Day 75

4 days until Christmas break!!! I think I can! I think I can! I think I can!!!

One project is complete! My kids decorated their glass ornaments today! That’s right, I said GLASS. Five and six year olds decorated glass ornaments today. AND, not a single one broke or even came close to breaking. When I mentioned doing this to another teacher, she poo pooed it, saying, “They can’t handle that.” All I have to say is, “Booyah! They did it!!”

I have decided that kindergartners can do whatever you push them to do. After all, they won’t even try if you don’t push them to do it. Coming from second grade, I push my kindergartners A LOT. Poor things don’t get babied by this teacher. Lately, each day we have been doing addition problems during our calendar time. Today I even threw out the term “fact family” to them. Now I didn’t mention the subtraction part of that family but we talked about the addition side. For example, today is the 13th. I don’t have 13 fingers, so my leader and I did some team work. He held up any number his first choice was 10. As a class, we had to count on to 13, meaning I added 3 of my fingers to make up the 13; thus making 10+3= 13. Then, we talked about how 3+10=13 is part of the fact family because it uses the same 3 numbers. I promptly told my kids that they were learning second grade things and they immediately felt smarter!

Tonight, we had Supper with Santa, also known as MADNESS. The kids seemed to enjoy themselves but also learned a lesson. When one person plans, make sure they are going to be there with their plan. No one really knew what was going on since that person couldn’t come due to sick kids. Kudos to the teachers that all worked together to make it happen. If there is a next time, we will know how to plan it to run more smoothly.

Due to Supper with Santa, I was unable to attend bunco. I was really bummed about not going because it was Christmas sweater themed and I didn’t get to wear this…
This picture does not do that sparkly sweatshirt with attached turtleneck justice. Several years ago, a friend had a Tacky Christmas Party. Hubby may have taken it to extreme but aren't we festive?!?

Last night, I posted my first grant on http://www.donorschoose.org/! This website allows teachers to create grants for materials for their classrooms and anyone can read about the project and help fund it. I am waiting on Donors Choose to send me an email saying my grant has been posted or needs more information. It is not a large grant, so hopefully it will be funded quickly and I can get those items into my kiddies hands! When the project is funded, Donors Choose sends a ‘thank you kit’ and my friends and I get to write letters of gratitude to the donors. Several teachers in my school have had grants funded so I am excited that I finally did my own!!!

72-74

72- At school, our principal does a question of the week. This week it was stupid, but good because it was something simple I could help my kids do since many parents don’t give a rip.
The following is a child’s answer.

When I read “Blitzed,” I immediately pictured a stumbling, drunk reindeer. I had to hold back laughter and say, “Excellent job. I will make sure that gets turned in.”



73- Nothing to write home about…. Well, wait. We got an Elf on the Shelf. The class voted and named him FiFi. Who knows why??? BUT, FiFi is there to watch to see who is naughty or nice. He flies home to North Pole each night to report to “The Boss.” Then the next day he is in a different spot in the classroom. Some kids said they didn’t believe he was real. Some kids believed. I told them, “It’s your opinion. You are entitled to believe or not believe but FiFi will still be here to report back to Santa on who is naughty and nice. What will he say about you?”



74- First thing this morning a friend of mine is singing, “Drink a little drink, Smoke a little smoke.” What did you say??? He repeats it. I am amazed at 2 things… 1) what kids pick up and 2) what parents listen to in front of their five year old.




Elf down!!! FiFi moved and I totally forgot he was up there when I opened the cabinet door. FiFi went flying to the ground. One of the rules is that you can’t touch FiFi or his magic powers don’t work. Try explaining to the kids that I can touch him to pick him up off of my foot and the ground and that he can still fly. Some of the biggest non-believers were very concerned about Fifi’s magical power. I had to convince them that accidents happen and that it probably meant not to play with him. Then, one child was examining him, with his eyes only, and said, “Why does he have a tag????” My response? “it is probably how Santa tells who the elves are. There must be a lot of them so he has to know who is who somehow.”




