Hey guys! We are having a nice time in NY. We have watched a ton of movies and done a lot of coffee drinking and relaxing... my kind of Holiday for sure. They are expecting some snow later this afternoon so that will be a nice change from the ATL.
I've never ever in my whole life gone shopping on "black Friday." As I type that, I realize that's kinda a weird thing I guess. We have always taken the Friday after to relax from all the turkey and pie. Then of course, "The Battle of the Boot." (That's the AR/LSU Game for all you non- Hog fans.) The game is on Saturday this year so that leaves more relaxing and coffee today. Whatever you end up doing, have a wonderful day!
Friday, November 27, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Blogging on a Plane
As you can see by the title, I am blogging on a plane. Can't say I've ever done that before. Seth says I should call it "plogging" for plane blogging. Maybe it will catch on. Then again, maybe not.
We are on our way to Detroit to catch a plane to NY to spend Thanksgiving with his family. Cody and Will will be there as well so all of the Borin Boys will be around. Who knows what kind of crazy things might happen.
I really wanted to tell you guys about my day yesterday but I was so busy packing and cleaning I didn't have the chance. I had to steal the computer from Seth -on the plane- so I could tell you. Yesterday was such a wonderful day before Thanksgiving break with 6 kids absent until I broke up an underground fighting ring of girls in my classroom. Yes you heard me right. An underground fighting ring of girls. In the first grade. In my class. Over a boy. Not even a cute boy. WHAT IN THE WORLD? Apparently at lunch two girls decided they were going to "jump" each other because they both liked the same boy. (In the first grade. Really?) It ended with 10 girls in my class throwing wood chips, pushing, name calling, cussing, and crying. One girl got put in a head lock and left with a scratch on her neck. 3 girls were found not guilty of the charges but not before crying a massive amount of tears. It appears they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Every one of the girls cried like crazy. I'm sure it looked wild-standing in the hallway with 7 sobbing girls because they were busted for fighting. In the first grade. I called all of their momma's and documented the scratch and could not believe it. They are in the first grade. Wow.
I don't know if I will have a chance to get on here tomorrow, so Happy Thanksgiving! No fighting!
We are on our way to Detroit to catch a plane to NY to spend Thanksgiving with his family. Cody and Will will be there as well so all of the Borin Boys will be around. Who knows what kind of crazy things might happen.
I really wanted to tell you guys about my day yesterday but I was so busy packing and cleaning I didn't have the chance. I had to steal the computer from Seth -on the plane- so I could tell you. Yesterday was such a wonderful day before Thanksgiving break with 6 kids absent until I broke up an underground fighting ring of girls in my classroom. Yes you heard me right. An underground fighting ring of girls. In the first grade. In my class. Over a boy. Not even a cute boy. WHAT IN THE WORLD? Apparently at lunch two girls decided they were going to "jump" each other because they both liked the same boy. (In the first grade. Really?) It ended with 10 girls in my class throwing wood chips, pushing, name calling, cussing, and crying. One girl got put in a head lock and left with a scratch on her neck. 3 girls were found not guilty of the charges but not before crying a massive amount of tears. It appears they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Every one of the girls cried like crazy. I'm sure it looked wild-standing in the hallway with 7 sobbing girls because they were busted for fighting. In the first grade. I called all of their momma's and documented the scratch and could not believe it. They are in the first grade. Wow.
I don't know if I will have a chance to get on here tomorrow, so Happy Thanksgiving! No fighting!
Monday, November 23, 2009
I can't think of a cool title. Sorry!
Hey guys!
So on Thursday, I finally got to tell you about the vouchers and helping out N's family. On Friday, Seth and a friend from church (Matt) delivered all of the beds. It worked out so well because Matt got the number of a neighbor over there who is in need of some clothes and things like that for her kids. He hasn't used his voucher yet so it is kinda neat that it worked out where he could go with Seth.
After I got off work, we went back over there to drop off the sheets and blankets. Those kids swarmed us at the door and- after we peeled them off of us- helped us carry in all of the bags. I will never forget as long as I live those little girls ripping into the bags and helping us put on the sheets. :) Mom was so excited about her new bed as well- no more air mattress for her! It was such a wonderful day. We had money left over to go to Kroger and buy a turkey, rolls, cranberry sauce, green beans, corn, and cornbread stuffing so they can have a Thanksgiving dinner. I tell you what, God is good!
On a different note. 1 day until Thanksgiving Break. Can I make it? I don't really have a choice but those kids are acting crazy. I just stopped and looked at them for a minute today and just wanted to say, "Who are you crazy kids and what have you done with my class?" Oh, the path I have chosen.
So on Thursday, I finally got to tell you about the vouchers and helping out N's family. On Friday, Seth and a friend from church (Matt) delivered all of the beds. It worked out so well because Matt got the number of a neighbor over there who is in need of some clothes and things like that for her kids. He hasn't used his voucher yet so it is kinda neat that it worked out where he could go with Seth.
