Friday, May 5, 2017

Random Tid Bits

  1. It's getting down to the wire...semester wise. I imagine I'll be just as busy as I am now the rest of the year. It was a pretty good year overall. There's only about 3 students in 3 classes that were unmotivated, or problem like. That's WAY better then last year.

    Guess what? I get last years class back again next year. I have them in 1st year, don't teach them in 2nd year, and get them back again in 3rd year. I've listened to the 2nd year teachers complain about them. Most of that class is very happy to get C's, they don't care about deadlines, are hardly here, and will be hard to place. I hope the class doesn't shut my workplace down! Seriously I could see the placement numbers being that low for the class that doesn't care.

    Enough negativity, I'm happy with my student's this year! They are hard workers, happy, respectful, and get their work done! :)

  2. Medical bills are flooding me. I'm feeling stressed about that. It's only going to get worse. My 3 allergy shots will not be covered by insurance. I begged for taking them every other week, but he said it's too dangerous. So far no reactions. They are diluted in the beginning. Part of me wants to say, "Come on shoot me up, so I feel it! I'm spending $$$$ on this!" 

  3. I saw this doll in a store called Tuesday Morning. Do you have that store where you live? They have discount things in it. Certainly better than other discount stores. Anyhow it's an old man that speaks Spanish. Kind of odd. Ha!

  4. Mica's been oh so moody. I wonder if it's his age (puberty), or just that he doesn't feel well (allergies)? The boys don't have allergies allergies as bad as I do, but they have them. 

  5. They've kind of dropped my past student's murder case in the news. He was the one that got murdered. I unfortunately was thinking it was drug related. :(

    His case brings up the questions - Do you think some cases are dropped quickly because of where the situation happened (like a bad part of town), or the nature of the case (like drug, or prostitution related for example)?

    While it is true that some people play with fire more than others. I still think every life is important. One person growing up on the streets could end up changing their life around.

    A person I went to grad school with was like that. He was a drunk living on the street. He decided to turn his life around, went to college, and did so well he was valedictorian. His speech was amazing!

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

WW: Read to Succeed {Linky}

My son Mica was in a reading group at school. They all read Golden Sower Books. They had a match where they competed with other schools. The match consisted of a lot of questions on their books. Their group went on to the next round. They started out with 40 groups, and ended up being 1 of the 15 groups left.

Last week week they had their next round. They went through 3 rounds of questions. It was then that another group won. Mica was bummed. I was proud of them for working so hard, plus Mica was the team captain, so he had to know all the titles and author's names.

One of the Dad's in their group brought them matching nerd glasses to wear. Ha!

Nerd under a fisheye lens:

The team:

The nerd team under a fisheye lens:

This is all the smarty pants that got to the last round - Mica's way in the back/center:

Have you ever competed with anything before?

Monday, May 1, 2017

Preauricular Sinus

It seems like once a week I discover something new about me. This week it's that a small hole above my right ear is called Preauricular Sinus. I always knew it existed, but never knew the name.

According to this article I'm in the 1% of the population that has one. If I lived in Asia somewhere I'd be one of the 3 to 4% of the population to have it.

I've had it, since birth. I always thought I got it inside the womb. I had a skin tag on my leg. Inside my Mom I must have been positioned like a pretzel. I thought the skin from my ear grew on my leg instead. I had the skin tag removed when I was itty bitty.

Taking a photo of your own ear that has hair flopped over in that spot isn't easy. Ha! Do you see the hole?

It's right here:

When I was really young it bothered me at times. I felt like something got stuck in there. When I was babysitting age I'd tell little kids that my brain leaked out there - just to mess with them. 

As it turns out it's part of the sinuses. Who knew? I sure didn't! About 1% of the population has this little hole. It's usually above the right ear (It's above my right ear). It's not a big deal usually. Although some people have been known to get a cyst inside of it. Then it's kind of a big deal. It's probably a bad idea to put an earring in it - like I did when I was a kid. 

I contacted both the ENT and the dreamy Allergy Asthma doctors just to let them know I have it. I don't know if the ENT will close it up, while I'm in surgery for the deviated septum and polyps, or if he'll just leave it, since it doesn't seem to bother me. Regardless I felt like it should be something to add to my chart. 

Do you have any oddities like a birthmark, skin tags, or Preauricular Sinus like I do? 

Isaak has a birthmark right on his spine. It's always been something his doctor told us to watch. Basically a birthmark in that spot means that area is a little weaker than the rest of his spine. So far no changes have happened with it though.

Use Adjectives to Craft Season Shapes!

Do you have a craft lover like I do? Isaak simply loves crafts. The trouble is, is that many crafts are geared more towards girls. There needs to be more of a market towards boys when it comes to crafts.

Often times Isaak makes up his own craft projects. Recently he made a yoyo out of an empty ribbon spool. I didn't think it would work out very well, but he was excited to give it a try. That's not his first attempt at something that didn't quite work out. He made a paper kite once that he swore would take off.

I love his imagination, and heart all his paper projects.

I have a new craft idea to share that can be used for boys and girls.

Use Adjectives to Craft Season Shapes! 

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… If your child is interested in the four seasons, try this fun activity that mixes writing and art! Two of Isaak's favorite things!

Cut out and decorate shapes that represent each season, then use adjectives to describe them. This is best for second graders because they've learned about different seasons, have the beginning skills to write, and the motor skills to cut.

This craft is a fun way to practice writing paragraphs.

For decoration, you can hang all four seasons at once, or put one season up at a time.

What You Need:

  • Pad of white paper
  • Pen or pencil
  • Different colors of construction or scrapbook paper to fit the different seasons (in this case they used yellow, brown, red and white)
  • Safety Scissors
  • Glue or Glue Sticks
  • Markers or Sharpies
  • Cotton balls (optional)
  • A Hole punch
  • Yarn or String

Ask your child to describe the different characteristics of each season. What kind of changes would you notice in the weather?

Examples: Leaves falling off trees, pumpkins growing, flowers sprouting, grass turning green, snow and snowflakes coming down, and so on.

Hand your child the pad of paper and a pen and have her write down 10 adjectives to describe each season. You could make this a 10 day project. Focus on one season per day. You could even provide a snack for each day to go with each season: Spring - Mango Orange Smoothie, Summer - a S'more, Fall - Pumpkin Pie, Winter - Snowman Sugar Cookies just to give you some examples.

If you follow along with the example shown above: Begin with the piece of red construction paper. Use a pencil to lightly trace a flower shape onto the paper; the shape should be large enough for your child to write a paragraph on one side. Use the yellow paper to cut out a sun shape for Summer, the brown paper to cut out a leaf shape for Fall, and the white paper to cut out a snowman for Winter.

Cut the shapes out of the paper.

On each shape, decorate one side with the markers.

On the other side, invite your child to describe the season in a short paragraph using the adjectives she brainstormed earlier. Encourage her to mention what the season looks like, what it feels like, what she does in those months, what she likes and dislikes about each season, and to add in any of the holidays in the seasons.

Punch a hole in the top of each season shape.

Tie a piece of yarn or string through each hole, and then hang them around the house for the whole family to enjoy!

What Do You Get Out of This Activity:

  • It's a great activity for both boys and girls
  • You're building memories with your child, or grandchild
  • They are practicing what they've learned in school
  • They are using their fine motor and writing skills
  • It's a fun decoration to hang in the house
What's your favorite season? Mine is summer. I love the heat - most of the time. My birthday is the first day of summer, so it's my season of joy. I also enjoy that so many fruits and veggies are in the stores during the summer.

Disclaimer: I was asked to write this post from They supplied the activity. I was not paid to write this post.



