The kids and I had a great weekend. We made homemade personalized pizzas Friday night and watched Get Smart that we got through Netflix. Saturday was some cleaning...OK I paid Jack to clean the bathroom, Kate made a banana bread and helped with laundry while I did dishes and made a baked ziti for a friend who lost her dad a few weeks ago. Kate also made tiny meatballs for Italian wedding soup. The soup came out great and I have enough for lunch this week. The kids liked it except for the endive. I made a veggie/fruit tray for them and we got into the holiday season and watched Elf....OK I slept and they watched.
When we delivered our meal to my friend the kids got to play with hers. They are about 5-6 years younger than mine but Kate and Jack had great time. They showed us their stories, arts and crafts and played with their puppy. I remember when my kids were that young and we would spend the evening making a craft. Don't get me wrong, we have a great time now, but I still fondly remember and grieve a little for that time.
Tonight they both made their own dinner. Chicken cutlets with as many spices as they could load on it. They are both becoming quite the chefs...and independant. I am very proud of them and the young adults they are becoming.
We are looking forward to Thanksgiving. Two weeks from today we will be packing for a trip to NY. If Chris and Krissy can't come out, we decided we would go in on Saturday for the day and visit them...maybe go to the Empire State Building...we'll see what the weekend brings. I am also looking forward to being 10 minutes from every store you could imagine! Best Buy, Target, Panera, you name the franchise and its on the Riverhead strip..Route 58. Nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there, I think.
Also, 24:Redemption is on in two weeks. Every time I see a preview, my anticipation rises and I get so excited!!!
I signed on to do Secret Santa at work. It is something positive I try to do for myself. It is fun to buy little gifts for people and to get them in return. The kids love trying to guess who has me.
Until next week!
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Monday, November 3, 2008
Total Drama Island: Final Four
Jack posts:
The famous cartoon show Total Drama Island is down to the final four campers. The fat kid, Owen, the kid from juvy, Duncan, the evil girl, Heather and the goth girl Gwen. First it started off with 22 campers with a different personality on an island competing for a large amount of cash. Now only four remain. I hope the fat kid wins. He can prove to kids everywhere that no matter how fat you are, no matter how much you smell that you have the power to beat out 22 punks on an island.
The famous cartoon show Total Drama Island is down to the final four campers. The fat kid, Owen, the kid from juvy, Duncan, the evil girl, Heather and the goth girl Gwen. First it started off with 22 campers with a different personality on an island competing for a large amount of cash. Now only four remain. I hope the fat kid wins. He can prove to kids everywhere that no matter how fat you are, no matter how much you smell that you have the power to beat out 22 punks on an island.
November
Report cards, election day and the oncoming Holidays.... I do love this month, almost as much as I love the change of leaves in October.
Kids got their report cards today and they both made high honors. Not to belittle my children, but sometimes I think our grading scale is inflated ....who gets a 4.1 in 7th grade?!?!? It's kind of ridiculous and while I'm proud of my kids I don't want them to get too high of an opinion of their abilities....keep them grounded. Does that sound too negative?? I hope not. They are smart kids.
Thank goodness the election will be over tomorrow. I just hope it isn't like 2000 and we still don't know who won 3 weeks later!
Most of all I love that this month is Thanksgiving. I have so very much to be thankful for. While I may wonder about our grading scale, my kids are in excellent hands. The teachers they have are dedicated, creative, caring, enthusiast people who push them to do their best, not just to be "good enough". There are many special people at Berlin that I am thankful are in our lives.
I do love seeing my family and seeing how happy my kids are around my wonderful siblings and parents. I am lucky that we all do get along pretty well. We enjoy spending time together and have fun family game nights. I hope my kids always enjoy getting together like this in the future.
The other great thing about this November is Nov 23...the 24 movie Redemption...It's been over a year! You can only re-watch season one and season 4..(my 2 favorites) so many times!!!
Kids got their report cards today and they both made high honors. Not to belittle my children, but sometimes I think our grading scale is inflated ....who gets a 4.1 in 7th grade?!?!? It's kind of ridiculous and while I'm proud of my kids I don't want them to get too high of an opinion of their abilities....keep them grounded. Does that sound too negative?? I hope not. They are smart kids.
Thank goodness the election will be over tomorrow. I just hope it isn't like 2000 and we still don't know who won 3 weeks later!
Most of all I love that this month is Thanksgiving. I have so very much to be thankful for. While I may wonder about our grading scale, my kids are in excellent hands. The teachers they have are dedicated, creative, caring, enthusiast people who push them to do their best, not just to be "good enough". There are many special people at Berlin that I am thankful are in our lives.
