It is amazing to me that I have not sat down at this computer to write a blog post in almost 3 months. For those of you who thought I had fallen off the edge of the Earth, I'm still here! Since September, there has been a lot going on! I got a straight grade 1 class for the year (yippee!!!) and am very, very happy to be teaching just grade 1 curriculum for this year. Covering curriculum for two grade levels in one classroom is tough stuff, y'all! I totally heart my new group of lovelies. They are sweet, eager to learn and all around a nice group of kids. I had forgotten, however, what it is like to teach one grade level, in that there are no older role models in the classroom to speed things along. As a result, it has been a rather slow start to the year and I have to keep reminding myself that it will all work out in the end. We will get there! On the home front, my hubby is still recovering from his stroke and learning to live with atrial fibrillation, we moved my mother (who has dementia) into a nursing home and we are currently in the process of emptying out her house which is filled with 51 years worth of love and treasures. Whew! I'm tired just reading all that and I've been LIVING it!!!!! I thought I'd start back on the blogging bandwagon by joining up with the Teaching Trio for their Sunday Scoop. Here goes!
So there you go! I am back! I promise to try to update more often but, have to say, that sometimes life just happens and the last thing I feel like doing is working on the computer. Hope you all had a happy Sunday! Cheers! Olwyn
I am linking up again with the Teaching Trio for the Sunday Scoop. Here's mine....
I am happy to say that I have already done one of my "have to's" and have repotted and planted all but two of the plants I bought yesterday. (I bought around 16 so there was a lot of gardening going on early this morning!) I am about to go for a walk to finish the other two. Go me!!! As to the hopes, I have a bit of hand sewing to finish on the top. Just wish my fingers wouldn't go numb while I am sewing. It is very frustrating!! If it gets done, I am wearing it tomorrow! And, I'll see how I do today with blog posts. If you read here regularly you'll know that I haven't exactly been prolific in my posting lately. I'll do my best to write a couple of posts but don't hold your breath!!! On that note...I am off to do my happy...puttering about the house! Happy Sunday! Cheers! Olwyn
I am linking up today with Teaching Trio for their weekly Sunday Scoop. It has been forever since I wrote (sorry, about that but I do have a good reason this time!) Here goes!
Most of the above is pretty self-explanatory. And a lot of the things are things I didn't get done or stopped doing this month when my husband had a stroke. Yep, a stroke. At the age of 47. Let me tell you, May was a scary, worrisome time for me and I am very glad that it is going, going, gone! My life has gotten a bit out of whack as a result of being away from work for a week when the stroke first happened and then just not having my head in the game since I went back to work two weeks ago. But, I am happy to say, life is settling into our new normal and I am more than ready to get my head back on straight! So, there will be more posts, more often (I promise!) in the coming weeks. Only 24 teaching days left! Wowzer! Where has this year gone? There is still so much to get done and the time is ticking away faster than I want. I know I probably won't get everything done that I want to but I am going to give it my very best try! Cheers! Olwyn
I am linking up with Teaching Trio for another Sunday Scoop...
