tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76861521406709229682024-03-17T23:03:01.276-04:00The Meek MooseMemoirs of a Mediocre GeniusThe Meek Moosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09764671511197083830noreply@blogger.comBlogger207125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686152140670922968.post-52870444147257322362015-10-13T07:00:00.000-04:002015-10-13T07:00:00.790-04:00Fear of the Algorithm ~ The Meek Moose Dishes on New Math Part II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So, Sunday, I started a horror story about math over at <a href="http://virginiaisforteachers.blogspot.com/2015/10/fear-of-algorithm-meek-moose-dishes-on.html" target="_blank">Virginia is For Teachers</a>. This was prompted by a few things.<br />
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First, that I'm in grad school to get certified as a math specialist. (I'm thinking I might have bitten off more than I could chew there)<br />
Second, that I'm teaching fifth grade this year after a ten year hiatus and I'm having to get re-familiar with multiplication and decimals.<br />
And third, my school is trying really hard to move away from traditional math teaching to a conceptualized approach where kids really UNDERSTAND why numbers work the way they should.<br />
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When I was teaching second grade- this wasn't too huge of a deal. Young kids- relatively new to math anyway, and we're just in addition and subtraction.<br />
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The focus is on manipulating the numbers:<br />
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Short little bits like this- parents don't mind. It's when you start messing with "regrouping" that they get upset.<br />
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Can you remember when we stopped saying borrow and carry and drop down and started using the word regrouping? Parents really got upset then too- but fifteen years later, they've adjusted. So just think of it this way- 15 years from now, they'll stop being upset about expanded form and new math. But why wait that long? Let's look at educating parents as well as our kids to build a bridge between the two systems.<br />
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The first thing that sends chills of horror through those raised on the algorithm is the horizontal equation. What adds the fingers down the chalk-board cringe to the entire situation is when the smaller of the numbers comes FIRST.<br />
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This one right here- might make your brain hurt:<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">47 + 89 =</span></div>
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Zoinks!</div>
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However- any algorithm loving math nerd can solve this in a wink. We just do this:</div>
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And now children learning "new" old math all over the country begin to weep. Because they've just solved the problem doing <i>simply</i> this:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zTX44bcWX0E?rel=0" width="640"></iframe></center>
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What's missing is the bridge between the two. A middle ground so that the kids can see how to get to the traditional algorithm, and the parents can see there is a method to the madness.<br />
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Here's one possibility:<br />
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Fewer steps decomposing a number looking for friendly numbers.<br />
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Or this one:<br />
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Decomposing just the bottom number and using the ones place to create friendly numbers.<br />
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Either way, eventually the step needs to be taken to explain that the "1" that unceremoniously got plopped on top of that 8 in the first example of the traditional algorithm, actually means, "1 group of 10". Here's one easy way for parents to show that in their own traditional algorithm style:<br />
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Now let's look at subtraction.<br />
Same horror story, just reversed:<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">87 - 49 =</span></div>
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Jinkies!</div>
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Good old traditional getting it's borrow and carry on!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0D24WUswWKAHgCHPKs_TBQiYrbhiIf8CHJETkJULzgvSSlTE6uylwCUqU3oSSQTJhnDpN5fOl1S9qoy8Sb7HAnMWq6r7J7ygicQ6YjHkE0ZUbBYrKTUs1LN6n19u-Txn1weJikBz5AFA/s1600/IMG_9546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0D24WUswWKAHgCHPKs_TBQiYrbhiIf8CHJETkJULzgvSSlTE6uylwCUqU3oSSQTJhnDpN5fOl1S9qoy8Sb7HAnMWq6r7J7ygicQ6YjHkE0ZUbBYrKTUs1LN6n19u-Txn1weJikBz5AFA/s400/IMG_9546.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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So here is a decomposing method used to keep the integrity of place value when the student is manipulating the numbers. Parents REALLY really hate this one:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKc8BtY2wMOc6b6pysEa02KlNI_uD6MdtXPuyfmANr_S_FzhyWwOno9YSJnJmTEvhRBVKEUNatYPPJNzPco7bKiVSqMZzTilhJ0bcAJJDw3lLU7y8RJ9HzclOejOwDF1ync4AmzxYDhy4/s1600/IMG_9547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKc8BtY2wMOc6b6pysEa02KlNI_uD6MdtXPuyfmANr_S_FzhyWwOno9YSJnJmTEvhRBVKEUNatYPPJNzPco7bKiVSqMZzTilhJ0bcAJJDw3lLU7y8RJ9HzclOejOwDF1ync4AmzxYDhy4/s400/IMG_9547.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Both students and parents hate this black magic right here - adding when you're supposed to subtract! Whaaa??? (Although it is probably the coolest):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6OrBjwBYZW46e553pP1GyIHl1Si6TRmu3d8ZfKNo9NB8y3rY_01r_Z2zVUPJCiVVgYIzn1cbeJ4mU9c3OpUZENh0S-60h7kplpkXFvgMBhb4ecB0tWTNuvN60t_FRWodxIBlnjR1oWHI/s1600/IMG_9548.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6OrBjwBYZW46e553pP1GyIHl1Si6TRmu3d8ZfKNo9NB8y3rY_01r_Z2zVUPJCiVVgYIzn1cbeJ4mU9c3OpUZENh0S-60h7kplpkXFvgMBhb4ecB0tWTNuvN60t_FRWodxIBlnjR1oWHI/s400/IMG_9548.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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There are two different ways to bridge this to the traditional algorithm. Note that both attempt to keep the student focused on place value:<br />
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What's important to remember is that the end game is for students to understand numbers so well, that they can do much of it mentally. It's not to actually slow down calculation. When students AND parents can see the progression from one method to the traditional algorithm, life gets better, The magic kitchen table gets more magical.<br />
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On Thursday I'll return with Fear of the Algorithm Part III - multiplication and division.The Meek Moosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09764671511197083830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686152140670922968.post-65780823676861667532015-07-06T18:42:00.000-04:002015-07-06T18:42:32.128-04:00In the Full Swing of Summer - The Meek Moose Makes a Monday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; display: none; text-align: center;">
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Aside from some required Professional development three days this week- I am actually doing NOTHING this summer.<br />
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I didn't sign up for any classes. Partly because I'm tired, and partly because I'm being rebellious, and partly because I decided to get a masters degree as a Math Specialist and it starts at the end of August and I figured that was enough.<br />
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I did not agree to take on any sort of job at all. No tutoring, no summer school, no helping out at a friend's store. Being a slug and a mediocre Mom is going to be amazingly consuming. Plus, I figured I would be getting ready to teach fifth grade, and that would be sure preoccupy my thoughts that were not directed towards eating and watching the spawn of my loins.<br />
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I DID decide to go horse back riding once a week. And I'm doing Maker Camp on-line with the kids. And I have a pile of books that are <i>nothing</i> like <u>The Hunger Games</u> piled up near my pillow to read. I admit, a good portion of them are professional. But I also decided to go to the library once a week to read a young adult chapter book to get ready for the move from <u>Biscuit</u> to big kid books. I, of course, haven't started that library pilgrimage yet. Maybe Friday. I'll pencil it inside my imaginary day planner right now.<br />
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I also decided I'd try to make more of a schedule for myself to blog. I know, I know, I say this all the time. I should at least be able to stick to it for the summer. That's a good four weeks longer than normal New Year's resolutions. Should count for something.<br />
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Of course, to blog, I sorta have to do things and think about things other than where I can find lemon seeds to harvest on Sims4. That damn tree in Oasis Springs isn't mature! I can't get a seed from it! Curses! Anyway - #geekmoment<br />
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So- I'm going to be doing some stuff I find on Pinterest for fun!<br />
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This last week I decided to try out this little ditty on my <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/themeekmoose/outside-recess/" target="_blank">Outside Recess Board</a> from <a href="http://homegrownfriends.com/home/swing-painting-process-art/" target="_blank">Homegrown Friends</a>:<br />
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<a href="http://homegrownfriends.com/home/swing-painting-process-art/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4gIahubXGtQNUFrF8UJvmRB2UHN4QECWWFE_GZuuaogkZbGzZWbyqM8ntFMteMN9ZKdxjkxJjwsNBTQst8LwyejPXzA82C7YEcXPjpMqhq7Rxy7QPQYjWIWHkMNwHxnH5rV-1mpjxJpw/s640/swingpaintingpin.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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I had even tweeted about the experience and heard back from <a href="https://twitter.com/HGFriends" target="_blank">Homegrown Friends on Twitter</a>! Super nice people!<br />
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If you click on the picture, it will take you to their blog page, as well as a video of kids doing this art so you can see the dynamics of it.<br />
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I decided I'd like to do this one because I needed some wall art for my bedroom. I got these cheap canvases from Walmart- different sizes and enough for each person in my family to make one. And I chose colors for the paint based on my bedspread and room decor. My first thought was to do the process painting on wrapping paper, and then stamp it onto the canvas.<br />
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Ha! So you can see the trouble we ran in to from the beginning. The wrapping paper was too flimsy, and her legs too long to get a good swing. We did eventually try the stamp method with this though.<br />
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But it wasn't the look I was wanting. We relocated to the back yard to try <i>Ye Olde Swing Set, </i>and tried painting directly on the canvas this time. Long legs and low swings continued to thwart us.<br />
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We decided to just sit in the swing the regular way and I'd hold the canvas like a human easel. This worked better for us.<br />
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So I went about having each of the kids make one, and my parents, and even tried to get my dog to walk across the first little one we had tried down by the tree swing in the front yard. And I made one of course for a total of six paintings.<br />
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We all ended up covered in paint, especially since the littlest decided that this was the perfect way to paint using karate moves. That he has no training for, I might add. Like I need him to be able to chop me with any precision. Anyway- I hosed the kids off- which made them happy as clams- and all was well. Except for the dog. He is still most displeased.<br />
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You might be noticing that art work already up on the wall. That's from the littlest, during his "I love Sharpies" period. Picasso would be proud.<br />
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To get these hung up on the wall in a decent arrangement, I utilized Pinterest again- recalling an old pin from my old Pinterest account. I found this one here today, I think the original one I was thinking of was from Martha Stewart- but this one from <a href="http://www.bhg.com/decorating/home-accessories/wall-art/how-to-arrange-art/#page=3" target="_blank">BHG</a> is the same thing.<br />
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So, the basic idea is you make paper templates of the art, and then you can move them around using tape getting them just right without destroying your walls. Mine was already destroyed of course, but moving the papers around did make things easier. I had a bunch of very large sheets of construction paper that I used to make the templates.<br />
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I took me three or four arrangements until I decided on this one. And I found two other little pictures I had around the house to add to it to make it a bit more symmetrical.<br />
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Voila! Family art, bedroom wall covered, no more sharpie. Trifecta of success.<br />
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As far as getting rid of the wall paper border at the top? That is another battle I will have to wage with my mother. But until I prevail- this makes for a much nicer atmosphere in my room.<br />
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Be sure to head over to <a href="http://4thgradefrolics.blogspot.com/2015/07/monday-made-it-july-6.html" target="_blank">Tara's page</a> to see what everyone has made this week!The Meek Moosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09764671511197083830noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686152140670922968.post-74731116037807940892015-07-04T11:17:00.000-04:002015-07-04T11:17:18.357-04:00What You Fear, Comes Upon You - The Meek Moose Reflects<div class="separator" style="clear: both; display: none; text-align: center;">
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Here we are, two weeks in to summer vacation, and I'm still having teaching nightmares.<br />
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I can't say that I have a variety of teaching nightmares- they all involve the same elements.<br />
1) I'm not wearing a shirt<br />
2) I can't find a bathroom with a door on the stall<br />
3) I cannot control the class<br />
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I get the last one. It makes sense as to why I would have anxiety over that situation. Who doesn't? I think this is what the parents who visit our classrooms and whisper "I could never do what you do!" are referring to. Maintaining control over 20+ personalities that could mutiny at any given moment.<br />
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The other two- yeah, I don't know. I guess I need a dream analyzer for that one. Although, thinking over number two (pun completely fortuitous), ever walk in to a place and just think "I cannot poop here!"? That one might just be universal.<br />
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I can remember watching some sort of documentary on dreams where someone said they believed nightmares were only rehearsals for a real life crisis we imagine we might experience. And therefore the purpose of the nightmare was to figure out a solution so that we would be best prepared when the real moment came.<br />
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I'm going to tell you right now- I do not want to show up to work without a shirt. And I don't see how that could happen anyway. If I really want to come to terms with the no door on the bathroom stall, I suppose I could go to a roller rink (if they even have those anymore) because I remember that being the norm in the 80's. For some reason, no door made it easier to go when you were wearing skates. I guess. I'm not buying it though, thinking about it now thirty years later.<br />
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The controlling the class problem - now there's the sticky wicket.<br />
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I know why I'm having the anxiety. I'm leaving my comfort zone for the past seven teaching years of being in second grade. I was told in May that I would be teaching fifth in the fall. During the meeting I tried to keep upbeat. I did mention my reservations of teaching that grade level- but I remained calm, nonchalant, if you will, during the meeting. I had decided to not show fear.<br />
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The car ride home however- seeing as I have a commute of over an hour - I had plenty of time to really work myself up.<i> I like second grade. Second Grade is my favorite. I'm good at teaching second grade. I like what I teach in second grade. I'm taller than second graders. I feel successful with second grade. I don't have a standardized test in second grade. Second graders accept me as an authority figure.</i><br />
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And that's the heart of it there. The testing and authority issues.<br />
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I've taught fifth grade before. My first four years I was a fourth grade teacher. And then I taught fifth grade for two years. Now, granted, this was over ten years ago, and "<i>back then</i>" tests were taken with pencil and we taught an entire lesson on correct bubble filling techniques. But the crux is still there - I'm not good at teaching to a test. I taught with colleagues who had very high pass rates every year. They knew how to teach directly to the standards and get the results they wanted. I can remember this one man I taught with one year - he was revered as a great example because he always go the highest pass rate in math - "I don't tell them anything that won't be on the test."<br />
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<i>But...but..BUT! There's gaping holes in those standards- things that are important to know! Things that make life more interesting and meaningful and who cares if no one asks a multiple choice question about it? </i>This is why I don't get great scores. I am a dang hippie when it comes to standardized education. I don't care about making the standards fun or enjoyable - I care more about the other things that make us people. I care more about who the kids end up being later rather than right this moment. And I'm not saying that teachers that get good passing rates on the test don't also feel this way - I hold out hope that somehow they just found a way to balance it out.<br />
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This little ditty has been circulating a lot on the web. For folks like me that are intrigued and inspired by the STEAM and Maker Movements - this becomes a bit of a salute the flag anthem moment.<br />
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Now- I should clarify that I don't dislike <i>standards</i>. Standards, after all, help us make decisions all the time. According to my standards, should I date this man holding an AK-47 for his on-line dating profile? No. According to my standards, should I feel comfortable using this public restroom that has obviously been sterilized recently? Ummm, well, ok. According to my standards, should I eat this delicious gourmet cupcake rolled in bacon? YES.<br />
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But I also don't mind standards when it comes to curriculum design - it does not bother me that second graders learn about the forest, or that fifth grade learns about the ocean. It does not bother me that every grade level learns about George Washington. I do not mind that standards progress in difficulty in mathematical concepts over time. I AM bothered when gaping holes in understanding are left, or that the pace is too quick for child development, but having a road map in general does not bother me at all.<br />
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As artsy fartsy as I am, I'm not the type of person that does well with "Today Koalas! Tomorrow Zucchini!" sort of thematic teaching. If you want to be dragged down dark alleys in search of interesting restaurants not mentioned in the travel guide, my sister is the one you want. We would make quite the duo on the Amazing Race, I'm sure. <br />
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I just don't like the testing part. It doesn't show growth. It doesn't show how much work a child put in to their year, or take in to account how they might be feeling that day. It's a one take selfie photo. Horrors! I take at least twenty before I pick one that is acceptable. I know I'm not the only one. I also don't like how the testing is turned into a spit to roast a teacher on.<br />
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What does any of this have to do with the nightmare I had about controlling a class?</div>
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Because I wasn't very good at it ten+ years ago. I was the kooky Aunt who they knew loved them and it didn't matter. Why did they need to do what I said?<br />
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Here I am, young me. In the midst of a rocky marriage that will be failing in the next two years. Coming to terms with the autism in my oldest - watching him in a preschool play where he's an elephant at a circus and he leaves his troop behind to come stand at the edge of the stage and just stare into the audience. I can remember this girl I taught, Brooke, asking me why that upset me so much, and I remember I told her "Because I know all those things I imagined him doing when he got older aren't ever going to happen."</div>
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I can remember my last year in fifth grade, sitting down with my principal, a man I greatly love and respect even to this day, and him telling me I would be going to second grade the next year. "You'll just be a better fit there." He said. My scores had just come in. They were the lowest out of eight 5th grade teachers. The kids liked me. Some of them still talk about the projects we did that year - the movies we made of being Native Americans, the plays about the revolution. The book report projects where they made a robot. But none of that was on the bubble it in test. Second grade was to be a "better fit" for me.<br />
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And it was. Without the fear of a test looming over me- I taught them to read, and write, and understand numbers. We performed plays, and made dioramas, and thrilled at science experiments. All the pressure was gone. And I was taller, and just had to use a mommy voice to bring them back under my wings.<br />
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And I am terrified of going back to fifth grade. I am terrified of losing what I know is me and giving in to the test. But I am also terrified of not getting good scores. It will be me, a seasoned fifth grade teacher, and a brand new teacher. <br />
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I will not necessarily be taller. Some will be just as tall as me, and some taller. I don't know if ten years of teaching experience under my belt has made me less of a Kooky Aunt and more of a Commander-in-Chief. Will I be able to celebrate the growth and change in my students and not give in the the pressure of the test?<br />
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I just don't know. Further reflection necessary.<br />
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<br />The Meek Moosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09764671511197083830noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686152140670922968.post-88297135047908383852015-07-01T13:19:00.001-04:002015-07-01T13:19:09.980-04:00Summer has Arrived - The Meek Moose Gets Current<div class="separator" style="clear: both; display: none; text-align: center;">
