All is calm...all is bright???

The morning was a crazy, loud, consistent hum of kids playing and yelling and running around now that we're on break from school. BUT. We had lunch, Lucy took a nap, Adam was sent to clean his room, and I began wrapping presents with Christmas music. Now, the nap is over, the room is clean and the presents are (mostly) wrapped. The big snow from last night certainly put a fresh, clean look in our neighborhood. Adam and Lucy are geared up in snowpants, boots and mittens and the first snowman of the season is officially under construction. As I watch from the window since cookies are baking, it is calm and quiet inside. The picture they make is beautiful and filling my heart with love. I know it's just a matter of minutes until they fight over the "right" way to built Mr. Frosty or someone gets pegged with a snowball, but for now; all is calm, all is bright.

Adam performing sign language

Adam sang with a trio tonight at his 1st grade Holiday Concert, then he and his classmates finished the song using sign language. He took his duties very seriously and never cracked a smile once. He told me that his music teacher said they all had to keep their eyes on her. :) So proud of him!!

Eloise

I'm pretty sure that most of you that read this blog already know that we moved Lucy to a new preschool this year. She absolutely loves her school, and we love that she is learning and thriving and is excited to go there each and every day. She shares with us her stories of her new teachers (Miss Michelle and Miss Julie are her favorites), her classmates (sweet Caeden, Julia, Sawyer and Samantha), what they do (walking trips and painting), where they play("we went on the big playground today!"), and even what they have for snack(cupcakes decorated as turkeys, pigs in a blanket...new favs, different blog). Well, most recently she has started daily stories about Eloise. Lucy and Eloise enjoy painting together. They both love when they have breakfast for dinner, they both help set the tables for their moms, they both have long brown hair and they both have big brothers. I thought this was so cool that she has found a new playmate to be a bestie! I asked her more about Eloise and asked when we could meet her! Maybe we could have a playdate sometime. Her response was that Eloise stays "at the workshop. She as a pink race car like me but she has to stay at the workshop to feed the fish. Eloise has very pretty red shoes and I very like them. I wish I had a pair of red shoes like hers. Eloise works very hard at the workshop and sometimes she even makes the dinner for us."  You see...Eloise is a make-believe friend. I love this about my daughter! Mark has 3 big boys and we have our super cool Adam and never with any 4 of these boys did we ever have the imaginary friend experience. I absolutely love this because it shows the amazing imagination and creativity my sweet girl has. I want to foster this in her so there will be no question about discouraging these stories. Just once in a awhile we ask her "How's Eloise today?" and we are rewarding with great stories, and a little peek into what our daughter thinks about and finds important and how she defines "being big."

Drinking it in...

It's about 4:30 in the afternoon, and we've been enjoying our Saturday in typical fashion. But something about today seems unlike the norm. I can't quite put my finger on it, and I think that's ok, I don't really want to; just want to savor it. Drink it in. We had a coffee cake in the oven and this morning for breakfast. The smell of that bread baking permeated the whole house and literally brought each child out from the bedroom to their seat at the table as if they were in a trance. Hot chocolate and marshmallows were waiting there for each. We ate together and talked about what we needed to do today, about the movie they watched last night, about silly things. Then the day has been spent doing typical Saturday stuff: running errands. But each stop brought my suspicions that the kids would start fighting or being naughty and my husband would start getting crabby about it. This never happened! We took our time picking out ceiling fans, and as the warmth increased as we got kinks in our necks staring up at all the choices, I really expected the kids to get crabby and they just didn't. They went with it, and participated. Onward to other small replacements pieces and fixer-up items we needed. Lucy announced it was lunch time! I expected a melt down since we still had a few additional stops but that never  happened. On to Buffalo Wild Wings where they played together nicely, ate great meals, and Mark and I were able to talk. Really. I not kidding, we were able to talk to each other!! :) Parents, you understand this right? And as the back of our truck continued to fill up and we continued to drive on, the mood continued to be a good one. We all laughed together, were silly and just enjoyed being together. Now at home, Lucy is finally enjoying a well-deserved nap and the rest of us had a few things to do. No complaints, and still plugging along with it holding an attitude of mutual understanding that this was just stuff our family needed to do today, and the playing would happen later. Again, more moments of "drinking it in". Now it is quiet as Lucy naps, as dogs settle in to their spots for light sleeping. A fire is crackling in the fireplace and the smell of that burning wood is quite possibly as delicious as the coffee cake baking this morning. It's dark already and I'm quickly thinking that I would like to just curl up with a book. However, there is a little boy waiting out by the fireplace who would really enjoy playing a game of checkers with his mother. I think that's a much better idea for now, after all, it must be one of those things our family needs to do today. Drinking it in. Being grateful for this day God has given me. Time for checkers!

She's coming home!

It's been forever since I've posted anything new. Mostly, I think it is because life has been moving at a pace that is much too fast. I have found myself in quite a "funk" (see Glee link) and just not wanting to write about my mood. BUT...today....my dear friend who has been teaching in Brazil for 2 years...shared with our small group of BT friends that she is going to come home. She will be home of course for Christmas, and we have already been looking forward to this. But she will be coming HOME home, after finishing this school year. She will miss her new friends terribly. She will even miss the birds calling outside her window before she's ready to wake up, but we are so so happy that she will be back around us. I needed this news like I needed to breathe today. Thank you Megan. Couldn't have been anything better to hear today!!!

