Sunday after church Emily wanted a picture with my flowers. I love my little girl!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Could you resist this face?
Sunday after church Emily wanted a picture with my flowers. I love my little girl!
Emily vs the bed frame
Facts as know by us:
1. Yesterday Emily and Collin were playing on Emily's bed.
2. Landon told them to stop playing with a plastic lid to a moving box (twice)
3. Landon heard a thud come from the kids bedroom.
4. Emily came out crying holding the plastic lid.
5. Landon told her that he had no sympathy since she had been told to not play with the lid. He noticed a little blood on her chin and assumed she had scratched her chin.
6. On closer inspection he noticed that one of her front teeth was facing the wrong direction. Actually that both of her teeth were angled slightly backwards.
7. Tamara receives an emergency call at work to come home and drive Emily in to the dentist.
8. Landon gave Emily a cold cloth to put in her mouth and bite down on.
The dentist was happy to see that Emily biting on to the cloth had caused both teeth to come back straight up and down. The teeth were not "wiggly" and the bleeding had pretty much stopped. Diagnosis was that the teeth should heal. We won't know if any nerve damage has been done for a few weeks. Her teeth might become discoloured. And that she needed to eat soft, mushy food for at least three days. So we made an appointment to see him again in two weeks. A dose of tylenol helped her sleep for a few hours when she got home. After work Tamara went by the store and bought "special" food for Emily. Jello, pudding, yogurt drinks, etc. Emily didn't end up eating anything all night because she kept biting down with her front teeth. A difficult concept to explain to a three year old. She drank lots of juice. We did go up to the Potesta's for over an hour to play with Carissa. Emily insisted on jumping on their inflatable castle. She was very careful and no injuries. Maybe not the best idea but hey she wasn't crying finally.... After another dose of Tylenol she went off to bed and slept through the night. She awoke this morning to tell Landon and I her owie was gone and she wanted toast. Which she ate. In her sleep she finally figured out if she put food in the side of her mouth she could chew. :)
**Side note: We went to play with Carissa tonight with another round on the bouncer. Tonight we weren't quite so lucky. After an hour or so she screamed and came running to me holding her mouth. Her teeth looked okay but Nikki noticed that her nose was bleeding a little. Yep she face planted and her nose bled a trickle for about 15 minutes. Emily has a legion of guardian angels. And as you can tell, she needs them.**
1. Yesterday Emily and Collin were playing on Emily's bed.
2. Landon told them to stop playing with a plastic lid to a moving box (twice)
3. Landon heard a thud come from the kids bedroom.
4. Emily came out crying holding the plastic lid.
5. Landon told her that he had no sympathy since she had been told to not play with the lid. He noticed a little blood on her chin and assumed she had scratched her chin.
6. On closer inspection he noticed that one of her front teeth was facing the wrong direction. Actually that both of her teeth were angled slightly backwards.
7. Tamara receives an emergency call at work to come home and drive Emily in to the dentist.
8. Landon gave Emily a cold cloth to put in her mouth and bite down on.
The dentist was happy to see that Emily biting on to the cloth had caused both teeth to come back straight up and down. The teeth were not "wiggly" and the bleeding had pretty much stopped. Diagnosis was that the teeth should heal. We won't know if any nerve damage has been done for a few weeks. Her teeth might become discoloured. And that she needed to eat soft, mushy food for at least three days. So we made an appointment to see him again in two weeks. A dose of tylenol helped her sleep for a few hours when she got home. After work Tamara went by the store and bought "special" food for Emily. Jello, pudding, yogurt drinks, etc. Emily didn't end up eating anything all night because she kept biting down with her front teeth. A difficult concept to explain to a three year old. She drank lots of juice. We did go up to the Potesta's for over an hour to play with Carissa. Emily insisted on jumping on their inflatable castle. She was very careful and no injuries. Maybe not the best idea but hey she wasn't crying finally.... After another dose of Tylenol she went off to bed and slept through the night. She awoke this morning to tell Landon and I her owie was gone and she wanted toast. Which she ate. In her sleep she finally figured out if she put food in the side of her mouth she could chew. :)
**Side note: We went to play with Carissa tonight with another round on the bouncer. Tonight we weren't quite so lucky. After an hour or so she screamed and came running to me holding her mouth. Her teeth looked okay but Nikki noticed that her nose was bleeding a little. Yep she face planted and her nose bled a trickle for about 15 minutes. Emily has a legion of guardian angels. And as you can tell, she needs them.**
Good Things to Come
The last two years have been filled with a lot of ups and downs for my little family. There have been times that I have wanted to give up but we have persevered and now many good things lie on the horizon. This video sums up exactly how I feel about the experiences.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Drumroll......
