Off to School they go.....

Today hubby is doing Watch D.O.G.S at G's school. Yes, ALL day.

There is a dad (or grandpas, or uncles, or other positive male role model) at G's school every day. G has looked forward to today, when his dad was the Watch Dog dad.

"They announce the dad over the intercom and who's dad it is."

"And this is what they'll say , ' Hubby's name is our Watch dog today and he is the father of G'" G must have told me this 10 times this morning.

G is VERY excited. Hubby is mildly excited.

I can't wait to hear about their day.

Goofy things that make people happy .....

by Dee Ann at Shoeboxblog.com
* having exact change

* light bulbs with three levels of brightness

* a picture taken when you weren’t even looking and it still looks really good

* pushing suede back and forth

* those restaurants with old timey candy in the lobby

Why Not?

Turn the blog music off at the bottom!

This makes me laugh every time!

He's a Homecoming Candidate!

Adventures in Subbing

Adventure #3 ~
The past couple of days I have been a music teacher! funny huh?

Yesterday I went to one of (well, it's the only one left) county schools. It only has 1 class of each grade K-4, but 2 5th grade classes. Each class has approx 15 - 22 students. The students are moved up all together for the first 6 years of their schooling, just the teacher and the room changes. The students even help in the cafeteria at lunch time (wiping down tables, and putting food on the trays). It is really a small community atmosphere. I like that.

Being the Music teacher meant that I had all the classes on just one day. The older students played music memory while the younger students watched a video.

I was the same teacher today only in a larger school.

When I'm in the regular classroom, I teach all day. When I do 'specials' (music, PE, art, science etc) I really just give opening instructions, and then I sit and monitor. So over the past 2 days I've sat and monitor several hours of Music memory and watched the same video over and over (and over). Makes for a long day.

I don't know which I like better ~ teaching all day or monitoring all day. I suppose it takes both to make it great!

Wordless Wednesday

EveryDay Math

What is Everyday Math you say?
It's the Math that is being taught in our schools ~
it's NOTHING like you think Math should be.

To add.......

202 + 156 = 358

200 + 100 =300
0+50 = 50
2+6 =8

300+50+8 =358
basically it's add from the left to the right, hundreds, tens and then ones
(unlike the math that we know which is adding from the right to the left ones to the hundreds)
To subtract......
468 -274 = 198 ~ wanna see how G is getting it?

Not by subtracting but by adding.

274 + 100=374
374 + 90=364
364 +8 = 468

100+90+8 = 198
Once again from the left to the right.

Did you get that?

When do you wanna come over and help with Math Homework?

The sad part is if G doesn't get it in class then I don't know how to help! Good thing for us if I let G sleep on it, he can usually tell me how to do it in the morning.

I think I could title this Just How Can this Be?

W's busy night

Tonight W's team played their rivels,

they haven't won against them in years and tonight was no different.

W has one more chance this season before his HS soccer career is over.

What goes up.......Must come down .......

Adventures in Subbing

This week I subbed in a Kindergarten class.

Adventure #1
As I introduced myself to the class the first morning.

One little boy said, "I saw you rockin' "

I paused, and thought this is odd but OK, I'm at least 'rockin' with this kid.

I asked him "Oh, you did?"
thinking I don't believe I've ever seen this kid before so how could he know I was "rockin' ".

He replied ~ "yea, you were rockin' "

Then it hit me ~ he'd seen me WALKING down the hallway. "I saw you walking"

I'm not quite as cool as I thought!

Adventure #2
As in any class there are some kids that you notice (usually the ones that are loud and disobedient) and then there are some you don't notice right away (quiet and do as they're told).

Yesterday I was approached by the school nurse in the lunchroom. She quickly gave me a medical update on Duncan. I made all the correct facial expressions and comments but as I walked away I thought, I didn't even know I had a Duncan and I wonder which one he is?