I literally almost lost my marbles at lunch today. I don’t know how many times I have told this certain child not to mix her food up but she did it once again. There’s nothing like peaches, milk and mashed potatoes and gravy, right?!?!? I told her, “I don’t care how long you have to sit there, you are eating five bites of that since you are five years old.” She proceeded to play in it and mix it and repulse the other children that were sitting around her, hence the reason she sits at the end of the table as close to by herself as she can be. She finally takes a teeny, tiny lick of it and I said, “That is not a bite. Five bites now. You have four minutes until we leave and the fourth graders come in. You will sit there with them until you eat your bites.” Then she started shoving her mess of a tray across the table at the boys sitting there. She once shoved it towards the edge of the table and I informed her that if she “knocked it off the table, she would be cleaning it all up and going home immediately.” She just sat there and huffed and puffed but I am so over your naughty, hateful behavior. I left her sitting at the table with a second grade teacher watching her hoping one of the fourth grade teachers could get her to do it since they had the same issue earlier. I am sure that if they saw her concoction they would know exactly why she was there and what she needed to do.




Then I go to take my class and another class down for rest time. I thought I was going to fly off the handlebars at some of the kids in the other class. I definitely needed something hard to drink after that 30 minutes in the cafeteria.




The good news???? ONLY 5 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS BREAK!!!!!!!!!!! It will be a busy five though. We have Christmas presents to make, testing to get finished, classroom to get cleaned up (Christmas things to taken down and sent home), and I am sure I am leaving something out.



MENTAL NOTE to myself: Don’t forget to move FiFi! AND, don’t put him somewhere he will get knocked down.

Day 71 (Only 8 days until Christmas break!!!)

Have I ever mentioned not liking lunch duty? Well, I don't. I would love to see how some of these kids act out in public with their parents at a restaurant. Today, not to mention other days I have had lunch duty, kids were pouring their milk into their beans. I have seen kids dump pineapple "tidbits" into mashed potatoes. Sick. When I catch them doing it I stand there and tell them they are going to have to eat that. Food is not a toy. They just look at me like I am silly. I wish I could make them eat the nasty concoction they create. It would only take one time and they probably wouldn't do it again.

I have once again started testing my students for their report cards. The two that I have gotten through did really well. They did well the first time but were still able to improve. I must be doing something right! We'll see as I continue to test them.

Christmas... I haven't done much shopping. Some people will not give any ideas or suggestions as to gifts (PA! I don't care if you say you want nothing, you are going to get something so don't you think it should be something you would use?!).

Day 70...

It is getting to that time of the year when we can no longer go outside for recess. Sooooo, we stay inside, ALL DAY. The kids don't seem to mind free time but it is also nice to get outside and run. Last week, not even thinking, we suited up in our coats and went out. After about 4 minutes, I had friends coming over complaining about being cold. How did I solve that? We started running around the playground, playing follow the leader. When I made a turn and saw that half of the class was following me, I decided it was time to jog towards the door. Lesson learned.

It was a typical Monday. Glad it is over.

Random jingle that was sung today had something to with a poke and making a family. This child said, "my mom sings it all the time." I meant to ask him later how it went so I would have something to write about but forgot. Maybe tomorrow.

How do you divide your Christmas when family lives close by?? As a child, Christmas Eve Eve was spent with grandparents on my Dad's side. Christmas Eve was spent with Nandy and Pa. Christmas morning was done at home with Grandparents coming over to check out what Santa brought.

It has been changed a little since getting married...

• Christmas Eve- is still spent at Nandy and Pa's, followed by a candlelight church service at 11 p.m.
• Christmas morning is spent at my Dad's
• Christmas afternoon is spent with Hubby's parents
• Either on Christmas Eve Eve or on the day after Christmas we venture down to Guthrie to visit my grandma.

