Kyle.

***

Today, Kyle is in college and certainly doesn't read stories about Santa any longer. However, if Baby Santa Mouse has happened to retire by now and Santa has an opening on that sleigh of his, I'm certain Kyle would be interested in being his right-hand man; that kid is crazy about cars, especially the fast ones.

Monday Mumblings

I didn't get to unload many fragments on Friday, so I'm taking the opportunity to do so today.

***I'm still stick. It's been a week now. I did see a doctor on Friday, and she said it's just a really good cold. If you missed my very, very important Public Service Announcement on netipots, please be sure to read it--It's a matter of life and death (seriously).

***I've had my Motorola Atrix 2 for about two weeks now. It's nice, but I'm not sure I'm going to keep it.  I'm just not impressed by the camera; what's the point of zoom if you can't focus?  Maybe I need to keep playing with it.

***If you've still got wrapping to do and are thinking about buying this false promise, don't do it; it's useless.

***I'm behind in my holiday baking. I hope to get some krumkake made today or tomorrow.  I'm pretty sure that the snowman cake pops I was planning are out of the question.

***I've worn professionally-made orthotics for more than 20 years. I wasn't sure what to expect when I won a pair of the Dr. Scholl's custom-fit orthotics (Thanks, Unknown Mami!), and I'm happy to say that I absolutely love them and would recommend them as a great gift. The first day that I wore mine (a few weeks ago), I wore them Christmas shopping for 12 straight hours (No, I'm not kidding.) and my feet felt terrific the entire day, as well as the days that followed. I've switched out my old ones for these. I'm not sure how long they last, since they're not hard plastic, but I do love them.


***Since Friday is so close to Christmas Eve, I may have fewer Friday Fragments, but I will put the link up (in case you're wondering).

***I've just started reading an excellent book on parenting, called Raising Our Children, Raising Ourselves, by Naomi Aldort. I rarely read hard-copy books, but I usually finish one over the holidays, and I'm really looking forward to this one; it's really a standout so far.

***It's a rare thing for me to go to bed before 10pm, but tonight, I'm going for it! Four days of school for us this week. My plan is to get well before the break gets here!  If I don't "see" you before the new year, I wish you a beautiful Christmas and/or Hanukkah with your family.

***[I'd add "Kwanza," but I'm not really sure anyone but Hallmark celebrates it.]  Melisa, I'm sure you'll let me know, living in the big city and all :) I look forward to your input.

Have a great Monday!!

Music in My City

In my city this week, 200+ high school students are gearing up for a trip to the Rose Parade!  Next week, the Tinytown High School Marching Band will be marching in the Rose Parade (hopefully, after the Wisconsin Badgers win in the Rose Bowl!).  When Kyle was a freshman several years ago, they also performed in the infamous parade, for which a school must demonstrate audition. The process is rigorous, and so is the work required for these kids to get to this playing level. I remember days and days and days of summer practices, as well as night practices in the weeks leading up to the trip, of course.

Did I mention we live in Wisconsin, and it's cold this time of year? Picture yourself trying to play a freezing-cold  instrument with freezing-cold fingers, marching on freezing-cold feet! Those kids sure are tough. I admire their dedication so much.

Although we're not going to California to watch the kids, we did get a taste of their hard work, last night, at The Sounds of the Season concert, in which part of the band performed. Kendall sang with the choir in several numbers (one for which she had to audition!), but I didn't get good video of that. Never fear, though; I do have a taste of the band. The song is long, but I did start recording late. If you'd like band music, you'll love it (especially the last 30 seconds). Wow.

[D. Thomas Busch is the Director]

For more scenes and sounds from around the globe, visit Unknown Mami's Sundays in My City.

PSA on Netipots

Okay, maybe I'm too sick to recognize bunk, or maybe my brain is being eaten by an amoeba, but this article, (shared with me by my cousin Margaret) scared the snot out of me:

North Lousiana Woman Dies from Rare Amoeba Infection

"The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals is warning residents about the dangers of the improper use of neti pots. The warning follows the state's second death this year caused by Naegleria fowleri, the so-called brain-eating ameba. A 51-year-old DeSoto Parish woman died recently after using tap water in a neti pot to irrigate her sinuses and becoming infected with the deadly ameba. In June, a 20-year-old St. Bernard Parish man died under the same circumstances. Naegleria fowleri infects people by entering the body through the nose. A neti pot is commonly used to irrigate sinuses, and looks like a genie's lamp."