Minneapolis Adventures

Over Columbus Day weekend, we took our annual trip away with just the 4 of us. This year we chose to take the kids to Minneapolis after reading about this great city in a magazine and getting some outstanding advice from a friend who lives nearby. The first day we headed to a great zoo, Como Zoo. I compare it to Lincoln Park Zoo for it's wooded areas and exhibits located near each other. One of Adam's favorite animals to visit is the Lion. We headed over to check it out and explored the outside areas where Mom and Dad lions were basking in the sun taking a nap. We follow the path along and see that there are more large cats inside. As we go in, we notice a small crowd gathering around the windows of a lioness cage, thankfully behind glass rather than bars. As you can see from the picture, this lioness was right up against the glass and as we arrive, we notice a few young people slapping their hands on the glass, their parents watching. The lion became quite agitated and was leaping through the air against the wall of glass. She was standing on her hind legs, pawing at the glass, trying everything she could think of to get out at the people that were only separated from her by 1/2 inch of whatever this glass window was really made of. I had visions of that scene in Free Willy when the orca began ramming itself against the underwater viewing and broke through. Lucy became very frightened and I took her outside. Mark and Adam stayed behind for a few more minutes. It was very upsetting to witness an woman come running out of the lion house screaming for a staff member while using *the F word*, I remember thinking "did that lion break out somehow? where are Adam and Mark?" Well, the lion was safely inside it's cage, but this woman was IRATE over the way it was reacting and how the few young men inside were treating it. She had apparently just went OFF on the crowd inside and was now on the rampage for a zoo manager to come arrest them all, she wanted them charged for a crime and was looking like she needed to be sedated herself. I have to say, that even though we left because Lucy was frightened of the lion, she was even more frightened now of this woman. She refused to walk on the ground, or be put down in any way and she kept looking over her shoulder for the crazy person. So we moved on far away from lions.

These little guys helped her mood quite a bit! Loved them! After the zoo, we went back to the hotel to swim and rest. Our next day, brought us to the iconic Sculpture Park across from the art institute. Lovely warm day to run around the park, explore the conservatory and just be outside! Adam the artist had a lot to say about each piece, and Lucy enjoyed playing on and around them too. It was hard to pick a favorite piece!


Here is a view down the aisle of the conservatory in the park...fun ivy structures. Fun plant items were tucked in everywhere! An orchid growing from a wall here, a coconut monkey hiding in the ivy there, lovely vines, beautiful flowers....just gorgeous, wish my mom had been there to see it.










At the end of the walkway we come to an atrium with this awesome glass panel fish sculpture. Amazing! In this room, there were scuptures under glass floor panels as well. Pretty fun!



The day moved on with a trip to Mall of America. When we first talked about visiting, the plan was either to avoid the Mall altogether, or to choose wisely. I think we came closely to a happy medium! We started with our trip to the Underwater Adventure Aquarium. This is very cool to walk through the "tube" while sharks, rays, giant sea turtles and fish of all kids swim over your head! Some sharks were just laying right there ON the tube! Very awesome! The kids were able to touch starfish, sea urchins and such in the touch pools after our walk through. The rest of the aquarium blew us away with the clean, healthy looking critters. After lunch, we went on to explore the Mall. We checked out Disney, Lego and more! Everyone bought some new treasures and we went back to the hotel on our last night with great memories, tired feet and lots of fresh air! This trip will be hard to beat next year!!

Fair Food and People Watching

The Sandwich Fair is an annual event for our family because it's that one last summer kind of thing to do before fall kicks in. Quite honestly, the best part of ANY fair for me is the food and the people. Today, we honestly just grazed our way through the day, sharing all the yummy treats that caught our eyes and returning home for Pepcid to make up for it. The rest of the day was filled with watching and being entertained by the variety of people we saw there. Both of these favorite past times were so great for me today that I thought I would put them together into 2 lists. Enjoy:
Food Opportunities We Saw and/or Ate:
Italian sausage
Italian ice
dippin' dots
chocolate covered deep fried bacon, that's right...bacon
elephant ears
funnel cakes
giant turkey legs
burritos, nachos, and tacos oh my
corn dogs: regular and on a yardstick size
eclairs
cheesecake, bananas, strawberries, chicken, steak and pickles...all offered "on a stick"
lemon shakeups
tempura
deep fried Snickers bars

Strange Sightings:
7 year old with a full-out 4 inch high mohawk
Eddie playing horseshoes
1,500 lb. cow "can be yours with a $1 raffle ticket"
baby kangaroo being pushed around in a baby stroller
5 teenagers standing around each eating a giant turkey leg
chocolate covered bacon
Burma bull and a yak in a petting zoo...really?
free rootbeer refills if you buy a tin cup
sewing machines that you don't really sew with, the computer does the work
carnies WITH their teeth
no garbage cans by the food booths
camper with a door that opens to the bathroom
woman eating a giant burrito yelling at her child not to drink her giant soda because "it's not healthy for you!"


Until next year...

Bluestems, Mockingjays and Book Whisperers...Oh My!