After I got off work, we went back over there to drop off the sheets and blankets. Those kids swarmed us at the door and- after we peeled them off of us- helped us carry in all of the bags. I will never forget as long as I live those little girls ripping into the bags and helping us put on the sheets. :) Mom was so excited about her new bed as well- no more air mattress for her! It was such a wonderful day. We had money left over to go to Kroger and buy a turkey, rolls, cranberry sauce, green beans, corn, and cornbread stuffing so they can have a Thanksgiving dinner. I tell you what, God is good!
On a different note. 1 day until Thanksgiving Break. Can I make it? I don't really have a choice but those kids are acting crazy. I just stopped and looked at them for a minute today and just wanted to say, "Who are you crazy kids and what have you done with my class?" Oh, the path I have chosen.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Thursday Thankfulness
Meet Max.
Max is the laziest little dog alive. He's pretty cute though.
Alright. I have a lot of updates.
1. Seth passed his Comp! Whoohoo! This means he is still on track for his PhD. Good work Seth! :)
2. I have hinted about a situation for a month or so now but haven't really been sure how much I can share. It is about a student and I'm still not sure of that line. Oh Well!
You have heard me talk about this little girl. I'll call her "N". N's mom is a single parent and has seven kids and another one on the way. I'll just be really honest and admit that N has caused me a lot of frustration in the classroom this year. She has tested my patience many many times. At the same time, my heart has ached for her. For now, things are under control and she is tying very hard to "make good choices" as I say ALL DAY LONG. Seriously though, as long as she is given her AD/HD and Bi-polar medication daily we are all good.
You might remember that I called a meeting with the principal, counselor and her mom to discuss some of these things. In this meeting, I came to find out that this family is barely making it. Mom doesn't have a job, she has all of these kids, no car, the kids don't have coats or uniforms or beds. Think about that- no beds. How often do we take the small things for granted? Come on- I didn't even give my bed a second thought until now. Anyway. Seth and I thought about this family a lot after I learned that. A whole lot. I couldn't really get them out of my head. I talked about that on here- where is the line as a teacher? What can you do? Is buying a pack of underwear at Target every few months enough? I still don't know the answers to these questions but I know that God is good. I know that he has opened my eyes in ways I never thought possible.
Long story short, our church received a large donation of money. The church decided to divide the money out into the congregation and have them go out into their communities and help those in need. On the day we found out about this, Seth and I just looked at each other and smiled.
Longer story shorter, I took her mom out to eat and told her that I had a way to help her family. She started crying then I started crying and it was a wonderful feeling. In talking with her, I learned that some of the kids had a mattress (no frame) with fluff coming out. A few of the other kids just use blankets and clothes on the floor. With this money, we have purchased six twin bed frames, mattresses, and box springs (one for each child) and will get a crib this weekend. Mom sleeps on an air mattress (and is 5 months pregnant) so we purchased her a queen bed frame, mattress and box springs as well. We went to Target and got brand new sheets, comforters and pillows to deck out their new beds.
Tomorrow, we (well, Seth.. I have to work) is going to deliver all of the beds. When I get off work, I'm going to go over and put all the new fun threads on the bed. :)
Thinking about N snuggling down in a warm, clean bed tomorrow night makes my heart smile.
Monday, November 16, 2009
The Weekly Rundown
I have had a couple of things swirling around in my mind to blog about lately. Right now though I don't really feel like it. So, I'll leave you with a list of things that are going on right now in our lives.
-Yesterday, I made gluten free muffins and am pleasantly surprised. They have a pound cakey texture and were pretty easy. I put them in the freezer and now have breakfast handy for the next 24 (okay. I ate two after I made them. 22 days.) Yess!
-We are watching a friend's dog for a while. We got him tonight and -first things first-gave him a bath. He's all snuggled up to me smelling like Baby Shampoo. Hey, use what ya have, right?
-I survived Parent/Teacher Conferences. For some reason I was really nervous that morning. As soon as the first conference got going I realized that the parents don't actually know that sometimes I feel like I don't have it all together. Might as well act like I do, right?
-Today was a Teacher Workday at school. That's code for : No KIDS: Praise the Lord! Most of the time the speakers are a little dull and my mind races thinking about all of the things I could be doing in my class. Surprisingly, not today. I can't tell you how much I needed this woman to come into my life. The class was on Reading Learning Disabilities in the Classroom. The teacher was this fun, caring southern woman who reminded me so much of my teachers -especially Donna- back at the U of A. It was so evident that this woman loved teaching and I really needed to see that. I have been bogged down a little lately. Feeling a little overwhelmed with the current teaching situation. Today, I remembered why I want to do it! She actually thanked us for being teachers-even though she is one also. She said that teachers are teachers because they are called to do it. She also said that when you are called to do something like teaching, you will dig deep down and find a way to do it. She said that even when you feel like you don't know what to do, when you are called to do something you will do what you need to do. I REALLY needed to hear that.