As I got back to the classroom I searched out a Duncan and sure enough I had one, but I really had not seen this child before.

By the afternoon Duncan had made himself know ~ he wasn't quite as quiet as the morning!

Soccer Saturday

You never know what a Recreation Soccer Saturday

will bring weather wise, but it's always fun!

Today's game was sunny, and warm

(just about too warm by the end of the game).

G had a great game.

As you can tell they all may be the same age but they aren't always the same size!

Sneak Peak Senior Pictures

loved this game!

No standing around tonight!

They won!

2-1

(the one for them was a plenty kick ~ just guess work of a keeper)

Gasp Sputter, Just how can THIS be?

I just got my new calendar/planner (you know July through Dec 09), and I was filling it out last night. Unfortunately there is already plenty on it! I got to the point where I was putting birthdays on it........that's when it hit....... An instant heart stopping event! I checked the date, I calculated the years, it just couldn't be right, I must have been doing something wrong. 2009 minus 1991 just CAN'T be 18. NO, I'll do it again............

W will be 18 on his next birthday!
go ahead you can do the math, but it's true!

I can handle the Senior status that he has, I can handle the 'college mail' he gets, I can handle the fact that he graduates HS in the spring, I've GOT ALL OF THAT COVER but being 18! This I didn't see coming!

When I mentioned my little revelation this morning to W he reminded me that he is one of the youngest and all of his friends were either already 18 or about to turn 18. I think the first turned 18 just after W's 17 b'day! I told them that I was fine with THEM turning 18 but not my baby!

The shell shock is mostly gone,
I think I'll be OK but
JUST HOW CAN THIS BE?

Standing around

On a game like tonight we're all reminded why he likes to play the field.

He stands around ......

and stands around.....
I do get A LOT of kicking pictures
I must have a million of these but I'll spare you.

They won 2 to 1

To each his own!

One woman's dread of raking

is another boy's hay baling dream!

The weak and ugly must go!

I've been trashing plants!

Weeding out the weak and the ugly.

If you didn't perform to your highest level this summer you're GONE!

This mainly goes for the Cactus colony but the annuals are being weeded out also!

More Details on Friday.

Last Friday it was warm, very warm and rainy.

G and I raced home to get something ready for the post office. We left for the Post Office at 4:45 (they close at 5).

G is talking constantly about how a tornado could hit our house! This is a constant with him while it rains. I finally I had had enough of his stress, I strongly tell him that it's September and we aren't having a tornado, IT'S JUST RAIN!"

Well, as I pull off of our gravel road I look to the west and there is a very ominous cloud that makes me wonder about the anti-tornado remark I'd just made to G!

We get to town just in time to hear the storm sirens go off! G is processing this and talking through it all in the back seat. Finally working himself into a nervous tizzy! Literally shaking. We get to the Post office just before closing but now I have to continue north for another errand.

We stop at a friend's house to get a weather report and we'll be heading right in the storm's path. The storm is moving quickly so I decide that I'll go but I'll travel slow!

G is still in his tizzy ~ but I convince him that we're storm chasing and for him to watch to see if he can find a tornado! This works perfectly. He was so into watching for tornadoes that he wasn't nervous anymore. Well, we completed the errand and headed home safe....... BUT now I have a upset little boy ~ he hadn't seen a tornado!

I just can't win!

Just How can This Be?

On Saturday W cleaned out his Blazer. It looked nice.

Fast forward to this morning......

I got the first phone call
"Mom, can you bring my soccer shoes and a ball"

second phone call.....
"Mom can you also bring my backpack?"

Just How can this be?

Pictures from Saturday morning

It's still raining but there are moments when it stops.

This week we got 5 inches of rain ~ it was at 4+ just yesterday afternoon.
Nickel and Diming us ... or should that be $5 and $10 us to death. This past week during a down pour W called me and said that his window was stuck down, could I please bring some plastic?! "OH, and I think I could be out of gas!"

