Karen posted on her new year's resolution, that is not really a resolution and then talked about some other ideas. She maybe mentioned a "word". An idea to think of a word that grasps you or tells about YOU. I had to tell you this small snippet about knocked me over.
Each year I pass out some little gift to staff, the first year was rock, the second year and ormanment. And on these little objects I write one words. All kinds of words. Then they pick their very own that means something special to them. I love it, they love it. Never gets old.
Early in the fall when I was at my wit's ends with kids for sooo many reasons, and none of them nice, I got to thinking about HOW. How can I impact in some small way for kids to understand that character IS important. What you do and say is CRITICAL. I came up with a word of the week. I thought of words like caring, believe, appreciate, strength, and so on. The first word was "think". I spent time finding the defintion, paraprhasing it, summarizing it and providig a little lecture all in paragraph form and I read it over the intercom each morning. As I tour rooms I ask kids about the word, are they practicing and so on. Student council carried it further and made posters titled "Be One" as in BE A THINKER, BE CARING, and so on...
So when it came to the annual Polar Plunge this year, and I laid in bed endlessly thinking of a theme, which really is the most important part. I wanted it to be unique, easy, catchy and yet profound. A cross between cool costumes like capes but yet meaningful. And at about 12:40 AM it hit me.
"One Word Wonders"
Black tees, black bottoms, maybe some funky knee high socks or funky leg warmers
And on the shirts each jumper shall have a word. Any word. Be....and their word. A word that tells us about them, or what they want, what they believe in. What keeps them going. Just a word.
Oh and maybe just a small cape.
So there it is the connection, a longer post than I had planned, definitely more than a word. But like Karen said maybe the long drawn-out lofty goals aren't always best. Maybe simpler is better. Maybe one word, one step is all we need.
So, what's your word. I have 5 weeks to think of mine. I am sure it will come to me at 12:40 AM
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Just plain old good news
Ok, so after the above deep thinking post, here is non-deep. Just a plain old, want-to-share moment.
Last year Big Fry started 4-H archery. A little painful to watch at first, arrows flying, arrows thunking. In the bulls eye, not in the bulls eye, and once or twice in SOMEONE else's bullseye. He barely made the minimum score to make it to state.
Fast foward to this year he doesn't get pe (see below) and therefore is upset because he can't try out for the archery team for the school when they do the archery unit. He proceeds to go to PE teacher and tell him he wants to try out. The teacher shrugs, says well you haven't done the unit you probably won't do well, but show up tomorrow with your bow. I take him. The kid not only shows up, he rocks. He tells me after hitting the first bullseye, then the second, then the third, the teacher tells him he doesn't need to see anymore.
They head off to the Lakota Nation Invitational tournment where he comepetes against all the other middle school teams, probably at least 100 kids or more. He rocks it, takes 4th-with a broken sight and all-he reminds us. Ha ha pe teacher
Second good news, Big Fry has to take dreaded math intervention, he did not inherit his father's math prowess. He grumbles, he whines. You see in order to take math intervention you lose a fun class, like ummmm pe. Today math intervention teacher calls me, tells me she would like to give him the opportunity to go it solo. He has worked really hard she says. We say go for it.
Third good news. While on the phone with same math teacher, who happens to have her kindergartner go to my school, she thanks me. Her little guy had a tough time on Friday. Getting his name on the board just didn't agree with him, and it was all downhill from there. He and I talk about "oops" life is full of them, so don't let the "oops" get you. He dictates while I email his dad (also a teacher) who was distraught by his beavior that all is good. A thank you from a parent, those are few and far between and the last piece of good news.
Here is wishing you some good news this week.
Last year Big Fry started 4-H archery. A little painful to watch at first, arrows flying, arrows thunking. In the bulls eye, not in the bulls eye, and once or twice in SOMEONE else's bullseye. He barely made the minimum score to make it to state.
Fast foward to this year he doesn't get pe (see below) and therefore is upset because he can't try out for the archery team for the school when they do the archery unit. He proceeds to go to PE teacher and tell him he wants to try out. The teacher shrugs, says well you haven't done the unit you probably won't do well, but show up tomorrow with your bow. I take him. The kid not only shows up, he rocks. He tells me after hitting the first bullseye, then the second, then the third, the teacher tells him he doesn't need to see anymore.
