Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

We had a wonderful holiday celebration and enjoyed having family over.

Santa was good to us and the kids are making plans for the gift cards they received...

I hope 2007 is good to each of you!

Love, J.

The Other Boleyn Girl

What an interesting read! Not since I read the "Josephine B." trilogy have I been so interested in historical fiction. Difficult to understand that women were treated so poorly- even more difficult to realize that it stilloccurs today in many parts of the world. I was sorry to finish it, it was so captivating...

Book Club: January

Thanks, Janine, for hosting book club last night. Brief, but interesting discussion of the book, and then on to other topics! :)

Our next pick is Murdering Mr. Monti, by Judith Viorst. We'll meet at Lauren's house...

Remeber, this book is out of print, but the local libraries have it and it available at amazon.com for a PENNY+3.50 shipping/handling.

Some things to think about:

1. Do you think it is harder to write comedy or drama?
2. Do you identify all at with Brenda? What aspects of her hit home for you?
3. How do you feel about her relationship with jake?
4. What do you think of her decision to act on an unfulfilled desire surrounding her birthday?
5. What supporting characters so you most like/dislike?

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

Personally, the fall is my favorite, but it is hard to argue with the joy of the upcoming celebration!
Hard to see, but C. is holding the candy cane and decorating the tree. She is all ready for her first Christmas and her letter to Santa was very long and detailed!
Packages are wrapped and mailed, Christmas cards will be dispatched tomorrow and the house is ready. We look forward to joining the Mooks for an early Christmas and to having family over on Christmas Eve. Tonight is our staff party and my favorite day of the month is tomorrow- BOOK CLUB!!

Kathy Griffin-

The ladies and I went to see Kathy Griffin at the McCallum last night. Brilliant and profane- simply awesome.

She is current and quick and cut's right to it...A very funny, smart woman!

It was so great to be out with some of the best women I know and laugh and enjoy each other's company. What a treat- I'm a lucky girl...

Monday, Monday

Here we go... I finished Teacher Man (yeah), so I can add pages to the Read-A-Thon list! Today C. and I are off running errands- university, costco,old navy, and if she can hang in there a couple of stops at the mall. Chris leaves for science camp tomorrow and will be gone for the rest of the week...We will try again this afternoon to get a Christmas card pic- 200 shots and counting! Science fair due this week for K., three family stories for John, who knows what Joe will be needing! Ortho on wed.- pain to follow the rest of the week for the kids- bring on the tylenol.
Something to look forward to: Kathy Griffin with the girls on Sat. and trying to get to Amy's on Sunday- fun, fun, fun :)

Teacher Man Discussion Questions
PS- I did not write these- found on the 'net!
What is most appealing about Frank McCourt and his stories?
How does he draw from his past to help him in the present with his teaching?
In what way does Teacher Man extend and develop our image of Frank as a person?
What are your feelings towards Frank the teacher compared to Frank as a child?
You might wish to think about how you reacted to his character for each of his three books.
Are there any similarities and differences?
What is your overall impression of the man and his life?
What makes great memoirs?
What specific elements help to make the memories more vivid and real?

Gratitude

Thanksgiving was a great day and a wonderful long weekend-

Things to be thankful for:
digital cameras that let us share our days quickly and effortlessly
slings for babies to keep them close
books, books, books
wonderful relatives like jen,amy, and cheryl- i miss not seeing them more often
friends who love your kids
kids who go out in the world each day and do their best
little ones who change a bit every minute

Keeping It Real
This is an excerpt from the full article that was run in the Desert Sun. These are my brave colleagues who took a stand and I am proud of each of them. It is time to have an honest discussion about how we are hurting our kids' life long love of learning by the total emphasis placed on testing- God Bless all of you who took a stand! J.

Some teachers decry test stress
Critics say too much federal, state testing, not enough learning

Mandy Zatynski

---

Fourth-grade teacher Brian Collins said three of his students broke down in tears Wednesday because of testing anxiety.