Yes, he was out of gas but the window's motor was/is burned out!

Nice job for a rainy day, huh?G has earned his Nintendo DS for the day ~ he's curled up playing Star Wars.

Sophie ventured out in a dry moment.

Echo did too!

He Played in the BOX!

sorry no pictures ~

I didn't think I could snap pictures, and hold the umbrella all at the same time!

I'm so thrilled! W is a natural at playing keeper! It shows every minute he is playing in the Box, he's not afraid to hit the ground, he knows he is in command of the field and does it with ease, and the other players (both teams) have a lot of respect for him and his ability.

When he started this season he wanted to play the field, he wanted to get out of the box and move. He's good but he's doesn't stand out. He stands out as a Keeper!

Tonight when I walked up to the field there he was in his red keeper jersey! I just beamed with excitement, this was going to be good game. W didn't disappoint! He stretched that long body out several times to save the ball. Yes, he's a muddy mess but I don't care!

His coach told me after the game that W is a college keeper, he's not (yet) a college field player. I couldn't agree more.

TWIST in this story of which I'm not sure what to think about yet.

W and hubby went to watch our niece play Volleyball at a college close by Tuesday evening. As W walked in he was approached by the college football coach, who they preceded to question him about several things, if he was a student of the college, where he went to HS, did he play football . When W told him that he played HS soccer, he coach got excited telling W that " he wouldn't ever recruit another HS kicker he was only going with HS soccer players." He told W to start kicking a football and then video tape it and send it to him!"

We personally know of a couple of soccer kids that have gone this route ~ one being W's current HS coach.

There are a lot more football scholarships (for a lot more $) than the soccer scholarships!

FOOTBALL? really! I don't know if this mother's heart and nerves can handle that!

Do you hear what I hear?

I hear the padder of the rain drops ....... but what I really hear is no thunder! That means there will still be a soccer game in the rain! That means that I'll be there on the side line in a rain poncho standing in a puddle watching W, listening to G complain. Hmmmm why can't we play in door sports??

And just when was Shelly a popular name?

Popularity of names starting with SHELLY

AHhhhh of course I'm a 60's baby!

Just put your name in the box above to find out when your name was popular!

Let the games begin!

He's playing the field.

I don't know what to think about this yet,

but I suppose it's what HE wants to do!

I cringe everything he gets hide or someone plows into his leg!

I may need to go into my mother pacing mode during games!

Say What?

W ~ "Mom is Crappy a seafood or a pondfood?"

Funny......

Women will never be as successful as men

because they have no wives to advise them.

~Dick Van Dyke~

Susan

About 8 years ago a wise Bishop (hubby) asked me to work in the church Library with Susan. We became friends, good friends. Susan had a tough exterior and didn't really let too many people in, but I was allowed in. Over the years, Susan, even though her children were grown, sat beside me at basketball games, soccer games and a couple of t-ball games. We went to the "Jewels of the Russian Czars" and the "Dead Sea Scrolls"exhibits. We made gingerbread house for a local Gingerbread house exhibit. We walk many, many miles together while W earned his BS Hiking badge. We have talked, and we laughed, fixed the problems of the world and probably created problems ourselves.

Probably one the things I'm most thankful for is that she loved my boys. As we would sit at a soccer game watching W have a horrible off night on a horrible field, she made excuses for the ball getting by him. After sitting through one of G's t-ball (where everyone gets to hit and score wasn't kept) games she asked me, "Just what is the purpose of the this game." One the last places she went out was to watch G at his school's olympics and she had planned to "Body's revealed" with W and I.

You never had to wonder what she was thinking because she said it!

Susan had a difficult summer, in and out of the hospital, then making the decision that it was time to let go. She called me to the hospital where we laughed, we joked, we said goodbyes and we planned her funeral, She then came home where we, her friends took care of her. I was blessed to be there and care for her until she no longer knew we were there.

W served as a pall bear for her.