When you join our family, card playing (who am I kidding, ANY game playing) is mandatory. Our new sis jumped right in, braving the tough competition to learn to play Euchre amongst those of us who have played it for years. She came, she learned and she conquered!! (What do you expect when she was MY partner?)
Her new husband had a good time, too! (Hey, GJ! You are smiling AND you eyes are open!!)
She had some help in learning the game, but you can see the confidence on her face. I think she was playing us all for suckers. Make a note: Always be on D’s team!
We yanked the chain link fence out. We weeded and laid straw in the strawberry patch. I’ve trimmed back the herbs and cleaned out that bed. I’ve weeded the perennial bed on the north side of the house. I’ve checked on the irises, tulips, daylillies and hostas that are shooting up. I’ve squealed over the rhubarb and asparagus shoots coming up in the garden. We’ve remarked over the greening of the raspberry and blackberry vines. We’re hopeful that the twice-killed blueberry bush might just make it yet. He rototilled the garden. I’ve mowed the lawn.
We were sitting at the rug at the end of the day, reading our chapter book together. It’s always a difficult time for the kids to be quiet, no matter what book I choose. There’s always a few who would rather chit chat than listen. One, in particular this day, was holing his hand up to his ear like a phone and having an ongoing conversation with himself while I read. I nudged and reminded, and finally I sent him off to his desk to sit with his head down until he could decide to be quiet on the rug.
He is always broken-hearted when I have to send him to his desk, but instead of going and sitting with his head down for a short-stay, he sat with his thumb and pinky still extended, talking into his make-believe phone. I gave him the “evil teacher glare” a couple of times, before using the words our students use themselves to stop unwanted behavior from others. “N, please stop, that’s bothering me,” I said.
N glared back at me with a look I’ve seen from my teenager a time or two, before focusing back on his hand-phone. I heard him say, “I have to go. I’ll call you back later.” Then, still glaring at me, he slowly hung up his “phone” on his desk as though I were the rude one for making him end his call so soon.
It was all I could do not to bust out laughing right then and there.
Flash and I are off on our first college visit next week. We decided to start with the Mother of all choices – University of Michigan – and, in my humble opinion, leave all others as obvious lesser options. Might as well start with the best and know that from the start.
We’ve had a couple people try to sway our opinion already – WG is a Spartan through and through (although, if you remember, he did accompany us quite willingly to the Big House and even wore blue and maize for the occasion). A respected colleague gave us a good recommendation about State, and while that might have sparked some interest, it didn’t sway me from my Wolverine Mom status.
Today, however, I was informed that all bets are off. Flash has determined that he is absolutely, without a doubt a Spartan. I had no idea a mother’s dreams could be dashed so easily. I was not at all prepared for how quickly his mind became made up. I certainly was not aware that he could base this life-changing decision on a single course offering. I was forgetting who we were talking about – Flash.
I can’t make this up. According to the website, ecorazzi.com, Michigan State is offering an online course teaching students “how to survive a zombie outbreak”. “Students will be separated into small groups of ‘survivors’ and receive information about the crisis situation.”
Flash is already giddy about the idea of taking this class and he’s two years away from entering college.
I hope Sparty knows how to fend off a zombie attack. Personally, I’d rather Hail to the Victors and trust a Wolverine in the Apocalypse. It doesn’t matter, I think I just got out voted.
Check out the course description video – (as if Flash wasn’t hooked already – just wait until he sees this)
It’s been hectic. We’re at the end of the second marking period, with conferences just two short weeks away. Yesterday I spent the day assessing my students for report cards – all the while a terrible sub was wreaking havoc on my daily routine and classroom procedures. Today I was in an all-day meeting that basically reiterated that despite spending 80 hours a week on school work (including more than 10 hours last weekend just assembling books) I still have a to-do list miles long and there are many more things I “should” be doing to get my students’ scores up. Sigh.
Tonight Flash had a band concert. With last minute notice and a duplicate concert two nights from now, neither of us were too excited about going, but we did. I dropped Flash off at the band room at the appointed hour before call time and sat myself in an auditorium seat with notebook and student scores, ready to rearrange my reading groups, pair up students for partner reads and brainstorm other ways to get more “miles on the page”. I closed my notes and put my pencil down when the first band began playing, but picked it back up in between performances to jot down a few more ideas that ran through my head during the performance.
When Flash’s Symphonic Band performed, I tried to soak it all in. The songs weren’t mean to be necessarily entertaining, but were chosen instead to be challenging in various ways in order to receive high marks at festival this weekend. While enjoyable, the concert didn’t have the usual flair. The conductor began the second piece without introduction and it took me several measures before the well-known lyrics rang through me – “It is well….with my soul….” I closed my eyes and just let the music wash over me. The piece was a beautiful arrangement and the band performed it well. I chuckled to myself, thanking God and all 130 band members for the message I most needed to hear tonight.
Note: I’d like to say I came home and felt rejuvenated, but I made the mistake of stopping by WalMart of all places to get Flash some much-needed cold medicine. Stopping by WalMart does not keep things “well with my soul” to say the least. I don’t know what it is about that store, but it is always a lesson in frustration management.
I just realized. I’m a 40-something year old woman, single with more than one cat. I walk around my house in slippers (thanks, Dad). I’m in bed around 9 every night and I have a heating blanket on my bed. I say things like, “whackadoodle” and “gobblygook” on a regular basis.
Blessed Little Things 