Walden Woods

So it has been a long, dreary week. Summer camp has felt more like winter than summer, but the children have enjoyed being together and I have enjoyed getting to know some new children. I do love that part of my job; the children. Next week looks to be better. Cross your fingers and do a sun dance. It would be nice to end summer camp with some summer sun.

Tomorrow I'll be going to Walden Pond in Concord with N's class. We are going rain or shine. I home it will just be drizzly and not showering. There is nothing that sounds worse to me than walking in the woods in the rain with 4th grade boys. I am excited to see Walden Pond. Should be interesting. The kids have been listening to the book Mind With Wings. They are learning about David Henry Thoreau. I've done a bit of research but don't feel like I know enough. I'm hoping to learn more during the field trip. We'll be riding the bus...for over an hour! That should be fun too.

I thought I'd bring my camera but I don't want it to get all wet, oooh I just had a brainstorm; I'll bring my old digital camera. That should work.

Well I'm off to do some research.

Peace!

Illness

Well N was home today sick. He came home from his buddy's house last night hacking and wheazing. He woke up this morning with lots of congestion and a headache. He looked beat. I decided to let him have a day to rest. n was none to happy about the decision. She thought he should have gone to school. I made the right decision. He spent the day resting on the coch and even took a hot shower to relieve the congestion.

The day wasn't as productive as I had hoped it would be but I did get quite a few things done. I baked chocolate chip and oatmeal cookies so that I'd have something yummy to bring to our final Stand for Children meeting of this school year. I made some yummy spaghetti sauce for supper too.

I also worked on my wax print cards. I have several beautiful orange and pink monoprints that are now matted on black cardstock ready to be adheared to blank cards. I'm trying to build up an inventory of items to start an etsy shop. I love being creative and would like to use my creativity to start a business. I need to do more research reagarding small businesses and busines plans but at least this is a tangible beginning. Next year I'll have both Mondays and Fridays to work on my artistic endeavors, so I'm excited to get started.

Had a great meeting with my Stand for Children Strategy Team Leaders. We celebrated all the wins of the year and talked about how to grow our chapter next year. We enjoyed lots of yummy food...fruit, cookies, strawberry shortcake, brownies, cheese and crackers, hummus. Mmmmmmm! It was a great meeting.

Remembering All Who Protected Our Freedom

So several months ago in conjunction with Veteran's Day, the children in N's class as well as some of the other fourth grade classes raised money and gave up their lunch in honor of veterans who have given up so much for us so that we are able to live in freedom. The children did not actually skip lunch but they had a very simple lunch in their classroom. The could have soup and water and a roll or bring crackers and peanut butter and water from home. Throughout the day the children researched a veteran who died in action who actually shared their birthday. They made decorative plates to commemorate their veteran. They also heard from veterans from the local area. The funds that were collected went to our local American Legion to bring the Vietnam War Moving Memorial Wall to our area.







Yesterday the entire fourth grade went to the Moving Memorial.









I was able to meet them down at the wall.

Each child was able to read their veterans name.





Then move to the wall to find the name and collect a rubbing of the name.

What an incredible experience. I was so impressed by these kids. They were respectful and thoughtful in how they moved through the area.

They knew that the Memorial is a somber place and because of that they needed to act accordingly. I was impressed by what the children knew about the wall. They understood what the symbols next to the names meant and were interested in looking for names other than the original name they were given. I don't know if they actually understood the enormity of the number of names on the wall and the fact that all of those individuals are either missing or killed in action. It was an incredible experience.

4th Grade Show!

Well there's much excitement here this afternoon! N is in the fourth grade show. Actually all the children in 4th grade are in the show but you'd think he were the star judging from the excitement. So much excitement that I have a headache. It should be great. N is in the chorus so he is an important part of the production. He has six sections in his grade so 3 sections will be going to see the play tonight and the rest of the families will go tomorrow night. Each family received 2 tickets. That will be tricky as their are three of us going to view the show. R might stand up back which is permitted. I'll bring my camera and try to take some photos to post.

On another subject, camp went well. I spent the day felting soap. I have the cleanest hands in the east. :) The process is long for some of the children. I tried to help them along, but the children were funny they didn't really want to hand over their soaps so that I could check them and give them a bit of a head start. So some of the children were at the little table with me for quite some time. I think they will be happy with their final product when they go home tomorrow. Nine children worked on soaps today and nine are signed up for working on soaps tomorrow. We'll be inside due to the weather so at least access to hot water for felting will be a bit easier. Perhaps more hot water will speed up the process.

So the only other bit of news is that our final Strategy Team meeting for Stand for Children will be next Monday. We will celebrate all that we have done this year to make gains for children. Food and planning for next year will be a part of the meeting.

Peace!

Good Morning

Well today is the first day of summer camp at school. The forecast is for wet weather mid day. I'm hoping school is just north enough that we will avoid the rain and be able to eat lunch outside. It should be a fun day. I'll be working on felted soaps either today or tomorrow with the children. Last year we worked on soap and the kids loved it!

I have a great video to share with everyone. The kids and R made a 'movie' trailer for a scary movie. Uncle T did the narration. It is a hoot. Having trouble with YouTube however so I'll have to come back to it later.