"I think we'll see, in the near future, children (who are) seeing psychologists" because of anxiety, he said, adding that other students have complained of nightmares and lack of sleep.

Collins and some of his colleagues at Gerald Ford Elementary School blame it, in part, on Desert Sands Unified School District's new benchmark assessments, among other exams.

The tests, given periodically throughout the year, are meant to be a teacher's tool. The results allow teachers to gauge student comprehension of topics on the state exam and, in turn, modify their instruction.

But teachers at Gerald Ford say they are testing their students too much.

"I'm not a teacher anymore; I'm a tester," third-grade teacher Janine Young said with a laugh.

In English, for example, students read a story and take a test on it each week, the teachers said. At the end of the month, students also take a test from the Sacramento County Office of Education based on the stories.

Now, this year, the district also requires benchmark assessments, which review some of the same concepts as the other exams.

"I believe they (students) are tested more this year than any other year," said Kathleen Maddox, a third-grade teacher.

This was one of those rare good "forwards" I received! Remember, I am partial to 3rd grade classrooms...Thanks to Tricia...

WET PANTS

Come with me to a third grade classroom.....There is a nine-year-old kid sitting at his desk and all of a sudden, there is a puddle between his feet and the front of his pants are wet. He thinks his heart is going to stop because he cannot possibly imagine how this has happened. It's never happened before, and he knows that when the boys find out he will never hear the end of it. When the girls find out, they'll never speak to him again as long as he lives.

The boy believes his heart is going to stop; he puts his head down and prays this prayer, "Dear God, this is an emergency! I need help now! Five minutes from now I'm dead meat."

He looks up from his prayer and here comes the teacher with a look in her eyes that says he has been discovered.

As the teacher is walking toward him, a classmate named Susie is carrying a goldfish bowl that is filled with water. Susie trips in front of the teacher and inexplicably dumps the bowl of water in the boy's lap.

The boy pretends to be angry, but all the while is saying to himself, "Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!"

Now all of a sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule, the boy is the object of sympathy. The teacher rushes him downstairs and gives him gym shorts to put on while his pants dry out. All the other children are on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk. The sympathy is wonderful.

But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his has been transferred to someone else - Susie.

She tries to help, but they tell her to get out. You've done enough, you klutz!"

Finally, at the end of the day, as they are waiting for the bus, the boy walks over to Susie and whispers,

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?” Susie whispers back, "I wet my pants once too."
May God help us see the opportunities that are always around us to do good.
Remember.....Just going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car.

Stranger Than Fiction

Our first time out since C. was born! This was a great movie. Will Ferrel did a fantastic job, delievering a subtle performance. It has a very intriguing storyline and gave us a lot to think about and talk about afterwards. Not giving anything away- the overall premise is a reflection on what kind of life is worth living, why do people sacrifice for others, and does art take priority over living? Two Mooklette thumbs up!

Little Children by Tom Perotta

Wow- what a book. This is the kind of book that is perfect for a book club because even if you hate it (which I did), there is so much to talk about. For example, does the title actually refer to the behavior of the adults? This novel is so cynical and devoid of hope. I don't expect everything I read to be pollyannaish- how boring- but at least give me something profound to think about or good escapism. The author does not "get" women and, yet, they are central figures. It seemed like he threw everything in, including a child molester, just to see what would happen. This novel is now a movie, and I am strangely curious as to how it became one.

Proud-

Had my performance review this week and it was great! I really respect my principal, so having her give me an outstanding evaluation means a great deal. If anyone needs a lesson on food chains and food webs- I have it all done!

It may seem silly that I care a great deal about how I do in the classroom, but I take my profession seriously, as well as my committment to the kids. I love what I do and the people I work with raise the bar. It is so important to do a good job for each child in my room- they deserve it!

