the power of prayer...and kids

No pics today but an awesome message!  It's spring break and I really wasn't intending to be checking my school email but old habits die hard.  Am so glad I did, because below is an email I received from Maddie Sgroi (mom of Sam).

Amidst the chaos of traveling with kids and especially an infant, I lost my
blackberry. While on board, I remembered I put it on top of the stroller,
that has been folded and checked in at the gate. I gave up the hope that I
will find it and was trying to figure a way to tell my "bosses" I lost our
company phone.

I was sitting in the plane w Sam. He said, "Mom, Mrs Connor said, Jesus
always listens to kids, so I'm gonna pray that we find your phone." And he
did (loudly, in fact)

Voila! As one of the airport worker handed the stroller to Chris, he asked
"Did you lose a phone? I found this under the plane, on your stroller!!!"
(It survived a flight under the plane and two baggage handlers!)

Thank you Mrs Connor for teaching Sam the wonders of God. He screamed and
said, "Jesus does listen to kids!!!"

Maddie Sgroi


Thank you Jesus for listening to Sam, finding the Blackberry, and verifying that Mrs. Connor does indeed know what she is talking about.  Have a great vacation Sgroi Family!

across the parking lot...

St. Christopher Church has an awesome food pantry located in the basement of the rectory and each year first grade adopts it as our Christian service project.  So, about once a month we make the trek across the parking lot and down the pathway to make a delivery of our food collection.  The parish is on a big push to collect 7500 items in celebration of our 75th anniversary as a parish.

Thank goodness for this early spring weather...so much easier to transport without all those heavy winter coats and boots...please note in the bottom left-hand corner of the pic...there seems to be a breath holding contest going on?

Here's part of our collection...I must admit when I saw the bottles of chocolate and butterscotch ice cream toppers,  I was very tempted to stuff them in my bookbag...but...it's Lent and I am not a thief...I am not a thief...I am not a thief...whew...moment passed.

Awesome job St. Christopher parishioners...the food has even piled over into Fr. Mike's train room.

...and look at who popped out of the side door of the church to escort us back to school...a couple of Catholic ducks...it just doesn't get much better than this.

There was only one little problem...I forgot to count our items...I apologize food pantry ladies...I really do!

well wishes for mrs. allspaw

Today we decided to write get-well wishes to Mrs. Allspaw and I am going to share just a couple.  As we were finishing up, who should show up in my room but a couple of my "old girls" Kendall Blake and Julianne Allspaw.  Since we don't have Mrs. Allspaw I just went ahead and substituted her daughter in a couple of pictures.  She enjoys the camera about as much as her mom!

Kendall Blake and Julianne Allspaw
Kendall looks better without a paper in front of her face!

Pinching?  Not my Sam.

He gave Julianne one to pass along to her mom.

I "may" have mentioned something about Mrs. Allspaw getting to take her first shower in ten days today.

Audrey and Julianne

We miss you Mrs. Allspaw (although your substitutes are awesome and they are keeping me on the straight and narrow...or at least trying to).

the money lenders in the temple...

We have the loveliest and cutest Marian University student doing a math practicum in our classroom this spring...Miss Lauren Paras.  Since we have been tackling $$$ this past quarter, Lauren took the opportunity to present a $$$ game to the kids and who doesn't love the sound of coins continually dropping on the table...coin, after coin, after coin?!?
P.S. It was on St. Paddy's Day...hence all the green in the room (the color of money).

Oh yeah...and the sound of dice rolling and rolling and rolling...

Honestly...do you not love these toothless kiddos?

I can't even explain Johnny here...did he swallow a quarter or something?

Next stop for Nicholas...Vegas!

This was a super fun activity and we even found two pennies older than me...Mrs. Rippetoe made sure she pointed that out.  (That's why Mrs. Drake is with me this week!)

...and look what Johnny brought in for St. Patrick's Day...now I have to whittle pencils and the "higher-ups" don't really like me having sharp objects...miraculously...it's gone!

be good...or else (on "loopy Wednesday")

It's been a wild and crazy week in Room 7.  First of all, Mrs. Allspaw went and had shoulder surgery and will be gone for the next three to four weeks.  Secondly, Mrs. Drake agreed to be my trusty sidekick.  Thirdly, Bella Drake came down with every disease known to man and fourthly, Mrs. Rippetoe (St. Maria) agreed to step in for the week. EVERYTHING was going well until Wednesday...I went in to the dentist early that morning and had a little unexpected (to say the least) dental surgery...no problem as I was properly numbed up and the nurse gave me a couple of tylenol to tide me over...but, it wasn't JUST tylenol...it was tylenol with a "chaser" and by the time I got to school I was "a little loopy" to say the least...plus I just wanted to crawl under my desk and curl up.  Tuesday night I had set up my interactive board with these ominous words on a continual loop across the board:
                         "Be good for Mrs. Rippetoe...or else!"



It worked...look at the little angels! Needless to say...I went home for the rest of the day.
...and because Mrs. Rippetoe is a crafty little devil she had the kids make get-well cards for "poor" Bella.  Love the following pics.

Table 1

Table 2

Table 3
Who left those closet doors open?

Table 4

Table 5
...and just what had Noah been up to?

Thank you so much Mrs. Rippetoe and thank you so much for capturing these images.  We'll never know what "or else" meant because they are such good kids.

massage therapy and more

Still finishing up career choices and have four more to add to the mix.  Meet Kirsten, Sam, Johnny and Lauren and see what they think they would like to do in the future.  I definitely knew what I wanted to do when I was in first grade so go for it kiddos! 

Kirsten has had several career thoughts this year...this is her hair styling phase.

I love her line up of hair washing stations...at first I thought they were oil derricks!

Beauty salons ARE fun...I'm a sucker for all the pretty product containers.

Checking out her head massage technique..this is a deal breaker for me.

Sweet Sam

Check out his pots of paints...this is a kid who adds color wherever he is.

You ARE a creative kid Sam!

Who knew this could even be a career when I was a kid...a sweet gig for sure Johnny.

This kid LOVES to design..that's for sure!

...and you are right Johnny...you can be whatever you want.

Lovely Lauren

This picture fascinated me and I loved her explanation of everything she put into it...it's the Children's Museum.

You can tell where all she likes to "hang" .

Another good group of aspiring children...will be fun to see "who's who" for this class of 2023...oh my gosh...I'll be REALLY old then!

so easy to get behind...so hard to catch up

Mrs. Allspaw keeps me honest with the calendar...translated: she does it.  But she had surgery, on her shoulder, probably caused by doing the calendar and she is MIA for a month and I was BEHIND!  So Ella (the birthday girl AND the student of the day...what a coincidence) and I knuckled down and caught up; hence, the brightly colored arrows covering my body...whew, glad that is done.

By the way Ella...you look fabulous for your age!

it's a loose-y, goose-y, suess-y day

March 2, 2012      Happy 108th birthday!

Happy birthday to a complete and utter genius...if I could only have a .0000001 of his way with words!

We loved The Lorax...movies anyone (out today)?

Dr Seuss Quotes

I couldn't have said it any better...amen.