They head off to the Lakota Nation Invitational tournment where he comepetes against all the other middle school teams, probably at least 100 kids or more. He rocks it, takes 4th-with a broken sight and all-he reminds us. Ha ha pe teacher
Second good news, Big Fry has to take dreaded math intervention, he did not inherit his father's math prowess. He grumbles, he whines. You see in order to take math intervention you lose a fun class, like ummmm pe. Today math intervention teacher calls me, tells me she would like to give him the opportunity to go it solo. He has worked really hard she says. We say go for it.
Third good news. While on the phone with same math teacher, who happens to have her kindergartner go to my school, she thanks me. Her little guy had a tough time on Friday. Getting his name on the board just didn't agree with him, and it was all downhill from there. He and I talk about "oops" life is full of them, so don't let the "oops" get you. He dictates while I email his dad (also a teacher) who was distraught by his beavior that all is good. A thank you from a parent, those are few and far between and the last piece of good news.
Here is wishing you some good news this week.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
The three questions...
So Bobbi asked three very deep questions in her last blog-deep questions and reflection as we all do as the new year rolls around.
I figured if I wanted to respond deeply then I better do it now before my daily work grind sucks me dry of all my deep thinking ability. Hmmm maybe that should show up in one of my answers.
What are you going to keep? I am a total copycat, I have to go with the relationships. I don't see how a person can not invest the time in this. And I think my home relationships could use some attention. Not that they are "bad", but as we enter the threshold of two teens, one starting high school and the other middle school, my mental and physcial ability to give more to the kids in my house than those at my school is a must. I can say mentally, one has received far more time than the other. Which leads to...
What are you going to let go? Being liked. Four years into this job and slowly but surely I worry less about being liked. We all know deep down we want to be liked, and I am one of the worst people pleasers I know. It may not always seem that way I know, with my honest-to-a-fault talk and sometimes lack of filter. But when I have invested time, sweat, and tears in human capital and THEN am not liked, it is a little hard to swallow. BUT if this is my long term career I need to let go of the pleasing. Letting go of the pleasing and agonizing over it, will help with number one immensely I believe.
And lastly going to take on? Wow, I am good taker-oner, is that even a word? I don't care I like it, reminds of the "Onceler", to all of you Seuss fans. I can take on more exercise, better eating, more time with so-and-so, more reading, and the list of taking on goes ON. Here it is, I am NOT taking anything on. I am going to relax. There it is. I am going to give myself permission to relax and read all day. Or take a nap. Lay on the bed and play words with friends. Or sit and just sit. And not even the body-at-rest relax, but the really brain-at-rest relax. Because you see, if I can take on this small task- #1 and #2 will be soooooo easy. I just know it.
So there it is, Gosh I really hope I don't look at the blog from a year ago and see the same "take on" task. Uggg that would mean a multi-year goal. Exhausting!!
I figured if I wanted to respond deeply then I better do it now before my daily work grind sucks me dry of all my deep thinking ability. Hmmm maybe that should show up in one of my answers.
What are you going to keep? I am a total copycat, I have to go with the relationships. I don't see how a person can not invest the time in this. And I think my home relationships could use some attention. Not that they are "bad", but as we enter the threshold of two teens, one starting high school and the other middle school, my mental and physcial ability to give more to the kids in my house than those at my school is a must. I can say mentally, one has received far more time than the other. Which leads to...
What are you going to let go? Being liked. Four years into this job and slowly but surely I worry less about being liked. We all know deep down we want to be liked, and I am one of the worst people pleasers I know. It may not always seem that way I know, with my honest-to-a-fault talk and sometimes lack of filter. But when I have invested time, sweat, and tears in human capital and THEN am not liked, it is a little hard to swallow. BUT if this is my long term career I need to let go of the pleasing. Letting go of the pleasing and agonizing over it, will help with number one immensely I believe.
And lastly going to take on? Wow, I am good taker-oner, is that even a word? I don't care I like it, reminds of the "Onceler", to all of you Seuss fans. I can take on more exercise, better eating, more time with so-and-so, more reading, and the list of taking on goes ON. Here it is, I am NOT taking anything on. I am going to relax. There it is. I am going to give myself permission to relax and read all day. Or take a nap. Lay on the bed and play words with friends. Or sit and just sit. And not even the body-at-rest relax, but the really brain-at-rest relax. Because you see, if I can take on this small task- #1 and #2 will be soooooo easy. I just know it.