It's been awhile since I've posted anything new. School is now in full force and we've spent weeks getting our family ready for it. I've been working in the classroom, ready for 23 new minds. Mark's been adjusting to new schedules for drop-offs. Adam's been preparing for all day in 1st grade. Lucy's been enjoying a new preschool that she loves. But now that those preparations have begun and school has started, the Someday Lists are getting longer. Now just the "someday we'll have to visit..." lists, but the Someday Lists of books that I want to read! I've already gotten hooked on The Hunger Games series and I've been eagerly awaiting the last book in the trilogy, Mockingjay. When did it come out? Right when school started! I was in the middle of another book too, that needed to be finished before starting something new. Then, the meetings at school began. And as we met with my teaching team, another great read surfaced, this time a professional book. The Book Whisperer is the basis of some very cool reading ideas we are planning for this year's 4th graders. Our school has formed a Reading Lounge for kids to come to, for the sole (or soul even!) purpose of hanging out to enjoy reading a great book! How cool is that? I am currently trying to read this book as well. Then there is The 2010 Bluestem Nominee List. The books on this list are all amazing looking and I am looking forward to getting them into the hands of my students, but I want to read them all first! One of my favorites, The BFG, is already on there! Love it! And there are 19 others on this list that are absolutely amazing reads! Clements, Selznick, Weeks, Spinelli.....all fantastic! When will I find the time to read all this great books?? Someday.

Moment of Insanity or New Kitty at the Wold House

Either title would be a great name for this blog title. I was not actively seeking a new 4-legged member to our family; we already have 2 dogs and 2 cats. I complain daily about the hair while sweeping the stairs and the floors. I am disgusted by 1 cat's hairball problem which is threatening our furniture since we cannot completely get rid of the smell of cat spit. I am irritated by dogs sneaking into bed at night and hogging the space. We pay for kennel when we want to go away for a weekend. Vet bills can be costly especially as our pets begin to age now. But I love them all dearly and wouldn't trade them for the world. Let me repeat that I have not been seeking a new pet. We all headed to Petsmart on Saturday to get dog food, cat food and litter. I came in several minutes after my family since I had gone to the store next door to return something. So I stopped at the adoptive pet room since I figured Mark and the kids would be there by then to visit the animals like we always do. Big mistake. There, curled up in a very tiny ball, was my dream kitty. I go inside to tell them I'm here now, and Mark was already giving me a weird look. I get her out, read her papers. Uh oh. She's 4 months old, female, short-haired, and ORANGE. The orange ones are never girls, always toms. Uh-oh. She's been spayed already and was purring so loudly that we could all hear her. I could feel myself melting already and all reason was out the door. But I did have some wits about me and restrained myself from impulse buying her. I did say that I would pray about it and if I still felt as strongly about it I could always come back tomorrow. God said "yes". Her name is Alice.

Dear Tooth Fairy aka Tooth #2

Dear Tooth Fairy,
I have lost my other tooth please come and wake me up. I do not know what you look like. I lost my tooth at Jump Zone.
Your friend, Adam

I Hate to Say It But....

In one month...school starts. We start back on August 23rd. Ugh. It's going too fast: the sleeping in, the lack of schedules, the impromptu plans. As soon as the calendar turns over I will begin thinking about my new children, improved lessons, bulletin boards, room configurations and other planning. I want to make the most of the time we have left to play and relax. Any ideas???

The Tooth Fairy Frenzy

Adam lost his first tooth! The 2 front ones have been pretty wiggly for weeks now and last night at dinner Mark said "boy that one's so loose you could just about pull it!" So with huge drama, Adam pretends to pull it out: "And a 1, and a 2...and a .....3!!!" Then he looks at his hand. The look on his face when he realized that he really DID pull it out was PRICELESS! So then begins the discussion of the Tooth Fairy. Now, I just wrote that these 2 teeth have been wiggly for weeks so we really should have expected the teeth to actually come out some time right? We were not prepared for the Tooth Fairy! Argh! We had not talked about how much to leave, whether we would have the little tooth box or bag to leave each time, whether he should write a letter, whether there would be any other token left along with the money, but most important...how MUCH! I've had the conversation in the lunch room at work with coworkers. Honestly, I thought it was pretty ridiculous! Parents these days apparently are leaving $20 and up for first teeth, video games, coloring books, candy bars, new baseball mitts. Yikes! While I wanted to nurture my child and continue the Tooth Fairy fun we enjoyed as children, I didn't want to set a precedent for Christmas type spending on teeth. So we did what any modern parents would do. We Googled it. Fortunately, Mark came across a great blog by a parents who found herself in the exact same predicament we were in, back in April. It was awesome to know we weren't the only slackers, or the only ones opposed to needing overtime pay to finance a baby tooth. The theme that occured in our research was to use some sort of special token for payment like a $2 bill or a $1 coin, a novelty. It also recommended having kids write letters to the Tooth Fairy so she could write backing explaining "the tooth rules of payment". Thus giving the kids clear expectations for the FIRST TOOTH vs. ALL OTHER TEETH. First Tooth=Bigger Reward. All that being said we left $2 in single bills (no time now to get to a bank for odd bills or special coins) and Mark typed -to disguise the handwriting- a lovely, sweet letter from the Tooth Fairy. We had Adam label the tooth envelope himself and address it to the Tooth Fairy, didn't think about having him write a letter until after he was in bed! All in all, we didn't completely blow it, but now that we are expecting the 2nd one to come out any day now, we need to be prepared! We will be paying $1 coins for all other teeth and will need to make a visit to the bank to get them. I think that 50cents is plenty, but Daddy was put in charge of Tooth Fairy duty and that was his call, I'm supporting it totally. This morning before 6:30am our boy was in our bedroom shaking with excitement over his discovery. He had his wallet out and plans made to visit the Dollar Store without delay. After I explained that the store wouldn't be open for 4 more hours he settled down to reread the letter. Bliss. We didn't blow it. More bliss. Now we will follow the Boy Scout motto and "Be Prepared" for the next tooth because while it seemed like just last week when we saw the tooth first appear in his little gummy mouth, it will be that quick that the others will fall out too, bringing on the grown up teeth. *sigh*