Here is a link if you are interested:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNIb76Dn9Dw


Hope everyone has a wonderful day today.

Peace!

It's Time

So I have decided it's high time that I get off of FB and re commit myself to a daily writing practice here at Surfside Serenity. I was so proud of myself when I wrote every day and now that I am finished with my regular teaching schedule and I have three weeks until N and n get out of school I figure it is the perfect time.

So a little update on the going's on in my life....

It was a very busy end of the year. Several families were saying final goodbyes and that was difficult. It is always bittersweet to see these families move on. We have done our job and the children are ready to join the larger educational community. Our school's enrollment, (as well as the enrollment of other preschools around town) is down and that is of great concern. Changes are taking place due to the enrollment issue. Change is hard. I keep reminding myself that I am fortunate to have a job in this difficult economic time. We are also very busy working on the NAEYC (National Association of the Education of Young Children) re accreditation process. It is a tedious and lengthy process. It has consumed quite a bit of my time and energy as well as that of my colleagues. We will all be happy when the process is completed this fall. Still so much work to be done before that can take place. Enough about work.

At home things are plugging along. Kids are excited for the end of the year. My oldest, N, is very excited as this has been a challenging year for him. He never quite connected with his teacher nor she with him I think. It has been a struggle. Many afternoons were spent in tears. But there is light at the end of the tunnel. He will be attending one of our two local middle schools next year as a 5th grader. Only the children from two of the many elementary schools do this due to lack of space in the buildings. There is so much excitement in this transition for N. He is talking about joining after school clubs and a sport! Never in my wildest dreams did I see this coming. I am thrilled for him. I hope the experience lives up to his expectations. I will do everything in my power to see that it does. As far as my youngest, n, she is not so excited to see the year end. While looking forward to the summer; she has had a wonderful year and loves her teacher, as do I! I know she will do well in third grade. I hope she will have the same teacher as Nick but we'll see.

I'll save Papa and Grammy updates for another day. I'm so looking forward to writing again. I hope I still have some folks out there who are interested in reading, but if not that's ok too!

Peace!

Nanny

Here is a belated tribute to my Mum. Time eases the loss but some days I miss her more than words can say.

Grandma's Hands

So we want to remember our Moms today. R created this video from a photo memorial I put together for his Mom's services. He'll be creating another video in honor of my Mum too. I'll be sure to share it with you.






Peace!

Hello

Well it's been a while.

I am fine just not able to focus on creating posts right now. We are in the crunch at work as well as in the budget cycle with my work with Stand for Children. To say the I am busy and distracted is the understatement of the year. Once things settle down I plan on getting back to writing at least every other day. I'd like to work back to writing every day. We'll see.

So I'm looking forward to a simple Mother's Day. I'm hoping for quiet coffee and muffins for breakfast and a peaceful day at home. I'll throw in a visit with Dad and maybe a trip to the cemetery. We'll see. I wonder what you will do for Mother's Day.

To all those Moms out there I wish you a peaceful and happy day.

Peace!

Happy Easter

Well Easter is here again. A day that means so much more than a bunny and a basket. The consumerism around this holiday is so bothersome. Children seem to have absolutely no idea about the true meaning of Easter. Being spiritual by nature we have talked a lot about what Good Friday means and what Easter is about. It is interesting to have a conversation about such topics with an 8 year old and a 10 year old. They have a definite perspective.

Today was a quiet day for us due to the fact that n was ill. She awoke at about 2:30 in the am with the stomach bug. Unfortunately the illness continued throughout the day and into the evening. I'm hoping she will be better tomorrow as we were expecting Auntie A to come and spend the evening. We had also hoped to go to the Boston Ballet School's presentation of Peter and the Wolf at the Duxbury Performing Arts Center. We will have to see the presentation another time as n will certainly not be up for that tomorrow.

I hope everyone is having a restful and reflective weekend.

Happy Easter.

Peace!

Reconnecting

Well I have been remiss in posting here. Have a lot to share but not enough time to compose a good post.

So enough about that, let's move forward.

I'm not sure if I have ever talked much about my Dad's side of the family. As a young child I didn't spend time with my paternal Grandmother. She died when I was a young girl. I don't know the year but I do remember going with my father and my brother to the hospital when she was dying. I have a recollection of being left in the lobby of the hospital when my father went up to see his mother. For some reason I do not remember my mother being with us. I think there was little love lost between my mother and her in laws. Not entirely sure why that was the case but it simply was. So I'm guessing her death would have been in the mid to late seventies, I would have been anywhere from 6 to 9 years old. I think probably on the younger end of that spectrum. Would it have been customary for children of that age to be left in a hospital lobby as I seem to remember? I wonder... So the history is complicated on this side of the family. I think part of the lack of communication or connection to Dad's side of the family had a lot to do with the relationship between my Mother and her in laws. After my Grandmother passed away there was a rift in the family that had to do with the sale of her house and the disbursement of her moneys and things. I think that my Aunt actually remained in the home rather than selling it and splitting the proceeds with her brothers. The details are foggy but I do know that we didn't stay in touch with my Aunt and her family. We kept in touch with Dad's brother J and his wife for many years but later in my early teenage years there was another falling out with that family due to complex matters that I won't go into here. Many years passed and we got the news that Dad's sister R. had passed away. Well off we went to her funeral. At the wake I met my cousin D who is probably 10 to 15 years my senior. Well looking at her was like looking in a mirror. It was uncanny. She is actually the reason for this rambling post. We have exchanged Christmas cards for years and before Christmas this year she contacted me regarding photos she found packed away in her attic. She planned to copy and send them along. Well last week I received the package and a lovely note. Included in the package were photos of my Dad with his sister and her first husband, my Grandmother and my Grandfather as well as photos of Dad with his brother. The photos were fascinating. There were a couple photos of Dad with his Sister and if I didn't know better I would think that she was his Mom. They had a stunning resemblance. I'm planning on reconnecting with D. We have a date and time to talk by phone and hopefully that will lead to more. I'll let you know if anything interesting comes from our conversation.