"If you are irrigating, flushing, or rinsing your sinuses, for example, by using a neti pot, use distilled, sterile or previously boiled water to make up the irrigation solution," said Louisiana State Epidemiologist, Dr. Raoult Ratard.  "Tap water is safe for drinking, but not for irrigating your nose."  It's also important to rinse the irrigation device after each use and leave open to air dry.

Initial symptoms of PAM start one to seven days after infection. The initial symptoms include headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, and stiff neck. Later symptoms include confusion, lack of attention to people and surroundings, loss of balance, seizures, and hallucinations. After the start of symptoms, the disease progresses rapidly and usually causes death within one to 12 days.


Actually, I wish it had scared the snot out of me. Sadly, I've still got plenty clogging up my head.  I am scared, though; I'm going to buy some distilled water tomorrow. 


I'm pretty sure my iron will thank me, too.


***
In response to this post, I received an email from Alexandra Pfenninger, of Newsy.com. She shared an on-line video story on this subject here.  From that story, I also learned that in the past ten years, only 32 people have died this way, which I guess is a good thing (as long as you're not one of the 32). Thanks, Alexandra, for the link.

Friday Fragments: Episode #176

Got fragments? Me, too!

***Wow. Just wow. I'm sick--(sore throat, headaches, runny nose) but I'm at school, in my room, having no choice but to listen to a tuba, a trombone, a clarinet, and a bell-kit being played together. (We're going to ring bells at a nearby grocery store, and the kids want to play Christmas music.)  I hope I can last the hour.

***Whew! I survived! It was actually kind of cute; the kids were so sweet, cheerful, appreciative of every coin and bill. I had fun.

***However, when I got home, I broke my work laptop's ability to go on-line, so I'm typing this on Kendall's computer, which I need to give back to her, so for now, I'm going to leave the linky for you and maybe....just maybe go to bed.

You know the drill...

Heard in the Classroom: Sex "Education"

Remember J, the boy who had a little trouble accessing his brain's "filing cabinet" for that [3rd] test retake? Well, he had no trouble finding his file on How Babies Are Born this morning, in science class. We're still on the subject of the human body, and one of our cherubs (who loves to get off-topic) decided to bring up the subject of babies and pregnancy. Mrs. K (always comfortable discussing anything science-related) humored the kids and answered several interesting questions. At one point, J (with authority) "revealed" to his peers, "Well, you do know that babies come out your butt, right?"

"Um, no; they don't."

"Yes, they do. Then why do you think they have that big sheet covering the top of you on the table?"

"J, you'll have to ask your mom about that one. That's a subject parents get to talk to their kids about."

And with that, that drawer in J's filing cabinet was closed (until he gets home tonight, I'm sure).

***

Why, yes; I did rather enjoy sending J's mom an email on that one. The subject line was, "Time for the talk!LOL"

Baby Advice from Middle Schoolers

Recently, a co-worker and his wife (also an employee in our district) had a baby girl. Our sixth graders were invited to make congratulations cards. Of course, I figured there'd be some blog material in the mix, and obviously, I was right.

[For what it's worth, "Sandstorm!" is an inside joke that has nothing to do with babies and everything to do with social studies.]

(In case you can't read the pink one, it says, "Congrats on the new baby. Be careful don't forget this hint I'm going to tell you.  Hint:  Don't forget to change her diaper because if you don't your house is going to stink really bad.  It will be a mix of PEE and POOP!!! Hope it goes well with the new baby."

Clearly, Brooke and Kyra have experience with diapering. I guess Mr. & Mrs. M know who to call for babysitters! :)

Holiday Reflection: Coming Full Circle

Several years ago, I wrote a post about a little girl I had in class. Last week, I ran into her at the high school (where I was for a meeting).  At first, her face didn't register recognition, but I smiled and said, "Hi, Kelly," and she lit up.  "Hi, Mrs. 4444!"  I was in a hurry to return to my meeting, so I couldn't stop and talk, but she stayed with me in spirit. This post will tell you why. It's a re-post, one of my favorites. [While the original title is Making a Difference, this is not a post about my Difference Makers students.]