I have a job!
Yep. I do!
I had a second interview today with American Falls and they offered me the job at the middle school. I am SOOOO excited. It's perfect for me.
Now to get the house packed by the end of the month.
Yep. I do!
I had a second interview today with American Falls and they offered me the job at the middle school. I am SOOOO excited. It's perfect for me.
Now to get the house packed by the end of the month.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Go Bengals!
I never thought that those words would come out of my mouth...
Landon has officially been accepted to Idaho State University!
We are so proud of you Landon!
Landon has officially been accepted to Idaho State University!
We are so proud of you Landon!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Philosophy
I received an email from a coworker that was amazing, I would say even life changing in my view of teaching and being a mother. He and another co worker have started "The Compassion Project" with students in our school. In the most amazingly, moving, concise way he sums up a beautiful philosophy that I always want to remember so I am posting it here. That way it will end up in our family journal and I will be able to refer to it for years.
"Ian sent me an e-mail this morning regarding my comment on “School Spirit.” I would like to make it very clear that ALL of you at Brooks go above and beyond by creating an amazing atmosphere that clearly supports school spirit 100 percent. From the student council to the sports teams, to the theatre productions to the dances, everyone of you contribute to help create true school spirit! I want to thank all of you as I truly think you rock!
My comment had nothing to do with teacher contribution, but rather student accountability and how to inspire youth to reach their full potential. Furthermore, I think the school culture here at brooks is really positive, students feel safe and really enjoy their experience at Brooks.
Ian’s question - “But it begs the question: is "school spirit" still something students want?”
My thoughts on this subject are very philosophical in nature. Every moment is absolutely brilliant. Seriously, we are hurtling through space on a boulder going faster than any race car ever could, we all have subjective personalities which afford each of us the ability to choose how we perceive, and because of this individual uniqueness we are all essentially “making history” with each moment. In short, each moment we exist, breath and feel is absolutely amazing!
Then why is boredom and apathy so prevalent in our society? Who’s to blame? Well an easy target is the media, and be sure it has a huge influence on image, acceptance, low self-esteem and depression. Technology is also an obvious contributor by helping create a society of humans with short attention spans by completely distracting us through short media bites which deconstruct our consciousness. Texting has now become a way of communication which some people find more comfortable than actual human interaction. These are major problems; however the biggest one which I feel relates to “school spirit” is social conditioning.
I have always found this interesting, go teach a drawing unit at the grade one level and then go teach one at the grade six level and you will be astonished by the results. The grade one’s all love to draw and ENJOY the PROCESS of drawing. At the grade six level many have shut off the creative side because they have convinced themselves they are not artistic for fear of failure. The truth is everyone can draw and everyone is creative. So why is the internal critic so strong at such a young age?
As educators we must inspire students to believe in themselves and have a healthy sense of love for the self. If one believes in the self, then one begins to feel their subjective experience. If the experience is truly felt, then the individual explores and finds areas of passion. These areas of passion transfer over beyond the self, thus the individual finds meaning in connecting outward beyond the ego. When the value of ethical/moral responsibility is acknowledged humans begin to not only perceive life but experience life differently through a lens of authenticity. We all have the gift of perception. It is this very choice of perception which provides us with the potential to view every moment as completely exhilarating or utterly useless.
I think sarcasm is an easy out. Consistent sarcasm provides a framework for people to not take chances by diminishing how brilliant this whole human experience actually is! A joke is a joke and don’t’ get me wrong, I can fully appreciate the art of sarcasm. However what is currently happening is a progression from sarcasm to an underlying current of cynicism. It takes far more courage, passion, and soul to be consistently optimistic. This has been the intention behind the compassion project and the cool thing is the students really get this.
I have taught here at Brooks for five years using various frameworks of philosophy which help students believe in themselves and find the brilliance of the moment. I have found that this approach genuinely works because they tell me it works. I realize now that teaching students to believe in themselves by experiencing the process and by disregarding boredom and apathy is only the beginning. It is not until students see the value in connecting as a unified team by collaborating, creating and giving back to others will the real change happen."
"Ian sent me an e-mail this morning regarding my comment on “School Spirit.” I would like to make it very clear that ALL of you at Brooks go above and beyond by creating an amazing atmosphere that clearly supports school spirit 100 percent. From the student council to the sports teams, to the theatre productions to the dances, everyone of you contribute to help create true school spirit! I want to thank all of you as I truly think you rock!
My comment had nothing to do with teacher contribution, but rather student accountability and how to inspire youth to reach their full potential. Furthermore, I think the school culture here at brooks is really positive, students feel safe and really enjoy their experience at Brooks.