Vampires and Country Music! "Colt Ford - Chicken and Biscuits"

Starved Rock: Then and Now

This weekend was a much better camping experience for us than last month's trip. No storms, no mud! We decided to go to nearby Utica, IL to camp at Starved Rock. The last time we were there Adam was Lucy's age (3-ish) and Lucy was only 7 months old. We had just bought our camper and it was October! It was impossible not compare our visits, to notice how much they have both grown up, how their levels of independence have changed. Here's Adam at the top of a hike THEN:
and NOW:

This time his was able to climb 150 steps without complaint! He watched out for his little sister, used the walking stick, and felt very BIG. Because he IS big.


Lucy has always been one to cling to her family. She trusts Adam and watches everything he does. Once she checks out what he's doing, she works hard to keep pace and do what he does. This weekend was no exception! Last time she was totally dependent upon getting around by our pace:
This year she followed Adam up those 150 steps and did HER way! With diva sunglasses and frequent breaks, but always stopping to look at a bug and find a toad. It was awesome for us to see them enjoy the weekend like this and always good to get away together.

Happy 1st Birthday Dennis!

Yesterday was Dennis' 1st birthday party at Shaun and Cindy's house and they invited the whole family over to celebrate. It is such a great feeling to see how big he is, but more importantly to see how HEALTHY he is. 1 year ago we were all praying for him to get stronger and make it to each new day when he arrived 10 weeks early. God is good all the time. What a wonderful day!

yikes!

Today I was feeling relief from the week long rain-induced prison our house had become. The sun was out, the sky was blue and Swedish Days was going on so we took a drive into Geneva. What a great day we had! The kids enjoyed deciding how to spend their fun money, Mom enjoyed Garlic Crab at Chianti's, and we all enjoyed a decadent cupcake at the cupcake shop in town. (I admit I was taking notes for some new ideas! and totally regret not taking pictures before eating) But then I looked around and heard some ladies talking to their children about these cute new lunch boxes on sale at one of the tents. These words actually came out of their mouths: "Oh look! Let's get these now so we won't have to buy them in a few weeks when we shop for school supplies!"
A few weeks???!!!
Well. Crap. What a buzz kill on the summer vibe I was feelin'. So then I realized that it was end of June, almost to July and July flies by SOOOOO fast that then it's August. And all teachers know that come August 1st our brains turn to thoughts of class lists, name tags and lesson plans. Yikes.
Maybe I should block it from my mind with another cupcake. I think I owe it to my children. ;)

Happy Father's Day!

My Father's Days had always been filled with cashews and neckties for my dad, hand made cards and hanging out at the house. I admire and love the way my dad has always worked hard, and taught us all to put your best efforts into a job. That work ethic is rare these days. I love that my dad seems to smile more when he's "at home" in Brunswick with his siblings around the moss in the live oaks. I still get WAY annoyed at his lectures and long-long-long stories.....but now I can smile at them a bit and I know that it's just him. My father is honest, hard-working, loves family, has a strong sense of right and wrong, loves his children, takes care of business, and he is a gentleman. All of these qualities were what I needed in a husband as well! And I found them in Mark. Now he is the father of my own children and modeling those traits for Adam and Lucy. Mark teaches them to work for what they want and do their best. He teaches them to show those their affection to the ones they love. He loves them openly and with all he has. He is present in their lives: reading to them, playing with them (even tea parties with stuffed animals!) and at their school events. He lets them make their own mistakes, but guides them in order to help them make the best choices. Thank to both these dads. I love you both and you are both part of who I am. Happy Father's Day!

Photo Sharing by MyPhotoAlbum :: The Wold's Online Photo Album :: "Camping" in Galena

Photo Sharing by MyPhotoAlbum :: The Wold's Online Photo Album :: "Camping" in Galena

The Art-teest!

Adam has been taking art classes from a woman in town all this year. He has a particular interest in art and really enjoys his time with Miss Jeannette, he learns so much! Last night she held an art show at the Sugar Grove Public Library. She told the children they had to dress up since this was their reception and a chance to shine. First, I've been really looking forward to seeing this amazing new library! We were not disappointed! Pulling up to the parking lot was like arriving at a resort or hotel of some kind. There is a beautiful fountain and sculpture in the garden by the front door, and around the back there are lovely wildflowers blooming. Then you walk inside! You must go visit! Just inside the door is a small coffeeshop where refreshments were being served for guests and artists. Jeannette had a drawing for free art classes and a listing of her current classes and summer workshops, all at the check-in table. Then you just walk through the library to see the work on display on walls and in display cases. Adam has several sculpture pieces and 2 paintings on display. He was very proud and pleased to have his aunt, uncle, cousins, grandma and immediate family to visit his show. But I do have to say that he was thrilled to also have visits from some friends, his art teacher at school, and his Sunday School teacher with his wife. Thank you to everyone who was able to come! It made Adam feel 10 feet tall! All of the artists, (children and adults) showed incredible art pieces and being shown in a building like this new library was a great choice. All the art is on display for the entire month, drop by to see all the art, check out the beautiful library, then head over to our house. We're always happy to make up our own reception at home, any excuse for another cupcake! :)

It's Summer Now!