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Like one of those corporate guys who answers his phone with "Go!" We're just going to dive right in. Pretend I haven't been away for months. Roll with it, Kittens.<br />
3, 2, 1 ... Blast OFF!<br />
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<b>LISTENING</b></div>
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My youngest is four. He is the exact definition of a boy:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click to go to Little People and Me shop</td></tr>
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He is armed with my horse riding boot and a SpiderMan balloon from the Dollar Store. I don't believe the balloon stands a chance. But I'm thankful he is not thinking it would be funny to hit me with the boot.</div>
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My apologies to the state of Florida. His Grandmother informed him that saying words like f*ck, sh*t, or damn "<i>Make God really sad!</i>". So now he has for some reason adopted "Florida" as his go to curse word. We are assuming that, like us, God is having soda go up his nose each time the boy rages since my mother hasn't said anything about it.</div>
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But look out, Gulf of Mexico! You may be next.</div>
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<b>LOVING</b></div>
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The horseback riding lessons began as a birthday gift for my daughter.</div>
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But then she went on vacation to Disney World, the lucky duck, and I took her lesson for the week.</div>
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I look like a natural, no?</div>
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Eventually- the horse named Tom and I worked out a deal where he grumpily allowed me to ride him as long I tried to not take too many pictures. He's not much of a Diva. He's older, completely happy with going last in line, and is very much in tune with his "inner mosey". Which is fine. I don't really have any fantasies about galloping through the fields of barley or anything.<br />
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I hope to go once a week for the rest of the summer. I'm not sure what I will be able to manage when school starts again- but I will hold off thinking about that for now. </div>
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Riding is very peaceful. They are majestic animals with beautiful eyes and soft snuffly noses. It is immensely relaxing to brush his coat and comb his mane and pat him gently on the neck. <br />
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<b>THINKING</b></div>
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I disrupted my peaceful bliss by reading all three Hunger Games books over the weekend on my Kindle. I'm blaming Flamingo Fabulous. We watched the second movie on our beach vacation together and she was saying how the books were better than the movies. (Aren't they always? Why did I have to think I needed to know for myself?)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiShxEGRms13U2OZ6N-JiGNNLGhb1DR2PoHrFC8MIl98b6lIkxvDs_sobULvnyHEaVdwkb9-CSN5nHhML8zGAXzfzCcvhqhaL4hXjvnjRqpKJUCH6kMs3Z-swmop93K-4th8F1FrpVnBJI/s1600/IMG_8100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiShxEGRms13U2OZ6N-JiGNNLGhb1DR2PoHrFC8MIl98b6lIkxvDs_sobULvnyHEaVdwkb9-CSN5nHhML8zGAXzfzCcvhqhaL4hXjvnjRqpKJUCH6kMs3Z-swmop93K-4th8F1FrpVnBJI/s320/IMG_8100.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I was fine until the end of the third book. It was disappointing with Finnick of course, but I was ruined for life in the last chapters with Prim. And just when I was almost over it- they brought in the damn cat, limping home after more than a week's journey in the wilderness. "FLORIDA!!!!!!" I scream from the rooftops. "Gulf of Mexico!"</div>
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I cried for a good hour. I hate those books. I refuse to watch the third and fourth movie.</div>
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Now I need something happy to read. Help me dear people!</div>
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<b>WANTING</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiHQO3jRRz40MgfhfmURyN3gUZUH_nFDPF94q6ud28vfFhfL5bBzk2BhGnFaV5KaHYNXpDXphzvck3z3wPHU7RCqxCUXfQ4m6zY4WkiMJtCcU0EbFIB-gU0KeDL_A4qUcf_Ouk5noi48Y/s1600/pepsi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiHQO3jRRz40MgfhfmURyN3gUZUH_nFDPF94q6ud28vfFhfL5bBzk2BhGnFaV5KaHYNXpDXphzvck3z3wPHU7RCqxCUXfQ4m6zY4WkiMJtCcU0EbFIB-gU0KeDL_A4qUcf_Ouk5noi48Y/s320/pepsi.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFUlJZi30PrsIOMIEAPUNqiwN2TtksyqVWPFfrtY1QGRdVU0HtGirO6We7agPQLfGtXyhQkN6FjaWrvUa0HGs-332c9fWBKE8d2E0Sv_J00jDoJyRmdefqvLZSbssHmafERsybU3q-W0/s1600/cheesecake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFUlJZi30PrsIOMIEAPUNqiwN2TtksyqVWPFfrtY1QGRdVU0HtGirO6We7agPQLfGtXyhQkN6FjaWrvUa0HGs-332c9fWBKE8d2E0Sv_J00jDoJyRmdefqvLZSbssHmafERsybU3q-W0/s320/cheesecake.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPrMdWn126ZHgEnW92pDd5KNw-RyLLUnum2SJfktxatbUrjW0PC1CVEyn_JsoSixL1zDuuDJARSQfXNq_6fjSdZKilh2_NNyiXgpATGKCjqRqEIgzMRJ6GzP4p9afPQeJQQVcbOML-Mjc/s1600/meat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPrMdWn126ZHgEnW92pDd5KNw-RyLLUnum2SJfktxatbUrjW0PC1CVEyn_JsoSixL1zDuuDJARSQfXNq_6fjSdZKilh2_NNyiXgpATGKCjqRqEIgzMRJ6GzP4p9afPQeJQQVcbOML-Mjc/s320/meat.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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BECAUSE...</div>
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<b>NEEDING</b></div>
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My daughter took a video of me the other day, and I had to come to come to terms with it. I've gone spherical.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic_aBqClzEB-MhrSdG0ju-emn0xrz0o3VQdh3BcEyLMy95WDh45tm14TzOeFxuK1VfdCaBJqmidDXaKmJTkcqhStmWhjZdmD52sMtnioryguTq9FGggzUv8zvLNj-2KSH90eo5IsGng28/s1600/bowlingballwithlegs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic_aBqClzEB-MhrSdG0ju-emn0xrz0o3VQdh3BcEyLMy95WDh45tm14TzOeFxuK1VfdCaBJqmidDXaKmJTkcqhStmWhjZdmD52sMtnioryguTq9FGggzUv8zvLNj-2KSH90eo5IsGng28/s320/bowlingballwithlegs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And I don't want to be.</div>
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But I don't want to be a stick either. I do not want to ever give up bread. I just want to fit into pretty clothes and not look like I'm about to explode out of them.</div>
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So, I'm looking at trying to change my eating habits, and possibly exercise. I say possibly because I'm not a fan of sweating. But I found some funny work out posters that appeal to my sense of humor, so I think I will give it a go.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://darebee.com/workouts.html" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLcvBLdUwZ_FlUKfWpTAgydAURtYxM6Zrw2maq4o6e20lTuJ5kI3fPh1JEOxYAQVcFk_M00LR90etTTWzGUAWk1IWh1S47zf2ZKqJbswR7QGxDSFUb-QOT-frWCqrNtpIZM58Ywwt72CE/s640/athena.jpg" width="451" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click to link to tons of other workout posters</td></tr>
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This site used to have lots of superhero themed ones- but then DC Comics got a bit hot and bothered and told them to take it all down. But whatever. I will still pretend it is the WonderWoman workout- so take that DC comics! </div>
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But yeah, I don't see myself being able to do any of those things in the middle there...</div>
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<b>ALL STAR</b></div>
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Let's think this through- I spent the weekend reading three books I didn't have to read. and I just made my bed for the sake of being able to write the sentence that I made my bed. And my plans after this post is to very probably play Sims4 indefinitely because I am at that level of slug.</div>
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I should be getting my mind wrapped around switching grade levels next year. And getting some materials made for teaching about the brain that I'm absolutely fascinated over. But I can't seem to get myself out of the let-me-sleep-until-noon funk.</div>
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*HeavySigh* Meh.</div>
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Be sure to head over to <a href="http://ohboy3rdgrade.blogspot.com/2015/06/currently-july-2015.html" target="_blank">Farley's blog to post your own Currently</a>, and read up on some other fabulous things teachers who are not in a funk are doing.</div>
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<a href="http://ohboy3rdgrade.blogspot.com/2015/06/currently-july-2015.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRQu9UtDGYfZoHC-LAt6hkJkLk-b_lPQpE_tvQw8tlY8nKrjucZgavF9bYFHs-aqsNR58SXhpLkKKdS07bwIXuviGfooLyQYwUWKxDnnZNPd2_ci7UsD2x4lMzJACeJr9XFIGK_69ElwY/s320/currently.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Peace out, Kittens!The Meek Moosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09764671511197083830noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686152140670922968.post-9823368930755024472015-03-21T01:00:00.000-04:002015-03-21T11:41:31.632-04:00Ladies with Class Blog Hop ~ $40 TpT gift certificate up for grabs!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The collaborative blog Ladies With Class are hosting a meet and greet blog hop! Come check out everybody and get some great freebies and a chance to win $40 for TpT!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIb-IsAhm8dqQ_GRAV0Y4MTlYBjyoWgPhhIIVVv5WzdxPRkHH5lNCo-4yTr8CmA7By1AlfJRLCTvkymrNPyrmzlh4xoeuSg2qU1GHt1Hb-Tp9RiOMfcqRNU7qFcqVWq192OrWDVnvOPeM/s1600/finalhoppic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIb-IsAhm8dqQ_GRAV0Y4MTlYBjyoWgPhhIIVVv5WzdxPRkHH5lNCo-4yTr8CmA7By1AlfJRLCTvkymrNPyrmzlh4xoeuSg2qU1GHt1Hb-Tp9RiOMfcqRNU7qFcqVWq192OrWDVnvOPeM/s1600/finalhoppic.jpg" height="640" width="384" /></a></div>
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Thanks Mrs. Hug-a-Bug for the great job on our graphics!</div>
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I get excited about Spring because I am way into nature lessons with my kids. I get to play around with frogs and butterflies, and hatch chicks and garden!</div>
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Hey, had you heard that gardening helps with depression because of the nutrients in the soil actually act as an anti-depressant? Way cool! My students are city kids, and not many have had a gardening opportunity- so they have a lot of fun with me this time of year.</div>
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I've been out looking for frog spawn lately, but haven't found any. I don't want to order it from somewhere on-line, but I think I might be forced to. Sheesh. And I'm hoping that this year I'm able to do butterflies without a catastrophe like I had a couple of years ago. I have already picked out the chicken eggs I'm going to attempt to hatch and have decided not to have them until a bit later in May so that I don't have a Memorial Day hatch date like last year.<br />
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This weekend I'm at a science retreat at a State Park in Virginia. We're going to be doing all sorts of activities from <a href="http://www.projectwet.org/" target="_blank">Project Wet</a>. I can't wait to bring back what I've learned to my classroom and get my kids out to the pond preserve behind our school! </div>
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To celebrate Spring- I'm offering one of my first clip art packs as a freebie this weekend. (It's usually $4) Click the pic to go to my store and get a set! If you download and leave feedback- that would be awesome!<br />
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I've also decided to put all of my spring themed art and teacher resources on sale for 20% off, grab yourself a deal this weekend!<br />
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And last but not least, I'm giving away winner's choice from my store to THREE lucky winners. Enter using the rafflecopter below.<br />
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But don't forget to hop ALL the way to Ladies with Class to try your luck at winning a $40 TpT gift certificate from all of us! Enjoy the hop and get yourself some great freebies!<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Spring-Floral-Digital-Paper-and-Clipart-for-personal-and-commercial-use-682424" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizmM6czFAEYtDRsODP1TXRFhtRBGdBzKnc_oPI2ljPhWQnbGFUVuXGY-fba43RTUaIcRB_odAAtpkEzOOnRVN6Pr6dFgFPgysUoiyZYz_S_p3agvZGH5mXQfTosqzaJ5l3y2W5Gq_Ltkg/s1600/SPrF_ETSY1.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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Next stop? </div>
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<a href="http://lopezlandlearners.blogspot.com/2015/03/march-into-spring-win-40-tpt-gift-card.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Lopez Land Learners" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA96goJ4Uu3pbeUjpbxY3ChvVcYeedI0gD35ULrDF07kYpsB-ZTXIyBRh1ofRcVKpDvfNcxPbOoYAUQbDlam8A_6qta1MKQhBAhYOOysvsu1wdMYILTHEd_Ti7vktS8lpW_tglFT_ihQE/s1600/Button+2(1).png" height="200" style="border: medium none;" width="200" /></a><br />
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<br />The Meek Moosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09764671511197083830noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686152140670922968.post-43450705793680329282015-03-06T18:00:00.000-05:002015-03-06T18:00:03.320-05:00Read-Alouds and Digital Citizenship - Virginia is for Book Lovers Blog Hop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; display: none; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Fu_EdJxm4vpGZqBCywzByKlRxC3R_BLFqXHzj716SKNN9W4Og-_xxS6aw2rZ3JLmQ2rJ9_0V6IIqunBFNsVUYARHYCiVjiEkYX4lyDq1mRN89Dfzs49elHu1et5Jw0c35xioCq3WF5A/s1600/Shredderman.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Fu_EdJxm4vpGZqBCywzByKlRxC3R_BLFqXHzj716SKNN9W4Og-_xxS6aw2rZ3JLmQ2rJ9_0V6IIqunBFNsVUYARHYCiVjiEkYX4lyDq1mRN89Dfzs49elHu1et5Jw0c35xioCq3WF5A/s1600/Shredderman.PNG" height="320" width="217" /></a></div>
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I'm always excited to join my VA blogger buds for a blog hop. This time we're embracing our love of reading! Each of us will be sharing a book and resource that we LOVE to use in the classroom for this very special hop. Even more THRILLING, is that you'll find a book giveaway on each page of the hop, with a super huge giveaway at the end over at <a href="http://www.mrsoknows.com/2015/03/virginia-is-for-book-lovers-blog-hop.html" target="_blank">Mrs. O Knows</a>.<br />
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Mom and Dad always read to my sister and I growing up; picture books, chapter books, fairy tales, comics in the paper, the Bible, everything. Traci was two years older and started reading independently before me, so then she ended up modeling it for me as well. Mom took us to the library a lot. I know for years I always checked out Colleen Moore's<u> Fairy Tale Dollhouse</u> book. Never even read it until I was 32, but I adored the pictures and made up my own thoughts and stories to go along with what I saw.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHZ7ZMNAJeCUBjUbJlmlQMiWgO89-BF7_ZPEnYG-0DVs0StNFIJP_yCM_lpyu2S9-wunRSnPhLIp3-tu5fTjPmGqhhsfnJ5jWwRsU9cR18AHLiRELn7aftG8rdXRG5mfMzaUccG1CSJNk/s1600/book+cache.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHZ7ZMNAJeCUBjUbJlmlQMiWgO89-BF7_ZPEnYG-0DVs0StNFIJP_yCM_lpyu2S9-wunRSnPhLIp3-tu5fTjPmGqhhsfnJ5jWwRsU9cR18AHLiRELn7aftG8rdXRG5mfMzaUccG1CSJNk/s1600/book+cache.PNG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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I grew up in Alaska. and I know there were book stores, because I can remember always visiting "The Book Cache". But I think I bought a great many books at the grocery store. They had books at in the checkout lanes as impulse sales. Get a pack of green Hubba Bubba and a book. Good times. When we went to the store, often we were told before we even made it through the doors that we were not buying anything not on the list. But get to the check out counter and ask for a book, and Mom and Dad never said no. Traci and I ended up with countless Archie Digests and fantasy chapter books this way.<br />
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My first year teaching fourth grade, I started building up a class library. I only filled one four shelf bookcase that year. By my ninth year, I'd graduated to needing six book cases and I was up to 50 labeled baskets. A bit out of control, perhaps, but I love it!<br />
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I like to vary my read-alouds between picture books and chapter books for variety. Shocking that I'm a little ADD, I know. When I first started teaching second grade seven years ago, I was a bit worried about having to give up my chapter books. But it turns out- chose the right one, and there's nothing to worry about!<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Shredderman-Identity-Wendelin-Van-Draanen/dp/0440419123" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Fu_EdJxm4vpGZqBCywzByKlRxC3R_BLFqXHzj716SKNN9W4Og-_xxS6aw2rZ3JLmQ2rJ9_0V6IIqunBFNsVUYARHYCiVjiEkYX4lyDq1mRN89Dfzs49elHu1et5Jw0c35xioCq3WF5A/s1600/Shredderman.PNG" height="320" width="217" /></a></div>
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<u>The Shredderman Series</u> by Wendelin Van Draanen turns out to be perfect for second graders for a couple of reasons. One, there is the occasional cartoon picture. And they come often enough to keep the kids antsy to see it. Two, the main character is in fifth grade- so the maturity level is not too far out of their frame of perspective. Three, the issues of bullying, good kid standing up against tyranny, and wishing to be a superhero are all applicable to the seven/eight year old mind. Plus, as an added bonus, as you read it aloud, you get to say "butt". This thrills the second grader to no end.<br />
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My students beg me for this book every year. And they even check it out from the library, and beg me to continue reading the rest of the series. Interest engagement alone makes this book worth it.<br />
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However, in the past few years, society norms have changed enough to make this book interesting for kids and teachers in a new way. Published in 2004, anti-bully campaigns in schools were already in full force- but cyber bullying was not quite getting the attention yet that it does today. For this reason, I like to read <u>Shredderman</u> to my second graders with the lens of thinking about the choices Nolan makes to end the physical and emotional bullying at school through his website. It's a great way to talk about digital citizenship, and whether or not Nolan should have made other choices when working against Bubba. It's also a great book to read with kids to talk about the choices the adults make in regards to the bullying both at school and over the web.<br />
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I read this book in the first month of school prior to introducing my kids to their digital portfolios and while I also teach them about writing appropriate response comments in our other website uses. It allows for discussion on building a classroom community, establishing group norms, and also discussing citizenship in both the digital world and the real one.<br />
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My simple freebie includes a Digital Citizenship poster, and a book discussion form to talk about Nolan's choices. This will be a forever freebie offered at my store. Click the picture to go get your download!<br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Digital-Citizenship-with-Shredderman-1749658" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBsh2LFKhF3HU1Z016l6ilELe7bQLN6NiN-ohflAPrRLtLRPR2aVdvqcobtOyQ4U7CDNnP5vG1w0oeeK0SbGPjoQmAWmAGnWou5MwqW12B7Xh5vIyfDzyR4CXTC8hnUzzn1x0jOZ7V88U/s1600/Slide1.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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Fill out the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win your own Paperback copy of <u>Shredderman: Secret Identity</u> by Wendelin Van Draanen. I'm willing to mail it anywhere, so no worries if you're overseas! :)<br />
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<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="57c970382" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/57c970382/" id="rcwidget_8x78n5es" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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Make sure you hop through all nineteen of us, and don't forget the Amazing Mega-Giveaway at the end of the hop at Rachel's <a href="http://www.mrsoknows.com/2015/03/virginia-is-for-book-lovers-blog-hop.html" target="_blank">Mrs. O Knows</a> page. There you can try to win ALL NINETEEN of the books in one go. Each one of us will individually mail you our book. Just imagine getting nineteen different packages at your door, each box with an amazing read-aloud for your kids!<br />
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Click below to keep on hopping to <a href="http://anadventureinliteracy.blogspot.com/2015/03/virginia-is-for-book-lovers-blog-hop.html" target="_blank">Jen at An Adventure in Literacy</a>!<br />
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<click image="" over=""><comprehension button="" connection=""><br /></comprehension></click>The Meek Moosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09764671511197083830noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686152140670922968.post-16081687177535810082015-01-18T15:50:00.002-05:002015-01-18T15:54:45.525-05:00Behind the Logo ~ The Meek Moose Pretends She's Watching VH1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; display: none; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1fGg4OyJ0y7GT-Wc02tT8KrPtQZAw55R7LMC0EzS4hBUk0DG9HusJyhWF5Mg3Hbbt24BBlE-El72Nvwhb1dJv_-m1Y8dHqbZSALZrd8eJ1XKl0OouIMn8b1HksrYlQLrZyMHwGE-Vf4w/s1600/behindthemusic_281x211.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1fGg4OyJ0y7GT-Wc02tT8KrPtQZAw55R7LMC0EzS4hBUk0DG9HusJyhWF5Mg3Hbbt24BBlE-El72Nvwhb1dJv_-m1Y8dHqbZSALZrd8eJ1XKl0OouIMn8b1HksrYlQLrZyMHwGE-Vf4w/s1600/behindthemusic_281x211.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ5lYKCS_7bPhZg9PTTwTVCIOG0mYszBmU2CgXEfcBMl61c1nq8DiDKpfCsWZF4sn-WWDbVesifyWqIq7blYFQGq_Ongb0uKuR4OFuisgCr2b1jMg_XP2oGf_OgE2cPXD1xA7_9MbqSU0/s1600/logostory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ5lYKCS_7bPhZg9PTTwTVCIOG0mYszBmU2CgXEfcBMl61c1nq8DiDKpfCsWZF4sn-WWDbVesifyWqIq7blYFQGq_Ongb0uKuR4OFuisgCr2b1jMg_XP2oGf_OgE2cPXD1xA7_9MbqSU0/s1600/logostory.jpg" height="512" width="640" /></a></div>
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Question: Does VH1 even exist anymore?<br />
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Moving forward...<br />
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So, I was playing around on Instagram today. Like a lot of days. But with great diligence this morning because I was supposed to be<br />
-updating my resume<br />
-writing a business proposal<br />
-cleaning my room<br />
-making math card games<br />
-creating lesson plans worthy of being peeked at during informal observations<br />
-and NOT EATING bread<br />
when it just so happened that I commented on another gal's picture about an art project she was doing with her students that I love that art pack too and it was on my wish list.<br />
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It's this art pack:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Martin-Luther-King-Jr-1047984" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcNy0Be_4PJO6nsiS2Ylyd0Y_kk2UZpa23iqUKCYcb6DLu31Spafv7SNxOkKMy1gMXcCfKkun6FCjFNoo_fnL_UWQ1ZMEf6r0VX7Q4HlMp5aZayh-XgpoEcXuaw-i4Th9i5A2mzAVuBo8/s1600/MLK.PNG" height="640" width="482" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click to check this Pop Art Miracle out!</td></tr>
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I'm actually pretty sure I have Jenny's entire store on my wishlist...let me check... yes, yes I do.<br />
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Anyway, I made this comment and then ended up chatting with Jenny through email which was unexpected and very cool. I have to say that one thing I like about blogging, and meeting teachers through FB, Twitter, Instagram, and TpT is that it starts to feel like I know lots of celebrities. Knowing celebrities pleases my deep seated vanity. Yes. Yes it does.<br />