I do love seeing my family and seeing how happy my kids are around my wonderful siblings and parents. I am lucky that we all do get along pretty well. We enjoy spending time together and have fun family game nights. I hope my kids always enjoy getting together like this in the future.
The other great thing about this November is Nov 23...the 24 movie Redemption...It's been over a year! You can only re-watch season one and season 4..(my 2 favorites) so many times!!!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Trick or Treat
OK, I have been fighting strep since Tuesday and missed two days of school. When I lay down, I cough so badly I can't sleep.
Yet always the optimist, you should see how my kids stepped up. I gave them 20 bucks to pick up soup, soda, milk etc at the store and they have made their own dinner the last three nights. Jack doesn't like the school lunch and made his own all week. Kate baked cookies all by herself for a Halloween party at the church last night and tonight they are Trick or Treating with a friend of mine and her kids.
In 13 years I always took them trick or treating...this is the first I am missing it! I even left the camera at school so I couldn't get a picture of John McCain and Sarah Palin (that's how they dressed this year)
I know they will be safe and have fun...I just hate missing all of it and I wish I would stop coughing!!!
Yet always the optimist, you should see how my kids stepped up. I gave them 20 bucks to pick up soup, soda, milk etc at the store and they have made their own dinner the last three nights. Jack doesn't like the school lunch and made his own all week. Kate baked cookies all by herself for a Halloween party at the church last night and tonight they are Trick or Treating with a friend of mine and her kids.
In 13 years I always took them trick or treating...this is the first I am missing it! I even left the camera at school so I couldn't get a picture of John McCain and Sarah Palin (that's how they dressed this year)
I know they will be safe and have fun...I just hate missing all of it and I wish I would stop coughing!!!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
The following is an article my son wrote for our Middle School paper. After that is an article by my daughter. You can read other articles by our kids at www.bbsd.com and click on Middle School!
Jack wrote:
IS JK Rowling a Fraud?
Many people have read the Harry Potter series and enjoyed them. The same goes for the Lord of the Rings books too. After reading all the books in each series I couldn’t help but notice the similarities with Rowling’s writing and Tolkien’s. Avid readers know that Tolkien could not be copying J.K. Rowling because his books were written between 1937-1939 and Rowling’s books are more recent. One of the biggest similarities that a reader would discover was the ring in The Lord of the Rings and horcruxes in the Harry Potter series. The ring is made by the evil Lord Sauron. The ring is very powerful and evil. In the Tolkien series the main character Frodo is wearing the ring around his neck and it makes him incredibly weak. It also makes him lash out at his friends when they try to touch the ring. In the Harry Potter books the evil wizard Lord Voldemort splits up his soul and hides them in hidden objects. These objects are called horcruxes. They come in handy if someone kills Voldemort, as he will still be alive because parts of his soul are in the horcruxes. When Harry wears a locket around his neck that is a horcrux, he also becomes incredibly weak and cannot use magic. He also lashes out at his friends who journey with him just as Sam journeyed with Frodo.
Another similarity deals with some characters in both books. In the Lord of the Rings there is a giant spider called Shelob. In the Harry Potter books there is a giant spider called Aragon. Then there are Ring Wraiths from Lord of the Rings and Dementors from Harry Potter that are almost the same. They both wear black hooded cloaks and a person cannot see their faces. Also when they are nearby everything feels cold and eerie. There is the evil character Wormtail for the Harry Potter books and Wormtongue from the Lord of the Rings. Both characters follow their evil masters around and do their bidding.
I even found story lines that were the same in both series. Dumbledore tells Harry not to hate Wormtail and that someday Wormtail will save Harry, which happens in the last novel. In Lord of the Rings, Gollum is a twisted character like Wormtail and Gandolf tells Frodo that some day Gollum will help save him, which also happens at the end of the series. “Everyone will play is his part.” is the line in Tolkien’s book.
If this doesn’t convince you, read both series and see for yourself.
Kate wrote:
Michael Phelps and his Battle with ADHD.
Many of you know Michael Phelps as a eight time gold medal winner in the 2008 Olympics. But what you might not know is that as a child he struggled with ADHD. As a student he was always full of energy and his teachers were constantly telling him and his mother that he could not learn. Because of his unusual size he was picked on a lot by other kids. They say that Michael Phelps is the perfect swimming machine because his arms are long and strong and give him lots of power. His legs are smaller compared to his arms and this reduces the drag in the water and makes him faster. His ADHD actually gives him an advantage too. With ADHD it’s not that you can’t focus on anything its that you are focusing on something so much more that you can’t focus on anything else. With this he can put all his energy and focus on swimming.