When Hubby and I were dating, we would exchange gifts after church (around 12:30 a.m.). Luckily, Santa knew the 'older kids' liked to sleep in a little more, so he didn't mind that we stayed up late. It gave him more time to cover the young ones. ;)

Day 69

Oh Friday! I love you! You bring me double specials which makes my day seem shorter and more manageable. Christmas around the world is in full swing. We have discussed Kwanzaa and Hanukkah. I had some little Jewish kids playing Dreidl on Friday. I had to adapt it so they could play but they had fun. I forgot to take pictures though! I am going to try and get them to play again for the sake of taking pictures.

For Christmas around the world, I am making a book. MOST of it was made for me by some company but they did not include Kwanzaa so I had to make my own. We will “visit” Mexico, Italy, Sweden, and Holland. Hanukkah was also included. Since Kwanzaa was left out, I set out trying to make the Kwanzaa kids look like the rest. Here are before. The girl is from Israel and the boy is from Holland.

I am pretty impressed with what I can do with white out and a Sharpie.

This book only took hours out of my life but by golly it is ready for next year!

Saturday, I finally finished decorating the tree. I do need to make a trip to Hallmark to get a few more ornaments. I just love my Hallmark ornaments!

I think I will include Christmas memories that I don't want to forget. Last post was the spinning nativity. This time will be the icicles made of beads.

I remember making these with my mom, my brother and grandparents. Who knows how many of these we actually made but I have a gallon size Ziploc bag full of them. I remember going to some shop in Enid, that seemed to be full of beads, in search of just the right beads for this project.

Day 68

11 Days until Christmas break!!! Boy did I have some whiney kids today. They must be as ready for Friday as I am!

Even though our tree has been up since Sunday, it is still naked with no ornaments…until tonight. I got through the small box of ornaments and need to tackle the bigger box. Sad thing (maybe for Hubby) is I will have to get another box to hold the ornaments. My collection has outgrown two boxes. [Side note: I say MY because 90% of the ornaments are from my childhood, 5% from when I started buying my own series, 3% are Preston’s and 2% are Tobie’s.]

Sometime within the last year when I was at my Dad’s house, I told him I wanted this spinning nativity of my mom’s. I didn’t say he had to give it to me right away but shockingly, he knew right where it was in the attic and I took it home with me that day. Tonight I got it out!

When the candles are lit, the heat propels the blades making Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, the Wise Men and a Shepherd spin on the bottom. I always remember this sitting on my Grandma Mattie's foot stool. Now it will sit in my house each Christmas.

Day 66-67

12 days until Christmas break!!! As much as I am looking forward to Christmas break, I have no shopping done and no lists or ideas to work with. I also do not look forward to January 4th, when the kids return and I have to try and get them back into my routine. BUT, in the mean time... those two weeks off sure will be nice!

• Song of the day- Don't Cha by Pussycat Dolls (sung by a boy)

A friend got a shiner today in class. He was walking back to read a book with our assistant when he fell and hit his face on the leg of the chair. He did one of those silent screams, shed a few tears and was over it. When he returned with an ice pack, he was telling the other to "Look at my eye!"





Last night, I went to my friend Tiffany's [who never reads this blog (or yours CA), so I should talk real bad about her right about now ;) ] for a Scentsy party put on by my other friend Heather. I took my friend Jana from school and we had a good time. My nose was definitely on over load after some sniffing. I was able to pick up stuff I had previously ordered and of course ordered some new. I got lots of compliments on the smell of my room today! It smelled like Sentimental Cider. I also feel like I should get a cut of Heather's pay since I am doing a little side work for her at school. Maybe by the time I get my next round of smells in, I will have my teacher neighbor sold on a warmer and some smells. Are you hearing this Heather? :)

As of today, I will be lost no more and ready for an Ohio spring break get away! Romantic right? Anyways, we picked up our Cyber Monday purchase today!

It is so cute and already seems so smart and all I have done is plug it in! It is so small too!

I am off to bed. Today I had the "woke up at 8:00" hair do going on and I am not sure I can pull it off two days in a row!