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Turns out- Jenny is hosting a linky where you explain the story behind your logo. And she asked if I was interested in linking up since I have this curious moose fetish going on. And let's all admit it- moose are cool. Deadly nasty mean beasts- but cool. We also know I love to talk nonsense about myself. And I think we all took note of how I'm supposed to be cleaning my room. Again. And I'm not. So here we go.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1vZHeMC_zD7JTUmdknAHdMAYkwJ29FInA4yjIB246kEKAcNlGgMcRsZJjgrRKYS-QCeXvt7A0NXHIqfY-kL6nO4sC2SyRiMgkWmKf94u1H5JKw64wsv49S5A2Rcfuuk2BLeHv10TiYoE/s1600/Alaska.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1vZHeMC_zD7JTUmdknAHdMAYkwJ29FInA4yjIB246kEKAcNlGgMcRsZJjgrRKYS-QCeXvt7A0NXHIqfY-kL6nO4sC2SyRiMgkWmKf94u1H5JKw64wsv49S5A2Rcfuuk2BLeHv10TiYoE/s1600/Alaska.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizju1FwHyNxuVLny9G_4gzoIZzICWVLDIJ0Ee9Yr644WX5cIZSKT6cJRg8kuEVHJTrMSVBd7-gQlfuWe5SOHJ57wmGOsIKne-WSor2FwgQxe5v-jc6QslpzPhDOSS_zNX0zwbj4a_jg5g/s1600/moose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizju1FwHyNxuVLny9G_4gzoIZzICWVLDIJ0Ee9Yr644WX5cIZSKT6cJRg8kuEVHJTrMSVBd7-gQlfuWe5SOHJ57wmGOsIKne-WSor2FwgQxe5v-jc6QslpzPhDOSS_zNX0zwbj4a_jg5g/s1600/moose.jpg" /></a></div>
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Word wise- I'm from Alaska, I like moose, and my last name is Meek. So it probably began as a simple fondness for alliteration. The Meek Moose.<br />
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I had not always planned on being a teacher. My college degree is in Writing. I was going to be the next great American author. I graduated from college, had a brief desire to be an intern at Jim Henson's Muppets that I never followed up on because I didn't want to commute by the LIRR every day to the city, and then ended up working retail at a toy store and then a gift basket shop because you can't make money just wanting to be an author.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMmaWnkdmmh5Q4KGXDjRDxAvxVjh87nzz60-Dez7JaJckAAPJ6PgP3VIPus-kS5rAwYZ-o9WRBDnXrQsKwqe3rgOwWN8voQZrorEV2gkBi4Cy9w7-5vY4TbpyuAFZDpONyL5r2X2uLlo8/s1600/college.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMmaWnkdmmh5Q4KGXDjRDxAvxVjh87nzz60-Dez7JaJckAAPJ6PgP3VIPus-kS5rAwYZ-o9WRBDnXrQsKwqe3rgOwWN8voQZrorEV2gkBi4Cy9w7-5vY4TbpyuAFZDpONyL5r2X2uLlo8/s1600/college.jpg" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfDyGpdrm3ZHf4ul0VXm90caaQYT4gLeH_HXxbV3vcFiwp1En9txUn_2WLKR1C_5SwL4p9nJlZ38vsVKnsKBuBomrfdl08DEpgc9fCGI7Z23k89XhAKMJMpZwzbuDzfjxar7ffp6M-EmA/s1600/shop.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfDyGpdrm3ZHf4ul0VXm90caaQYT4gLeH_HXxbV3vcFiwp1En9txUn_2WLKR1C_5SwL4p9nJlZ38vsVKnsKBuBomrfdl08DEpgc9fCGI7Z23k89XhAKMJMpZwzbuDzfjxar7ffp6M-EmA/s1600/shop.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a><br />
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My experience at the toy store was great! It was one of those old buildings with nooks and crannies and had been open 100 years. My favorite thing was if they would send me next door to the storage building to find something- because that place was LOADED with memorabilia. I love toys, in case you didn't know. So I'm 22 and I ended up thinking then that I would like to have my own toy store. I remember at first I wanted to call it Farley&Fiona. But then it evolved into The Meek Moose.<br />
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Idea tabled when I went back to school to get a teaching license. You don't really make a good living working part-time retail.<br />
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Teaching teaching teaching...years go by....teaching fifth grade...not a good fit for me. Started to dream up other professional endeavor ideas. And then I was 30. Ah, 30. I thought all my dreams would come true at 30. I decided I was going to leave teaching and open a children's bookstore. I wanted it to have lots of natural light, and wooden floors and shelves, and a stage with red curtains for poetry night. And we'd serve snacks like cake pops and fancy lemonade. I'd even decided that I was going to go with a mix of clean linen and cherry blossom for the general "smell" of the store.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOkf1C0Pvk8MD8RVJ6ny6m5_sTyy5Vr6E_ufHS_P6hhxak32ZW2rwjEMGuLpNzJZzRbI6Rs2ac2_GKsDK6SM5n7pJny0NX1W0UHqPUYdM9nP-cKSxibDSLDgs4HxK4lKFjUk66s5tMusE/s1600/meekmooseclipart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOkf1C0Pvk8MD8RVJ6ny6m5_sTyy5Vr6E_ufHS_P6hhxak32ZW2rwjEMGuLpNzJZzRbI6Rs2ac2_GKsDK6SM5n7pJny0NX1W0UHqPUYdM9nP-cKSxibDSLDgs4HxK4lKFjUk66s5tMusE/s1600/meekmooseclipart.jpg" height="320" width="135" /></a></div>
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When The Meek Moose dreams, she dives into the details. But only the ones that have nothing to do with what you actually have to know to run a business. Because I'm cool like that. I had my sister draw me up a logo of a moose that was feeling meekish. And then a guy I knew at a T-shirt screening place digitized the image and cleaned up the lines of the pencil drawing.<br />
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Anyhow, get a divorce, real estate market bottoms out, house tied up in it- blah. The Meek Moose gets shelved. But I kept my Meek Moose logo picture in a journal and would look at it from time to time.<br />
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Then, 2012, I'm 36 and looking for some teaching inspiration one spring when I discover teacher blogs. So I think- hey- I could do that. Seemed like a natural choice to pull out my lovely Meek Moose art and go for it. so I did. A year later, my sister decided to join me in a TpT endeavor. <br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Meek-and-Wild-Creations/116597495026793" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmkNIId6LIdfrIZNBkV-g5ZvwfUFgHrxevO-3dpD8Mo2GFFKlD9irdnU7BAeX6Xqdtx4od8Y2StjlHD1a6nkfP97JOzvXik9NbZnTZv_SKPYyPzt5pgQk-eZ6H9k4v-iSlBM0fNIXLkKA/s1600/credit+image2.jpg" height="175" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now Traci, she's a costume designer / freelance mascot builder in New Zealand. And I'm sure she'll chime in after I post this and tell me how I've not used the correct job title to describe what she does. But her company name is Meek and Wild Creations. So I asked her to put a sweater on the moose with her MW so we were combined.<br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/The-Meek-Moose" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbxRtv_0Yt525kz41gVbb_kndF79I7IqqzW1LPSBB5B-6XubXTHnxAyFjoJqBx71YzRVVGLw8Ljjkdt68kuPatH9G0QV8IcS6jLWdzbxav-FhUYF6cCyB22OZlIqQnoW5wPvFktnWMR70/s1600/moosesweaterclr.jpg" height="320" width="157" /></a></div>
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When I go my blog design updated by Barbara Leyne Designs in September, she gave my blog moose a face lift with a hipster feel that I LOVE. And even gave me a chicken! Love you, Barbara!<br />
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<a href="http://barbaraleyne.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTEcbdv-BfRIQ9IRpdwTCTrhpvRbU2GeHZmfb6NJq_BxG94iIwxmDdQGAADmR2p2fQuF6KN_cppHonSmosl7p0cWG8panKhwfGQ25J_JbnmHnb2EDm0L1eQUr7tlrvNmIcPl8DeCNdjZ8/s1600/BLButton.png" /></a></div>
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As far as my glamour shot - this was a picture taken of me when I was 32. I was teaching a drama club at a Military School and I was waiting outside the Chapel for our Summer Parent Performance to begin. A man asked to take my picture. His wife was one of the administration as I remember, and he had taken my picture once before when I was at dinner with the cadets maybe a year earlier.<br />
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Generally, I don't like my picture taken. I'm guilty of taking fifty shots before I find one that I consider OK. She brought me the picture the next week. I liked it. Sometimes it's nice to think that I haven't aged much since then. But I guess it's ok that I have. Time presses ever forward.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijiw55K9GbqZ4k_Bpxmi2Rm-ZUjCBd3mSAmcRkrhBJ_m5EgrkHBrpAwFc5Z3osVOsRbN9X9Jy9xSYjdaU-FVQGC2AnD3hiaGpNUaQ-53B_Ak4lMkZp2N0dg5XvLTnZze6WCCllttNs09o/s1600/7116_1265102027128_1801955_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijiw55K9GbqZ4k_Bpxmi2Rm-ZUjCBd3mSAmcRkrhBJ_m5EgrkHBrpAwFc5Z3osVOsRbN9X9Jy9xSYjdaU-FVQGC2AnD3hiaGpNUaQ-53B_Ak4lMkZp2N0dg5XvLTnZze6WCCllttNs09o/s1600/7116_1265102027128_1801955_n.jpg" height="320" width="243" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">32</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbwaCWavYyQqdZsGirzPM3ADOPYO0gyup0oW2Qk2C5AkYAkeq42X3FcaXm0fnXtR-U_srUInw_I0nDHwXMpmD2r33Li4Y4AKGAS84D15nZfOnFnqXqm7U6gmCNA0KMj2SESbVZ5Gw74UA/s1600/IMG_5016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbwaCWavYyQqdZsGirzPM3ADOPYO0gyup0oW2Qk2C5AkYAkeq42X3FcaXm0fnXtR-U_srUInw_I0nDHwXMpmD2r33Li4Y4AKGAS84D15nZfOnFnqXqm7U6gmCNA0KMj2SESbVZ5Gw74UA/s1600/IMG_5016.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">39</td></tr>
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So- that's the story of the logo. I'm from Alaska, I love moose, my last name is Meek, and it would be awesome if I one day become a princess. <br />
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If you would also like to avoid cleaning your room- consider telling the story of your logo and <a href="http://www.jennyknappenberger.com/2014/12/30/whats-the-story-behind-the-logo/" target="_blank">linking up with Jenny at Art with Jenny K</a>.<br />
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I guess I have to go clean my room now...<br />
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<a rel=’nofollow’ href=”http://new.inlinkz.com/luwpview.php?id=478558″ title=”click to view in an external page.”>An InLinkz Link-up</a></div>
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<!– end InLinkz script –>The Meek Moosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09764671511197083830noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686152140670922968.post-5528762598867209202015-01-17T12:59:00.000-05:002015-01-17T12:59:12.982-05:00The Meek Moose Wants to Be an Engineer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; display: none; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0YNrP7dscM51kK8XodXlHOE0KCUw6gcey9w8GinIexFzR0rPHGK0Sctusv570kULsm9M7TvfkuSwRqmMrKlRNOBoDa65n-6ic3oVdLeFDi9lLT97iFqA4MkgjE73g8DDk-oNEeKDFB2I/s1600/IMG_4992.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0YNrP7dscM51kK8XodXlHOE0KCUw6gcey9w8GinIexFzR0rPHGK0Sctusv570kULsm9M7TvfkuSwRqmMrKlRNOBoDa65n-6ic3oVdLeFDi9lLT97iFqA4MkgjE73g8DDk-oNEeKDFB2I/s1600/IMG_4992.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://ladieswithclassabc1234.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-meek-moose-wants-to-be-engineer.html?m=1" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEa7ALMaO9t-tw-Taf1hVwKpxs9nIJo387oEZbSWJ2OlKmW1lwUy9fl54tsUqJKI1To6QDD2qA4U3R17sMR-k1AFKSD7ZrLmbMNnvGWO-siByzSywWJbOIVVulYiYZ1yievy1rVnHvw3c/s1600/blog.PNG" height="252" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31px;"><span class="userContent"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">I became part of a collaborative blog, Ladies With Class, and it launched this week. I've been thinking that it was a rather silly thing for me to do, as I blog so sporadically during the school year anyway- but then again, since I may only blog on the collaborative gig once a month- it's not a shabby deal.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31px;"><span class="userContent"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">My first post on the <a href="http://ladieswithclassabc1234.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-meek-moose-wants-to-be-engineer.html?m=1" target="_blank">collaborative blog</a> is up. Engineering and Coding are two of my favorite things. I've shared lots of video clips of my kids in action, on the computer, with Marble Run, and creating Domino Rallies. Hope you like it and feel inspired to add it into your day as well!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31px;"><span class="userContent"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">There are also two other posts, one on <a href="http://ladieswithclassabc1234.blogspot.com/2015/01/motivational-tools-for-buzzing.html" target="_blank">Motivational Tools</a> by Yara at <a href="http://yarasseaofknowledge.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Sea of Knowledge</a>; and another on <a href="http://ladieswithclassabc1234.blogspot.com/2015/01/writing-in-biographies-2nd.html" target="_blank">Writing Biographies in Second Grade</a> by Tara at <a href="http://looneyslitblog.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Looney's Literacy</a>. Please check out all three!</span></span></span>The Meek Moosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09764671511197083830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686152140670922968.post-82708864326994837892015-01-11T12:59:00.001-05:002015-01-11T12:59:55.040-05:00What if? ~ The Meek Moose Waxes Philosophical About Windows.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; display: none; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQTx0cXKQfcBh-ac6cyNrbjd6BOoxJ75FL2XmP3cnwO-eKiVclIvn4_QzO14cxYA1aeJk5H35BpX3JHKPAyQg98ZQ8MB2xf0NKmHRgV39_435j4KBhISATm41ADtwxzC6fYxKXvLYkyXc/s1600/IMG_4489.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQTx0cXKQfcBh-ac6cyNrbjd6BOoxJ75FL2XmP3cnwO-eKiVclIvn4_QzO14cxYA1aeJk5H35BpX3JHKPAyQg98ZQ8MB2xf0NKmHRgV39_435j4KBhISATm41ADtwxzC6fYxKXvLYkyXc/s1600/IMG_4489.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
Watch this move:<br />
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*click copy and paste *<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">"One, I need to blog. I have almost completely stopped keeping up with it, and this makes me sad. Two, I need to actually MAKE the math games I'm realizing I need in my classroom. Three, and maybe this should actually go first- I need motivation to do the two other things. But I don't. I just keep reading Backyard Chicken magazines and staring at the advert that says I can make 36,000 a year growing herbs on a quarter acre. And I'm on three acres. So really, I could be making half a million. If I liked the outdoors. Or could keep a plant alive..."</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4LrdJkNDOSo_ceT3fbGnAFnEc0u2NFYu6vNOANdq4wnbiSDE-TTV6DjpqMwyEO5Y9F_IxBbYWpKE9SzAms834KuebWtAKTmLeuk4tIcEMxZQScMQnax7-XscSPoXOWMeeCNizL93AsbM/s1600/IMG_4707.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4LrdJkNDOSo_ceT3fbGnAFnEc0u2NFYu6vNOANdq4wnbiSDE-TTV6DjpqMwyEO5Y9F_IxBbYWpKE9SzAms834KuebWtAKTmLeuk4tIcEMxZQScMQnax7-XscSPoXOWMeeCNizL93AsbM/s1600/IMG_4707.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">There. See that? I started a ramble to some FB friends and now I'm stealing my own ramble to have a blog ramble out of guilt. Level of Lazy: BOSS</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">And now- staring at this picture- I hadn't even noticed someone was selling clothes for chickens. Dang. I could make clothes for chickens...</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">I also a need to flush out my brain. I have no one to talk to at the moment except a three year old. And frankly, if I have to discuss "linecraft" (at a certain point the speech impediment will no longer be cute) or how it is not okay to kill villagers because "they were looking at me" (cue creepy music and slowly back away. DO NOT LOOK AWAY, just slowly back out of the room), I may die. Possibly quite literally. Because if he isn't playing a game I cannot understand, he's setting traps on the stairs just like in "Scooby Doo". And I don't know about any of you, but when I used to watch Scooby Doo, I just remember Don Knotts, and Sonny&Cher, and The Harlem Globe Trotters, and Jinkies!!! I do not remember being taught how to set traps.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Did I tell you that he karate punched my ex-husband in the tenders the other morning? Yes. Yes he did. But for no reason whatsoever. He was saying "Hi!". Hi-yah!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Do I have anything at all to say about school? Or education? </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Probably too much, kittens. This is the Winter of My Discontent.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Which really means, it might be an alright time to dream a little.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Last night I had this really vivid dream that I went back to my old elementary school in Alaska to take a tour and interview for a job. The fact that I am FREEZING in my basement at this moment clarifies the issue of moving back to Alaska. No. No way. HOWEVER! I am haunted by the architectural design of my old elementary school. One wall in the classroom was huge windows as I remember. With like, a counter shelf thing you could sit on.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Not just the one little window people today think is all you need for a classroom. The whole back wall was windows. I think. And does it matter? It's how I remember it.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">The point, if there even is one- is this: How guilty are you of ever saying "Well- if I had my own school!"? Because I am feeling overly curious at this moment. Teachers are pawns to bureaucrats who have never been in a classroom. So naturally we think we know what's best. Maybe we do. So what if we did? I'm going to go ahead and say I do. I know what's best. There. Gauntlet thrown.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">First thing, damn it- is I would have a school where LIGHT, you know, FROM THE SUN, was a key feature. It's like folks go to build a school and spend the night before they make up the design reading about Troglodytes. How old is this research about how natural light is better than fluorescence? OLD. OLD NEWS. But then we hear the lame excuse that </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://therecoveringpolitician.com/friends/saulk/saul-kaplan-confessions-of-an-accidental-bureaucrat" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglUE_VlcETSP2noqHD8VfHJVnvuZA8M2_y7T-i8devGJxCQimkKCvgmXtZfvJO9I-6NpHzO34diF-XT7M6F8fx_V3aodSI7hKL4mgel6zHK7i7qkKstUgU80KrxINHAmKa9TywcIbdsKM/s1600/bureaucrat.png" height="320" width="302" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is not my picture. Click to link.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">"Schools have limited funds, so fluorescent bulbs are cheaper."</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCemsa3pXfVE5I3Tm4LjY5rRjvwMS9mQ2toSmwQ3JA-dKVWUg2VSx-FCt3k09QVy7JWIQmk9uUl00f2dXIdKF1tM4Xtdo7ZPEzJ1ahpUV_Mf_DdvTpFzIpLpLlVFRsCxSGZWvYEIO0tjU/s1600/IMG_4485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCemsa3pXfVE5I3Tm4LjY5rRjvwMS9mQ2toSmwQ3JA-dKVWUg2VSx-FCt3k09QVy7JWIQmk9uUl00f2dXIdKF1tM4Xtdo7ZPEzJ1ahpUV_Mf_DdvTpFzIpLpLlVFRsCxSGZWvYEIO0tjU/s1600/IMG_4485.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is my horse face. And it links to nothing but awesomeness.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Really? Replacing bulbs that make everyone sick and depressed is cheaper than making a bigger window?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://emmottontechnology.com/health-care-politics/medicine-by-lobbyist/attachment/bureaucrat-2/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcokO5CFHiJilyG0yHgWQyaii0pqlYEGHaHNmiQlFL32iVFg1P2vQWBQwYlVNZbB6-Qd8GwS8fBQVCY9RPmDXsJiEhMW6SiPPyCeyGy7_8Gp4w3_ox8KJWhQFNHPrn6Dr6UU-0HvAldGk/s1600/bureaucrat1.jpg" height="187" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click to link. I like this man's head...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">"But what if it's dark?" </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWLiyuv4g-7FKhAMf4fnFZHD9AX4HPf1q5zV3tzJm4sga6IihZbkehJrM4f_04zKWZB3njuqI3-ZHVbIiKfzTrEIJ9QaA_LrLzufgKfOUDPL1gNAM1qXtBgRg5ZUGhmurgSglhCAqojJE/s1600/IMG_4487.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWLiyuv4g-7FKhAMf4fnFZHD9AX4HPf1q5zV3tzJm4sga6IihZbkehJrM4f_04zKWZB3njuqI3-ZHVbIiKfzTrEIJ9QaA_LrLzufgKfOUDPL1gNAM1qXtBgRg5ZUGhmurgSglhCAqojJE/s1600/IMG_4487.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes. I love my nose. I do.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">I don't know about you, but I go to school during the DAY.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://magellinadad.blogspot.com/2012/01/toadish-bureaucrat.html" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg37dl2DhM0F0beJsEaOXa_PS7kYBOdlux5MqdttGZzmGslY21StVcMygmc7JER1L6L1HXmBxs51JXXSrtifK4gz50qBiUNWCHF3F7aX4PGTbZ7o_f39tl1zVTU5CLBumaRWdXaLOJWDAU/s1600/1_30_12_ToadishBureaucrat.jpg" height="400" width="322" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cutest toad ever.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">"Sometimes it gets cloudy."</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgH1mzu2nzo6SqlsjCDRMG_fzJi8OkNsGQ3IvoMqFY4THPhI8C-nqpoN4UC-6vXe8shp9g_8JEy2azHcmknnpF3UrU5X1c4KrmitKYXL0WC5Lvx6-RWdv2I2HY_fToTFa-76QU7TuOzHA/s1600/IMG_4488.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgH1mzu2nzo6SqlsjCDRMG_fzJi8OkNsGQ3IvoMqFY4THPhI8C-nqpoN4UC-6vXe8shp9g_8JEy2azHcmknnpF3UrU5X1c4KrmitKYXL0WC5Lvx6-RWdv2I2HY_fToTFa-76QU7TuOzHA/s1600/IMG_4488.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am seriously having an amazing lip gloss day.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Stop it. Cloudy. Be ashamed of yourself. It gets cloudy? If I am outside, during the DAY, and it's cloudy, I can still SEE. And if it were so cloudy outside during the day that I could not see, obviously a volcano is erupting and the sky is full of ash and I am about to die. It's okay to close school if that happens. I can stop reading a book in the middle of a Vesuvius-like event and run for my life. And if you can't figure that out, you deserve to be covered in lava. And I'm not apologizing for wishing lava on you. Cloudy. Come on!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.iannorbury.com/the-bureaucrat-work-in-progress" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgK7OmGQwdwhrxe6yBQblF6g4zrzxc8wmbms0RCkWIX8P3jnVWQswjw3tVp7dL6T-MU65Rw9Efjw8fUMq5xO_htHT25DfyPFm8Cm0YZ3UthJkcHWeV0iSFxwbNd0_BhMLhKqd0wFvT_2M/s1600/Bureaucrat-painting_1.jpg" height="320" width="233" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This artist is sculpting him out of wood. Amazing work.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">"But we're in a building during a cloudy day so it's not as bright."</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOI4mseLeghPlpW1A7tSCd8ZOwcbmtHO1Ezf5aGTofvNLH9zWF5G20AdB69TwOqDUU0GFGYTg5uMMpYSNdjNTw_yC99S4JFQcagvm6tWa7DMBARXwBOsHdo6m_9eydTaKqeuAHceBdDlw/s1600/IMG_4484.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOI4mseLeghPlpW1A7tSCd8ZOwcbmtHO1Ezf5aGTofvNLH9zWF5G20AdB69TwOqDUU0GFGYTg5uMMpYSNdjNTw_yC99S4JFQcagvm6tWa7DMBARXwBOsHdo6m_9eydTaKqeuAHceBdDlw/s1600/IMG_4484.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I can even make my face look uglier than this. It's a gift.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">MAKE BIG WINDOWS. Did we not start with that? The windows are going to be BIG, and there will be more of them. You will think you are freaking outside even though you're on the inside.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-illustration-bureaucrat-character-pig-chief-illustration-contour-image41261449" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZxz7OQtxMzyVNKLZhHTNKoFVN1Cf1eUJnA-78zSbkWYhKiv2BSq3xidmQeByo1iytbGc10z1-t0j4fWAhASmjBbmVRJG8o-f-1j8hxf_T6xZxsIwouHnNxvXCX7xHdXekgGIw3wcR5mo/s1600/bureaucrat-character-pig-chief-illustration-contour-41261449.jpg" height="253" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adorable.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">"I think that would make the building cold."</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpmPvHWuHoUiHSDjTRO7FIhlUD5TE72byyBI84Fhv0wXRGFhFv6iQYpdL-GYY5G8TGWdqVEOjkr6qSsQ0Yd4ccMP6c8qHy7AnFI64_Ic2clL4Efrvf2KIiEU5xazPMDSirVa7Hu-40npQ/s1600/IMG_4486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpmPvHWuHoUiHSDjTRO7FIhlUD5TE72byyBI84Fhv0wXRGFhFv6iQYpdL-GYY5G8TGWdqVEOjkr6qSsQ0Yd4ccMP6c8qHy7AnFI64_Ic2clL4Efrvf2KIiEU5xazPMDSirVa7Hu-40npQ/s1600/IMG_4486.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Told ya.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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"Yeah, ok. But don''t you think it would be really loud if it rained?"</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm going to put this on the on-line dating site as a profile pic.</td></tr>
