New Site To Me

Feeling sorta blue today due to a funeral that I had to attend. We lost a good friend that was stricken with cancer two months ago. Marty was 56 years old. He always had a smile on his face and you felt like he was an old friend even if you met him minutes before. He will be missed greatly.

Today I hug my kids, have a little more patience and remind myself of how precious our time on earth is.

To inspire me further I found this site (which many probably know about) that I just love. If you are ever bored, there are many crafty things to recharge your energy! Enjoy!

Second Time Just Like the First Time

Today we finally got the boys up on waterskis. Both popped right up out of the water and looked like they had been skiing all their lives. They were pretty excited! Not much else to share. I will share the bag I felted for little guy's teacher. I guess she was quite excited to find out that I had made it. Same details as the first time I made it, just a different color. Summer camps start tomorrow: sailing, golf and baseball. How did I get into this???

A Day to Remember

Yesterday was the last day of school. It was also the last day that my oldest would be in elementary school. I thought I would be all teary eyed, but I did okay. Our school has a tradition where the fourth graders walk out first for dismissal on the last day. Every other day of the year they are last. The whole school lines the halls and the fourth grade parades from their classes with pennants in their hands. Everyone cheers and yells good -bye and good-luck. I have been crying at this ritual since Matt has been in kindergarten. I did shed a few tears, but not because I was sad, but because I was so very proud of my kid. He is a good student who loves learning and he is eager to start on the next part of his adventure.

A friend invited us over for a celebratory lunch. Eight ten-year old boys with a few siblings enjoyed swimming on their pond. The combination of boys made me proud and hopeful as a parent. They are all good kids that love to have fun. It was just the perfect way to end the elementary school years!

I can't resist throwing in a picture of the two little ones who will be starting on their journey though elementary school next year. Just too cute!

Thank You!

These are the two special people that touched my boys' lives for the last ten months. We have been pretty lucky with the pick of teachers in our small district. Probably because I voice my opinion of what I believe a child's education should entail and how that teacher imparts it to our children.

It took me a long time to go to speak with the principal about certain problems that were of a concern in our schools. People were irritated about the lack of writing and reading that was not being covered in the curriculum. Teaching methods were out of date for the students of today's world. Teachers were not willing to try new methods because it was too much work.

I was afraid to approach the principal for fear I would be labeled "that mother that complains all the time." I had been on the other side before kids, and I knew how teachers responded to parents that voiced complaint. So I spoke up and got some results for my two boys. But, I also encouraged other parents to speak up. The more the school knew that these were our concerns, things hopefully would change.

I can't say things are changing as quickly as I had hoped. Our district is a well-educated one so kids are going to achieve even without the help of the school district. But methods and philosophies are beginning to move in a more up to date direction.

So I thank the two people that have a future vision for our children. They have helped to continue our goal of creating life-long learners.

Movin' On Up to the Big Time!

Today was our school's Moving Up Day. Simple and sweet! Recognition was given not for individual achievements, but the two community service projects the Class of 2015 completed.

Of course, there were parents that complained about just about everything including how many times their child was included in the slideshow. Give it a break!

Matt's teacher was a perfect fit for him. He is a man of interesting facts which impressed Matt greatly. He was able to bring Matt out of his shell a bit and has called Matthew "a quiet leader." Not a bad quality to have!

I thought I would cry like a baby today and found myself doing okay. I was proud of my child and know that he is ready to move on to the Middle School.

Well done, Matt! We are so proud of you!