A Day in the Life...

...of a middle school teacher. Could someone please tell me how to motivate the unmotivated?? What do you do when 7th graders won't even do 4, YES FOUR, problems for homework?? Try 3 out of about 25 students completing this assignment. Another 7 did only the odd, and the ANSWERS for the odd are in the BACK of the book! (On a side note: 7th grade math is not what we remember. We've already covered elements of college-level statistics, 2-step algebraic equations, and geometry that we didn't do until about 10th grade. Thanks to some of the elements of No Child Left Behind, a lot more children are not even at the "bus stop" to catch the ride!!)

I've always worked with struggling, difficult to teach students, but I've never experienced little to no effort. I can handle a kid with any type of ability level, but I'm running out of ideas to motivate. I've even watched Freedom Writers for my own motivation. There are so many influences and distractions for them, and many lack the desire for something better. Isn't the natural pattern of things to desire something bigger and better for your own children? Where are their dreams and hopes, and why can't they be realistic and legal? What can we offer them that beats what the street offers?

The "DOG" is on His Way Back!!

With the risk of ruining my reputation, I must confess a love for some things redneck. Here is my weakness confessed:

Woohoo! Imagine my excitement as I found this on Yahoo! It seems that A&E is bringing Duane "The Dog" Chapman back to their weekly lineup.

There is something to be said for mindless reality TV, and I am not ashamed to give into it once or twice a week! Wow, confession is really good for the soul.

Confessions of a Clutterbug

Well, it's President's Day weekend, or should I say the end of President's Day weekend. Rebekah and I have been fighting some type of cold/sinus infection, so no big fun for us! Today is a little better. Rebekah has hopes of going to gymnastics tonight. Hopefully we'll make it!

Despite being under the weather, I have been tackling the clutter that has begun to overtake my bedroom. When you watch Clean Sweep on TLC, and think it resembles your living space, it is time to take drastic action. I even let Joe clean out several things, all the while fighting the compulsion to go behind him and check thru his trash and shred piles. (This is HUGE for me! Just ask Joe.) I never understood why people had such a hard time on that show letting go of stuff and breaking into tears. I get it now.

Boxes of all the kids papers (preschool and on), saved bills just in case there was ever a question, old school stuff, and other miscellaneous junk were making my boudoir anything but restful or romantic. Yes, it was time to purge files of credit card and utility bills dating back several years. (Joe had found a box in the garage a few months ago and discovered it had phone card bills and stuff from my days at FSU. Boy ,was I in trouble when he figured he had moved that box the three times we have moved during our married life!) Yes, I brought myself to keeping only a few of the kids' handiwork and tossing the rest. (Emotionally the hardest part of purging is the stuff with memories attached. Darn being sentimental!) This, of course, had to be done with care since Rebekah and Micah couldn't understand why I was throwing away their school papers. I actually threw a lot away and found some things for a garage sale. I'm working on organizing the items we need to keep. I actually found $20!!! Yay, me!

As some of you can attest, housework with 2 kids, one being a very BUSY little boy, can sometimes feel like shoveling snow during a blizzard. Couple that with the whirlwind lifestyle most of us live with work, church, t-ball, gymnastics, and anything else that begs for our time, and you will have a guaranteed spot on some reality cleaning/organizing show on TLC or HGTV. (That's almost as bad as going on Maury to find out who's the daddy!) I'd rather not air my dirty laundry, (or clutter), on national TV even if you do get lots of free stuff. Therefore, here's to slowing down a little bit and conquering the clutter!

Made in China and Proof that Evolution is BOGUS!

For those of you who know me best, you will appreciate this the most.

With all the news about lead being found in toys from China (is there a toy NOT from China??), I found myself concerned about my 4 year old, the thumb-sucker. (That's him beside Joe, thumb in mouth, reflecting on life while riding Thomas the Train this past summer.) Micah has been known, since around 4 months of age, to be part monkey and part goat. When presented with an object or obstacle, he will either eat it or climb it!! (No joke, he was crawling by 5 mths of age! That was SUCH an OMEN!!!) Anyway, I made it very clear to him not to put toys or his fingers in his mouth while he was playing with his toys. He was also instructed to wash his hands after playing with toys. We talked about why and what could happen. I know you're thinking , OVERKILL, and that he wasn't listening or understanding. You are quite wrong.

We arrive at church, and I take Micah to his Bible class. As he sits down next to another little boy who has brought a toy plane, I observe Micah staring intently at the plane. I watch for a few moments to make sure he is not going to grab the toy, when Micah, very seriously asks the boy, "Is that toy made in China?" I thought his teacher was going to fall out of her chair. He then began to tell the little boy,verbatim, and in an eerily familiar tone, all the rules for playing with toys "made in China." If that were not enough, he came to me a few days later holding a toy and informing me that he had not only put the toy in his mouth and then put his finger in his mouth, but that nothing had happened, and he could "...still think. My head is okay."

For those of you who believe in evolution and the theory of "survival of the fittest," I tell you I have proof of how ridiculous Darwin's ideas are, besides the obvious biblical ones. After marrying Joe and having Micah, I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that if Darwin's theory were true, no male would ever make it to adulthood. Their survival and ability to live long enough to perpetuate the species is by the sheer grace of God, an ongoing miracle.

Out of the mouths of babes....My friend Gerry's son, Ben (8):

Ben: (excitedly) Mom! I have acid reflux.
Gerry: What? How do you know you have acid reflux?
Ben: Because when I threw this (toy) I was able to catch it like this!!

Reflux, reflex.....

My Maiden Voyage

Thanks to Amy, my best friend from high school, I decided to plunge into the world of blogging! I'm not sure where this will all lead, but it should be an interesting journey. If anyone has any suggestions or "insider" blogging secrets...please share!

This weekend has been great. Mama Two and Papa Two came for a short visit. Joe gets as excited as the kids because he knows good cookin' is in his future. It's not that I don't cook well, it's just not as often as he'd like. (I also don't do the eggs over easy, just scrambled!) We also ordered a small RED sectional couch with an overstuffed chair and ottoman in a complimentary neutral color. Mama Two approved of the color choice, of course! They get delivered next Saturday. Our current couch might get honorable mention on Regis & Kelly's ugliest couch contest.

An update on my niece Charlotte: It will be a GIRL! At last report the name may be Ava. Love the name. Regal and glamorous...very sheik.

It's late and tomorrow is a school day! I need all the energy I can muster for middle schoolers. Needless to say, there is never a dull moment.