Lucy's been counting to down the last day of school with us all, but I'm not really sure she understands what this means. Until this morning. I was driving her to daycare, we pulled in, and we were getting out of the van I told her "Lucy, you know this is the last day of school, let's get inside and see you friends and teachers." She got this huge smile on her face, gasped, and said "Oh mommy it's the last day! It's Summer Now!" I asked her if she knows what summer means...her response? "It means that we have no school, we can swim in our new little pool, and we can go camping!" Ok, so I think she gets it! :) She will be going to a new daycare next year and she told everyone throughout the day as they were cleaning out cubbies that she would need to take this, and that, and that because "I'm going to a new school after the summer, so I have to take everything that says Lucy on it." She's got that right! I guess I should give her more credit. So after a very long 1/2 day of school with my students, with field day events, flooded fields, wet playgrounds, and more grass clippings then I've ever seen indoors, we all finally said our goodbyes. I passed out my report cards, with them good luck and sent them out the door. Someone in the office had the brilliant idea to begin playing some summertime Phineas and Ferb song over the PA system, the kids were chanting, rushing the doors, and practically rising up off of the floors. It was DEFINITELY time to for it to be summer now. And now it is. Tomorrow, no early morning, no rushing off, and now it's time for swimming in the new little pool and going camping. Ahhhh!

Memorial Day

Memorial Day has special meaning for many different people. It's a day set aside to honor those that have fought for freedom in the military, or served their country in some way. For some, it signifies the beginning of summer. For others it is simply a day to remember those that have gone on to the Father before us. For my husband, it is also the weekend that his father passed away, many years ago, just as we started our relationship. I had not known Mark for long when his dad passed away. I have only met his dad one time, while he and Dorothy came to Elmer's Doghouse for dinner while Mark and I were working (only friends at the time). This year, the first Memorial Day without his mom, felt quite different. We have always attended the service held at the cemetery where his dad is buried. A short, simple ceremony; always scorching hot under the sun, or cold and rainy. Never quite in between. The ceremony always ends with the gun salute and Taps being played....children running to collect the empty shells from the ground afterward. This year we all went as usual, everything about the day was routine and same as it has always been, but it felt much different. Emptier, and missing the mother that is always there making sure we all showed up. It was sad for each person there, but no one quite voiced it out loud. For me, I have always felt sorry that I didn't know the man that raised my husband. But today, I felt sad that my kids will not grow up with either one of Mark's parents. I think today was hard for him and his siblings. But as we spend Memorial Day as the beginning of summer or as honoring to military personnel, this year we definitely have those who are now with the Father first and foremost in our mind.

Crazy Hair Day

This is the last full week of school for students. For Adam, it's his last week of kindergarten! His teacher is celebrating this last week with something silly each day. Monday was Wear Your Favorite Sport Day; he wore his Blackhawks t-shirt. Later in the week is Silly Slipper Day, Crazy Hat Day, Kindergarten T-Shirt Day (they were all given one when school started to wear each Friday). Today however....was Crazy Hair Day!!! Let me start by saying that Adam was in desperate need of a haircut. So...it was going to go anyway....sooooo....Mark took him in the garage and gave him a MOHAWK!! Yep. And I, the mom, let him!! The agreement was that Adam would have the mohawk for today, then Mark would finish buzzing it tonight. Agreed. Out came the clippers, off came the hair, in went the gel. And you couldn't have found a sillier boy with a great laugh. My only regret right now is not taping him getting his haircut and getting the gel put in this morning so everyone could hear him laughing. It is definitely contagious! Here's to Crazy Hair Day! And yes, the mohawk is gone tonight. :)

New Toes, New Attitude

It's amazing the difference a pedicure can make! I've been in my end of the school year funk: data, reports, parents, kids, weather, paperwork, deadlines, grading, report cards, teaching still!, and that's all in addition to the stuff at home, and what my own children are doing at their schools for the end of the year. (see next blog) But when my good friend Jez says "Hey! I'm dying for a pedicure and my feet are too ugly to wear sandles. When can we go?" I jumped up quickly and agreed to go with her. Tonight we drove to our place of choice, and immediately walking in we felt weight lifting from our shoulders. It was empty except for us. It was quiet. There were no students. We chose our colors and headed for the comfy massage chairs and were handed a bottle of water. We chatted and caught up and as our feet soaked and tired muscles were relieved, we relaxed and started to feel human again. Our feet are pretty, our skin is soft and we have a new attitude. Ready for dinner and more chatting we headed out, feeling much different people than when we came in. What a difference an hour made! :) Thanks Jez!

That's-What- It's - All- A-bout!

12 Days Left

Another Friday over and done with where I am left exhausted and reflecting on the time that is left in this school year. I have lots left to teach and do with my students. So many books that I never got to read to them this year!! I know I am at the very, very end because I've caught myself over a dozen times this week saying..."well, NEXT year I can..." Adam came home Friday excited because he was chosen to be a player in the school's end of year assembly game show "The Wheel of Wisdom" , our school had also had that assembly Friday and I know the excitement of it! All of a sudden it hit me smack in the face that he was also in his last 12 days...of kindergarten! My little guy is almost a 1st grader! He started talking about recess and bringing his lunch to school in a lunchbox (I started thinking about all the lunches I was going to have to start making -ha!) and being in school all day! So now, in our last 12 days before summer vacation I'm thinking about what we want to spend our summer on...here's the list in partial form:
go in a pool
go camping
go fishing...(Adam says "that's all my plans")
("and I want to go outside and that's all my plans!" says Lucy)
eat ice cream on a stick
carnivals and fairs
hit the fleamarket
see PopPop and Gramma T
drink iced tea with my neighbors
see a certain vampire movie with my girlfriends and break it down afterward over margaritas
sit outside on a patio restaurant with my husband
find some new beaches/playgrounds/zoos
meet my friends with new little ones for a mom & kids day out
read some great books
play in the sandbox
lose some unwanted pounds riding my new bike, walking with my kids, running with my kids, eating fresh veggies and fruits from farmer's markets and my garden
grow that garden with Adam!