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Side note. I took twenty pictures of myself just to get one I was willing to send as a text message to a guy who has lips like this:</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">He agreed that I was having a good lip gloss day. However, you all are the only people benefiting from any of this. The Meek Moose has been put out to pasture.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span>The Meek Moosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09764671511197083830noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686152140670922968.post-16088619229647921422014-11-30T22:28:00.002-05:002014-11-30T22:31:45.341-05:00Getting my Game On ~ The Meek Moose Rears Her Tired Head<div class="separator" style="clear: both; display: none; text-align: center;">
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As per usual, I get really crappy at maintaining the blog during the school year. But it doesn't mean that I've been hiding under my covers- though some days I wish I were able to... blah.<br />
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So how did everyone's Thanksgiving break go? I ended up with an extra day, as we received about five inches of snow Wednesday morning.<br />
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Ain't it grand? Don't get me wrong, I liked the extra day off. It's just that this Alaskan girl can't get excited about snow. Like- I've done that, ya know? Kids beyond excited though. So, yay, Winter!<br />
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Today, being the thirtieth of November, I am aware that I completely missed doing the November currently. And I will not dare to link up today, I will wait and do the December one when it comes out (in theory- you never know with me) But I did go ahead and fill out November's just so you could see what I'd been up to in the last month:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://ohboy3rdgrade.blogspot.com/2014/11/currently-november.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCVsEn7znTtiZxRkrMqw9NGxHeh6CkPj2d421FhMjn9Bkvmdd0KNXb4UxcrhCbQK3lO7Gz3Lm3iopkzxEoeo2MpiePmKN3QSApLeJIMv_-ueZ88WSTYgPkbyBNB8n7ydU3PyrOYmvyWoY/s1600/currently14nov.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ohboy3rdgrade.blogspot.com/2014/11/currently-november.html" target="_blank">click to go to Farley's post last month</a></td></tr>
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Most of these don't need a lot of further explanation. I will say that as far as the song goes, my favorite part is when Nicki Minaj is rapping B to the A to the N to the G to the "heyyyyyyy". I can do that part super duper dorky, yo!<br />
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I plan to do another post about Code.org this month in honor of The Hour of Code, so I'll just leave it at that for now.<br />
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Career direction. Always a hot topic. Stay in the classroom, become a specialist, change grade levels- you know, all the normal thoughts you start to have after parent teacher conferences when you have that mini-breakdown about the direction your life is headed. Today I hope to pursue a career as a full time gamer playing Sims 4 24/7. Because there's a life I can completely control....<br />
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I got a nasty cold just before my birthday. Nasty enough, in fact, to put me in bed on my birthday, and obnoxiously near death for my entire birthday week. I missed all of the planned celebrations. All of which being two. But for me, that is quite a full social calendar. I recovered enough the following week to go out to eat with two of my best local girls and we had Mexican food and I wore the birthday sombrero. I would not allow the staff to come out and clap and sing for me. That would have been too much. But I hammed it up for the camera enough to make a random man stop and take my picture. What he plans to do with that photo- I don't want to know.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibUxrJYIAGbZ9JUYqRT25xOwouJZ40RNYmkWBMi8nRkbxADolZfFLYTRsWWxSBDOBf1NW_EtT0qBZYDSwu-CbxPI0t-lTzZCBDO4x-V8LbkE9vPfCeJ1tZu27PanJsAgo_kPL14kOsKWI/s1600/ole.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibUxrJYIAGbZ9JUYqRT25xOwouJZ40RNYmkWBMi8nRkbxADolZfFLYTRsWWxSBDOBf1NW_EtT0qBZYDSwu-CbxPI0t-lTzZCBDO4x-V8LbkE9vPfCeJ1tZu27PanJsAgo_kPL14kOsKWI/s1600/ole.png" height="283" width="640" /></a></div>
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Apparently, this thing I am doing is called Duck lips. I THOUGHT I was just puckering up for the camera. Since my lips are so lovely. Ha. But whatevs. I was not intending duck lips. I was intending to show off my true dorkiness in the middle picture though- as I'm sure that is much more like my normal face than the other two. Either way, all three make fantastic profile pictures for my newest experiment and #epicfail of on-line dating.<br />
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I came to the obvious conclusion that one cannot marry an outrageously rich organic strawberry farmer, regardless of how ridiculously adorable one is, by sitting around doing nothing. So I foolishly signed up for this virtual meat market gig.<br />
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Kittens...as socially awkward as I am...as out of practice as I am...as destined to be single for all eternity as I am.... on-line dating does little more than confirm for me the death of the English language in our culture. And how irresitible I am to the AARP crowd. Seriously- old men LOVE me. I get winked at eighty times a day by 65+ guys wearing cowboy hats. And they do not know the difference between womEN and womAN. And I'm sorry if that sounds snobby, but this English major can't handle it. #butI'mnotsorry I will say that I recently received an ice breaker message from someone my age, however it began with "Sup" (no, really, it started with Sup) and ended with "Bitches stay back i have no room for drama" (and the i wasn't capitalized. And this line was preceeded by an announcement that he was passionate for all things science, including <i>vaping</i> and<i> hikking</i>.) So, if you don't mind, I will be hiding under my bed from my phone for the next three decades...<br />
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To distract myself from this travesty, I shall throw myself into my work.<br />
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Did you know there was a TpT cyber sale tomorrow and Tuesday? Of course you did. Here's the ad that's been blasted across your eyeballs as of late:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/The-Meek-Moose" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji0CilqB-2IJ9vpedPfm2Rmpx4ypwqTbDDtF8ZkrTm6gg8GUFyo99Vt2z0hWcQxAnWvWlitsQIPlG1Iu41SpObSSCGA786OvPESPzp-XM8PjWmZlWC0AY9uzO9veiZ9z_tfrPBL4QuybY/s1600/sale_300_300.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">click to go to my store</td></tr>
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I have put the entire store on to the maximum discount for ya'll, and even added in something new- which my children have been LOVING.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Superhero-Smackdown-Dolch-Sight-Word-Game-Super-Bundle-1583666" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4rz6JlQn6OWWLQdwTh6h9PEiiY9y5xbzinrHmH3O2-YXxU9IxyOL6bqKg9R5acLRLXlxLwrCGHU65uGT_Ds_raIEfhn1aQ-6Z71YQCoFcZtUs-jjJkODNk2nOXaKw0JggDm1OHvvrMgw/s1600/superbundlecard.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click to go to the product</td></tr>
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The product description sums it up for you:</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Geneva, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.0030002593994px;">Cute owls and Superheroes?!?! Get outta town!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Geneva, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.0030002593994px;">I have a lot of students this year struggling with sight words. The words on the Dolch lists comprise 80% of everything we read – if I can help my students master these words, then I can concentrate on multi-syllabic decoding, comprehension and other reading strategies. And so can you!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Geneva, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.0030002593994px;">To play this sight word game, students draw a card from a face down pile and read the word aloud to the group. If correct, they keep the card If incorrect, the card goes back into the pile. Bonus cards drawn either entitle the player to draw more cards or lose cards. Bonus cards are not returned to the pile after being drawn. Player with the most cards at the end of the game is the winner.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Geneva, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.0030002593994px;">I have all five sets of Dolch words in separate games, if you want to just zero in on one needy group of students. I have two videos here for you to see my kids playing the Pre-Primer words game with me. I only have a couple of kids with trouble on the pre-primer list, but my class is also 80% ESOL this year- so I added in a variation to the basic game where we practiced making up sentences to go along with the words. You'll see that in the second video. I've found this variation of the game to be excellent practice for oral language skills with my kids.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Geneva, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.0030002593994px;">When the game is over, you can also have your kids write down the words that they "won" and create sentences using them if you'd like to add some extra accountability to the game.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Geneva, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.0030002593994px;">And I reallllly need to work on my positive affirmations, as I say the same thing over and over in the videos. Maybe I'm just nervous when I film. Or just a huge dork. As always, there is at least one kid completely off task in the background. Just keeping it real, yo!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Geneva, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.0030002593994px;">Enjoy the sale, kittens! </span></div>
<br />The Meek Moosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09764671511197083830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686152140670922968.post-30200311567046315112014-10-29T21:00:00.000-04:002014-10-29T21:00:03.068-04:00The Meek Moose Checks Out Tsu - Be Inspired Teaching Strategies Blog Hop and Giveaway<div class="separator" style="clear: both; display: none; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1UCJVEQYj7NZ-mFBDKMV7lfTIbs1PYYDUlRc01CcpmRFQGJhTi6gSLTO9mUqXSGaTLEv80xj-wmaVnC1giwc29SHyFBqimc4YV3WhBcrvLTpxqbaJkMvC0ij3yf0Q6WH9vRYA0iltGRk/s1600/Tower+of+Twenty+Spin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1UCJVEQYj7NZ-mFBDKMV7lfTIbs1PYYDUlRc01CcpmRFQGJhTi6gSLTO9mUqXSGaTLEv80xj-wmaVnC1giwc29SHyFBqimc4YV3WhBcrvLTpxqbaJkMvC0ij3yf0Q6WH9vRYA0iltGRk/s1600/Tower+of+Twenty+Spin.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC0gu0lt_g_v6on0EfO5NyagyypUoeSJCLCThZY7llOzFSxodUkxFASpZcfrVN3MFBX3zyqTOeamH8LukxABwnSvglNzWiIOiku7uyTgHuLvEwfAk8KxEsfwSSk16C1P5qJHSaQ0CA08I/s1600/full+house+horror+movie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC0gu0lt_g_v6on0EfO5NyagyypUoeSJCLCThZY7llOzFSxodUkxFASpZcfrVN3MFBX3zyqTOeamH8LukxABwnSvglNzWiIOiku7uyTgHuLvEwfAk8KxEsfwSSk16C1P5qJHSaQ0CA08I/s1600/full+house+horror+movie.jpg" height="338" width="640" /></a></div>
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Right now- at this very moment, my children are upstairs watching Full House on NickatNite. I confess to not watching this show as a kid, myself. And, perhaps, <i>had I</i>, maybe I would have thought it was the bee's knees. But not anymore. It's over-the-top sappiness chills this Walking-Dead-Binge-Watcher's heart to the core. Blah.<br />
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Even more chilling- there's a new social media venue out there.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzUnTlhkUqPDHT88Okt8QWI-7G4RBZlQfz7sBHdNqj4KdUFm6W_HanZL6U3DHhHKqZ6iPSjsQ4XfKa-QDYl75QNcCMtOOGDhIZThE7wpAlMmh4d5wzGGAeUX_K26CIBdcwRpXs3Smkisc/s1600/Tsu+Expand+Your+Network.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzUnTlhkUqPDHT88Okt8QWI-7G4RBZlQfz7sBHdNqj4KdUFm6W_HanZL6U3DHhHKqZ6iPSjsQ4XfKa-QDYl75QNcCMtOOGDhIZThE7wpAlMmh4d5wzGGAeUX_K26CIBdcwRpXs3Smkisc/s1600/Tsu+Expand+Your+Network.png" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
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I know. Like we <i>needed</i> another one. However! I've decided to try the puppy out. It's like FB, but without the ads. <br />
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If you have not heard about it yet, Tsu is different than others because it lets you create your own network within the Tsu community. I like it because as a page for The Meek Moose on Tsu, I can "be friends" with other teacher's pages and not just a follower. I feel like it has the potential to have a more direct exchange with other teachers, whereas my FB page is sort of limited. I plan on keeping both. It's just another place for me to post inappropriate e-cards and pictures of Beaker from the Muppets.<br />
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<span style="background-color: #fffffe; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 16px; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tsu requires an invite to join- and you're welcome to join through my page, or any of the other pages in this hop. Just use this link: <a href="https://www.blogger.com/goog_854328362"> </a></span><span style="font-family: Roboto;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.tsu.co/themeekmoose">https://www.tsu.co/themeekmoose</a> to sign up. Free, fast, easy peasy.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Roboto;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I'm wondering if my school system has already blocked it? I'm not allowed on Pinterest, or FB from work. And that's probably very smart on their part.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Roboto;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">So far, the only bit I've found hard is finding teacher buddies simply. But, the site does use a hashtag system, and if you look up #teacherfriends you can find all sorts of folks.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Roboto;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">But let's talk about math, shall we?</span></span><br />
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I have been taking a class on Monday nights for teaching number sense in the primary grades. And enjoying it thoroughly, I might add! It's helped me expand my thinking on what sorts of activities my kids should really be practicing, and what can help them bridge the gaps int heir understandings. Also, it helps me <i>see</i> what actually might be happening.</div>
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Here's a quick and easy game to play to help your kids learn some mathematical lingo and also develop that concept of number. All you need is ten connecting cubes per player.</div>
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Awesome, the folks throwing the cubes around in the background, yeah? I'm so awesome at classroom management it hurts.</div>
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I'm using a lazy susan I picked up from a thrift shop as my spinner- and all I did was tape a paper plate I marked with Scentos to it. We've rigged up a stapler with a pipe cleaner to be our arrow.</div>
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We created the sentence stems and have them posted on a dry erase board near our work table. If anyone gets stuck they can refer to them to complete the game.</div>
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The game is ADORED by my kids. They love it that the winner is ultimately by chance. But that doesn't mean that they won't be sore when Lady Luck doesn't go their way...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyPtR2gJMOScjX_iH3NKeHoa3f1Z9dI4Ig0ofC3W-CnxGbo1kmD9pVFIgAuIxcZvWF6pyInFSn6Qdd4_1bMiYn07uG3APUyVcaVcUSlGP8v_SozIR6ldp_47HUBPs18Z99jLqbat2_xtQ/s1600/IMG_3515.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyPtR2gJMOScjX_iH3NKeHoa3f1Z9dI4Ig0ofC3W-CnxGbo1kmD9pVFIgAuIxcZvWF6pyInFSn6Qdd4_1bMiYn07uG3APUyVcaVcUSlGP8v_SozIR6ldp_47HUBPs18Z99jLqbat2_xtQ/s1600/IMG_3515.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby Girl lost her cubes!</td></tr>
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I created a quick freebie for everybody- a little game board with the sentence frames so you could play a version of it if you don't have lazy susan's readily available. I'm also going to use this small board to send home with my kids so they can pay at home.</div>
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Tower-of-Twenty-Spin-a-number-sense-game-1524419" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoH-v90z8o32-7adeg8LpbvNPG581qiKmF11dTeOJqV-rbZ5VjTTQiVdqCqnd744tydodiBLZFc4tbQkNBqowOvO6eFAMUMKbm-uMFNCZ3_rHKNtn_DtFDAZ16Pc_UcJ-DgO6YjUSs49Q/s1600/Tower+of+Twenty+Spin.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a><a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Tower-of-Twenty-Spin-a-number-sense-game-1524419" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxmY77Z4TbrVwM52oXU98I1IPqsgBChQHOyE8O1EbCLR_KK1qM1xNNuAm2p6xTO5u9uyPxZV-cvUIuoDSb50N2brIMeue4Q5aLIg5L0TGx51Xz4uYGGTxOU27gPKxI1mWGlFDm8OLgC28/s1600/Tower+of+Twenty+Spin2.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Roboto;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">To go along with the blog hop, our merry bad of Tsu teachers are having a giveaway. Try your luck with the Rafflecopter below!</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNIUKJX6Bywr9LJbAeWL4bOlr7uOw32wzL7anZdrdeZzxnoZwic5HkqAq_Rs7vFJtkTDmLIGXn5qlU9BLLPvpk27ocXWcXihVFZZZsQ5lxmwdBe-HOuliB2AzfxVGmm_NPwQZ8BH55f1g/s1600/TSU+Prize+Pack.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNIUKJX6Bywr9LJbAeWL4bOlr7uOw32wzL7anZdrdeZzxnoZwic5HkqAq_Rs7vFJtkTDmLIGXn5qlU9BLLPvpk27ocXWcXihVFZZZsQ5lxmwdBe-HOuliB2AzfxVGmm_NPwQZ8BH55f1g/s1600/TSU+Prize+Pack.png" height="608" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/06707e8c5/" id="rc-06707e8c5" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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<a href="http://new.inlinkz.com/luwpview.php?id=461148" rel="nofollow" title="click to view in an external page.">An InLinkz Link-up</a></div>
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<!-- end InLinkz script -->The Meek Moosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09764671511197083830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686152140670922968.post-53722584526253011492014-10-16T22:17:00.000-04:002014-10-16T22:17:13.640-04:00Fall Fun with the Virginia Teacher Bloggers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE5NxGh2sInekUcH0TLIqSBszyoxJz4vDNHSfAdShLPvVaPoG0En9BImXL-PSe7s5RBHQITUdAUuVBrEltUk1vaJdvyYQuujz7bypV0cAWn8V7KBqM89y3hMAPjFqq6-GsDseZjVeRirI/s1600/Slide1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE5NxGh2sInekUcH0TLIqSBszyoxJz4vDNHSfAdShLPvVaPoG0En9BImXL-PSe7s5RBHQITUdAUuVBrEltUk1vaJdvyYQuujz7bypV0cAWn8V7KBqM89y3hMAPjFqq6-GsDseZjVeRirI/s1600/Slide1.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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Got together again with my Virginia girls for a freebie blog hop! <br />
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One thing I have liked about blogging is meeting different people. It's especially nice to meet people close by that you can connect with in person as well. I'm glad I found my group of VA folks who like to chat and support each other in our teaching adventures.<br />
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Growing up in Alaska- can't say I experienced much of "fall". It generally snows well and good by the first of October.<br />
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<a href="http://www.drroyspencer.com/2014/10/winter-arrives-early-in-alaska-snow-for-all-canadian-provinces/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGO-he1S3_vPudZnaCv2_vY6Px7yghmMAQm8UBXx-bUYPl-3YaQLgbjMyOiPdD-5xNUIGOM_n7AwxQ3D_56Fjss_CItSegzvsbRA2tj3kioyj1FtdsIzFcjsk67OnKyUJseLTbsJktQjQ/s1600/AKsnow.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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Ain't that sweet?<br />
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bllllllpppppphhhhhttttt! I've been enjoying the 70ish temps this week. Regardless of the rain. And I do like the colors. Allergic to it all of course, stuffed up more than the soon to be Thanksgiving turkey- but I still like it.<br />
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Even in October, we're introducing new routines in second grade. Today in Math I just added in a station for starting to count coins. We've got to get up to two bucks in change by the end of the year, so I'm starting us off with hitting the twenty-five cents mark in the next two weeks. Today was just about pennies. <br />
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I've been taking a graduate class in teaching number sense on Monday's, and learning a lot about concept of number and counting and the hierarchy of math development. Pair this with giving some AMC assessments and discovering a group of kids who can only conceptualize up through the number 6- and I'm thinking "How do I fix this?"<br />
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Today I made up a quick twenty-five frame set, printed it on card stock and slipped it in a sheet protector for the kids. We rolled the die, added on the pennies, and talked about how much we had.<br />
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Level One I called it- told them today only pennies. Next week- we add in nickels for level TWO. OOOOOO! They all said. Level twoooooooo!! #teacherninja<br />
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Sounds too simple, eh? Twenty-five pennies. Try it. Go watch how many of them try to count them by ones. even after they have told you that one filled in row is always five. And that the whole rectangle is one ten. Out comes their finger. Poke poke poke. Or they know I'm looking and they try to count with their nose. This is when I have to cover up a bit with my hand and remind them - "Wait! How many is in just one row?" Then we try to work on "and add two more".<br />
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Overall, I was pleased with the work we did today. I found out a lot. Some kids surprised me with how well they did. Others baffled me that they struggled. Some did exactly what I expected them to do, but after working with them a few miutes, tried on some heavier strategies for adding on.<br />
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So I came home tonight and decided to spiffy up my twenty-five frame board and give it out as a freebie. LUCKY YOU!<br />
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I'm reprinting this new one on card stock and then slipping it in the sheet protector sleeve for my kids tomorrow. The sheet protector is my go to when I don't have time to wait in line at the laminator. I'm super lazy that way, I know. But, it does have the added bonus of being able to be put in a handy-dandy binder when I'm all done though.<br />
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Here's some video of me chatting up some kids playing the game today. And, yes, super awesome that the kids at the table just behind are completely NOT doing what they are supposed to be doing. Sheesh. Oh, well. Photographic evidence now. I can just follow them to every station tomorrow....<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/M6Cxm5-UDJM?list=UUr3GhtPtrjMpOv4_CZ2NUYw" width="640"></iframe></center>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/PLr6awaP-JI?list=UUr3GhtPtrjMpOv4_CZ2NUYw" width="640"></iframe></center>
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Click the picture to go get the<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Roll-25cents-Number-Sense-Game-1503178" target="_blank"> free download</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Roll-25cents-Number-Sense-Game-1503178" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4f3vVXk5blTNBu_RCkQ36ebLFJMEhtVB-PJdaPCBjTVh0rjDzaHUJtvPyU8DeV7Vud_kJ3oVpJvpeg_GPmypfOBG6B3Y43ky7gAZF6pkiuGP5mC7dF_ScJGJVLqjPTB4a1Igurjyap1A/s1600/roll_25_+freebie_pic.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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Next stop is the <a href="http://learningisforsuperstars.blogspot.com/2014/10/getting-festive-for-fall-with-virginia.html" target="_blank">Fantastic Sarah over at Learning is for Superstars!</a></div>