***

I have a little girl in my class this year (normally I have only boys, who are statistically more likely to have emotional/behavioral disabilities.) I could call her “Tootsie” (Ring a bell?), but I will call her Kelly. Anyway, this little 11-year-old charmer (Yes, charmer; now that we have the farting under control) has stolen my heart.

Picture Pigpen (of Peanuts fame), and you will see Kelly, but instead of dirt in a 3-foot radius, you will see books, folders, notebooks, pencil cases, an empty water bottle, and loose paper in a tiny encampment around her. It is not unusual to observe Kelly walk out of the room (arms loaded up) only to drop the entire collection in the hallway, two steps out the door. Imagine her picking everything up (alone, or with the help of some kind soul), only to drop everything again three steps later. That’s Kelly. (And all this after spending ten minutes organizing the whole mess with me.)

Like many 6th graders, Kelly is tiny; only about 4 1/2 feet tall. She has chestnut-brown hair that someone in a hurry must have cut for her, chin-length. She also has warm brown eyes and an ever-present grin. She uses words like “certainly” and “of course,” but pronounced “sotenly,” “of cose,” (apparently having been at the back of the speech lessons line in grade school.) Her shirts and her pants are too short and not appropriate for the season (It’s cold. Kelly’s wearing summer stuff). If you look over the playground during recess, you will see only one child wearing a snowsuit (in middle school). That child is Kelly. She is adorable, if not fashion conscious.

This week, I brought in some of Kendall's clothes that she's outgrown; several t-shirts, some gym shorts, a swimming suit, and some pajama pants with a shirt that says, “I heart chocolate.” (I had asked Kelly’s single dad if he minded. He said he would appreciate it very much.) When I showed Kelly the clothes, she was thrilled. “Of cose, it’s always nice to get new clothes!” she exclaimed. “Oh my gosh! This is adowable!” “Pajamas! I don’t have any pajamas!”

At that moment, I had a flashback to a little girl on a 1970’s winter night, standing awe-struck in the living room as Salvation Army volunteers came through the front door, bringing box after box of gently-used items for her family. I remember that she, too, was ecstatic and profusely appreciative, even though none of the items were brand-new. This little girl, too, wore clothes that had seen better days. She had haircuts that didn’t cost a dime (and showed it). And she, too, had a cheerful spirit that belied her troubled home life and a certain sparkle that made a couple of sensitive teachers take notice and reach out to her. She, too, was worth that attention; attention that would change her life forever.

It dawned on me the day I brought those clothes in that I have a chance to make an impact Kelly’s life; not just as a teacher, but as a human being. A simple act of bringing her used clothing made her day. My heart warms at the thought that I will likely have her for two more years after this one. I have the opportunity to keep the chain of teacher kindness and compassion going. I can make a difference in Kelly’s world.

I love my job.

Go Wait in the Car!

When I read Go Wait in the Car! by Unknown Mami, last week, I knew I had to share it.  Just for fun, I videotaped myself telling it (in my car, as I waited for Kendall to come out after choir practice). U.M., please forgive the embellishments (I was going from memory of reading it only once.). Please also forgive the messy hair and strange "recording studio."  

I mean it--I would love to hear your favorite stories. Come back to link up a few days after Christmas and enjoy the (hopefully-many) offerings.  I can't wait.

Friday Fragments, Episode #175

Friday Fragments are bits and pieces of your week that are usually brief; too short for a stand-alone post, but too good to discard. Collect humorous observations, "Heard" items, and other small gems (hint: a notebook is helpful :) and put them together in a Friday Fragments post. Then leave a link to your Friday Fragments post with Linky Tools and link back to my main page in your post (please).  Here we go!

***I've got my Mrs4444 emails down from 855 to 200 (Thank goodness for filtering options in Gmail.) I hope to get through the rest soon, but I can't make any guarantees.

***It's very cold tonight; 22 degrees F. I'll be selling concessions again this weekend, but fortunately, the forecast is predicting a balmy 38 degrees for the game. I hope to have my new cell phone by then, but I guarantee it will not fly into the toilet this time. 

***Google Plus has a new photo-editing feature that looks suspiciously like Picnik! (I love Picnik!) I used to to edit Cypher's photo for your viewing pleasure. 

If you missed the original photo and want to soak up his sweetness, click here. 