Things I Really Really Really Don't Like To Do

clean toilets
pick up cat's hairballs
put away laundry
take out splinters
go to the dentist
grade papers
tell parents their child isn't progressing
disappoint my kids
hurt someone's feelings
empty the dishwasher
say goodbye
try on swimsuits

Cupcake Obsession

New obsession/hobby: decorating cupcakes. I have entered the world of cucake decorating and it has completely sucked me in. I had no idea that there were entire aisles at Michael's and Hobby Lobby dedicated to cupcakes and cake decorating! I am sticking to special occasions....but honestly...I am seriously considering doing this each time we need sweets! :) A few samples...
Everybody needs a creative outlet right? Well, I guess this is mine...for now...until the next one comes along!

Forty and Fabulous

Well, the day has come and gone. I am now 40 years old. Yikes. It seems like that just isn't right!! How can I be the same age as my parents? Isn't that how old they are? 40. My coworkers, friends and family have made this day fun, entertaining (?) and very, very special. They reminded me that it doesn't matter how old I am or how old I feel, or that I'm "over the hill" or middle-aged or Lordy, Lordy look who's ....anything....but that to them: I am special. I am important to them. That made my day. I am important and special to someone today. My kids think I'm the world. My husband loves me. My friends think I'm valuable. That's enough for today. According to one student I should just calm down, "Don't worry about it Mrs. Wold, you've still got 60 good years left!"

40 Eve

Still pretending that I do not turn 40 years old tomorrow. I was almost getting away with it too, until this afternoon! I walk back into my classroom after dismissal to find several of my friends/coworkers waiting for me! "Surprise! Happy Birthday! We're taking you out!" Checked it out with my husband, gathered some buddies, off we went to Chili's to margaritas and nachos. So great! Thank you friends, not just for dinner, drinks and presents, but most importantly, for making me feel special. You are awesome!!!

"A Day Full of Goodness"

Tuesdays are usually very busy days in the Wold household. It starts out like every other school day, rushing to get everyone to work and school on time, working and learning all day. But then after school, Mark picks up Lucy, meets Adam at the bus and takes him to art lessons. I usually stay later at school on this day of the week, get some work done at school, then pick Adam up after his class. Because his class doesn't end until about dinner time, we usually opt for "pick up dinner" so we have some time together before having to get the kids ready for bed. Tonight, we needed to hit the library after art class. ( I need about a million and one books about owls for school, but that's another blog I think) So Mark, Lucy and I pick Adam up from art. We get to the library, check out our books, then head to our little Munchie P's (lots of deep-fried, bad for you yumminess there) and eat. Everyone seemed in a very good mood for kids who were eating dinner much later than normal. Apparently it struck Mark this way as well because he tells them "let's go, we're having a surprise!" He takes us to Dairy Queen! Even though we really needed to get home and get them ready for bed, we head over for cold treats a bit out of our way, and they were ridiculously happy. Lucy shares with us: "I just want chocolate ice cream cones, not white ice cream, the chocolate kind. That will make me so happy." And really...who wouldn't be? But it was Adam who said it best: "This day was just A Day Full of Goodness! I got everything I wanted! I had art class and finished my dragon, I got to eat fried shrimp for dinner, I got new library books with my own library card, I got a new library book bag, and I got an ice cream sundae! AND I got to do it with my family!" He was so right and I couldn't agree with him more.

joy and panic

So. I took out the calendar this morning and just took a look at the upcoming events in the Wold Household to get a handle on the week ahead. Just out of curiosity I began to count the actual days of school remaining in this year. Are you ready for this??

36.


Now if you're a "layperson" in the education field, this may not matter much to you. For those of us in the throngs of 4th grade, kindergarten, high school biology or middle school English...you get it. 36 days. 36 days. 36 days.

36 days to finish your last 2 US regions, states and capitals. 36 days to finish the last 2 units of math. 36 days to teach persuasive writing. To make sure all those kids who are still writing incomplete sentences are ready for 5th grade writing! To get those who still don't know their multiplication facts motivated to practice them! 36 days to reach that kid who so far this year seems...unreachable. 36 days to inspire that kid who never reads, only page-turns a book, to find a book or an author that interests her. 36 days. Panic.

36 days until we can be home with our children and get to be the ones who spend the days with them. 36 days until I can play in my garden and read books to my heart's content. 36 days until we can stay in our pjs until lunchtime if we want to. 36 days until we know our Brazil friend is on her way home to us. 36 days until the kids have my undivided attention, and I have theirs. 36 days until camping trips, bonfires, lightning bugs, long walks, popsicles, and bare feet the come inside black and green on the bottom from grass and dirt. 36 days. Joy.

In reality, out of those 36 days are last field trips, field days, assemblies, special readers, a few early dismissal days, memory scrapbooks and picnics. Our 36 days quickly dwindle down to maybe 28 days...and in perfect Seinfeldian (I may have just invented that word) style...our 36 days just became, really, like 28. Really...it's only like 4 weeks of school left until summer break.

