May the 4th Be With You . . . Cape Capers

In honor of May the 4th be with you . . . I brought my Sith Lord cape to school today. (It's really the witch cape I made a couple years ago.) I drew a student's name from the pit-of-despair each hour to determine who got to wear it.

In first hour it was Austin's birthday. He asked if he could wear it, because it was his birthday. I said, "Yes. If I draw your name." And then I drew his name. Really. And it was announced over the intercom for all the birthday people (Austin's name was read) to come to the principal's office for their birthday treat. So he went to the principal's office wearing the cape. Sigh.

We were already reading The Wednesday Wars when Austin returned, so it wasn't until after the quiz that we heard how it went in the principal's office.

Me:  Did the principal say anything about the cape?

Austin:  Yeah. He asked me why I was wearing it.

Me:  And you said?

Austin: I told him that I was trying to make my family proud.

Me:  That's it? That's all you told him.

Austin:  Yeah.

Me:  Austin! He's going to wonder which teacher sent a student to the office wearing a cape! And he'll look up your schedule and find out it was me. And he'll have no idea why I really sent you to his office wearing a cape. Aagh! I'd better call him and clear this up.

Me: (after dialing the principal's number) Hi, This is Mrs. Hansen. I understand you had a student in your office this morning wearing a cape.

Principal:  Yes, I did.

Me:  I thought you'd want to know that we're commemorating "May the 4th Be With You" by drawing students' names from the pit-of-despair and letting them wear my Sith Lord cape.

Principal:  A-ha. I did ask about it, but all I got was that he was trying to make his family proud.

Me:  Well, now you know the rest of the story!

Actually, it made for a pretty memorable May the 4th! I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

P.S. The principal came down during another hour to deliver something. My students were quietly reading The Wednesday Wars like model students. And he saw yet another student wearing the cape -- while being perfectly on-task!

Bliss on a Bike . . .

Today I enjoyed an activity that never fails to bring me happiness -- riding my bike with my dog running along on  leash. About a year ago I posted another post about it on my Belly Acre Farm blog.

There are a couple things about this activity that make it so enjoyable. The first is that I'm doing it with my dog. She's awesome! She wears a harness and pulls and pulls. My first stop today was at my pharmacy drive-up window. As they filled my prescriptions, I asked if they still give out dog treats. (I'd been in there a few months ago when another customer pulled in with a dog in their car and received a dog treat.) "Sure!" they said, and gave Annie a doggie biscuit. Annie seems to enjoy these bike rides almost as much as I do.

The second thing that great about these rides is that I get to ride a fun bike. It's a lot like this bike, but with a red seat, red handle bars, and a white metal basket on the front. And, yes, it has a bell!

My bike is a joy to ride because it has a wide, tractor-like seat. In other words, when I sit on the seat, you can still see it beneath my butt. And I don't have gluteus maximus pain for days afterwards either. Plus the basket and the bell are a kick! I can ride my bike to my local grocery store, buy two gallons of milk, and they will both fit in my basket for the return trip home. Oh, and the basket is easily detachable, so I can use it in the store like a mini-shopping basket and not even need plastic bags. Yeah!

I'm so glad that warmer weather is here so that I can get out on my bike with my dog more often!

2012 -- Favorite Books for 7th Grade Girls

At the end of every school year I ask my students to hand in a list of their top five books. I compile these into a recommended readinglist for 7th graders. Here is the girls' list.

2011 / 2012

Favorite Books of Mrs. Hansen’s students

GIRLS’ TOP 10  (in order of popularity)

1.       The Hunger Games series, by Suzanne Collins

2.       Books of Bayern series (Goose Girl), by Shannon Hale

3.       Fablehavenseries, by Brandon Mull

4.       Harry Potter series, by J.K. Rowling

5.       Percy Jackson series, by Rick Riordan

6.       Heroes of Olympus series, by Rick Riordan

7.       The Candyshop War, by Brandon Mull

8.       Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, by Jeff Kinney

9.       Ugliesseries, by Scott Westerfield

10.   Matched/Crossedseries, by Ally Condie

All Others  (in alphabetical order)