As a little kid, his mother, Debbie, signed him up for swimming lessons but he was reluctant even to put his face in the water. His coach taught him the backstroke first and soon he was swimming all the time.
But the reason that he says his mother inspired him so much was not just because she got him into swimming, she also helped him in school. She is a middle school teacher and she got his teachers to sit him at a table by himself because he didn’t pay attention and bothered other kids sitting by him. He didn’t like to read but she got him to read the sports section of the newspaper. He hated math so she got him a tutor that gave him math problems on swimming so he would pay attention and work hard at solving them. He learned about being a good sport from his mom too and that when he doesn’t win that he should still be a good sport.
Debbie Phelps is a principal in Maryland now and uses what she did with Michael with all her students.
“All kids can fail us at times,” she says. “But if you work with them, nine times out of 10, they’ll make you proud.”
I think that Michael Phelps’ story is truly amazing and anyone can accomplish whatever they set their mind to do.
www.additudemag.com/adhd
Jack wrote:
IS JK Rowling a Fraud?
Many people have read the Harry Potter series and enjoyed them. The same goes for the Lord of the Rings books too. After reading all the books in each series I couldn’t help but notice the similarities with Rowling’s writing and Tolkien’s. Avid readers know that Tolkien could not be copying J.K. Rowling because his books were written between 1937-1939 and Rowling’s books are more recent. One of the biggest similarities that a reader would discover was the ring in The Lord of the Rings and horcruxes in the Harry Potter series. The ring is made by the evil Lord Sauron. The ring is very powerful and evil. In the Tolkien series the main character Frodo is wearing the ring around his neck and it makes him incredibly weak. It also makes him lash out at his friends when they try to touch the ring. In the Harry Potter books the evil wizard Lord Voldemort splits up his soul and hides them in hidden objects. These objects are called horcruxes. They come in handy if someone kills Voldemort, as he will still be alive because parts of his soul are in the horcruxes. When Harry wears a locket around his neck that is a horcrux, he also becomes incredibly weak and cannot use magic. He also lashes out at his friends who journey with him just as Sam journeyed with Frodo.
Another similarity deals with some characters in both books. In the Lord of the Rings there is a giant spider called Shelob. In the Harry Potter books there is a giant spider called Aragon. Then there are Ring Wraiths from Lord of the Rings and Dementors from Harry Potter that are almost the same. They both wear black hooded cloaks and a person cannot see their faces. Also when they are nearby everything feels cold and eerie. There is the evil character Wormtail for the Harry Potter books and Wormtongue from the Lord of the Rings. Both characters follow their evil masters around and do their bidding.
I even found story lines that were the same in both series. Dumbledore tells Harry not to hate Wormtail and that someday Wormtail will save Harry, which happens in the last novel. In Lord of the Rings, Gollum is a twisted character like Wormtail and Gandolf tells Frodo that some day Gollum will help save him, which also happens at the end of the series. “Everyone will play is his part.” is the line in Tolkien’s book.
If this doesn’t convince you, read both series and see for yourself.
Kate wrote:
Michael Phelps and his Battle with ADHD.
Many of you know Michael Phelps as a eight time gold medal winner in the 2008 Olympics. But what you might not know is that as a child he struggled with ADHD. As a student he was always full of energy and his teachers were constantly telling him and his mother that he could not learn. Because of his unusual size he was picked on a lot by other kids. They say that Michael Phelps is the perfect swimming machine because his arms are long and strong and give him lots of power. His legs are smaller compared to his arms and this reduces the drag in the water and makes him faster. His ADHD actually gives him an advantage too. With ADHD it’s not that you can’t focus on anything its that you are focusing on something so much more that you can’t focus on anything else. With this he can put all his energy and focus on swimming.
As a little kid, his mother, Debbie, signed him up for swimming lessons but he was reluctant even to put his face in the water. His coach taught him the backstroke first and soon he was swimming all the time.
But the reason that he says his mother inspired him so much was not just because she got him into swimming, she also helped him in school. She is a middle school teacher and she got his teachers to sit him at a table by himself because he didn’t pay attention and bothered other kids sitting by him. He didn’t like to read but she got him to read the sports section of the newspaper. He hated math so she got him a tutor that gave him math problems on swimming so he would pay attention and work hard at solving them. He learned about being a good sport from his mom too and that when he doesn’t win that he should still be a good sport.