Joy. And Panic. :)

New Photo Album Site

Mark set up a new photo album site this week. It's in a very new stage, just playing around with it right now. BUT...there are pictures from Easter there if you're interested! :)

Happy, Happy Easter

Today was a great day! We started the morning with happy kids and Easter baskets, afterwards went to a joy-filled church service, then back home for a Lucy-nap and dinner prep. We were blessed with 24 family members for Easter dinner, sunny skies and dry ground for an Easter egg hunt (107 eggs!) and able to eat outside on the deck too! After dinner, then dessert and coffee, there was a bit of kite flying before the skies darkened and the rain started to fall. Slowly our family started to drift home and we were even able to visit with our neighbors (Lucy and Adam's Godparents) for a bit. The dishes are done, leftovers put away, kids in bed, and dogs are WIPED OUT, asleep on the couch. God has blessed us immeasureably, and yet again I am amazed at what he provides for us. Christ is Risen, He is Risen Indeed!

Tekakwitha Woods wildlife encounter

I took the kids to Tekakwitha Woods in St. Charles on Monday. This is a smaller-ish forest preserve with a very nice nature center to explore. In the past, I've taken students there on field trips and the staff there is always so helpful and willing to help answer any questions about the animals or plants we come across. Today was no exception. Adam and Lucy and I prepared for walking in the woods by packing way too many snacks. Adam, as always, felt the need to dress the part by putting on a camo hat, bandana, walking stick, and we had to stop for rubber boots that could get muddy. Lucy was just happy to be outside with us. We park the car and head on the path that goes through the woods, to a wooden footbridge, across a "ravine" and on to the nature center. There are a few sidepaths to walk on to go to different areas of the forest preserve, this just happened to be our first destination. We hadn't gone too far into the woods when I saw a shadow of what I thought was a hawk. "Quick kids, that hawk has to be HUGE, it's shadow is so big! look up!" As soon as I saw it, I instinctively grabbed Lucy (who was closer to me, Adam was running on ahead) because this was no hawk.
It was a turkey vulture. And it was soon joined by a second one. They were just off the path between where we were and the 2nd sidepath, not even 1/2 way to the footbridge The two of them flapped their wingspans at us and generally just perched on the top of a lightning-struck tree to look tough. It was VERY cool, but a bit intimidating with their size. The forest ranger seemed surprised to know we had seen not just one, but two of them, and so close to the path. I showed my pictures to confirm what we had seen and she disappeared for a bit. A few minutes later, out came her birding books and ranger reference materials. :) She was excited to share our siting with the others she works with and although we thought maybe they were nesting in that tree, it seems that turkey vultures aren't that bright. The randomly lay their eggs on the ground and hope for the best. I started thinking that although I certainly prepared a much better "nest" for MY babies, I'm not too far off in the parenting department. No matter how well you think you are protecting, preparing, teaching and guiding your chicks, sometimes you just have to put them out there and hope for the best. Today....I think we did pretty well. They are smiling and enjoying each other! Happy Turkey (vulture) day!

Spring Break

It's finally here! Spring Break for my school district has officially begun! It's been a very rough school year, and having this long week off with my family will be just what I've needed. I am looking forward to doing doing and everything. Reading, napping, visiting with friends for play dates,baking, preparing for Easter invasion (aka Family Dinner), more reading, taking walks, a movie? a date? the possibilities are endless. A co-worker of mine said this week " I always plan to do too much over school breaks, then I'm disappointed that I don't get anything done. This week, I've chosen 3 things to accomplish, I can manage 3 things." I think that is a great plan! So...to accomplish this week: 1. Take all baby gear that I've packed up already to the Salvation Army 2. Take my kids to somewhere THEY pick 3. Clean out the hall closet which is full of pictures, sort them into new albums. (hmmm...that seems like 2 projects....) Good to have a goal, but good that 1 of those goals is something THEY want to do. Spring Break....break from doing what everyone else wants us to do, to doing something WE want to do.

Book Nerd

Gwen, me, Laura, Maz and Courtney: IRC confernce in Springfield, at the Andrew Clements luncheon...Amazing!

My name is Jenny Wold and I have an addiction to books. Hello Jenny....while many of my friends and family may find it exciting to camp out in sleeping bags to get the best tickets to their favorite concert, or stand in line at midnight to pick up the very first of that newest video game on the market, I take 2 days off from my job to attend a reading conference. I had three goals in mind as I planned for this trip. 1. Get exciting new teaching strategies for reading and writing 2. Meet some of my very favorite authors/illustrators 3. Enjoy this time with a few coworkers/friends who are equally nerdy. I accomplished all three of these goals and came home giddy with excitement over meeting some all-time favorite children's authors, and jazzed up over a few NEW favs as well. Never more have I been more excited over really, truly working on my own writing, and getting my students excited about books, trying to pinpoint the little things that will help my students write with honesty and vivid description, and possibly becoming a stalker over a few absolutely amazing authors who, through their sharing of stories, made me see them with new eyes, which I suppose is what being an author is all about.
Authors Readers Theater featuring: Avi, Sarah Weeks, Pam Munoz Ryan, and the unbelievable Brian Selznik (is my author crush showing?)

Andrew Clements (Frindle!) signing my books... so fun!!

Happy Birthday Song

She's 3!!