39 Clues series, by various authors

Allie Finkle, by Meg Cabot

Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl

Anthony Riderseries, by Anthony Horowitz

Artemis Fowlseries, by Eoin Colfer

Bearstone, by Will Hobbs

Beyonders series, by Brandon Mull

Bread and Roses, Too, by Katherine Paterson

Breanna, My Brother, and the Blog, by Jack Weyland

Calvin and Hobbs comics, by  Bill Waterson

The Candymakers, by Wendy Mall

Cesar’s Way, by Cesar Millan

Charlie Boneseries, by Jenny Nimmo

Cirque Du Freak, by Darren Shan

Close to Famous, by Joan Bauer

Crazy, by Han Nolan

Daniel X series, by James Patterson

The Daughtersseries, by Joanna Philbin

Deep Down Popular, by Phoebe Stone

The Demon King (Seven Realms series), by Cinda Williams Chima

Dreamland, by Sarah Dessen

Ella Enchanted/Fairest/Beast, etc. by Gail Carson Levine

Entwined, by Heather Dixon

Everlost, by Neal Shusterman

Famous, by Todd Strasser

Farworld series, by J. Scott Savage

The Fast and the Furriest, by Andy Behrens

Flipped, by Wendelin Van Drannen

Gallagher Girls series, by Ally Carter

Goosebumps series, by R.L. Stine

Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen

Hope Was Here, by Joan Bauer

The Host, by Stefanie Meyer

How to Survive Middle School, by Donna Gephart

Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick

Inheritance series (Eragon), by Christopher Paolini

Janitors, by Tyler Whitesides

Just Listen, by Sarah Dessen

Kissing Kelli, by Cathy Carmichael

The Last Song, by Nicholas Sparks

Maximum Rideseries, by James Patterson

May Bird and the Ever After (series), by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Missing Children(Light Traveler Adventure series),

by Brent Rowley

Molly Moon series, by Georgia Byng

The Mortal Instrumentsseries, by Casandra Clare

Mother Daughter Book Club series, by Heather Vogel Frederick

My Double Life, by Jannette Rallison

The Mysterious Benedict Society series,

by Trenton Lee Stewart

The Name of This Book is Secret, by Psuedonymous Bosch

Peter and the Starcatchers series,

by Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson

Princess Academy, by Shannon Hale

Prom and Prejudice, by Elizabeth Eulberg

Prom Season, by Elizabeth Craft

The Ranger’s Apprentice series, by John Flanagan

Runaway, by Wendelin Van Draanen

Science Fair, by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

scriptures

The Secret Journal of Brett Colton, by Kay Lynn Mangum

Seekers series, by Erin Hunter

Series of Unfortunate Events series, by Lemony Snickett

Sherlock Holmesbooks, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Sisters Grimmseries, by Michael Buckley

So B. It, by Sarah Weeks

Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites series,

by Chris Heimerdinger

Times Squared, by Julia DeVillers

The Tomorrowseries by John Marsden

Tomorrow Girlsseries, by Eva Gray

Tunnels series, by Roderick Gordon

‡Twilight series, by Stefanie Meyers

Unwind, by Neal Shusterman

Warrior Catseries, by Erin Hunter

The Warrior Heirseries, by Cinda Williams Chima

Witch and Wizardseries, by James Patterson

‡  Represents a book that I CAN NOT recommend for this age group.

2012 -- Favorite Books for 7th grade boys

At the end of every school year I ask my students to hand in a list of their top five books. I compile these into a recommended reading list for 7th graders. Here is the boys' list.