-I am so ready for Thanksgiving Break. We are heading to NY to spend some time with Seth's family. Cody and Will are going to be able to come to, so all the Borin boys (plus me) will be together. Fun times!
-Keep your fingers crossed tomorrow as we find out which road we will be lead to next.
Sorry that was a lot of rambling. I promise that I do have some touching things to write about soon. I want to wait until a few things are finalized so I can tell the entire story. Let me just leave you hanging by saying that God has done some amazing things in my life the past month. He has opened my eyes to a lot of things and I think I am a better person because of this experience in my life.
-Yesterday, I made gluten free muffins and am pleasantly surprised. They have a pound cakey texture and were pretty easy. I put them in the freezer and now have breakfast handy for the next 24 (okay. I ate two after I made them. 22 days.) Yess!
-We are watching a friend's dog for a while. We got him tonight and -first things first-gave him a bath. He's all snuggled up to me smelling like Baby Shampoo. Hey, use what ya have, right?
-I survived Parent/Teacher Conferences. For some reason I was really nervous that morning. As soon as the first conference got going I realized that the parents don't actually know that sometimes I feel like I don't have it all together. Might as well act like I do, right?
-Today was a Teacher Workday at school. That's code for : No KIDS: Praise the Lord! Most of the time the speakers are a little dull and my mind races thinking about all of the things I could be doing in my class. Surprisingly, not today. I can't tell you how much I needed this woman to come into my life. The class was on Reading Learning Disabilities in the Classroom. The teacher was this fun, caring southern woman who reminded me so much of my teachers -especially Donna- back at the U of A. It was so evident that this woman loved teaching and I really needed to see that. I have been bogged down a little lately. Feeling a little overwhelmed with the current teaching situation. Today, I remembered why I want to do it! She actually thanked us for being teachers-even though she is one also. She said that teachers are teachers because they are called to do it. She also said that when you are called to do something like teaching, you will dig deep down and find a way to do it. She said that even when you feel like you don't know what to do, when you are called to do something you will do what you need to do. I REALLY needed to hear that.
-I am so ready for Thanksgiving Break. We are heading to NY to spend some time with Seth's family. Cody and Will are going to be able to come to, so all the Borin boys (plus me) will be together. Fun times!
-Keep your fingers crossed tomorrow as we find out which road we will be lead to next.
Sorry that was a lot of rambling. I promise that I do have some touching things to write about soon. I want to wait until a few things are finalized so I can tell the entire story. Let me just leave you hanging by saying that God has done some amazing things in my life the past month. He has opened my eyes to a lot of things and I think I am a better person because of this experience in my life.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Pumpkin Roll and Razorbacks
Wow. I'm bad at this blog sometimes. Sorry it has almost been a week since I updated. Two words are to blame for that: Report. Cards. Groan. Yuck. Gag. Ugh.
Yeah, that pretty much sums up how I feel about Report Cards. But there is no sense in ruining a perfectly good post talking about that.
Today has been such a nice day. I woke up and straightened up the house and drank coffee with Seth. We watched the Hogs beat South Carolina and had a nice day. I'm almost caught up on laundry and have a pumpkin roll in the fridge that is finally ready and calling our name. We are off to have a slice and hit the hay. Don't judge.
Yeah, that pretty much sums up how I feel about Report Cards. But there is no sense in ruining a perfectly good post talking about that.
Today has been such a nice day. I woke up and straightened up the house and drank coffee with Seth. We watched the Hogs beat South Carolina and had a nice day. I'm almost caught up on laundry and have a pumpkin roll in the fridge that is finally ready and calling our name. We are off to have a slice and hit the hay. Don't judge.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Until tomorrow...
Well, I have been a slacker today. I didn't get the pictures up last night obviously. I'll try tomorrow... I know you are on the edge of your seats with anticipation of my clean closet. Ha! Our Halloween was uneventful but turned out to be a pretty fun time. I made Paula Deen's shirmp and wild rice casserole (YUM! I will post the recipe later) and curled up on the couch to watch Scream 3.
Today, we and I gave blood at the Church Blood Drive. It went fine but made us both feel kinda woozy for the afternoon so we have been pretty lazy. Apparently I did get pretty pale and for some reason my bag stopped flowing and they had to stop it early . Dang it. A big ole' needle stick and only half a bag of blood that will probably just be thrown out. Grrr. Anyway. I just finished all my junk for the week and am about to hit the hay. Goodnight!
Today, we and I gave blood at the Church Blood Drive. It went fine but made us both feel kinda woozy for the afternoon so we have been pretty lazy. Apparently I did get pretty pale and for some reason my bag stopped flowing and they had to stop it early . Dang it. A big ole' needle stick and only half a bag of blood that will probably just be thrown out. Grrr. Anyway. I just finished all my junk for the week and am about to hit the hay. Goodnight!
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