Our little girl turned 3 years old on Sunday. It was a bit strange thinking a short 3 years ago we were walking around wondering if we were having another boy...or if some strange fluke of nature would occur and Mark would actually have a daughter. So when the doctor tells us "It's a girl!" Mark naturally had to have this repeated several times between his laughter and tears in order to really believe that PINK was going to be a solid part of our future for years to come. And so it has. Although I've had lots of fun buying cute orange dresses, blue shoes, purple coats etc.; starting from our first week home when Mark and Adam entered the door with 3 enormous Carter's bags full of a sea of pink baby items, Lucy's wardrobe and favorite color has remained pink. So when it came time to plan a little party, she very definitely wanted this as a theme. I asked "Lucy, would you like cake or cupcakes?" I want pink cupcakes Mama! "ok! what kind do you want?" The yummy kind! So I set out to make pink, yummy cupcakes...
We decided to have a pajama party for 3 reasons. 1. It's super comfy. 2. It's Sunday night and the next day is a school day...party over-straight to bed. 3. It's just really fun to hang out in your pjs! She started the day by opening presents from her brother and Mom and Dad. Adam gave her a baby doll she had played with at the store. She loves him!
In the afternoon our family came over for pajama party food and fun! She really enjoyed having everyone there to share the day with her, she remembered to say thank you for each of her perfect gifts (lots of pink!) and she even blew out all her candles. It was a great day, and we are so blessed that God gave her to us to learn from and raise up. Thank you for each of our blessings! It was a very happy 3rd birthday!

if I ever see another noodle....

This week put an end to my school's 4th Grade Engineering Unit. My students spent 2 days designing a "to scale" plan for a pasta car. The goal? Creating a car that will race the furthest distance of a ramp, against other student's pasta cars. They were each given a blank "blue print" page, a engineering code of specs and requirements, a rubric they would be assessed with, and a specified number of dried pasta in various shapes and sizes. 2 lasagna noodles (no more) and any number of bucatini, rotelle, penne, ditalini, and ziti. The kids were able to assemble their visions using a hot glue gun. After they built their cars there was a series of tests, analysis, and rebuilds.

The following week, students worked in teams to construct pasta BRIDGES using the same ideas and requirements as with the cars. The goal being to build a strong bridge that would hold the most weight before breaking. A bucket is tied to a string, hung from a paint stick, suspended from the bridge, sets of 10 metal washers are thrown into the bucket at a time until the bridge ultimately breaks. Finally, this week, we spent the mornings of our ISAT testing putting our engineering skills to the test. All 4th grade classes raced their cars on Monday, 1 class a day for the rest of the week broke their bridges. The most a bridge held in my classroom was 249 washers! That was comparable to most other high weights in the other classes with the exception of 1 bridge, the big winner, that held over 500 washers! WAY more than anyone else's! The kids had a great time, learned alot, and I even overheard some say they wanted to try it again at home now that they learned some techniques to make a stronger bridge (triangles!!) and faster car (less glue, better axles!).

As a result of the past 2 weeks' construction events, my classroom has been covered in sticky clumps of dried hot glue, wayward "spiderwebs" of glue gun mess, and pounds of broken bits of dried pasta noodles. I have been discovering them in the strangest places: bookshelves, desks, behind chairs, in the computer printer, on the white board ledges...even after severals days of vacuuming, cleaning and wiping down. So...like the kids...I had a great time, but...if I ever see another noodle...it will be TOO SOON.

tests

This has been a week filled with tests for me. At work, my students are in the midst of taking our state standardized tests. This is a hard week for them, and for the teachers who have worked all year long to teach them and guide them. In the months leading up to THE TEST, teachers prep students for this type of test, the type they are not used to. Grownups remember them...fill in the bubble, erase your answer completely if you wish to change it, use a #2 pencil. The kids have been stressed, but we do plan fun stress-relievers to help them get through the hours of quiet and silent sitting and my "fake teacher voice" as I read the state-issued script. Real life doesn't offer too many clear directions as the ISAT tests do. I have not found any script for how to answer my son's questions about why his teacher hasn't chosen him as Star Student yet, or why yet another fish has died in his aquarium. I see no ability to "erase completely" when I catch myself participating in gossip sessions that may not end up harmless or snapping at my 3 year old when I'm crabby. These are daily tests for me: Patience, and obedience. My DH has been tested quite a bit this past few months trying to balance home time, work challenges, his brother's needs and all that we're doing to get mom's house ready to sell. Another test. Another balancing act. However, despite all our daily tests and stresses, we really have so little to complain about. We have our jobs, but many of my friends are losing theirs next week. We have our house, so many around our town have had to sell theirs. We have good friends and this weekend we celebrate our baby's 3rd birthday. (that's another blog!) So for tonight, I won't worry about how to prep for my next test, but I'll be taking comfort in knowing that I can pray, ask God to help me, kiss my husband and babies good night, get a good night's sleep, and start over tomorrow with my #2 pencil and a new answer sheet. :)

Ta-da!

We used to keep a wonderful online photo album that would help our family and friends who are far away feel updated in what's going on with the Wold family. BUT...due to some tech problems, it is out of commission and I wanted to try something new. So a family blog it is! Christina is already an expert at it for baby Max, sweet friend Megan blogs from Brazil, and I admit to have given it a try myself before but this will be our FAMILY version. Tune in soon as I develop this a bit, and watch for hopefully some input from sweet Mark! Here's a picture from a visit to the Museum of Science and Industry, Adam and Mark checking out the periscope from the submarine exhibit.