crazy day...and wine pants!

Catholic Schools Week...fun, weird, exhausting...

On Tuesday we combined Crazy Day with D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything And Read).  Kids got to wear WHATEVER as long as it was "appropriate" and believe me...we always hold our breath on this one.

My kids seemed to L.O.V.E. their jammies this year...Jackson accessorized with a pair of binoculars  (have you every had the feeling someone was watching you all day...I sure did!)

They also get to bring pillows and stuffed pets and some of the kids had weird hair coloring going on...I always think I'm going to do that and then forget the next year.

D.E.A.R. is such a fun part of the day...at random times the bell would ring and no matter what we were doing we'd scramble for a book, a pillow and a place to read (or giggle). These kids were in my reading group in the cafeteria and off they would go when the bell would ring!

Typical...the girls take it seriously...the boys, not so much!

You can tell which kids don't miss a photo op.

...and then there is the renegade who is as happy flopping down on the cafeteria floor...way to go Anna!

Back to the words "appropriate clothing"...
when I got to school that morning in MY jammies I looked down and saw wine glasses staring me back from my bottoms...oops.  Appropriate???  Maybe....just maybe.

THE END

(so to speak)

family...aren't they great?

Today's theme is definitely family but when I ask kids to write about what they know best...who better than family?

Kloie is definitely a "daddy's girl" and I love it!  During free time Kloie loves to write to and about her Dad.

No work Saturday...now THAT'S a big deal!

This is Alli's family!  Maybe it's just me but Mr. Jugg seems to have a Robin Hood thing going on here but the ladies in the family are stunning.

It sounds like she is going to get back to us when she has more to write...ha!

Yes...Mr. Stubblefield is really that tall.

I love parents that sometimes say no...and parents that are creative too.

Today is the first day of Catholic Schools Week and Parent Appreciation Day so it seemed only fitting to share some family "appreciating".

Mrs. Rippetoe made a big mistake when she did my Christmas door at school because my next question was..."What are you going to do for Valentine's Day?"  Well once again she and the kiddos outdid themselves...don't you think?

Hope you can read the poem that I added...the kids probably don't "get" it but I will be sure to explain.  

Hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day!

saint maria...and the gang

Last week my mother in Illinois had to have surgery and due to her age and ALL her medical issues I decided I needed to be there.  I had no worries about leaving my kiddos under the care of Mrs. Maria Rippetoe and of course I left her excellent lesson plans...oh, and an overabundance of post-it notes.  I actually went back and added more post-its the day after I took this picture. 

It all made perfect sense to me!

...and the week's worth of folders...I mean...how hard could it be...right?

And then on Thursday night I got the cutest message from my kids...Mrs. Rippetoe and class...you rock!  Oh...and when I stopped by Friday night to pick up all the papers that they had done for the week there was a post-it note from Maria..something about going home to a bottle of wine...you deserved it!



Special thanks to Mrs. Allspaw and Mrs. Evans for pitching in and helping!

i do, i do...oh no!

I thought of titling this Two Weddings and a Boo-Boo...I do like coming up with post titles. Once again I am highlighting some of our writing skills and artistic endeavors.  I am finding that while most of my kids have "mad" video game skills, cutting with scissors seems to be a lost art...so we do a lot of cutting and there is plenty of resistance at first but they really are doing a good job with this assignment.

At the beginning of the year, I was starting to think that Tawawa was a "flower girl for hire" as she was in wedding after wedding...obviously it made a big impression on her.

You can tell this is from a child's point of view because it's been years since I'VE "run" at a wedding!

Weddings were also on Brady's mind before Christmas and he struggled doing the art work at first but I think this is fabulous!

I love a man in a tuxedo...wish I had a picture.  I also love that he thinks weddings are precious!

I can relate to this picture...16 years ago I fell on a student...I heard the bone break and all I could think was "God, let it be his bone...he will heal quicker" but alas, it was mine and I looked like this from the last day of school to the following first day of school...my crutches were this size too.

I don't think Anna has broken her leg (?) but she certainly captured one of the jobs of nurses...TLC in the face of adversity!

I wonder if she will follow in her mother's footsteps?  With my mom in and out of the hospital the last month or so, I certainly have an appreciation and a respect for good nurses.

egg plant soup on a cold rainy night...

Rain, rain...go away!