2011 / 2012

Favorite Books of Mrs. Hansen’s students

BOYS’ TOP 10  (in order of popularity)

1.       Hunger Games series, by Suzanne Collins

2.       The Percy Jackson series, by Rick Riordan

3.       Fablehavenseries, by Brandon Mull

4.       The Red Pyramid series, by Rick Riordan

5.       Harry Potter series, by J.K. Rowling

6.       Heroes of Olympus series, by Rick Riordan

7.       Inheritanceseries (Eragon), by Christopher Paolini

8.       Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, by Jeff Kinney

9.       39 Cluesseries, by various authors

10.   Janitors, by Tyler Whitesides

All Others  (in alphabetical order)

The 13^thReality series, by James Dashner

Alex Rider series, by Anthony Horowitz

Beyonders series, by Brandon Mull

The Big Field, by Mike Lupica

Big Red / Wild Trek, by Jim Kjelgaard

Bone graphic novels series, by Jeff Smith

Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson

Calvin and Hobbes comics, by Bill Waterson

The Candyshop War, by Brandon Mull

Castaways of the Flying Dutchman, by Brian Jacques

Code Talker, by Joseph Bruchac

Coraline, by Neil Gaiman

Dark Fire (The Dragon Chronicles), by Chris D’Lacey

Deltora Questseries, by Emily Rodda

the dictionary

Enders Game, by Orson Scott Card

Esperanza Rising, by Pam Munoz Ryan

Freak the Mighty, by Rodman Philbrick

The Gatekeepersseries (Raven’s Gate),

by Anthony Horowitz

The Giggler Treatment, by Roddy Doyle

The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman

I Am Number Four, by Pittacus Lore

Hank the Cow Dog, by John R. Erickson

Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen

Holes, by Louis Sachar

The Home Ranch, by Ralph Moody

Incarceron, by Catherine Fisher

Leven Thumpsseries, by Obert Skye

Lord of the Ringsseries, by J.R.R. Tolkien

Magic Thief, by Sarah Prineas

Maximum Rideseries, by James Patterson

Million Dollar Throw, by Mike Lupica

My Side of the  Mountain, by Jean Craighead George

The Mysterious Benedict Society series,

by Trenton Lee Stewart

Old Yeller, by Fred Gipson

Rangers Apprenticeseries, by John Flanagan

Redwall series, by Brian Jacques

The Roar / The Whisper, by Emma Clayton

scriptures

The Shadow Childrenseries, by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Septamus Heapseries (Magyk), by Angie Sage

The Stonehearttrilogy, by Charlie Fletcher

Summer Ball, by Mike Lupica

The Tale of Despereaux, by Kate DiCamillo

thesaurus

Voices from Afghanistan, by Allan Zullo

War Horse, by Michael Morpurgo

The Warrior Heirseries, by Cinda Williams Chima

Western books by Louis L’Amour

Where the Red Fern Grows, by Wilson Rawls

The Whipping Boy, by Sid Fleischman

Witch and Wizardseries, by James Patterson

Life is no picnic with A.N.T.s

When it comes to body image and day-to-day happiness, sometimes we are our worst enemies. And how do we sabotage ourselves? Our thoughts.

We allow our swarming thoughts to become A.N.T.s -- Automatic Negative Thoughts. Instead of neutral thoughts such as, "this red scarf looks nice with my red tennis shoes," our A.N.T.s come up with something like, "I'd better wear this red scarf to distract attention away from my tummy rolls. And it won't hurt to wear my red tennis shoes to draw eyes down and away from my rear end."

As part of my parental responsibilities, whatever my kids download onto their i-pods, I download onto mine too. A few days ago I added a new batch, and one song in particular has been stuck in my head --"According to You" by Orianthi. (You can listen to the song by clicking on "track 1" in the playlist to the right and hitting the play button.)

The opening lyrics go:

According to you I'm stupid, I'm useless
I can't do anything right.
According to you I'm difficult, hard to please
Forever changing my mind


I'm a mess in a dress, can't show up on time
Even it if would save my life
According to you . . .


Although the lyrics are about what a boyfriend tells her, it could very well be the negative thoughts that she tells herself. Have you told yourself similar things? I certainly have.

Now see if you've ever heard your spouse or friend say something similar to the lyrics that follow.

But according to him I'm beautiful, incredible
He can't get me out of his head
According to him I'm funny, irresistible
Everything he ever wanted.

If you're like me, you tend to discount the positive things people tell you about your looks. Why do we do that?