Does it seem weird that it is only the middle of November and many of my items have to do with Christmas? Well, not to me. You see I have been doing Organized Christmas through the blog Organized Home for about four years now. They start sending emails in the last week of October with tasks to do. If I follow it (some years I do better at this than others!) I will have everything done for Christmas by the first week in December and can then sit back, sip my eggnog and enjoy the holiday season. Since I started doing this my holidays have gotten so much better! No more shopping at the last minute. No more wrapping gifts the night before! No more being stressed out!!! It is wonderful! So, back to my Sunday Scoop... 3 things I have to do... 1. Well, I will admit that Christmas cards are not really a HAVE to do but, for me, they are pretty important. I need to get them all done in the next week so that I can mail them out in the last week of November or first week in December. And with my carpal tunnel, I have to start way early so that I can write them a few at a time and not have my hand go numb! 2. Only 30 days until my daughter is home for the holidays!!! I just need to book the ticket! 3. I brought all the math home with me last weekend, too. Did I get any of it marked? NO!!! Luckily, this past week was a three day week (what with the four day weekend around Remembrance Day) and we only did math two times. I have to do it this weekend so that I can see where the students are getting stumped and create my mini-lessons to hit the different areas that need work. 2 things I hope to do... 1. I know that I will buy very little at any craft fairs simply because I already know what most people are getting BUT I do love seeing the creativity that is out there. And, I need some more crocheted dish cloths which I get at one particular craft fair each year. I am hoping to go to Dunbar's craft fair next Saturday. 2. And on the handmade note...I have started a project that I am hoping to have done by Christmas. If not, it will turn into a birthday present for the new year. I would tell you more about it but the person it is for reads this blog so you'll just have to wait and see! 1 thing I'm happy to do... 1. My mother started making a special Christmas cookie sometime in my childhood. Can't remember a Christmas without them. The cool thing about them is that they hang on the tree! Now that my mother is unable to do things like follow a recipe, I have taken on the task. I make a double batch of dough every other year and then freeze half of it. I will be making the dough this week. The cookies turn out better if the dough is refrigerated for at least a couple of days before baking. I'll be sure to post the recipe when it is cookie baking time! Hope you are enjoying your Sunday! Cheers! Olwyn
One of the things that I love to do is follow, read and enjoy other blogs about teaching (and other things). I especially love linky parties. Every Friday on my bloglovin feed I get all the Five for Friday link ups with Doodle Bugs Teaching and, each and every week, I think "I wish I did that!" But, who am I kidding? Get a post about the week done by Friday of the same week? I know me and I know that isn't going to happen any day soon! (Fingers crossed that I will, one day, get it done!) I had to stay home today because the ear ache I mentioned on Saturday finally beat me. I was so exhausted today that I literally slept the day away. Just got up a little while ago and it is 4:30!!!!! I am happy to report that the ear ache is 99% gone and I am ready to be back at school tomorrow. Anywho, because I stayed home today and had the last half hour lazing about on the couch, checking my emails and looking up blogs etc., I had the good fortune to come across a new (well, new to me!) linky party that happens on Sundays. Yes, Sundays! Can I get a hallelujah? Sundays I can do. In fact, most weeks I write all of my posts on Sundays and set them to publish during the week. So, yay for Sunday linky parties! So, here I am, linking up a day late! It is done by Teaching Trio .(Sorry, will do it on Sunday next time. Pinky promise!!!!) Just click on the pic below to go straight to the linky party. If you click on the site name above it'll take you to their home page.
The 3 things I HAVE to do... These are pretty self explanatory. I have some very general reading groups created but I need to check on a few kids to be sure I have them in the right spots. And the exercise one is pretty basic. Even before the ear ache I wasn't doing very well keeping up my routine (which is probably part of the reason I got sick!) and know that I need to get my *$%# together and get back to the gym and yoga. If not for me, then for the mental health of all those who have to deal with me every day!!!!! Probably, the most difficult one there is the Social Studies. We are trying to use the new draft curriculum (which is significantly different from the old curriculum) as much as possible this year and it means starting from scratch in a lot of cases. It seems that learning outcomes have shifted down a grade so now there are all these things the grade 2's have to learn that they didn't before. Can't they ever just keep it simple, people?!?! As for the 2 things I HOPE to do... I haven't seen my mum in a couple of weeks (since Thanksgiving actually) and I am feeling bad about it. Not that she knows I haven't been there. Her Alzheimer's is bad enough now that she doesn't remember if I was there 5 minutes ago, 5 hours ago or 5 months ago. But I know. And it is a tradition (since we had my daughter 18 years ago) to go to her house for Halloween, order in dinner and hand out the candy with her. And, although my daughter will not be there for Halloween (she'll be in Montreal) and even though Halloween is my least favourite holiday by far, I still plan to go up. And the Whole Brain Teaching (WBT for short) is something I have been doing on and off over the years and just started again in class with our smilies/frownies board. This class is responding really well to it so I am going to do more. Want to know more about it? I've been watching a bunch of YouTube videos of WBT in action and also relearning all the things on their site. Some I know works for me, some I need to adjust a bit and some I just want to try for the first time! Check out their website at WBT! And check out this lesson below done by one of my favourite WBT teachers on the web!
And, last but not least, as for my 1 thing I am HAPPY to do... I love to read. Enough said. Catch you later, I've got a book calling my name!!!! (And a hubby making dinner. Is there any better way to end a sick day? Well, except for not feeling sick anymore!?!?!) Cheers! Olwyn