...but what a perfect night for a little eggplant soup...if I just had some spicy peppers...oh, and an eggplant...oh, and Jackson here to dice for me!

You've absolutely got to love a "man" who cooks.

He used the word "dice"...my heart just melted a little!

Ava is our little seamstress and she comes by it naturally.  Her mom is the "famous" Maria Rippetoe with her own line of clothing on Etsy ...check out Clothesline Kids.

The kids had to come up with three topics that they felt "confident" enough to be able to write a story about.  I love her constellation illustration!

"Stuff it up!"...LOL

Look at the details...she worked and worked on this...she really respected the details in this pic.

Abby really went to town on her topic...after all, what does she know the most about but herself?!?

102???

This pretty much captures the look of Abby!

When I first told them that they had to illustrate their stories using ONLY construction paper and scissors you would have thought I had told them all I was going to poke their eye with a needle...there were gasps...there were moans...and there were "cheaters" but...they all did a fabulous job and learned about the fun in details.  More to come...

yada yada...announcements 2

It is sooo cool being a first grader at St. Christopher School!  We don't get left out of doing neat things because we are too LITTLE...everyone knows that first graders can do anything we set our hearts to and doing the end-of-the-day announcements is NO exception. 

Abby Hedge is ready to step up to the plate and is listening intently (I think) to Mr. Schurger's directions...ready, set...

...go!  She looks like a professional announcement giver.

I wish I knew how to add thought bubbles because I think Alli Jugg is clearly thinking "wow...he is tall".

...easy peasy!

So proud of a job well done.

Noah Ratz up to bat...he looks a little tenuous...

...but no sweat.

I'm really going to be sad when his teeth grow in...I love this "toothless" smile.

Nia Stubblefield is in it to win it...I don't think she looks at me like this when I am talking!

She was flawless...and there was a proud papa waiting for her out in the office to cheer her on...why didn't I get his picture...darn.

...and in the "clean up" spot on Friday was Kloie Mandeville...is she excited or what?

I don't even know what to say here!  I think she is a little shocked to discover the magic behind just where those booming voices come from.

Just look at that confidence.  There is NEVER any question but that we can hang with the bigs kids on almost everything!

Holy Angels and holy angels...

For the past two years, St. Christopher's Advent Project has been to collect and deliver mittens (and hats and scarves) to children in need.  We have delivered over 800 mittens, hats and scarves during these two years and divided them between P.S. 61 and our own food pantry.  This year some of the teacher/parent discussion was aimed at helping out some of our needier inner city Catholic schools, so we chose Holy Angels as our mitten recipient.  We delivered over 300 cold weather accessories to the school in December.  Mr. Schurger, Mrs. Powell and our student council members made the trip with Mrs. Powell driving the St. Christopher van. 

Our two fourth grade representatives...

...and our two fifth graders and one sixth grader...

Wow...impressive statue in Holy Angels School.

Mrs. Powell was obviously the photographer and she did a fine job capturing our kiddos doing what Jesus has taught us.  I love when we practice the Beatitudes...not just memorize them!  Well done St. Christopher Grade School and what better representatives could we have than our student council.

A special thank you to all the parents and children of St. Christopher.  This is a fine example of our Catholic identity and such a good lesson for all the kids to learn...that we are the kind of school that gives back to our community in big and small ways.

P.S. We did send a portion to our food pantry again this year.

bad blogger and merry christmas...

Oh yes...I have been a very bad blogger but my New Year's resolution is to get back on the saddle and go forth.  Actually, I have an excuse...my mother has been ill and I have had that on my mind plus traveling back and forth to Biggsville (yes...there is a Biggsville), Illinois...plus the dog ate my homework!

Anyway...Christmas has come and gone and this is the last day of vacation so here is our Christmas blog...just a "little" late!

We do clean up nice...not a big fan of out of uniform days UNLESS...it's Dress Up Day...and aren't they a beautiful and handsome bunch?!?  This was our last day before Christmas break and we are headed to church to strut our stuff...they were magnificient!

Our beloved Miss Betty (Betty Clemens), who faithfully listens to these kids read once a week, has been so impressed with their increased reading ability that she bought each one of them a book for Christmas.
Betty...you are the best!

Have two other blogs downloaded so be ready for a blast of blogs...Happy New Year everyone!