***From my cousin-in-law Tama's Facebook page last week:
"Last night, my three daughters and I went out for a lovely supper. We had a lot of laughs. We drank only water but the people next to us thought we had plenty of wine...the old prudes. Then...with the Richter magnitude of 7.5, one by one, eight members of our offensive line strolled in. The Magnificent Green Bay Packers. Our water glasses shook as over a ton of men walked right past our table...some smiled...some hid their faces, but all of them were prepared to consume massive quantities of food. It's fun to live in this town. You never know who you are going to run into on a Thursday night. :) Go Pack Go."

***I have a peeve about unnecessary apostrophes on words ending in "s."  All words that end is "s" do not require apostrophes. The apostrophe preceding an s is only for possession, NOT for indicating more than one of something. Ask yourself, "Is it plural [more than one] or is it possessive?" to decide whether or not to use an apostrophe. Or just keep it simple--Are you talking about more than one of something? No? Then save your apostrophe. You're welcome. For the rules on its vs it's click here.

***Last weekend, someone shared Hyperbole and a Half's blog post, Adventures in Depression. It's a cartoon explanation of the writer's journey through crippling depression. I hadn't realized that depression can just appear for no reason at all. What a frightening feeling that must be; to suddenly not be yourself and have no control over it.  If you have an interest in this topic, I also recommend Gianmario Scotti's Google+ Depression post. If you're someone suffering from depression this time of year, I'm keeping you in my prayers.

***There was a major fire in Tinytown last week. A semi-load of of used clothing was donated, and a call went out, asking folks to come help sort it.  It was a perfect job for my Difference Makers group, and they dove right in today (in place of our usual meeting). They did nothing but sort and fold clothing for an hour and a half, without a word of complaint. (Kendall helped, too :)  So proud of those kids. Next week, we're going bell-ringing (with band instruments, of course) at a nearby grocery store. I'm really looking forward to it. Don't be afraid to stop by the Festival Foods on Lineville between 5 and 6pm on Thursday.

***And finally, Cooper got a haircut today. (That doesn't happen often.) He is so happy.

That's it for me this week. I look forward to your offerings! You know the drill. [And if you don't, please take the time to view the rules before linking up. Thanks.

Why the U.S. Postal Service Doesn't Deliver Emails

Tonight I learned that I haven't received a single Mrs4444 email since September 28th.  I had no idea, since I have been receiving plenty of emails to my other addresses (and they all feed into my gmail account), so I barely noticed.  I will admit to wondering why I wasn't getting any notifications of comments via Disqus, but I haven't been using Disqus that long, so I figured it was just something I needed to figure out one of these days. (I can read them on my blog, as well as on the Disqus page.)

The missing emails are being "fetched" as I type, and the number is up to 688.  If you've sent something to my mrs4444 email address in the last couple of months, this post explains why you haven't heard back. Sorry about that.

Bizzle Gets Some Dunkers

I want this dog; he/she's soooo sweet!

*Found this via Raleigh Burke and Robert Anderson on Google+


Wait. Did I just say I wanted a dog?
(Shh!! Do NOT tell Mr.4444 I said that. I do not want another dog.)
Seriously, no new dogs, thank you very much.

Fun and Games

A couple of weeks ago, I talked my Difference Makers students into what I thought would be 

a low-key meeting (for a change). 

I was just kind of wiped out and thought maybe I could talk them into watching a movie or something. 

I should have known better. 

Oh, it started out low-key enough; a former member (now a high schooler) 

stopped by and offered to teach us about Mission Statements and how to write them.  

We worked hard on that for a bit.

After that, I suggested the movie again, but the kids suggested we play some games, instead. 

In the next photo, they are playing Trigger, one of my favorite games this year.

It's a lot of fun, and a little rowdy sometimes.

In Trigger, players take turns reading a statement from their cards, and everyone else responds.
the first person to put his or her hand down on the "trigger" wins the card.
The statements are all true or false and require quick-but-correct thinking.
Plus, your right hand is for True, and your left is for False, so that takes coordination, too.

Some of the cards include statements like: 

 "I am wearing sandals."  

"You are related to me."  

"I am married."

"We just ate a meal together."

This game is for all ages. It gets loud sometimes, though; if anyone walked past my classroom, 

they probably wondered what the heck was going on.

We also played Spot-It (from the makers of Trigger), but that's for a smaller (less-wild) group, I think. 

It's every bit as fun and challenging, though.

You can play the on-line version (for free and with no download or anything) here.