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<a href="http://learningisforsuperstars.blogspot.com/2014/10/getting-festive-for-fall-with-virginia.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-oZ19PZPl7t3ik6JDA3bkYbHCLuwO-K0vnK9pryvwa_ayjh7IX-ir5Lhu6Hwup-OFIunIQSE9YlRlZs4pQNwNcIDONhDt-FHKnzDGuP2X49wakxH8VzA9ogYA1v6wlmADcfMO2fJaqxA/s1600/Next+Stop.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />The Meek Moosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09764671511197083830noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686152140670922968.post-42348527954376419762014-10-05T17:07:00.000-04:002014-10-05T20:43:47.659-04:00The Math in the Things I Don't Like to Talk About<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU3RdHh3lTT48HmsgK7DbV8ifun49KgSzP-D0JjMTYbAtbjDpfP2-PqMCmtlWbiRN9H0hXufn2ZVjLcwTFf4BrDYW2w6ZvnQ2S15iWb6GPjSwa-vhOtmlSV_qGdw3P_JpgHDFss82qQ6A/s1600/Xena.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU3RdHh3lTT48HmsgK7DbV8ifun49KgSzP-D0JjMTYbAtbjDpfP2-PqMCmtlWbiRN9H0hXufn2ZVjLcwTFf4BrDYW2w6ZvnQ2S15iWb6GPjSwa-vhOtmlSV_qGdw3P_JpgHDFss82qQ6A/s1600/Xena.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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That will most likely be the only thing funny about this post. And it's basically because any time I get ready to talk about anything serious, in my head I hear the words "On a very special, Xena: Warrior Princess". I tend to handle things that make me uncomfortable with humor. But in the end- some things aren't funny.<br />
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I've been Sunday Scooping for the past few weeks- but I had told myself I was going to do a Math is Real Life post. And I should do that before I scoop. And I don't want to lump all of this together in one big post, because it needs to be on its own.<br />
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<a href="http://www.missmathdork.com/2014/10/math-is-real-life-october-2014-edition-woodworking.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFrXuoNet2NigEOvqmIb-txpkYqiv5kSvRkMr04kAMe7B93d8IB9B9oGIz7MRLtDS071v48WBp3l962q7kGUnsYqA3qEQ3VfH-xjqzE9TE-Mgvq3iTVDgE3UTa6ZA2kCA5ZbXGryt8nz4/s1600/math+is+real+life.png" /></a></div>
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You ever have those dreams where your all teeth fall out? Or you've got, like, old gum stuck in them and you keep trying to pull it out and it just keeps coming out in long never breaking strings? Even if you haven't- it's a thing. Apparently, according to dream psychology, it means you have something to say but you aren't saying it. Surprising, I know, but there are some things I don't say out loud. Often. <br />
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This past Tuesday my chickens died. I went out in the morning to check on them and found them dead. Killed by a cat or something during the night. I'd say my reaction was intense. My parents worried a bit that I might have been having "an episode". But I wasn't. It was just a moment of terrible despair. I had a lot of emotions wrapped up in those two girls. I buried them yesterday. My dad helped quite a bit, and now they have a very lovely spot in the back yard. I won't be getting any new chickens any time soon. I suppose I will try to hatch some eggs with my class again next May, but we'll see.<br />
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Statistically speaking, <a href="http://www.griefspeaks.com/id113.html" target="_blank">Grief happens to everyone.</a> People work through the stages in different ways and at various rates - all depending on the situation and background of the individual affected.<br />
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In the following two infographics, you can see how children experience grief slightly differently than adults:<br />
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<a href="http://blog.passare.com/2014/05/16/understanding-stages-adult-grief-infographic/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlGZpP7HlCy0MIwZRi_1ayqWpnJeMjIBkgwNxdfyjMTVQBjacOJsWHsztTQ_gkB1B9VAjoXaSXw1rDGW0ZLpTGsYz76lzoQ4VnMQWadO0-6f7yxEOLchVjpzB5E4lNFZ56LLPYeljCdD4/s1600/adult_grief.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://blog.passare.com/2014/01/10/stages-of-grief-in-children-infographic/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSUgQU7LOGLmsNmYo2CIJtG2ILpEtLLeDciMxOJn0zZHFHqaKKb_bI65vFf9Fc7CQVX3E5rYw0QAyKPFlZvKDxP72amFVy0nuGxbpCGDoEzSqqrTzfwbHajDCAUaYI29X-mL7Qdrga2HM/s1600/child_grief.jpg" /></a></div>
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Now, I am not saying that the death of my chickens is comparable to huge moments of life crisis. But grief is wrapped up into the things I don't talk about much.<br />
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The first being autism. <br />
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My oldest son has "moderately severe" autism. He is not in public education, but goes to a private school. He will never be a candidate for mainstreaming. Thus far, he is not capable of learning a trade skill either. So the reality of my situation is that I can choose to place him a residential home, or he will live with me the rest of his life. I'm not someone who is comfortable with a residential program.<br />
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And why would that have anything to do with grief? <br />
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Honestly, because the day they diagnosed him when he was three - the son I thought I had, died. I had already imagined his whole life by then. I had decided what he'd look like riding a bike, and playing sports, and getting his first car, and dressing up for Senior Prom. The ideas of going to college and meeting a woman and getting married and having children of his own- all gone. I can remember being in his bedroom watching him sleep that night that they decided. Just watching him sleep. Not really realizing it yet, the inevitability of it all, but sensing a great loss.<br />
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There was, of course, a period of time where not only I remained hopeful- but also received tons of encouragement from friends, family, and church people on how my son would be healed by God. Either by miracle or scientific discovery, my son would be "free from autism" by the time he was out of elementary school (note: he's in his last year of middle school now). I can remember doing two different 40 day prayer fastings for parents of children of autism. I can remember a few different church speakers known supposedly for great healings praying over him. I can remember being told that perhaps I wasn't faithful enough. I can remember being told that God would never help a woman like me. I haven't taken him to church for years. And I can't say I much care for going anymore myself.<br />
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And not because I feel like I was not faithful enough. Or that God wouldn't help a woman like me. I don't have an issue with God at all. I have an issue with people that pretend God speaks to them.<br />
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The math of autism:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://blog.birdhousehq.com/post/48774285926/autism-infographic-what-we-know-today" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Tckgw5z8lKhUDud2ZEH-aqdzh8tSLB5zWxYYKwDbKMvJol4dc3RnOklyHJQHheXM1cqg6aWknzn8g0C9gXIYo9jWiYpb6a3qRHEsgh5WHlzz0enookBnXXF2sSU_NwAz2SSjQISLUvw/s1600/autism1.jpg" height="640" width="373" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click to go to website and better view of infographic</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.infographicsarchive.com/health-and-safety/infographic-the-numbers-behind-the-autism-tsunami/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+InfographicsArchive+(Infographics+Archive)" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqQPrTni4zQdjyk2_yN44PK2IgJcDd5WeAGY76nGPwkAlkOpp91zYxi8VLvfNXjMyebTnu6sUwdau42w7T__KNsOoh9S9tuv4Vh-QBtvQcmFLwi2RbR2GuRiCsO8xu8Rq33xP9rVb1WhU/s1600/autism2.jpg" /></a></div>
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I don't talk about it because people make this weird face if I do. A mixed face of feeling bad, but happy it's not them, and not even knowing what to say. And actually- no one has to say anything. I'd be glad if it wasn't me either. I've actually found myself jealous of women whose children "only" have Asperger's. But it's all perspective- because they're going through something too.<br />
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My second source of grief being wrapped up around my youngest son's father. <br />
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The relationship was abusive. For the last five years up until this past May. And I have struggled quite a lot in the grief aspect of the failure of that relationship - because I had wanted it to have been the real magical thing I thought it was in the beginning. And I have a lot of anger at myself for being stupid and letting myself stay in that situation. But that's because I never understood the math of abusive relationships myself.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdaY-qzczbNWJzlcTJw2jSvRV3VtynAnPfbxW7p9GvQii4yJ0yH_tNi7u-S2Gg6OgkcEuN2GmQIize9dQyR7Ek7dzmFkPAD2foPLNOk6-MvSzmSiUHpYJ10A_HilOWXj_jAJMgxSa-_M4/s1600/domestic.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdaY-qzczbNWJzlcTJw2jSvRV3VtynAnPfbxW7p9GvQii4yJ0yH_tNi7u-S2Gg6OgkcEuN2GmQIize9dQyR7Ek7dzmFkPAD2foPLNOk6-MvSzmSiUHpYJ10A_HilOWXj_jAJMgxSa-_M4/s1600/domestic.JPG" height="382" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://domesticabuseanddomesticviolence.com/infographics/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2JIkA6L8mIVhZyWKaB_pXH5dAVl6YiJwE8iM6X3FTzwTPFv-G1aYLDtctH67PU9K9W8Mc9Ho8ecEEGDKPtThP5VIKOn3opQzpN-n0jIdzhXi9CYVS0l-8uO83G0SNBqoS9TmNy9YaPQs/s1600/domestic2.jpg" height="388" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Every single one.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://domesticabuseanddomesticviolence.com/infographics/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrXzU-NeEv6e8Zy-GHQKwnunba9YhJ2ecDPm2E3qBiYxciWfE2Gr0CP_AejyvsYOVFIGXnQbN2RYB81CGgYTeylDlj2tarHRxVTf7Hufb-wOdQqQolkoIrayiKzGDc8-he745d8youmkQ/s1600/domestic3.jpg" height="388" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">#1, #3, #4, #5, #7, #10</td></tr>
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This occurred in my thirties- but they say that teenagers in high school and the college years are going through this right now and their parents don't even realize. Their parents think everything is fine. It's worth educating yourself about if you have any contact with teens.<br />
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And the math behind why I finally got out:<br />
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<a href="http://www.wcswr.org/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBlylT4Ut0ril2alPhXm85FSqfS0dHNGL2J1Q3402ufupJ6cC-JZbD4FYATyZXIn1OzR-Q9x4t5FeVdFIlE5MKRvVVgxDiZqoZalsCBFAICZMC_eq-fcncKCDaG-V3Ik_y0vkm9_4w9rE/s1600/domestic4.jpg" height="640" width="433" /></a></div>
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Some folks think it's terrible that I don't want my son to ever see his father again. And I agree that it's an ugly thing to do. It causes me a lot of turmoil to have made the decision. But in the end, I love my son too much. I don't ever want him to change because of being exposed to domestic violence.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb6e9hdopQXKW1KK8ylZ0jesI7oXi3SaBHTcxok5zWfKefZJmEo1UKr8daHqqTw1atyplnc7ElrbDUyBSZptdwe6RQitgAZfMoFR3TYYgbWAKMxrXCbVYpGMdnOV4zuMVQ7QRB6B_qIu4/s1600/domestic5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb6e9hdopQXKW1KK8ylZ0jesI7oXi3SaBHTcxok5zWfKefZJmEo1UKr8daHqqTw1atyplnc7ElrbDUyBSZptdwe6RQitgAZfMoFR3TYYgbWAKMxrXCbVYpGMdnOV4zuMVQ7QRB6B_qIu4/s1600/domestic5.JPG" /></a></div>
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I'm willing to be ugly to save my son from this.<br />
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Yesterday, when I buried my chickens, I realized that in five months, I received more love from Peep and Ruby than I had in five years from this man that I lamented the loss of. And why was I going to cry myself to sleep over someone who can't hold a candle to a chicken? So, at the moment, I'm feeling peaceful. Not over it, mind you. I still have PTSD because of the relationship and will deal with that for some time- but I don't feel like I need to cry.<br />
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And why talk about any of this anyway? Why even open my mouth since I haven't much wanted to? I'm tired of being a prisoner, I guess. And I also believe I'm not the only one. Teachers tend to have a nurturing personality. We take on fixer-uppers. We have a belief that we can help and change someone through the power of love. So I think, yeah, there are other women out there still holding on to tomorrow- believing that he'll change, he'll see the light. Like a child who finally makes progress in reading. But it's not like that. And it's not going to be like that. And you're killing yourself waiting on tomorrow. And you don't have to wait. You could start healing and living today.<br />
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Teachers who aren't experiencing this- your students might be. And it's worth researching so you can identify signs.<br />
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I didn't write this post at all for comments. If you'd like to leave one, that is fine. If you'd like to send me an email, that's fine too. But I don't need an "I'm so sorry." Really, I don't. Even though I appreciate the love and encouragement I get from so many different people. I wrote this because I needed to. Maybe I'll be able to keep my teeth in my dreams for awhile. And because I think there is someone who needed to read it. And I hope it helped, whoever you might be.The Meek Moosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09764671511197083830noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686152140670922968.post-51955416672195966492014-10-03T21:13:00.002-04:002014-10-03T21:13:15.315-04:00The Meek Moose Blogs Twice in One Week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; display: none; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBpZ6l2XiNsNv3WT2LH9qq7OXj9z5BpgIIpCbmPIwao6fGUQbvSMaRCAZFMRWdmT-98PNGl4NHPBZ8nJBndoCWTQa-FkCfa-QljJBmu6mYAQEA6zj6VgNVi6dWmA07is1OokSlYsW7svc/s1600/zombieblogger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBpZ6l2XiNsNv3WT2LH9qq7OXj9z5BpgIIpCbmPIwao6fGUQbvSMaRCAZFMRWdmT-98PNGl4NHPBZ8nJBndoCWTQa-FkCfa-QljJBmu6mYAQEA6zj6VgNVi6dWmA07is1OokSlYsW7svc/s1600/zombieblogger.jpg" /></a></div>
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Stop the presses! And I even plan on blogging again tomorrow. AND Sunday. So whooooooooot.<br />
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Whatever dragged me from my den of exhaustion? A linky, obviously. <a href="http://ohboy3rdgrade.blogspot.com/2014/10/october-currently.html" target="_blank">Farley's Currently</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://ohboy3rdgrade.blogspot.com/2014/10/october-currently.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjX7QT_qBdFdoaNeFvUiZlfl4B9hHSkx6FAXImTEN2R6nDdGmCjYcHMfgKfWNJIELwuhyphenhyphenGVX1Fo_wEt9D2GCJUcCN1RiZem63zYFl1O8G7X-eQeJ9xCdkBawxZ29-aLc2tP2OpRJGyS5w/s1600/currently.png" height="316" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Listening</span><br />
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As I worked on my laptop finishing up my interims, I decided to put on something I was so familiar with I wouldn't need to look up constantly to see what was happening. I LOVE Chuck. I do. And I've watched them all, a million times. My mother, on the other hand, has never seen an episode. Also, you should know that she is the ultimate tv show viewer, in that she has the keenest suspension of disbelief of anyone I've eve known. When she watches a show, she is IN THE SHOW. Her fists sometimes come up during fight scenes and she'll punch a little bit while saying "You get 'em buddy!" Sometimes, I find this the most irritating thing in the world. Until I realize I can video tape her expression and post it on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr3GhtPtrjMpOv4_CZ2NUYw" target="_blank">Youtube</a>. Mark this intensity!!! She's not sure if Chuck will make it out of the Bamboo Dragon restaurant alive!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Loving</span><br />
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Nothing says "I am ready to do absolutely nothing this weekend!" like coming home to put on a pair of elastic waist pants. That is all I have to say about that.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0NLdgr4AHnrsU5R3qAMmZBBJLuIgrNfTKK-J0fhAvZ1sriOhatViAmtP4ep8-GVuk72HxfzL6XwJepaClm8whzD87cCNqIqL-Hx9f061FWs4OhraqqbJBgIwNn_wNnioCfwEDFrFVPxs/s1600/pants.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0NLdgr4AHnrsU5R3qAMmZBBJLuIgrNfTKK-J0fhAvZ1sriOhatViAmtP4ep8-GVuk72HxfzL6XwJepaClm8whzD87cCNqIqL-Hx9f061FWs4OhraqqbJBgIwNn_wNnioCfwEDFrFVPxs/s1600/pants.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Thinking</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"> Wanting</span></div>
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See what I did there? #punny</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"> Needing</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjisvTvPUe2XkWgJofxvG3iYEmuxGKD2guE3jaNnpyIbDfpFs7elJWJGqV86DMxQUEgzjzFDEMW09mMqketQrpAV6ZXaHjdwTLICs02EkLNc-FG3907Qo3yVEvgx43U2khpBtSgVKayDVs/s1600/clarity.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjisvTvPUe2XkWgJofxvG3iYEmuxGKD2guE3jaNnpyIbDfpFs7elJWJGqV86DMxQUEgzjzFDEMW09mMqketQrpAV6ZXaHjdwTLICs02EkLNc-FG3907Qo3yVEvgx43U2khpBtSgVKayDVs/s1600/clarity.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
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I'm assuming that the clarity is near the bottom...</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Trick or Treat</span></div>
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I'm going with Trick. I apologize for the out-of-focus, but my camera man is seven, and still in training. Still though- you'll get the idea.</div>
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Whenever I've given a number line to kids to use as a tool to help them solve math problems- they always end up counting the number they start with as part of the equation, and end up being off in their answer by one. So I ran across this <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/themeekmoose/" target="_blank">pin</a> on having a life size number line:</div>
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<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/531424824753262613/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnfVHXGo09bjef0Tlw3uEH03F16TBykReD8wUgjcC_0OLymsqyQK1TA-zUxxqNEcc1bnCBBMTGV2zs7aI4nRi3NEsgy1VVdURk137wBvmPleddcvo9Df2eRtUZ57RDqcCkFB13ETlL9Bc/s1600/line.JPG" height="320" width="181" /></a></div>
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And decided to make one with painter's tape on my tile floor.</div>
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My kids now have this muscle memory of standing on the starting number and not counting until they move away from it. So when we started using paper ones, they remembered. It also ended up being a great way to talk about equality and non-equality using the vocabulary true or not true. No matter what the kids suggest, we test it, and decide if it was true or not true. Then the child who made an error walks to the correct number, and everyone can make an inequality statement, while the child who made the mistake doesn't feel bad about it. We didn't say "WRONG!" and erase it, just made the inequality sign.</div>
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They use this as one of their math workshop rotations and take turns making up equations and walking them out. After they do the subtraction problem, they chose someone else's equation and guess at the opposing addition family fact and test their theory. That has also helped kids learn to get the numbers in the correct places; since they've tested out their ideas before deciding on a final answer.</div>
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It is amazingly easy to do, and the kids enjoy it. Let me know if you give it a try and get more insight!</div>
The Meek Moosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09764671511197083830noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686152140670922968.post-6552427372567545562014-09-28T12:01:00.001-04:002014-09-28T12:01:17.432-04:00The Meek Moose is an Unmotivated Blob<div class="separator" style="clear: both; display: none; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTCnVfh6EOFCfPnxM8X3kne_IiX2VpkcetOWmKiPiKGdhB5MopjttAcLCLomJ830fckI5f6UjDhjM5lsSjJZJItBiqj75VsNuQcTQhMw5P5VoTSahCPl6JdAjEM36b_inBu1Pn26riy0Y/s1600/sloth.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTCnVfh6EOFCfPnxM8X3kne_IiX2VpkcetOWmKiPiKGdhB5MopjttAcLCLomJ830fckI5f6UjDhjM5lsSjJZJItBiqj75VsNuQcTQhMw5P5VoTSahCPl6JdAjEM36b_inBu1Pn26riy0Y/s1600/sloth.JPG" height="214" width="320" /></a></div>
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I do actually have plans to blog more than once a week. Seriously, I do. I'm just crap at it. At least the Sunday Scoop keeps me current. Although- I could probably easily rewrite the same things every week. Because I'm also crap at getting anything I put on a list done. I have the efficiency of a sloth dead in a tree. But even that might be too efficient. It is, after all, decomposing at a steady rate. I wouldn't say that I'm doing anything even near that level of efficiency. Unless you count gaining weight.<br />
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BUT- I did start four different drafts of blog posts- so hopefully that will help me get it done. For now though, let's scoop it.<br />
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<a href="http://teachingtrio.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-sunday-scoop-is-based-on-popular-3.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJdSVHdqC4qUmncUGmHcnhsXwP9u6jZqQGhi46nihGKKbU5pZDyZbogRiivNONy4ozCjKzvmRcLwNYAf7K3YIDctc-t2fKKPEm7Ru2TY7o2HzoWGx0XoYbg7g2Wf9CFqR05gnem7_m-s4/s1600/Sunday+Scoop+Button.JPG" height="200" width="197" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://teachingtrio.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-sunday-scoop-is-based-on-popular-3.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY2ov2eHV95lX1XdDW67QzaPElquhsdhAXBHReAGAF7YTmVlxDkp-XXvq5QobR_zTOpxg-RJV1KbyveDFhcVizIz_0FyX_qEohcJdUIiarxbBdgTVHyXeoxaV-lkQ1pWDAenfDvnS3PzE/s1600/Sunday+Scoop_3.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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Things I HAVE to do:</div>
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1) If I don't take my daughter shopping today, I do truly believe she will stab me with her fork at dinner. She has decided that she needs something. Something I'm not allowed to say because Dear God, if a person from North Dakota read it and somehow told someone else and it would certainly get all the way back to here to where we are Eighteen Kabillion states away. So I won't say exactly what it is. But I will say she does not need it. And I doubt that she will need it any time soon. She is not following in the footsteps of her mother in this, seeing as she's a waif. But whatever. I'll go buy her one. She can learn early how annoying they are.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3B9y0T_L9ZXr5pa5u-TIpwSJemrz_0FVvHlx-d0gn4ul191QtJYbiNPmMrJltisgUzzX3IDk-LOlJ32u6ZYboaPDfTkZBJdyrMkJFQqfoE2cJqB-ws6iEbP6wYv8itJiB_0LCzpl2Duk/s1600/milkshake.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3B9y0T_L9ZXr5pa5u-TIpwSJemrz_0FVvHlx-d0gn4ul191QtJYbiNPmMrJltisgUzzX3IDk-LOlJ32u6ZYboaPDfTkZBJdyrMkJFQqfoE2cJqB-ws6iEbP6wYv8itJiB_0LCzpl2Duk/s1600/milkshake.JPG" height="320" width="206" /></a></div>
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2) I'm taking a grad class in Teaching Numeracy in K - 2. It's actually a great class, but I am a sloth, remember- and I don't really do my homework like I should. So I'm actually going to try to do it tonight instead of tomorrow on the way to class. Like I normally do. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNzu420-Pwd81ceuMCSymxBSp_IhvDt7ZXj0Q-nzaLtbyCos2OOzBSZm23FLVWc5yUxZ9hwx9oFcH43jIRAcQZ7ycYdgvULJwEq0Yeluya1S5U6vu_FRbXTFm7VuDftA9nJsonAjzZJDc/s1600/numbersense.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNzu420-Pwd81ceuMCSymxBSp_IhvDt7ZXj0Q-nzaLtbyCos2OOzBSZm23FLVWc5yUxZ9hwx9oFcH43jIRAcQZ7ycYdgvULJwEq0Yeluya1S5U6vu_FRbXTFm7VuDftA9nJsonAjzZJDc/s1600/numbersense.JPG" /></a></div>