So there it is, Gosh I really hope I don't look at the blog from a year ago and see the same "take on" task. Uggg that would mean a multi-year goal. Exhausting!!
Treasures
You will be proud to know I went thrifting, well not really, but I did help hubby go through his grandma's old farm house. You may wonder what you find in the house of someone who has lived 98 full years? Amazing things I tell you, amazing. Oh and some junk, umm maybe more junk-no disrespect there Wilma.
Knowing a few of you blog friends like I do, I just had to share. And I hope you see why, it is weird how each time I picked up something, it made me laugh, cry, smile. or speechless. And here a few...with really lousy pics but I couldn't wait to share.
Little weather diaries, you know those little free calendar books banks used to give away? Well we found LOTS of those. Do you know what was written in those? Weather..."fair day today", " a little warm but overcast", and so on....I guess when what you eat out on the farm and ALL your day to day work and entertainment occurs outside, this may be an important thing to remember.
Then a suitcase...turqouise! It turned out to be a little carry on/jewelery type case! Just who did I think of?? I had to bring it home...and I may just ship it Bobbi's way, who better to love it and give it a home. Hubby agreed
Jars...some really cool jars, again turquoise. Sorry peeps, keeping those after the cobwebs are dusted off. I did think of my mom, I may send one her way, I remember hiking in the woods or rummage sales and finding old bottles with her. I remember thinking "what junk, let's gooooo mommmm". Yes we all turn into our moms at some point. By the way I only took the ones that DIDN'T have canned goods from who knows when still in them.
Then lastly something for the word and story lovers, you know who the two of you are. The writing begins on faded brown, lined paper. Cursive, delicate, all written in blue and black pen and sometimes pencil. Dated September 25, 1012. If you look real close at the pic you can see the heading....
"The rode to California as I seen it...."
People!! Do you just about want to fall over?? I did, and am still waiting for just the right time to sit and read every word. I sat there in the cold farmhouse, breath showing from both hubby and I, huddled among the suitcase, jars, and boxes of black and white pics and skimmed through the pages. A young girl's gentle and careful notes of a trip. Not glamourous or poetic writing. No embellishment for a blog, or one line statements for facebook or twitter. Just writing and telling of what she saw....
I will leave you with a little treasure....
"September 25, 1912
We got up at 3 o'clock in the morning and got on our train at 5:20. When we left Philip frost was on everything. And when we got into Cottonwood it was there to. And next we came to Quinn, then at 10 minutes past 6 we could see the Badlands. They looked like they had snow or frost on them, but it was only the color of the soil. We glide along now through small stations then we come to Rapid City we get off the train for we must change cars. We go in the depot and wait a while, pretty soon our friend 'Miss Doris Daily' meets us and we go down to her house for a while until time for our train. We get on train no. 9 after bidding her good-by. "
So my friends, who wants to take a train to California over the next few weeks with a 13 year old young lady from 1912?
Knowing a few of you blog friends like I do, I just had to share. And I hope you see why, it is weird how each time I picked up something, it made me laugh, cry, smile. or speechless. And here a few...with really lousy pics but I couldn't wait to share.
Little weather diaries, you know those little free calendar books banks used to give away? Well we found LOTS of those. Do you know what was written in those? Weather..."fair day today", " a little warm but overcast", and so on....I guess when what you eat out on the farm and ALL your day to day work and entertainment occurs outside, this may be an important thing to remember.
Then a suitcase...turqouise! It turned out to be a little carry on/jewelery type case! Just who did I think of?? I had to bring it home...and I may just ship it Bobbi's way, who better to love it and give it a home. Hubby agreed
Jars...some really cool jars, again turquoise. Sorry peeps, keeping those after the cobwebs are dusted off. I did think of my mom, I may send one her way, I remember hiking in the woods or rummage sales and finding old bottles with her. I remember thinking "what junk, let's gooooo mommmm". Yes we all turn into our moms at some point. By the way I only took the ones that DIDN'T have canned goods from who knows when still in them.
Then lastly something for the word and story lovers, you know who the two of you are. The writing begins on faded brown, lined paper. Cursive, delicate, all written in blue and black pen and sometimes pencil. Dated September 25, 1012. If you look real close at the pic you can see the heading....
"The rode to California as I seen it...."