Good Morning,
C. went to bed early last night and WIFE SWAP wasn't on (tragedy), so we played Apples to Apples- even Chris played. It's fun debating the best answer and seeing the connections we are all making.
PS- if you want to look good to your kids, watch Wife Swap- they become thankful for a normal mom!

Little Manhattan

I cannot reccomend this movie enough. Particularly if you have a son. It is touching, endearing and sweet. The dialogue is great- humorous and profound. I have bought this movie and we have watched it no less than 5 times in the past two weeks!

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by KimEdwards

...This was her life. Not the life she had once dreamed of, not a
life her younger self would ever have imagined or desired, but the life she
was
living, with all its complexities. This was her life, built with
care and
attention, and it was good.
She shut her purse,
then. She climbed the steps. She pushed
the back door open and went
home.

This is an intersting and thought provoking novel. I really enjoyed the
way the author took great care with the language. I think that is what
appeals to me most in a novel- beautiful, accessible language. This story
is a difficult one- an impossible situation and hard to have sympathy for with
modern eyes. I had a really difficult time accepting the main male
character- responsible for so much hurt. Still a satisfying read and an
intriguing story.

tired/exhausted...
no posts for a while- too much happening!
both chris and I had observations at work- stressful
filed trips, concerts, trick-or-treating, correcting papers,hoe down!

got to find time for housework this week
working on an afghan for our room
need to write thank-yous

looking forward to a long weekend

By Kate:
Often times, my kids amaze me with their talents- I know all parents feel this way :) Here is a note Kate sat down and wrote to her brother:


Dear John,
Today is a day of reckoning. Tomorrow is a day of wonder.
Yesterday was a day of knowing.
And the life in you will go by if you stick to a plan.
Everywhere you go, everyone you see is there,
everyone you saw was there,
everyone you will see will be there.
Remember. Know. Wait.
That's all you must do.
But, don't let life go slow,
don't wait until-
It will never happen,
just do- don't wait
live life happily
and make every moment count

Happy Halloween-

Must admit not my favorite holiday, but the kids really enjoy it.

Not a great shot- Carolyn was done by then...but WIlly Wonka looks good! We also have someone from Star Wars- not a good guy and the Phantom of the Opera...

Book Club Meeting 10:
Teacher Man, by Frank McCourt
12-13-06
Tricia's house 6:30

36 years

i'm 36 today! i am so thankful for the life i have :)
my husband is the man of my dreams, my kids are awesome,
my girlfriends rock
and, thankfully, my parents are still out and about and loving life
I am a lucky lady...

Fun!
here is a fun link from lynne...
http://www.jacksonpollock.org/

loving the "o.c.c."

today's quote from american chopper (my favorite program!)

"go create something, you'll feel better about yourself"

paul sr to mikey

this is why i love this show, unexpected moments of profundity

so here i am just putting a little something out there, for fun, to keep myself engaged and others included in our family's lives

with such a gift as our little family, how can you not share?

why i love janine-

'cause she is awesome and rocks the classroom...

'cause she makes work fun...

'cause she takes up new interests and follows through

'cause she is all about what is fair and sticking up for the underdog

mothers-in-law day:

sunday was mothers-in-law day, so a shout out to my mother-in-law, lynne. she is a super lady and lots of fun. I am very lucky to have her in my life and, of course, she raised a fantastic man. she is supportive and loving and a fantastic g'ma, to boot. thanks, Lynne, for being so wonderful!

J.

carolyn was baptized on 10.22.06. it was a great day for all of us and we loved seeing her with her grandparents and with some of her aunts and uncles.

she was great and loved the water part- thought she was getting a bath!

We bid a sad farewell to Paul, who will return to us at Christmas. we will miss seeing him whenever we want, but we are thrilled he is carolyn's godfather

on the opposite end, we are lucky to have maryalice, her godmother, so close by- it makes for lots of fun times and we get to see patrick any time we want. how awesome is that?

Book Club:
See you all Wed. night @ Kathleen's!
Girl With a Pearl Earring
6:30 pm
Meet Jacob Krebs!