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3) If I don't do laundry, I'll be wearing a bathing suit as underwear tomorrow. And I sincerely doubt I'd fit in it anyway. So here we go high efficiency Tide - let's knock this out. Or, at least, do one load. I don't want to be an over achiever or anything. I miss my sister. She was really, really excellent at keeping the laundry going. One day if I can afford a housekeeper, I can only hope she can keep up with the laundry as well as Traci did.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7RIW9GN4jamqofxOFYS3y7YfphtMk5IQqlwbmaFlzsHBC64suSe8LU_VVaiUVcgcGhD2IcAEtCuCNYMc7d9s0YKEm6bMLNKERUqIjJAKnQtqJ3hBCuLiQtBymWwUV7E0fTOdIHRQzgNs/s1600/laundry.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7RIW9GN4jamqofxOFYS3y7YfphtMk5IQqlwbmaFlzsHBC64suSe8LU_VVaiUVcgcGhD2IcAEtCuCNYMc7d9s0YKEm6bMLNKERUqIjJAKnQtqJ3hBCuLiQtBymWwUV7E0fTOdIHRQzgNs/s1600/laundry.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Thing I HOPE to do:</div>
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1) I went all slacky-mcslack-slack on my <a href="http://100daysproject.co.nz/project/2014/1981" target="_blank">100 Days Project</a> of water coloring birds. And I would actually like to make an attempt to finish it. i think I might have one week left. So we'll see.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQbVu_B_HNRXAVfGFr3ReHIDoNOu5d98rdA3gOVLOTDjGWVgzE6CmxsWLrfQO2l-g9Y4JetU7VSDO7qNiFnDBUFuMW3EBmH4Sn1PRWw_D3MM9MhQ0oO_7Xhy5YOvaExX2vFHL1UV-Ao4/s1600/IMG_3151.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQbVu_B_HNRXAVfGFr3ReHIDoNOu5d98rdA3gOVLOTDjGWVgzE6CmxsWLrfQO2l-g9Y4JetU7VSDO7qNiFnDBUFuMW3EBmH4Sn1PRWw_D3MM9MhQ0oO_7Xhy5YOvaExX2vFHL1UV-Ao4/s1600/IMG_3151.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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2) This morning I found the skiddish Ruby outside of the chicken coop. After ten minutes of chasing her in circles, I finally caught her - sort of - and put her back inside the run. It was actually more like I got my hands underneath her just enough to give her the right amount of panicked LIFT to achieve flight over the fencing. Anyway- I'm hoping to have a sit down with Captain America today and show him this pallet plan I found on-line.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7xR4U2kNFHcefTCVwUvkd4md3XGTKZKEon-RE3X4X_Z91pi4XD_QBjfnL79NAl72a1QCwKi2ODJRUpIjGudtWOomoon0G74cuPu7V0wBvs6KSXPg23iWZkRgv3SvUQI4LLsF56yE8VAE/s1600/coop.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7xR4U2kNFHcefTCVwUvkd4md3XGTKZKEon-RE3X4X_Z91pi4XD_QBjfnL79NAl72a1QCwKi2ODJRUpIjGudtWOomoon0G74cuPu7V0wBvs6KSXPg23iWZkRgv3SvUQI4LLsF56yE8VAE/s1600/coop.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Something I'm HAPPY to do:</div>
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1) I was listening to my regular radio morning show during my commute and they were talking about coffee creamer. So I decided to try some out. Over at "The -Mart" I discovered a bottle of Southern Butter Pecan. It told me right on the label that it would taste like Pecan Pie. SOLD!!! And yes. Yes it does. So, my coffee is now even more ridiculous than it was with milk and finely ground sugar, annnnnnnnd I ended up using it in my oatmeal instead of regular milk and I will NEVER go back. Until I'm 400 pounds, and maybe I'll stop to think, "Ya know, maybe that coffee creamer in the oatmeal was not the best idea..." But I doubt it. if I get myself to 400 pounds, I think it will be obvious that I don't actually give a shit about that sort of thing. Bring me the truckload of pancakes please.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSGm6n4_EqgKkw8aKDeRtPSjt_W-X0unI0NCQet_E0M3hTT9GKbUupSvrINAXFfuii5Ims24YAdT2ijeouq3c1sjVtm6bxvfpFcWTkxOFUuAbI00aAY-W1ep0e0mUO0UInxCxz-b2uj9E/s1600/creamer.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSGm6n4_EqgKkw8aKDeRtPSjt_W-X0unI0NCQet_E0M3hTT9GKbUupSvrINAXFfuii5Ims24YAdT2ijeouq3c1sjVtm6bxvfpFcWTkxOFUuAbI00aAY-W1ep0e0mUO0UInxCxz-b2uj9E/s1600/creamer.JPG" height="320" width="147" /></a></div>
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And now, to fill out this little tidbit from <a href="http://owlsandlessons.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">my friend Haley at Owls&Lessons, etc</a>: It actaully makes me feel like I sort of wrote lesson plans. Even though I didn't. Never do. Seriously, I suck.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg4utm9vAzz1pjTqG8h_hb88geQWavS5k91tZGkWnYecyJGH_4nE5ZPYw3d2t9gNLV_6OqF_M4UBbJjehp1vTgEMu4LCdKI3eqv4qnnhwnF7LKvjex2btRS8gkRRKJvP0ErWA5Pe1mX9c/s1600/WWL_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg4utm9vAzz1pjTqG8h_hb88geQWavS5k91tZGkWnYecyJGH_4nE5ZPYw3d2t9gNLV_6OqF_M4UBbJjehp1vTgEMu4LCdKI3eqv4qnnhwnF7LKvjex2btRS8gkRRKJvP0ErWA5Pe1mX9c/s1600/WWL_2.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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Pinterest Finds for the Week to help with above:<br />
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Reading: Hoping this really helps make the sequencing concrete.<br />
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<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/531424824750934350/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbT598lYPE2UGzs-BgaEwRRykGhZxxUS1ZqmsBT5_uS33sbqpQwD2D_rEGB8tue4tZHN7GKyIvBiNWHiX3UB2N-COONSwq7iQUFUwmJ7b6ar1lADcs-dRKnHKnceSV3-8SQsDd6KszC24/s1600/retell.JPG" height="320" width="205" /></a></div>
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Science: I bought this last week from <a href="http://www.teaching-with-style.com/" target="_blank">Teaching with Style</a> and it's wonderful! Mucho Awesome, folks! Click to go TpT and get one.<br />
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<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mighty-Magnets-Science-Unit" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyBmYEtO8Wq2QcSQst9zB_dClhCLsGIdz3TwE0pzWW5WMJAW5zNFzaWvarN-1q-OFT-t-QM6-sXTwfk8Ow95u1GBjwFmiww5NU4re68EuB-m-oquXeV8qTFqTP7hvnPwwm05GzYRJnWmM/s1600/magnet.JPG" height="320" width="183" /></a></div>
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Football Sunday, ya'll! I'm sure I'll manage to do nothing I planned.The Meek Moosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09764671511197083830noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686152140670922968.post-32443874484355990662014-09-21T22:10:00.000-04:002014-09-21T22:10:02.684-04:00The Meek Moose is Feeling Scaly.... Sunday ScoopYou're not supposed to touch your face if you can help it. Did you know that? It's like, super germy and makes you sick and what not. Average person does it four times an hour though. And we all know, kittens, that I am never average. Noticed during the football I was watching today that my face is feeling ROUGH. Time to exfoliate for realz.<br />
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But hey- let's make sure I blog at least once a week, yah?<br />
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First up- my friend <a href="http://owlsandlessons.blogspot.com/2014/09/sunday-scoop-9-21.html" target="_blank">Haley from Owls & Lessons Etc</a> has been doing this quick What We're Learning photo for the past couple of weeks- so I filled one out too!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjq_B3dhZxRy5RpgdzWPXQr_yGV4RqolG_Zu6Q3qcmCOesT6GMi0l1iSUdq_OD7BrBmWPTYkFXSQO6TEyCbe6sNnyqvtDD_rSOU2A5QY7_zkhw3IWUFihPiXwXdqYk5YaxRzyz6X_zRr8/s1600/week4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjq_B3dhZxRy5RpgdzWPXQr_yGV4RqolG_Zu6Q3qcmCOesT6GMi0l1iSUdq_OD7BrBmWPTYkFXSQO6TEyCbe6sNnyqvtDD_rSOU2A5QY7_zkhw3IWUFihPiXwXdqYk5YaxRzyz6X_zRr8/s1600/week4.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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It's amazingly quick, and makes me feel sorta like I wrote lesson plans. Even though I didn't. Again. For the second week in a row. #ijustcanteven<br />
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And then there's the <a href="http://teachingtrio.blogspot.com/2014/09/sunday-scoop-92114.html" target="_blank">Sunday Scoop from Teaching Trio</a><br />
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Three -<br />
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Pals testing. Not my favorite. But I'm half way done. This also means that half of my eighteen are on the Primer level. But hey! No where to go but up!<br />
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Ben&Jerry's - Yep. Still an emotional eater. It would be good if I didn't balloon back to where I was last year. It would be best to keep the weight off. But dang if Ben and Jerry's don't know how to make ice cream!<br />
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Exfoliate - as I mentioned earlier- yeah. This is pretty bad. I will polish until my chin shines across the ocean.<br />
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Two -<br />
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Going to bed at a decent hour. Hmmm. 940pm now. Small chance of being in bed by ten. That wouldn't be too bad for a five am wake up call, I suppose. I'm sure I'll push snooze eight times.<br />
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Mice. It's about time to start them in the classroom. We've had great observations with the betta fish and the toad we found this past week, so mice are the natural transition. I am loving the interaction with the animals this year.<br />
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One -<br />
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I listen to <a href="http://www.winc.fm/" target="_blank">a local radio station</a> for my morning commute of an hour and ten minutes. The Morning Show is a nice balance of funny banter and music I can sing along to. And they do a lot of charity work that I find refreshing. Every year they have an auction for home decor pieces, and the morning news guy, Robert Allen makes a hand print turkey. Robert is my local celebrity crush, so this year I decided I must have that turkey! And I got it! As well as being recorded saying that I wanted it since I wasn't bold enough to go for a frame-able restraining order.<br />
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It will be my happy duty to go pay the station for the print and pick it up and make some sort of outlandish shrine to it on my bedroom wall. Usually people have apparently given it back for him to auction off the next year. But not me. Nope. Keeping it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yep - Hand Turkey. It's got a pasta bow tie.</td></tr>
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Have a great week if I don't manage to post again. Blerg. Time is kicking my butt. Math class tomorrow...but at least I have my homework done this week!The Meek Moosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09764671511197083830noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686152140670922968.post-89128250850462864272014-09-14T11:37:00.001-04:002014-09-14T11:49:07.731-04:00The Meek Moose Sings the Song of Procrastination - Sunday Scoopin'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; display: none; text-align: center;">
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First off - I have never ever pretended to not be a procrastinator. I'm not *proud* of the trait, but I recognize the flaw.<br />
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<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/531424824754068951/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfvbnEPZeRWCe8MOSasbRGJzhHWoIIs_GnygqKgQtsZfqtUVFPKk__-lTdpw5W0f7I8xEsqP-atHPCh12E9hryr-0WeMcR4sIpHl0WSfCW_7em5Zc_6t7eVzIharV2NmXHUQCizpH1TCA/s1600/procras.jpg" height="640" width="351" /></a></div>
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I'm claiming all but The Delegator. And The Paincker - to a small degree. I do it sometimes. Delgate, never. Because I'm also a bit of a control freak. #Imokwiththat</div>
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In an attempt to organize my rambles, I'm linking up with <a href="http://teachingtrio.blogspot.com/2014/09/sunday-scoop-91414.html" target="_blank">The Teaching Trio's Sunday Scoop </a>again this week:</div>
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Have to do:<br />
1) Lesson Plans. Just like last week. Which I told myself, and my daughter for that matter, that I would do yesterday. But I didn't. Yesterday I was : The Napper, The Social Sharer, The Internet Researcher, The Snacker, The Gamer, and The Perpetuator. The Perpertuation was brought about through The Social Sharer when <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MeekMoose" target="_blank">Kelly commented on an FB post</a> that she waits until 8pm Sunday. So I figured, why not join her? <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KellysClassroom?fref=nf" target="_blank">Kelly, thou art my muse.</a><br />
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The Gamer was caught up in this app called <a href="http://appadvice.com/review/hiddengem-rules" target="_blank">Rules</a>:<br />
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Nothing makes you angrier or more determined to play for another 8+ hours than not being able to remember that whales come after phones but before green monsters with odd numbers. I highly recommend it to everyone. Please come join me in this seventh ring....</div>
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As far as lesson plans go though- let me be The List Maker - because that's my favorite.</div>
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This week I must teach: </div>
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Addition facts to ten with missing addends + subtraction</div>
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Story Problems with the 4 box plan</div>
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(My kids are also ready to move up to time to the half hour)</div>
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The scientific process with magnets</div>
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Reading Salad, </div>
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Reading Stamina to 12 minutes</div>
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Three ways to read a book, </div>
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accountable student discussion</div>
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word work activities</div>
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Oral storytelling with basic sketch drawings</div>
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Beginning, middle, and end</div>
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PALS testing</div>
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Reading Level Assessments</div>
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And I'm not even sure if that's all. Let's hope though.</div>
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2) The dang playdough. This was on my list last week- and I didn't do it. I really WANT to do it this week though. It will help me accomplish that Word Work Activities bit in the lesson plans. I got a lot of questions about the playdough last week, so I thought I'd elaborate a bit today.</div>
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First of all, The Internet Researcher in me loves Pinterest. It makes me feel like I am actually working even though it's just electronic hoarding. Personal goal to actually do something with my pins this year, so let's see if I can do it.<br />
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I have a <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/themeekmoose/playdough/" target="_blank">playdough recipe board</a> where I collect all sorts of playdough related pins. I am very interested in incorporating sensory activities into my second grade classroom. </div>
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It started with seeing this recipe for <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/531424824750287216/" target="_blank">Eucalyptus cloud dough</a> and <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/531424824752058108/" target="_blank">eucalyptus playdough</a> - my kids get stuffed up a lot. And so do I. </div>
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But I wanted to start the year with <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/531424824752058087/" target="_blank">chamomile</a> and <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/531424824753278993/" target="_blank">lavender playdough</a> for it's calming qualities. </div>
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<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/531424824752058087/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFPi_kbNxyZi-Zb8xXOAZa080LfK_dN4X5lEF62I-90ztDfCHL3v4ifx-_eIqYhJ1Bt0K7Cz-hccJPciI0BRMHls4Sxzg3At4R4LXcKoV7CWq5FU7BeBUsvsMVBJje2bicrTzE29Nml68/s1600/cham.PNG" height="320" width="218" /></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/531424824753278993/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrk4X-upsTjDedxwHkPZ2A_AewLEH0PAkEfYw6p2bQFCmI7o1LWElfHjzNARt2ynbImRrzCrJ4n1PFGn4AE7pcPx0r9PcxZVmzO2Y0oA7tC6N7B4K0dmR5m8F3aKOH2p-pTCTxKNE1rDk/s1600/lav.PNG" /></a></div>
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I am hoping to convert the recipes to this <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/531424824750318682/" target="_blank">softest dough recipe</a>.</div>
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I will do my best to make it today and take pictures/video of the ensuing experience.</div>
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3) Math Class Homework I'm taking a class being offered by my school system for teaching Number Sense to students on the K-2 level. It's going to be awesome. Except for the not getting home until 9pm and having to go to bed right away. And the homework that I will put off reading until the last minute. Other than that- fab! I love our instructors. So it will be good. It's just, they said the words "fifteen more meeting days" on the first class, and that made it sound like a loooonnnnng time. I'll adjust.</div>
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Hope to Do:</div>
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1) Clean my room. Home and at school. I left a mess when I ran for my life Friday afternoon. And well, here, my organizational abilities at school do not translate to the house. So, I've got some work to do. PLUS- it means I get to utilize The Cleaner procrastination style. Yay, me. But I could probably put this off.</div>
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2) Get paid on Monday. As in tomorrow. Seeing as I haven't got a paycheck since June 15, tomorrow would be really exciting. Except I got an email Friday afternoon that they messed up something about my check and I won't be getting the full amount until September 30th. The Meek Moose is feeling a bit irate. And bankrupt. And nervous. And in need of that rich organic strawberry farmer with big hands and nice teeth.</div>
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Happy to Do:</div>
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Pinning my friend Lucy's pins. She must be super excited to see my name 1,000 times from going through every single one of her boards last night. (and I'm not done, Babe) </div>
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Do you guys know Lucy? You should check out <a href="http://heresanideabylucys.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">her blog : Here's an Idea</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Heres-an-idea-by-Lucy-S/247597695434056" target="_blank">her Facebook page</a>, annnnnnnd her <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/heresanidea/" target="_blank">Pinterest Boards</a>. It's where I got the Procrastinator graphic. And one of my favorite snortables from her boards yesterday:</div>
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Happy Sunday, one and all!</div>
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<br />The Meek Moosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09764671511197083830noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686152140670922968.post-16911761812597529582014-09-11T20:54:00.002-04:002014-12-30T09:24:36.597-05:00Is That a Chin Waddle? The Meek Moose Gets a FaceliftHuh? Huh? Huh???? Whatcha think? Am I not beautiful now?<br />
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The new look is thanks to the extremely talented<a href="http://barbaraleyne.com/" target="_blank"> Barbara of Barbara Leyne Designs</a>. Barbara was one of my first regular commenters when I first started blogging in 2012. She was infact, the host of the second ever linky party I ever participated in - Drama Queen. Ahhh, memories. <br />
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Why did I chose Barbara in the first place? <br />
One- I like how in her portfolio every page is different and unique to the blogger. I like unique. <br />
Two - she has lots of watercolory nature stuff going on. I like watercolory nature.<br />
Three - because she was already a regular friend of the blog- I felt like she knew my style<br />
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Having never had my blog designed by anyone before- I did not know what to expect, and I have nothing to compare it to- but I will say this - I got to converse back and forth about the design as much as I wanted. If I suggested something- the change was available for me to see on a test blog within a day. (Usually sooner, and I was the one not checking in quickly enough - I'm not allowed to peek at school. Completely unfair! But yet, I can see where the district is coming from, because I'd totally be looking at it when I shouldn't have been. The Meek Moose is #naughty!)<br />
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Now that it is done- I feel thrilled. I liked playing around with the DIY element of creating my own design- but in the end, I do not have the time to dedicate to really learning it to the level of perfection that my flawed womanish mind desires. Seriously, I could not get my header the right size and the white line was driving me nuts. #ocdmuch? #heyneverbeendiagnosed #justquirky #andadorable! Barbara had this done within a week. maybe two- but I think a week, actually- and a whole two weeks beofre she originally said she'd have time when I made this decision back in July when I got all blog design insecure after a blogger meet up. <a href="http://mrsoknows.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Mrs. O Knows</a>- I'm blaming you! ;)<br />
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Thank you so much Barbara for the beautiful work, and always commenting on my ridiculous posts. When I get around to stalking Tahmoh in the BC area, armed with my stick of butter, I shall be sure to find both you and Sandy before I am escorted back over the border and forbidden to ever re-enter the county. Or incarcerated. I suppose he might not take well to the butter....<br />
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As far as real facelifts go- I think I'd only have something done about my undereye circles and maybe a permanent brow shaping. If such a thing exists. I'm ridiculously over pleased with my nose, and have no wishes to change it.<br />
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And alsooooo - apparently, I am supposed to do fancy things when I have blogiversaries, and a certain number of followers and whatnot- but I have no clue- nor any idea as to what anyone would want me to give away (autographed chicken photos?). So if this is a big deal to you, and you're feeling seriously slighted for me not having some sort of parade (and you REALLY need an autographed chicken picture)- you're going to have to tell me. Otherwise, I might not ever. I'm sort of lazy that way. I do have a birthday in the next couple of months- but it's not a big deal birthday. Next year I can have the whole - "we finally got out of the desert and made it to the promised land" birthday. Sheesh- does this even matter? I told you- lazy.<br />
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I hope you love the new look as much as I, kittens!The Meek Moosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09764671511197083830noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686152140670922968.post-12624522023133894652014-09-07T19:16:00.000-04:002014-09-11T19:00:59.527-04:00The Meek Moose Gives the Sunday Scoop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; display: none; text-align: center;">