Ian’s question - “But it begs the question: is "school spirit" still something students want?”
My thoughts on this subject are very philosophical in nature. Every moment is absolutely brilliant. Seriously, we are hurtling through space on a boulder going faster than any race car ever could, we all have subjective personalities which afford each of us the ability to choose how we perceive, and because of this individual uniqueness we are all essentially “making history” with each moment. In short, each moment we exist, breath and feel is absolutely amazing!
Then why is boredom and apathy so prevalent in our society? Who’s to blame? Well an easy target is the media, and be sure it has a huge influence on image, acceptance, low self-esteem and depression. Technology is also an obvious contributor by helping create a society of humans with short attention spans by completely distracting us through short media bites which deconstruct our consciousness. Texting has now become a way of communication which some people find more comfortable than actual human interaction. These are major problems; however the biggest one which I feel relates to “school spirit” is social conditioning.
I have always found this interesting, go teach a drawing unit at the grade one level and then go teach one at the grade six level and you will be astonished by the results. The grade one’s all love to draw and ENJOY the PROCESS of drawing. At the grade six level many have shut off the creative side because they have convinced themselves they are not artistic for fear of failure. The truth is everyone can draw and everyone is creative. So why is the internal critic so strong at such a young age?
As educators we must inspire students to believe in themselves and have a healthy sense of love for the self. If one believes in the self, then one begins to feel their subjective experience. If the experience is truly felt, then the individual explores and finds areas of passion. These areas of passion transfer over beyond the self, thus the individual finds meaning in connecting outward beyond the ego. When the value of ethical/moral responsibility is acknowledged humans begin to not only perceive life but experience life differently through a lens of authenticity. We all have the gift of perception. It is this very choice of perception which provides us with the potential to view every moment as completely exhilarating or utterly useless.
I think sarcasm is an easy out. Consistent sarcasm provides a framework for people to not take chances by diminishing how brilliant this whole human experience actually is! A joke is a joke and don’t’ get me wrong, I can fully appreciate the art of sarcasm. However what is currently happening is a progression from sarcasm to an underlying current of cynicism. It takes far more courage, passion, and soul to be consistently optimistic. This has been the intention behind the compassion project and the cool thing is the students really get this.
I have taught here at Brooks for five years using various frameworks of philosophy which help students believe in themselves and find the brilliance of the moment. I have found that this approach genuinely works because they tell me it works. I realize now that teaching students to believe in themselves by experiencing the process and by disregarding boredom and apathy is only the beginning. It is not until students see the value in connecting as a unified team by collaborating, creating and giving back to others will the real change happen."
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Quiet Time, Oh my!
In our house we don't have "bed time", we have "quiet time". Six months ago I discovered that if I changed what bed time was called the tantrums around bed time almost completely disappeared. Emily and Collin both know that "quiet time" means that we have read scriptures, said prayers, brushed teeth and now it is time to sit in their beds and play with their respective games. Emily has her DS and Collin has a handheld video thing which plays Max and Ruby. (His favourite show.) Quiet time really means don't leave your room or bug your mother. :) This was a perfect solution until Emily found a loop hole. I don't check on them often. Actually at all. They always fall asleep within half and hour and so I don't check until I am ready for bed. Emily discovered that she could climb into her brother's bed and play with him as long as they stay quiet. I caught on quick but hey they always ended up back in their beds to sleep so who cares. Its all about my quiet time, right... Well I made cookies last week for a friend and her family. They were going to be delivered the next day so I had them covered in Saranwrap and on the table. Emily and Collin had helped me make the cookies and had been allowed to eat the ugly cookies. Bed time comes and I find myself sitting on the couch with a book. Ahhh! So nice. Then I hear, "Go, go, go, wait. Go, go, go, fast. Go Collin Go." I turn and look to see Emily peeking around the doorway of her room, pointing to the kitchen table, telling her brother to go. He was almost to the cookies when she noticed me. She yelped and jumped into bed. Collin looked over his shoulder at me, giggled, turned, ran back to his room and climbed into his bed. Needless to say I keep a better eye on them now. (I will admit I was laughing so hard at the time that they didn't get in trouble. It was so cute to see them work as a team. What am I going to do when they get older? They are only 1 and 3!)
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Anniversary Picture
We try and get a photo together every anniversary. Here to our seven years together!
Helping Papa with the Lawn
Emily and Collin "helped" Grandma and Papa with their yard while Landon and I went on our date for our anniversary. They loved it! Thanks Mom and Dad!(Don't they have a gorgeous yard!)
Bear Anyone?
Landon took this picture a few weeks ago. The bear was about 20 yards from our front door. Emily was so excited to tell me when I got home from work.
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