Both games sell for about $12 each and are well worth it.

I'd recommend Spot It for small kids up through adults. 

Trigger is more for middle school up through adults.

I was wiped out after that meeting; who knew that doing "nothing" would be so exhausting?

Tired as I was, though, as usual, I left with my heart full. 

*Please note that there are one or two "inappropriate" questions in Trigger, such as "I have seen you naked." You could pull those out of the deck if that's too racy for you.. My DM kids laughed hard and moved on from that one.

A Boy and His Dog

Cooper is 10 years old now, but he still loves to play with his "boy."  I just stumbled upon this video that I took when we went camping at Franklin Lake this summer. Part of our tradition is to take the canoe to "4444 Family Island," a tiny, round mound of pine-needle-covered ground that has a perfectly placed fire-pit perfect for a quick roasted-hotdogs-on-a-stick lunch. Since Kyle is a college sophomore now, we felt fortunate that he found time in his busy schedule to join us.

We all love the sound that our footsteps make on the hollow-sounding forest bed beneath us on 4444 Island, and Cooper must enjoy it to, because every time we arrive, he becomes downright giddy; he just loves racing around out there, and in this video, Kyle joined Cooper in the fun.

I like to make you smile on Mondays. I hope this worked.

My Great Auntie Cup Overfloweth

In case you don't have enough to smile about this weekend, I give you Cypher.

No, you can't really have him; I already have dibs!

It's a good thing they only share one photo every few weeks; 

I'd never leave my computer!

Friday Fragments, Episode #174

Just a few weeks to shop for Christmas... I've purchased a few things, but I have a ways to go. Maybe if I unload the fragments knocking around in my head, I'll have room to think about shopping? It's worth a try. [First time fragmenting? Welcome! Click on the FF tab above to learn more.]

***I'm not sure what to call it (an independent film, maybe?) but I stumbled across Charlie on Parole via a post about the Google+ Film Festival. The film is about 20 minutes long and actually pretty good, so if you like that kind of thing, check it out. [Warning: There are some F-bombs in it.]

***I had the true pleasure of meeting Ann in the U.P. this week. She and her husband were in Green Bay for an outpatient surgery, and I was really happy she was sitting around doing nothing anyway and let me come up to the hospital to say. We gabbed for two hours, and I'm happy to tell you that she is just as sweet, smart, and warm as I thought she'd be. Thanks, Ann.

***Kendall downloaded Sleep Talk Recorder app for her smartphone. It apparently records what you say when you talk in your sleep. Kendall is quite the interesting dreamer, and I don't know if she talks much in her sleep, but this could be very entertaining! Stay tuned.

***Speaking of Kendall, she is planning to enter a competition for her "Foods" class. For this, she needs to "develop a perishable, ready-to-heat entrée for busy families which contains items in at least three food groups and is low-fat, low-sodium, low in meat protein and high in alternative protein" and then create a presentation on it. Any recipe suggestions that meet the criteria would be welcome! :) 

For your FRIDAY FRAGMENTS linking pleasure....(those not meeting FF "rules" will be deleted).

Teachable Moments

You can hound, whine, beg, and plead. You can tell them til you're blue in the face, model how to do it, and threaten serious consequences, but sometimes, they just have to learn for themselves; plagiarism is wrong (and, in this case, on so many levels)...

Eleven-year-old "Andy" figured copying and pasting his Ancient Mesopotamia stuff would be a nice way to present "his" research.  Had he actually read it, he might have had second thoughts, but conscientiousness is in the dictionary between caring and credibility, and he just doesn't roll like that.  Besides, it didn't really matter, right?

No harm, no foul, right? (unless you're a meddling neighbor, that is).  Actually, the first bit went quite well;. Andy was feeling cool as a cucumber. That lasted until his second slide...

And roll he did...right into the principal's office.

Just kidding about the principal part; it was a complete accident, and poor Andy was mortified.. He (and the few students who could read as fast as the teacher) realized right away that he had made a huge tactical error.  It was truly an innocent mistake (on one level), an innocent mistake, and it provided quite an excellent example of what happens when you take too many shortcuts in life.

Sadly, it'll be a while before this incident is ancient history in Andy's world; I'm sure he learned his lesson. I'm pretty sure he'll  read the stuff before he plagiarizes next time.

Lord only knows what his punishment would have been in ancient Mesopotamia.