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Amazingly- made it through that first week. And I must admit- it was exhausting, but yet so much less tiring than last year. And I did love my babies last year. I did. Bless their hearts though- they had trouble following directions. My new flock this year has it more together. Maybe I say something a third time. Maybe. And I only noticed that on Friday afternoon. And I think I was fried by Friday afternoon, myself- so no big deal.<br />
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<a href="http://teachingtrio.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-sunday-scoop-new-linky.html" target="_blank">The Teaching Trio </a>is having a new Sunday Linky party called The Sunday Scoop- and I thought it was cute! So here is my contribution today:<br />
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So Things I HAVE to do: </div>
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The lesson planning. Which I should have been doing all day, but I got all into making a schedule chart for our ESOL teacher. Trying to figure out how to fit in mandated ESOL hours for four teachers who also have set lunch/recess times and core extension has been no joke. And I still don't think I managed it after eleven hundred charts. I do love making a chart though. Just not when I can't get one to work.</div>
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Here's some magic: blah</div>
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Last year I really slacked at lesson planning and I cannot do that this year. So I've got to get on it and quick!</div>
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The playdough is probably not going to happen though. It's just not. I can get my word work charted though. No problem.</div>
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HOPE to do:</div>
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I want to bring in my fish tomorrow. Time to get some animals in the room and it will fit in nicely with the scientific method lessons I have to do this week.</div>
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HAPPY to do:</div>
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Spending time with the kids. Except when they are all screaming and fighting with each other. And then I'm going to go hide. When they aren't screaming each other- they are up to no good.</div>
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My friend <a href="http://www.readingtowardthestars.com/2014/09/birthday-and-1500-follower-giveaway.html" target="_blank">Andrea at Reading Toward the Stars</a> is having a super blow-out birthday giveaway- The Meek Moose is contributing winner's choice- stroll on over there and play your luck!<br />
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<a href="http://www.readingtowardthestars.com/2014/09/birthday-and-1500-follower-giveaway.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyUfFlcBAgYm0kotzrqG0W2FvwLA68Z2irv9VSPD7U6d8XZpY_tz1zRkYAFSJLBeqKXSORyNtVsTCWg00mCpgEWF6f8aWifW6od5azJRzMVqpJc4IES4htnvLmyJ-U1MMXluIs0gRsZ4w/s1600/giveaway.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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Off to finish lesson planning then, kittens!<br />
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The Meek Moosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09764671511197083830noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686152140670922968.post-54430920308556377942014-09-06T17:03:00.001-04:002014-09-11T19:01:13.426-04:00County Fair Math - The Meek Moose Rides a Mechanical Bull and Other Adventures<div class="separator" style="clear: both; display: none; text-align: center;">
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You know that one part of the Katy Perry "Dark Horse" song where Juicy J is rapping his heart out about how she rode him like a roller coaster and turned her bedroom into a "fur". Yes- it sounds like FUR. But, apparently, he means fair. Which makes more sense than fur. But still. Forcing the rhyme, methinks.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Cherry Cream Soda;">I also think Aloe Blacc sounds like he's saying "lift your spirits, and toasted cheese". Enunciate people. ENUNCIATE.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Cherry Cream Soda;">Love both songs and artists though. No need to throw tomatoes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Cherry Cream Soda;">So anyway- I went to the "fur" before school started. It was awesome! Rode the zipper three times and even the mechanical bull! On the first ride, however, I had to come face to face with math in real life. So let's begin.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click picture to visit the linky at Miss Math Dork!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Cherry Cream Soda;">Now- this County Fair is by no means large. So when I say the roller coaster broke down- I was not a million feet up in the air. I might have been twenty. I don't think I would have died falling off. Just maybe, broken an ankle or something. Still though. Breaking down at the tippy top point just before the "plunge" is not the greatest feeling in the world.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Cherry Cream Soda;">How the engineering of roller coasters actually work- I have no idea. Wouldn't be a bad idea to get the kids to find out for me though- wouldn't it? After I stopped filming- the guy ended up climbing up and pulling the front of the car forward, and momentum took us back to the landing zone. I decided not to try the roller coaster again. I did see them working on it later though. They'd loaded up the cart with four of the largest men I have ever seen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Cherry Cream Soda;">That led me to believe weight has something to do with it. And therefore, it is a complete validation of all the weight I lost. #skinnybitch</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Cherry Cream Soda;">Weight played a big part in the zipper ride as well. You know the zipper, right? Cages of death that spin? Yessssss.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Cherry Cream Soda;">I rode it the first time with my oldest son. He has moderately severe autism. But he loves a good ride. Try as I might, I could not get that cage to spin around. And he would have loved it, had I managed it. All the same, we both cackled the entire ride.</span><br />
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I then forced my ten year old daughter. I said- "Let's have a mother-daughter memory." She screamed that she was going to die, and cried deep scarred childhood trauma tears. It will come up in future therapy sessions when she becomes an adult, I am sure. One of the sentences she kept screaming was how this was not a memory she wanted. And how she was going to die. And how it was all my fault. We spun a bit. Turned out the lighter the load the easier it goes around. I hadn't thought that through... Anyhow, I am always in the running for Mother of the Year. Vote early and often, folks.</div>
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Third time through grabbed my sister. I decided that we wouldn't spin much. However, the ride operator was very impressed that I was going through a third time in a row. He also apparently noticed that there weren't any nervous children on the ride this time. Turns out- when the ride goes three times faster than normal, this compensates for the weight issue and you spin EVEN MORE!!! I am thankful to have not given in to the lure of a fair corndog, and my stomach remained intact. I screamed with delight the whole ride.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Cherry Cream Soda;">Weight is also a big deal over in the livestock barns. All of these animals are on show and are judged in a number of different stats. I saw so many families who had seating arrangements with their animals. It really made me think about how much time is put into this. Not only the time to raise the animals, but the schedules of feeding and caring for, and watching over them at the fair. All in the hopes of getting a ribbon and also making some money during the animal auction phase of the fair.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Cherry Cream Soda;">I'm not sure I could ever do the whole process myself. I'd hate to have spent all that time with an animal and then have to sell it off. I'd cry for sure.</span><br />
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Money, of course, huge issue at the fair. Between paying for armbands for five people, and feeding five people - $140 was laid out. And we didn't even have to pay for parking, because we got there early. Had we been ten minutes later though- the total would have gone UP. Even though I went on an overcast day with intermittent sprinkling showers- plenty of people still turned out for the fair. It wasn't crowded- but that place still made bank.</div>
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Notice that most things are priced at $5. This was noticeable all over the fair. And I know the reason. Everyone only takes cash- and a five is easy to hand over, skip count by, and not have to give change for. Financial <strike>robbers</strike> geniuses, they are. It was dang good food though...</div>
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Games at the fair are all based on force, motion, kinetic and potential energy. It's a smorgus of science going on down at the midway. And also probability and chance. The rest of the kiddie rides - lots of simple machines and magnetic force. It gave me lots to think about. The kids enjoyed it all- and Boyzilla especially, as it was his first time. The only ride he didn't enjoy was the Tilt-a-whirlish one called Dizzy Dragons. Here, you can see the excitement change to "What the holy hell?". My sister knows how to catch a memory on camera.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Cherry Cream Soda;">For those of you that have been following the blog, but not the FB page. Court turned out well. Justice prevailed and will not be changing her mind. Thank you everyone, for your prayers and well wishes. All is well in the world.</span><br />
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I leave you with the much anticipated mechanical bull ride. If I win the lottery ever, I think I will buy one so I can practice. Yeehaw!</div>
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The Meek Moosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09764671511197083830noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686152140670922968.post-41894085845393565912014-09-02T23:09:00.000-04:002014-09-11T19:02:38.456-04:00Sweaty September - The Meek Moose "Currently" Needs To Buy Stock in Deodorant<div class="separator" style="clear: both; display: none; text-align: center;">
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Today was the first day back with the kids. The air conditioning busted around noon. Summer decided to appear in Virginia, seeing as it's been 75 to 85 for three months, I was not prepared for a 90+ degree day with humidity. Not that I would have been prepared for that any other day during the last three months. The Meek Moose is strictly a 75 degrees with a whispering breeze sort of gal. I am a lover of a light cardigan, I must say...<br />
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So anyway- I KNEW that yesterday was the first. And I KNEW that it was time for the currently. It's just that I had lesson plans to write and a sub binder to create because I have to be out the second day of school. Which I have been telling everyone who will listen because I feel like I need the sympathy. The Meek Moose is feeling needy. Which explains why the package of cookie dough Oreos is nearly gone. For those of you new to this magical mystery ride, I am totally an emotional eater. And also a lover of food. So the two really work together quite nicely.<br />
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Listening to - yeah baby! I am all about that bass, about that bass, no treble! It's like the fifties, sixties, bouffant hair, Sally Field as Gigi, I Like Big Butts and I Cannot Lie sort of smorgasboard. Plus, it's not a break up song, or I'm falling in love song so I don't have to start weeping halfway through listening. It's a GEM I tell you.</div>
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Loving - saw these strategically located near the checkout at the local Walmart. Clearly, they knew I was coming and planned ahead. In general, not a huge Oreo fan. Sorry, Nabisco. I'm not sure what it is about the flavor of the dark chocolate cookie part of your normal deal that I have trouble with. I am willing to eat my weight in the creamy inside filling though. However- you have stolen my "all about that bass" heart with this new coupling of cookie dough and cookie. Of course, the package says limited edition. So, just as I do every year when the pumpkin cheesecake Ben and Jerry's goes out of season- for this too, I shall weep.</div>
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Thinking - about too much, which is the norm for me. Truly, I do hate sub plans. I think it's because I get aggravated at people who think I have a cake job, just because supposedly I have summers off (which is a joke - I work all summer people). I have to write a dissertation to take a day off from work. Seriously, those two ideas don't equate. But then I have to recognize that I am a straight up whiner and I need to pull up my big girl panties and move on. But then I think that I miss my sister. She's moved to Australia by way of a month long tour of Europe. Which sort of makes me hate/miss her at the same time. I love you, you effing cow. It's like that. It should be a t-shirt marketed for sisters. Somebody get on that.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is my- I have ten minutes out of thirty for lunch, I'm so tired I'm not even really awake right now, and I'm sweating face</td></tr>
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Wanting AND Needing the best outcome in court tomorrow for my son. I suppose I most likely won't sleep tonight. I guess it's good that I have more sub plans to write. Although- I must say- I got the bulk of the work done yesterday and now it's just a couple of fill ins. I am proud of my sub binder- yes indeedy.</div>
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Also needing though- my eyebrows done. I need a touch up. they are starting to grow downward. we need to put that curve back in there. And of course, if I'm going to go do that, I really should go ahead and get the head highlights touched up and maybe a nice trim. And a pedicure. Maybe some french tips. A massage would be good too.</div>
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Three trips:</div>
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First- my dad owes me a trip to Disney World. I will wait patiently for him to make good on his promise to me when I was fifteen. Patiently does not mean that I won't be mentioning it to him at every opportunity. As I have been mentioning it for the past nineteen years. Eventually, he will break down. I just know it. I want my damn submarine ride.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After finding this picture, I have discovered that they closed this ride in 2004 and paved over the lagoon. And I'm out of cookie dough oreos. I bet my sister, the hussy, knew all along. Didn't you? ^&$%#%$#%$&%&*</td></tr>
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Second - Melbourne, Australia because my sweet sister, the effing cow touring Europe, will be living there. She spent four hours in The Louvre the other day. And bought a black dress in Paris. @#$#%$%^$$%@$</div>
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Third - Fiji. Because of The Poseidon Undersea Resort, Yo!</div>
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Otherwise, today was my first day with my kids. I currently have *18* (holy cow, yay!) and they are pleasant and follow directions surprisingly within the first or second request. I just hope the air conditioning is working when I return on Thursday...</div>
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If you haven't taken a moment to learn your vacation dreams of nearly twenty years have been crushed, make sure you fill out <a href="http://ohboy3rdgrade.blogspot.com/2014/08/currently-september-2014.html" target="_blank">September's Currently and link up with Farley</a>! ( Farley not responsible for crushing of vacation dreams)</div>
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The Meek Moosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09764671511197083830noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686152140670922968.post-33823967479641782014-08-30T18:19:00.000-04:002014-09-11T19:02:48.605-04:00The Room is Ready! The Meek Moose Dresses the Nest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; display: none; text-align: center;">
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It's time to make the target face- my room is D.O.N.E. Basically. I have to put some bandaids out in a cup, but that's nothing. If you've been<a href="https://www.facebook.com/MeekMoose" target="_blank"> following me on my facebook page</a>, then you've been catching the videos of my progress. Why is it important to follow the facebook page anyway? Because if you're not- then you're missing stuff like this:</div>
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This is what happens when your sister is a costume designer and she needs a cheap model. I rock that dragon head like nobody's business! What do you think, kittens? Future match.com profile pic? I'm sure to attract the *right* sort of man this way. Everyone knows rich organic strawberry farmers play Dungeons and Dragons in their basements, right? Sheesh. #single4evah #imokwithit #mostly (and YES, I did play Dungeons and Dragons once upon a time ago in college- I strike you with my +5 hand of righteous indignation. I'm all grown up now and stick to the Webkinz, alrighty?)</div>
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Anyhow- if you missed the videos you can check them out again on<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr3GhtPtrjMpOv4_CZ2NUYw" target="_blank"> my Youtube channel</a>. Plus some chicken footage, by the way. I know that's a huge draw for everybody.</div>
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Now- without further ado- the reveal! Um yeah- it's 12 minutes. Go get some popcorn.</div>
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I'm pretty thrilled. I got rid of a lot of furniture and it has opened the room up. I'm excited about my engineering area and hope this becomes a dynamic space for my kids this year. In love with my dining room area, though I believe I will be wanting to get a table cloth for that one table that has my core book sets under it.<br />
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I was successful in getting rid of many items that were cluttering up my space. I went in with the decision that it it had no where to live then it couldn't stay- and I made this apply also to an area of my supply closet that I used to stack boxes up in. I have to say, I feel really proud of myself. I have two whole empty cabinets right now as well. That has never happened in twelve years of teaching. An empty cabinet! Holy cow.<br />
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Why did I choose the colors I chose? Why do I even want the plants and the natural materials anyway? It's because of a course I've taken with<a href="http://fairydustteaching.com/blog/" target="_blank"> Sally Haughey of FairyDust Teaching</a>. She offers a course Learning Spaces and it's amazing. People comment on how peaceful my room is all the time. I even got an exceeds expectations in room environment last year- and I really owe it to Sally for that.<br />
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In another course I took with Sally a year ago about finding my teaching mojo- I discovered that I was more of a Naturalistic learner than I had even considered- so I began to but the elements of nature into my room and it has made it a much happier place. I bring in class pets- our two betta fish will be our water element in the room this year. Last year I had the wild turtle, and after we released her in the spring, I found that I missed her. A lot. But I'm not ready for a 100 year commitment yet, and I don't believe I'll pick up another wild turtle.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdYXkdkZJRbYXN3FuuI3wVFB0xv72_MbaLd_291ero8Wdm6o5vL93LnmtUny1KWqLOqbktt3fSyLLFPAq9ThVdL3po43NFwgIZi4G56tdWYNwV_X3Vl3FtXRlf1EetAAREM1TvT9fJ2rE/s1600/IMG_1196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdYXkdkZJRbYXN3FuuI3wVFB0xv72_MbaLd_291ero8Wdm6o5vL93LnmtUny1KWqLOqbktt3fSyLLFPAq9ThVdL3po43NFwgIZi4G56tdWYNwV_X3Vl3FtXRlf1EetAAREM1TvT9fJ2rE/s1600/IMG_1196.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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I also keep two mice. Frisby and Ages. My students generally don't have the experience of keeping pets in the home- and I don't want them to miss out on these experiences so many of us take for granted. Caring for pets helped us develop empathy in our younger years. And I will- OF COURSE- hatch chickens again in the spring. Hopefully I'll be able to do caterpillars again as well.</div>
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My color scheme is based on ground, grass, sky. I use it for EVERYTHING. A few years ago I had found an alphabet frieze based on sky grass ground and loved it. But I have since learned that the site offering the frieze has affiliations with child pornography, so I don't want to use it anymore (obviously). So I made my own:</div>
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I also decided to redo<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Learner-Profile-Posters-in-English-and-Spanish-1421653" target="_blank"> my IBPYP learner profile posters</a>. I transferred the English and the Spanish that my counselor had made onto posters with<a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/The-Meek-Moose/Category/Meek-Moose-Kids-Clip-Art" target="_blank"> my school kids clip art</a>. Our counselor had done an awesome job with the posters- but I wanted something that was more consolidated and more in tune with my decor. I'm going to make them into a book for the kids to have in our library as well.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_TL7_mKx1QNGr1CHg898mQfdSG8pDrUwuIsdOcGsl5WuLqbCH6rRGk0thR18VKqPc-SDF7oq0ur9OoD7DUp2wJiPdYxJXVmpP9C1xtQ6Uooz5YVkYsqcwbx91ObLyLBvrXoxR5GASVRc/s1600/IMG_2496.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_TL7_mKx1QNGr1CHg898mQfdSG8pDrUwuIsdOcGsl5WuLqbCH6rRGk0thR18VKqPc-SDF7oq0ur9OoD7DUp2wJiPdYxJXVmpP9C1xtQ6Uooz5YVkYsqcwbx91ObLyLBvrXoxR5GASVRc/s1600/IMG_2496.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a><br />
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By far- the most favorite area of my room is my dining room. The armoire now does double duty for storage and chart space. I got rid of the traditional guided reading table and traded it out. I wanted to make sure my kids enjoyed the experience of sitting down to the table to get their work done. Not everyone has that luxury in life. I am looking forward to sharing with you the magic of this space this year.</div>
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I hope you enjoyed the video- good luck to everyone on Tuesday!</div>
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The Meek Moosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09764671511197083830noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686152140670922968.post-48764188936660690842014-08-18T23:00:00.001-04:002014-09-11T19:02:58.386-04:00No Way! ~ The Meek Moose Might Have Actually Made Something!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; display: none; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNvSMkrRoHmrz-ym6f6_7NQ52eGAmPzC4Y-D8F6KIZa5AVy9LH_t6OMlT_ewGruDWyUDqFZz7xZfVe-t1Be5afXJVKGmCWJb_Gu33UQfNMbHOsi4TYWrBxavKscJTOrtwYQ9VElF4fWo/s1600/MMENV_IG.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNvSMkrRoHmrz-ym6f6_7NQ52eGAmPzC4Y-D8F6KIZa5AVy9LH_t6OMlT_ewGruDWyUDqFZz7xZfVe-t1Be5afXJVKGmCWJb_Gu33UQfNMbHOsi4TYWrBxavKscJTOrtwYQ9VElF4fWo/s1600/MMENV_IG.png" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnNEBAba4NrPaD9pSUo3DKiBjGGQEi3GDRNRAGNyTzy8C7vvLWkuDy-hv4X6-sqwxgomyjPcHIEZ2ZBkbyQ8wh4-Ic0vKR5wWsbbkYXyF3EGyVXMK5n9sLDfwtq02xbWovUBB9GHi0Kss/s1600/IMG_2192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnNEBAba4NrPaD9pSUo3DKiBjGGQEi3GDRNRAGNyTzy8C7vvLWkuDy-hv4X6-sqwxgomyjPcHIEZ2ZBkbyQ8wh4-Ic0vKR5wWsbbkYXyF3EGyVXMK5n9sLDfwtq02xbWovUBB9GHi0Kss/s1600/IMG_2192.JPG" height="488" width="640" /></a></div>
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CHICKEN BUTT!<br />