Time Goes By

Wow I can't believe that it is already March 19th. This month has been very busy and I have not posted as much as I like. The time just goes so quickly. I also have to admit that I now have a facebook page that has been a huge distraction. It is the 'fast food' of the blog world, at least that is how I look at facebook. I am going to try to be better about finding a balance between both. We'll see how that goes.

So let's catch up. ..

On March 5 I had a big birthday. I turned 40. It's odd to think of myself as a forty year old when I still feel like a twenty something inside. I guess in all honesty I don't think of age so much. It is just a number. I do become reflective around my birthday. I wish that all those years when my mother told me my birth story that I had had the presence of mind to write down all the details. I remember some of the story but not all of it and unfortunately I don't have anyone else who can fill in the gaps. Let this be a lesson to all the moms out there, young and old that you should record your child's birth story in writing because some day they will want to have a written record of that piece of oral history.

My work with Stand has been very busy. We are in the midst of a postcard campaign that will deposit about 10,000 card stock postcards to our local legislators at the statehouse. We are advocating for
No more lost ground, Efficiencies and cost savings, Long term funding,
and Innovations and investment to help all children succeed.

Check out this link if you live in MA and are interested in helping us reach our 10,000 card goal.

http://www.stand.org/postcard

We hosted an Information Meeting at my school this past week and were happy to add two new members to our ranks. Very exciting to have new blood in our organization.

School has been busy on all fronts as well. My children are constantly working on one project or another. N is also in prep mode for MCAS . He will have to do the test booklet as well as the long composition this year. The entire process has him stressed. All 4th graders are expected to write for 6 hours on long comp day. How developmentally inappropriate! I would like to meet the adult who would sit and work on the same project at work for six hours straight without the added support of coworkers, computers or conference calls. I just don't understand why more parents don't find this requirement unreasonable. Why don't people stand up for their children?

Work is also busy. The children are beginning to anticipate the end of the year. Most of the children have been to Kindergarten registration and know that they will be at a new school next year. It is a very unsettled time.

That is all for now.

Peace!

Checking In

Well I have a lot to say but no energy in order to type a lengthy entry. As with everyone things have been busy. Children, school, Stand, birthday, Dad and so much more. So when I have more time and energy I will put together a post to catch up on all my news.

Hope you are all warm, safe and happy.

Peace!

So we had another snow storm up here in the Northeast last night. It was just starting to snow more heavily last night around 9:15 as I left the Stand meeting in Waltham. It looked like we might just get enough snow to garner us a snow day. We have had lots of snow this year yet not a single true snow day. Sure we have had early release days and 2 hour delays, but nothing is so precious to a 4th and 2nd grader as an authentic snow day. So this morning as I lay sleeping just before my alarm was set to go off R came in and told me the good news...they cancelled school for the day. He also informed me that N was downstairs dancing a jig! Very exciting stuff this snow! Not long after R went to work and I rolled over to catch up on some extra shut eye N appears beside the bed. I looked at him with one eye as he informed me yet again that we had now school! I again went back to sleep. Aahh! to sleep late on a Monday, certainly one of my guilty pleasures. It was a pleasure to get up on my own schedule and enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee as the children played and I watched a bit of the Today show. Reality set in shortly however as I dressed for the weather and the task at hand: shoveling the driveway! YUCK At first glance the snow looked light and fluffy, however as I began to shovel I quickly realized that under the top layer of fluffy snow was a thick layer of frozen slush, sleet and icy snow. What a workout! I was able to get through about 2/3rds of the driveway and the mailbox before needing a break. There is enough room for both cars to park so I'm all set with shoveling. I'm hoping R will finish up the little that is left. We'll probably need to de ice as well. We'll see.

So I want to share some exciting news from Stand. First we are well on our way with our postcard campaign. We are using this new tool to show the legislators how much their constituents truly care about education. Our goal is to hand deliver at least 10,000 postcards to the state house at our rally on March 24th. I hope we have even more than 10,000. We are using all methods available to pass the word including web links, a facebook postcard page and physical postcards out in the field. Check out this link and fill out a postcard if you are vote in MA

www.stand.org/postcard