People!! Do you just about want to fall over?? I did, and am still waiting for just the right time to sit and read every word. I sat there in the cold farmhouse, breath showing from both hubby and I, huddled among the suitcase, jars, and boxes of black and white pics and skimmed through the pages. A young girl's gentle and careful notes of a trip. Not glamourous or poetic writing. No embellishment for a blog, or one line statements for facebook or twitter. Just writing and telling of what she saw....
I will leave you with a little treasure....
"September 25, 1912
We got up at 3 o'clock in the morning and got on our train at 5:20. When we left Philip frost was on everything. And when we got into Cottonwood it was there to. And next we came to Quinn, then at 10 minutes past 6 we could see the Badlands. They looked like they had snow or frost on them, but it was only the color of the soil. We glide along now through small stations then we come to Rapid City we get off the train for we must change cars. We go in the depot and wait a while, pretty soon our friend 'Miss Doris Daily' meets us and we go down to her house for a while until time for our train. We get on train no. 9 after bidding her good-by. "
So my friends, who wants to take a train to California over the next few weeks with a 13 year old young lady from 1912?
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Here it is December 26
Well here it is December 26, and still 7 days of vacation left. I can't begin to express how much I am looking forward to these 7 days. I am hoping I enjoy them so much that they sustain me for the next 5 months of work. If it is anything like the last few months AND how things left off before the break I am going to need it. I can't even begin to explain what work has been like this year. Let's just say in the 4 years I have had this new-not-new anymore career I have cried 4 times sitting in my office and 3 have been this year, including one just last week. BUT enough of that.
Christmas itself was quiet, my parents didn't make it up (a whole other blog post that no one wants to hear). So we invited hubby's parents for Christmas Eve.The boys like the company, but I think if hubby's mom called him by his brother's name one more time he was going to banish her to the garage. Christmas day was spent, eating, reading, napping. Big Fry even napped, with his head on my shoulder, need to hold that memory close. Physical contact and affection at this age is few and far between, so really was a "gift".
Speaking of gifts, hubby bought himself an early gift, a nutribullet, um yep a kitchen gadget, because I so need another one of those in the kitchen...but guess what the thing is pretty nifty. Especially if you can get past the color of the concotion that it makes, because the taste is not that bad. I vow to use it...um soon... to help me detoxify from all the eating and unhealthy beverages consumed over the last few days.
I hope you are all having a wonderful Christmas time, celebrating in your own way with family and friends. I think I may just go take another nap.
Christmas itself was quiet, my parents didn't make it up (a whole other blog post that no one wants to hear). So we invited hubby's parents for Christmas Eve.The boys like the company, but I think if hubby's mom called him by his brother's name one more time he was going to banish her to the garage. Christmas day was spent, eating, reading, napping. Big Fry even napped, with his head on my shoulder, need to hold that memory close. Physical contact and affection at this age is few and far between, so really was a "gift".
Speaking of gifts, hubby bought himself an early gift, a nutribullet, um yep a kitchen gadget, because I so need another one of those in the kitchen...but guess what the thing is pretty nifty. Especially if you can get past the color of the concotion that it makes, because the taste is not that bad. I vow to use it...um soon... to help me detoxify from all the eating and unhealthy beverages consumed over the last few days.
Monday, December 17, 2012
Goodbye Grandma Wilma
Good bye to the woman who took my husband hunting and fishing.
To the lady who taught him to embroider and make beer cheese soup.
To the lady who took him to buy his first car and let him eat powdered sugar straight out of a whip cream bowl.
Who drank her beer out of a bottle, and lived 98 years and 11 days all with most of them being on the great great prairie of South Dakota. With 97 of them being on her own and only one in the home.
We salute you Wilma...you will be missed and they really don't make us woman like you anymore...
To the lady who taught him to embroider and make beer cheese soup.
To the lady who took him to buy his first car and let him eat powdered sugar straight out of a whip cream bowl.
Who drank her beer out of a bottle, and lived 98 years and 11 days all with most of them being on the great great prairie of South Dakota. With 97 of them being on her own and only one in the home.
We salute you Wilma...you will be missed and they really don't make us woman like you anymore...
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Here, here, here
I am here, after a whirlwind time in Boston. Ugggg love going places, hate the coming back tranistion time. I missed you all, I have caught up on thumbs-thanks Carey and holiday spirit-thanks Bobbi (by the way approve me!). Happy December everyone!
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