Debbie Phelps is a principal in Maryland now and uses what she did with Michael with all her students.
“All kids can fail us at times,” she says. “But if you work with them, nine times out of 10, they’ll make you proud.”
I think that Michael Phelps’ story is truly amazing and anyone can accomplish whatever they set their mind to do.
www.additudemag.com/adhd
Saturday, October 11, 2008
INDIAN SUMMER
I know that term may not be politically correct but I LOVE this weather. Today was the best day and it's not even over yet.
OK..it's my 45th birthday...I said it and while I should be depressed...I can't because I have the two most awesome children and my family is great. I work with some really wonderful individuals who I count among my friends. Jack and Kate's teachers are incredible, caring people who are bringing out the best in my kids. Really I am such a lucky person.
My mom and dad sent me a card. One of the musical ones. This one played YMCA...which my dad and I danced to in 1979 at Mercy High School's Father Daughter dance. He remembered that and sent the card. I know... I'm lucky!
What a fantastic man he is!
My kids always feel they have to buy me something but last year and this year I said I just wanted a homemade card and to go out to dinner. This year I got homemade cards and I bought them Lego Batman for PS2 and some itunes. (Guess who asked for each item.)
Kate's card had a poem:
OK..it's my 45th birthday...I said it and while I should be depressed...I can't because I have the two most awesome children and my family is great. I work with some really wonderful individuals who I count among my friends. Jack and Kate's teachers are incredible, caring people who are bringing out the best in my kids. Really I am such a lucky person.
My mom and dad sent me a card. One of the musical ones. This one played YMCA...which my dad and I danced to in 1979 at Mercy High School's Father Daughter dance. He remembered that and sent the card. I know... I'm lucky!
What a fantastic man he is!
My kids always feel they have to buy me something but last year and this year I said I just wanted a homemade card and to go out to dinner. This year I got homemade cards and I bought them Lego Batman for PS2 and some itunes. (Guess who asked for each item.)
Kate's card had a poem:
OCTOBER
In October the tree's leaves turn red, yellow and orange.
Then they just brate (break) away and never come back
So when I grow up and fly away
I'll make sure aways (always) to come back on your birthday
In October the tree's leaves turn red, yellow and orange.
Then they just brate (break) away and never come back
So when I grow up and fly away
I'll make sure aways (always) to come back on your birthday
She is awesome....that's all I can say....I'm lucky (I added her misspellings because it adds to the uniqueness of all that is Kate.)
Kate went with her friend to the movies for a few hours this afternoon and Jack and I went for a long walk in the afternoon sun. It was very invigorating, rejuvenating and enjoyable. Nice breeze, warm sun and wonderful company. He is a great son and is finishing his card up for me...I'll post that one too.
The night isn't over. We are going to do a family game night. I look forward to that.
Though I called this Indian Summer, I guess I should have called it...I'm lucky.
Kate went with her friend to the movies for a few hours this afternoon and Jack and I went for a long walk in the afternoon sun. It was very invigorating, rejuvenating and enjoyable. Nice breeze, warm sun and wonderful company. He is a great son and is finishing his card up for me...I'll post that one too.
The night isn't over. We are going to do a family game night. I look forward to that.
Though I called this Indian Summer, I guess I should have called it...I'm lucky.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Penguins Poem
Jack likes his English teacher and class. Thank goodness!! She is teaching them about the lovely prepositional phase. Here is a poem in a template that she gave them to fill in. They had to supply the animal and the prepositional phrases. How many can you find????
Last Night I dreamed of Penguins
Last Night I dreamed of Penguins
There were Penguins everywhere,
They were sliding on my roof,
They were pecking at my nose
They were paddling in the toilet,
They were tap dancing on my stomach.
They were swimming in the Olympics
They were playing in my yard
They were playing hockey in my living room
They were having a tea party under my bed
There were penguins, penguins, penguins
As far as I could see……
When I woke today, I noticed
There were eggs jammed in my Play Station 3.
Last Night I dreamed of Penguins
There were Penguins everywhere,
They were sliding on my roof,
They were pecking at my nose
They were paddling in the toilet,
They were tap dancing on my stomach.
They were swimming in the Olympics
They were playing in my yard
They were playing hockey in my living room
They were having a tea party under my bed
There were penguins, penguins, penguins
As far as I could see……
When I woke today, I noticed
There were eggs jammed in my Play Station 3.
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