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Iiiiiiiiiiii kinda made something. That wasn't a total fail, either! *shocked face*<br />
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But, I know you love the carnage- so here- my first "Made It":<br />
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I have an ugly foot. I'm admitting it freely, so you don't have to be all "OOooooooo- does she know she has a nasty foot?" Yes. Yes, I do. I soaked it in the Listerine/Vinegar thing that is all over Pinterest and Facebook. Claims that the dead skin just "falls right off"</div>
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Ummmmm, no. No it did NOT. What it *did* do, was dye my foot <i><b><u>blue</u></b></i>. Listerine blue. And I had to scrub it off with a Brillo pad. - THIS, my friends, is probably the part that makes the skin "fall right off". Two days later, my foot is back to the right color, except for my toe nail. That, is still blue. And my foot is still ugly.</div>
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There. I satisfied all of you yearning to watch the train wreck. Moving forward...</div>
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I attempted Mod Podge again with some glitter clips I am making for my teacher buddy and I. We detest having to change bulletin boards constantly, so last year we covered one side of our hallway with sunny yellow craft paper, pretty scrapbook paper squares, and glittery clothespins, one for each student. They could just go out and put their work up and we never had to mess with it.</div>
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While I was out for six weeks after the car wreck and near death experience, and she was out on maternity leave- some kind soul "helped" us out by taking down the whole thing and throwing every bit of it away! EVEN the clothes pins. Sounds bitter and angry if you ask me. Somebody was clearly hatin' on our display. But whatevs- kittens! I braved the *podge* and made some more! - I'll show you our new display once I get it up this week.</div>
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OOOOoooo- didn't I mention? I got to go into my classroom today and start setting it up before Teacher Week next Monday. You should like, *totes* follow me on Facebook to get up-to-the-second snark, yo! Click that moose track up there with the FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF for fabulous. Or click right <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MeekMoose" target="_blank"><i>*here</i>*</a> and it'll take you right<i> there</i>.</div>
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Now back to our regularly scheduled program... check this out:</div>
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I used a laundry basket to dry my pins. It was perfect! Also a hot day with relatively low humidity worked in my favor as well. I painted the clips first with craft paint.<br />
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Then I "painted" on liquid Elmer Glue (Elmer, you redeemed yourself!) to shake the glitter onto. I am using the lid to a Sterilite plastic container as my work tray. This lid is going to save my life during this glitter fest!<br />
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I found this plastic bin lying around, and used it turned upside down as a "glitter drying station". Also a stroke of genius. And if you don't want to be waiting around for my irregular posts- then you need to go find me on<a href="http://instagram.com/themeekmoose" target="_blank"> Instagram</a>- and get the genius as it's happening. Which- just to be upfront here- isn't all that often. Mostly it's pictures of chickens. But you know every once in a while you NEED a good chicken picture. Back on track...<br />
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While the glitter was drying, I needed to RECLAIM what had gotten shaken out all over the tray. Good glitter is expensive! I am not wasting this stuff, especially when I hardly use it because it makes me upset when it gets all over my hands and my palms are sweaty and it just sticks there and never comes off and I touch things and it's like I'm effin King Midas of the glitter touch and AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Seriously. Glitter is out of my comfort zone. Just wear gloves you wuss! Ummm, ew. That's so much more sweaty than just my normal level of dork. No thank you.<br />
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That Sterilite Lid was PERFECT. I just had to tappy-tap the glitter to the sides and lead it down the channel back into my glitter tube. Majority of the glitter reclaimed. Some casualties of course, but nothing major.<br />
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Then it was time to Mod Podge- and my genius luck had run out. As soon as I opened the stupid jar I spilled a great big glob of it on my pants. #@%#HJGSGD$#$%#$%. Anyway.<br />
Dried glitter clips back on my work basket from painting, and I painted on the Mod Podge. Aside from my pants, there were no other mishaps. Keeping it in a small container and using a reallllllly long brush apparently helped me avoid other catastrophes.<br />
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And then I put them on the laundry basket to dry and went inside to further pursue the crafty arts with some scrapbook paper.<br />
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Now- I have NEVER done back to school treat bags. At least, I'm pretty sure I never have. But I don't know- I got possessed or something this year. I'll first blame the Target Dollar Spot. They had cute Crayola tissue packs. Crayola is one of my celebrity crushes. If they come out with some sort of Brawny towel man frontman- or Mike Rowe, I am DONE for. Take note, Crayola! (I vote Mike Rowe all the way!) </div>
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Target also had cute pencils and apple erasers and stickers. It became a bit of a scene. I ended up using snack size ziplocs to put the little treat in. But you know what doesn't fit in a snack size ziploc? Or any ziploc really except for a gallon size bag- the dang pencil! </div>
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As it luck would have it- my "addictive" personality had latched onto scrapbook paper recently, and I had these neat little six-by-six squares. Did you know that when you fold them in half they perfectly cover a snack size ziploc? Who knew? NOT me! But now I do. I ended up making myself some sticker labels as I imagined that I would use these to attach the pencil.</div>
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But- no. I didn't like how it looked. So OUT comes my new Fiskars paper punch! Wowza! I used my wrist- A LOT to make little tent toppers for my treat bags. </div>
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But- this meant that I could slide the pencil through after a couple of precision placed staples and....VOILA! I'm actually pretty proud of them. I *may* even try to make birthday treat bags. But I'm not promising.</div>
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Alright- I'm wiped, kittens. I moved furniture today and watched my bestie Karen hang wrapping paper for me with a flawless seam and glue gun like<b> nobody's business</b>! The utmost compliment was bestowed on me when she said, as we wrapped up around 3:30 - "You know, when we got started I would not have believed you would have gotten the room to this state by the time we left." And she meant it in a <i>positive</i> way- nonbelievers!<br />
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Make sure you follow the button below to hook up with <a href="http://4thgradefrolics.blogspot.com/2014/08/monday-made-it-go-time.html" target="_blank">Tara for Monday Made It!</a></div>
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I'm off to bed because I have a "Coding- Not Just for Nerds" class tomorrow. And that title probably means it is for nerds, doesn't it? Whatever. I own it.</div>
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The Meek Moosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09764671511197083830noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686152140670922968.post-53278908072629149282014-08-12T00:19:00.001-04:002014-08-13T10:11:04.147-04:00How to Ruin Perfectly Good Notebooks ~ A Meek Moose Mis-Adventure with Mod Podge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; display: none; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5espqoikaTQHPeDKYOML_wnP7_6Xoehyr_Cd4Gta3dCo15LylLeiLX631Qnprag_zhyJcgGTLPLw_vqkSXaulS10xcZJoR2dwEFdKkyoQ8nZAWXafQOn4X-QGmb7G1kf5owmDigbd5R8/s1600/MMNB_Insta.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5espqoikaTQHPeDKYOML_wnP7_6Xoehyr_Cd4Gta3dCo15LylLeiLX631Qnprag_zhyJcgGTLPLw_vqkSXaulS10xcZJoR2dwEFdKkyoQ8nZAWXafQOn4X-QGmb7G1kf5owmDigbd5R8/s1600/MMNB_Insta.png" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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It's another mostly disastrous Monday Made It- just to be upfront about it. Read on to enjoy the train wreck and laugh at me. Or skip to the end and hear about a whole lotta giveaways going down this week!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgviwn7crgKpYk4TdUNr6RSMlyyFbbPcPV7drpA54Ufgh1yxU-tclxnTvGEX840nGhNmHnudtJ88DzzI_Dy_JaFjTLWCi2aZ3JqJFTkNjIL_nIDkp8DWtERoaBJSVp4nDIx3ECeia6XuwE/s1600/IMG_0496.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgviwn7crgKpYk4TdUNr6RSMlyyFbbPcPV7drpA54Ufgh1yxU-tclxnTvGEX840nGhNmHnudtJ88DzzI_Dy_JaFjTLWCi2aZ3JqJFTkNjIL_nIDkp8DWtERoaBJSVp4nDIx3ECeia6XuwE/s1600/IMG_0496.JPG" height="320" width="228" /></a>Our story must begin here- with Mod Podge. I know for sure, that back in the 80's- I thought this was really difficult stuff to use. I know I got that impression from my mother. I don't remember exactly what was happening, but there was some sort of conversation about "<b><i>decoupage</i></b>". And this in my mind was something extremely difficult to do. And I'm not promising to have changed my mind on that- but I am willing to amend my thought that perhaps my Mother's qualm at the time was over the expense of Mod Podge, and not actually the use of it. Then we fast forward just slightly to the latter 90's where I saw Tori Spelling using it on some sort of craft show. To frame this out completely- I was a bit busy wearing a lot of black and combat boots at the time, and therefore Tori Spelling using anything sort of became like, so, totally uncool. {Insert derisive lip curl here}. So why the eff was I watching a craft show anyway? Because I'm a total dork, that's why. You think I carried off that look? Gimme a break. Anyhow. This stuff here. Yarp.</div>
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It was once upon a time, circa 2012 that I first read a teacher blog to know they existed. And began to use Pinterest. Don't be gasping- refer to the above paragraph where I said "Because I'm a total dork, that's why." Anyway- I was caught up like Jeff Bridges in the original Tron movie into a whole new world. A world of polka dots and sugar shocked owls and Mod Podge. Everything down to a person's shorts was being mod podged. So, obviously, after two years of creeping on the crafting, I figured, "How hard could that be?" (FYI- it's in quotes because I say things out loud to myself. #itsnotweird #totallynormal)</div>
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So here we are- today. I've got eight big 3 inch binder like notebooks that all have different ugly fronts, and some adorable scrapbook paper. Clearly, they are perfect for each other.</div>
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Obviously, all I need to do is mod podge this. I look wicked cool with my dollar store sponge brush. I'm digging the smell of the mod podge. Painting is fun! And then this happens: </div>
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I'd be cool with this if I were still 12 and hanging out in the upstairs bathroom trying to make android skin out of caladryl lotion and Elmer's glue. In fact, in that light- you suck Elmer! (sorry, dude) Mod podge would have so made that android skin! Dang. But I am not making android skin. (today)- Today I am trying to cover these notebooks so I can make student assessment record keeper things that I supposedly need now to keep track of paper work that philistines don't want to see on the computer.</div>
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I want the paper to lay flat and look pretty. like it does when it's inside the scrapbook package. But there's bubbling and tearing and holy Baby Moses I'm gluing myself to my bed I think. </div>
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Super bad words, a lot!!! And the paper started flat and then add mod podge and it's wrinkly. I do not want wrinkly notebooks. I want flat paper notebooks. I don't want notebooks that look like my 3 year old did them. Although I'm going to tell people he did.<br />
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There. I made <strike>six</strike> <span style="color: blue;">eight, dang it. Why can't I count?</span> I suppose I'll find some way to cover up the flaws. But I KNOW they are there! Bah!<br />
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Be sure to<a href="http://4thgradefrolics.blogspot.com/2014/08/monday-made-it-my-summer-is-gone.html" target="_blank"> link up with Tara with your SUCCESSFUL Monday Made It</a>, and tell her she should probably ban me. I suck this much. <br />
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I'm great with chickens though. I'm not a total loss. Just sayin'. I just won't be mod podeging them anything anytime soon.<br />
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As promised- FOUR different giveaways you need to go check out. Not only because they are super duper all on their own- but also because each of them will be offering a Meek Moose pack at some point during the week! Click the pictures to go straight to the winnin'.<br />
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First up: <a href="http://2peasandadog.blogspot.ca/2014/08/triple-b-giveaway-day-1.html" target="_blank">Kristy at 2 Peas and a Dog</a><br />
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<a href="http://2peasandadog.blogspot.ca/2014/08/triple-b-giveaway-day-1.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp7EcNw6ewOj54Lex8aI_Cg42Bk7IZfCZlq9f2Ktr79akKPiicMINuQXDY8H5HyV8kGU0QyqCKB0NkiKQoxT6G7hnvJqLca1yxAp47YyKJ5kX8-Qd0GTNnGhl_9cLw0yG6TNBbHewdPss/s1600/IMG_0488.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.comprehensionconnection.net/2014/08/celebrating-with-gourmet-menu-of.html" target="_blank">Carla at Comprehension Connections</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.comprehensionconnection.net/2014/08/celebrating-with-gourmet-menu-of.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicrmOvCQHhHePXAia9iECkpjGFOF7HhaIKfr1f4t8WCckjZRfsee2Ymz-RTxEaDU6w3BKRKdStR0UOkVfXwmuCGVe4gnzemj7VXglvBwb6uF-dA8KEee8Esd4I1fHQJv3E9J9i9Z7M79o/s1600/cookin.png" height="252" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://mrsoknows.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Rachel at Mrs.O Knows</a><br />
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<a href="http://mrsoknows.blogspot.com/2014/08/2-year-blogversary-celebration.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdymXyPn7LH8OBItZcOAE8MXkZcioYmmtLuxMTL_iKvkH-ckWaWtWe9G1Yo8LqapON7Upsjq2N_hghZBG2czPmNSxvNR2L0esbcbBGKWMZElNBrtBxmJQHcLkClyD7ZcLdfLWJDlQfj-w/s1600/Day1Giveaway.png" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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and last but never least:<br />
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<a href="http://beyondthegradebook.blogspot.com/2014/08/back-to-school-giveaway.html" target="_blank">Sarah at Beyond the Gradebook</a><br />
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Good luck one and all, and careful with that Mod Podge, kittens!<br />
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<span style="color: blue;">p.s. I just realized I've been calling it the wrong name my entire life. Mod not Modge. Dear God I am hopeless. Anyway, I edited it all up so you won't know until you get to the end that I'm even more of a train wreck than you first thought. And I even spelled the title wrong. I am awesome at 12:42 am I tell you.</span><br />
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The Meek Moosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09764671511197083830noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7686152140670922968.post-45339708117640983922014-08-08T20:31:00.000-04:002014-08-08T20:31:13.822-04:00Pinkalicious ~ The Musical! - A Meek Moose Adventure at the Thea"tuh"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; display: none; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4GttpVjiO2GXRhtgwioM-pksTt3v7vAXIe7-knImG3y_2CNL9JjoI80CItsLzJbHsuuaN7B0c2dCnnFpxc9ai600yglgtPpSGPQHzL2sM4Z3bibdLMtMRXqAuIlf34hx05GlwmWtSQ24/s1600/PM_Instagram.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4GttpVjiO2GXRhtgwioM-pksTt3v7vAXIe7-knImG3y_2CNL9JjoI80CItsLzJbHsuuaN7B0c2dCnnFpxc9ai600yglgtPpSGPQHzL2sM4Z3bibdLMtMRXqAuIlf34hx05GlwmWtSQ24/s1600/PM_Instagram.png" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
So my pal <a href="http://www.readingtowardthestars.com/2014/08/book-talk-thursday-pinkalicious-again.html" target="_blank">Andrea at Reading Toward the Stars</a> does this Book Talk linky every Thursday. Which is fabulous. Because I love talking about books! But I'm not so awesome ~ I haven't been fabulous at writing blog posts lately, and have <i>never</i> managed to link up with her. Well! Today is the DAY! Even though it's Friday. And her linky is for <i>Thursdays</i>. Baby steps, kittens! At least I've got this in within 48 hours of her original posting.
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Annnnnnd, her recent post is what kicked me in the butt. I have had this post sitting in my drafts section since mid-June. Andrea did a post about a new <u>Pinkalicious</u> book that is great for Back-To-School. Back in June my sister was doing some freelance costume help working as a over-hire stitcher for <u>Pinkalicious ~ The Musical!!!</u><br />
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When my sister, Traci, first told me about the musical, I was sort of "How can they make that book into a musical?" And this was foolish- because we all know anything can be made into a musical once you've seen the Simpson's episode about Troy McClure's comeback with the Broadway version of Planet of the Apes.<br />
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I don't know what this has to do with Mad Men. But it was the only one I could find that actually had moving video from the episode. So I'm gonna roll with it.</div>
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Anyway- my daughter has always loved pink, and <u>Pinkalicious</u>- so we decided to take her to go see it. She and I discussed the possibilities of how they could have changed this short picture book into an hour and a half musical the entire three hour car ride. (yes- THREE HOURS- three hours of NON-STOP TALKING- where is my Mother of the Year award?) We were at a bit of a loss. I just didn't know how they were going to manage it.<br />
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Prior to the show, which was at <a href="http://www.adventuretheatre-mtc.org/seeashow/professional/20132014season.html" target="_blank">Adventure Theater</a> in <a href="http://www.glenechopark.org/" target="_blank">Glen Echo Park</a> in Maryland, we went to dinner at an Irish Pub on the grounds before the show. Glen Echo park and Adventure theater are the cutest park and theater EVAH! The park reminded me of parks you see in movies - carosel horse ride, dancing stage, bright bold colors! I'd like to go again. Just not drive. If a limo want to take me, I'm game.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bangers and Mash, baby!</td></tr>
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Just before the show, I was able to snap this picture of the set. But then I found out that was a real no-no. Otherwise, I would have filled my camera- everything was super "adorbs".<br />
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Which, honestly, is one reason why I don't read <u>Pinkalicious</u> to my kids at school. I have it in my library, but it never makes it to the read-aloud basket. I try to pick books to read aloud that both my boys and girls can get engaged in. And I always fear instantly turning the boys off if I sat down in our Living Room area together and said, "Let's curl up together and read this super adorable book, <u>Pinkalicious</u>!<br />
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The musical ended up <strike>shaming me</strike> enlightening my perspective. It turns out that what the musical DID add in to the story line (and we knew they'd have to add <i>something</i>) was a call to arms against gender profiling. Amazing, yeah? Ok, maybe I'm stretching the depth of the water here. But! stick with me for a sec.<br />
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There's this whole part to the plot line about the younger brother, Peter, and how he is being suppressed by his Dad's old-fashioned convictions on how pink is for girls and not boys. And of course, little bro deep down LOVES the color pink. So much of the plot is about Peter's transformation into being honest about how he feels and embracing his love for the color. This also ties in to the end of the book where Peter eats so many cupcakes that he turns pink.<br />
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I realize from watching this musical that there is a way to get the boys involved in this story just by adding in some global awareness. Thereby opening up the doors for a discussion on being open-minded, taking risks, and challenging social conventions (when appropriate, of course).<br />
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Shaaaa- how are you going to manage that, Heather? Like, as if. Whatevs.<br />
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Trust me, kittens! Look- Global awareness- There are other countries that do not consider pink a feminine color. India for example. There pink is a very manly color. Other Eastern countries do not necessarily feel that pink is feminine. In fact, it wasn't until after the 1940s that America and England started feeling that pink was feminine. Up until that point, it was opposite.<br />
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Using the simple story of <u>Pinkalicious </u>as an opener for a discussion on whether or not the students think there are some things only boys or only girls should do would be eye opening- and also an opportunity to research those topics to see where the belief could be dispelled. I remember being younger and hearing only women should cook- but look at all the male chefs on TV today? Art, design, business- all have held some gender bias, but there's so much out there that proves otherwise. And the inquiry does not have to be bent on girl power- but balanced out so that boys can feel like they are free to explore different avenues as well.<br />
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I never really thought that this story could be something I could ever use to promote social change in seven year olds. But there it is- just because I saw the musical. I really hope that Victoria and Elizabeth Kann consider putting the musical on film so that it can be shared in classrooms. In fact, I think I just need to ask them if they would. <br />
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I've gotten a little bold since joining Twitter if you haven't noticed. It was having my tweet favorited by Dave Burgess (TWICE as a matter of fact) and a personal reply from Susan Branch that has clearly thrown me over the edge. Now, if only Mike Rowe would acknowledge me- it would be all good.<br />
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Here were some photo ops with the cast:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr and Mrs Pinkalicious</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alison and Peter</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pinkalicious herself!</td></tr>
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So, what do you think? Did hearing about the theme of the musical get you to see <u>Pinkalicious</u> in a new light? What else do you think you could add to the discussion in your classrooms? have another book you'd like to talk about? Go link up with Andrea- EVERY THURSDAY (or Friday if you have time management issues like me)<br />
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The Meek Moosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09764671511197083830noreply@blogger.com1