I have a theory about why I don't believe what others say about me. It has to do with the "all or none" mentality that I often find myself in. If everything about my looks isn't perfect, then the entire effect is ruined or ugly. Perhaps it's even a bit of a perfectionist problem.

I'm no psychologist, but I do know how to get rid of ants of the six-legged sort.

1. Eliminate what's drawing them -- sugary food, usually. As I wrote this heading, it dawned on me that my A.N.T.s are the very worst when I'm not eating healthy foods and have avoided exercising for a while. In other words, when I don't make my actions consistent with what I know to be best for my body, I kick myself with negative thoughts. There's probably some connection between exercising and a positive mental boost too. I'm almost never negative after a good workout.

2. Spray a little Bug-B-Gone -- There's not really a spray that will make negative thoughts go away, but I have a few ideas. In order to get rid of a bad habit, it's important to replace it with a positive one. Whenever a sneaky little A.N.T. creeps into my mind, I can "spray" it by covering it with a positive thought. Here are a few I might try:

• I have a nice nose.
• My sense of humor brings me joy and laughter!
• My complexion is clear and freckled -- it keeps me looking young.
• I have a nice neck. (Good advice: treat the skin on your neck just like the skin on your face.)
• My large hands let me reach an octave plus one note on the piano.
• I am pioneer stock! Built to last.
• I have a lot to be grateful for . . . (think of a few things).
• I'm a pretty good dog trainer. Annie sits, stays, rolls over, plays dead, jumps on demand, and can catch a frisbee, tennis ball, and rope tug from the air.
• I love the color of my hair, and there are very few grays

Take that you A.N.T.s!

What does Adele's "Set Fire to the Rain" mean?

Today I asked my 7th graders to listen to Adele's "Set Fire to the Rain" as they read the lyrics. Their assignment was to tell me what "set fire to the rain" might mean. They were told that it was for participation points.

Here are some of the more interesting responses:


"I don't care, but I participated. So, therefore I get full credit points. You have to give me an A. And this has no relevance to language I'll need in life."  -- N.H.

"I think she was burning pictures of someone who cheated on her, and all of the pictures made her cry." -- S.R.

"This girl really liked this guy, then she realized he was a crappy guy. Then she ended the tears by setting fire to the relationship."  --E.Z.

"I think it means they don't go well together."  -- K.W.

"I think it means that a guy broke her heart, and so the girl got rid of him by throwing their relationship into the fire and let it burn. The rain means she's crying." -- M.N.

"Two people broke up because there was a side to the guy that the girl didn't know. Rain is her tears. The guy lied, played games and always won."  -- A.S.

"She broke up with her boyfriend and now she is getting over it. In other words, she threw their relationship into the fire. - OR - She broke up with him because he was a flippin' jerk!"  -- M.D.

"Fire is anger, and rain is sadness."  -- A.C.

"She had a boyfriend and found out a different side to him. And then he left her, and her heart burns?" -- N.P.

"Her tears are the rain."  -- M.P.

I'm gaining weight, but it could be worse

The topic for talks at church this past Sunday was dealing with adversity. If I remember correctly, one speaker even said that they'd been asked to talk about "smiling through adversity." That's something that I'm usually pretty good at -- finding the humor in difficult situations. But being a person of size often leaves me anything but smiley.

In fact, when I saw the photos of myself on the zip line in Puerta Vallarta on our recent vacation, I cried myself to sleep. Nothing like lots of straps to emphasize the lumpy midsection of your body. I even went so far as to call my sister-in-law to ask that she please not include any strappy photos of me on the zip line in the book she was creating from the vacation photos. That was a first.

But back to church. As I listened during the talks, I realized that my struggling with my weight is probably going to be a lifetime challenge for me. Funny, but I'd never really thought of applying lessons for dealing with adversity to my weight or body image. But that's exactly what I need to do. And what this blog is all about.

The really learning moment on Sunday came when I was talking with my neighbor, DeeAnn. She has a sister who is struggling with adrenal cancer, a sister that I know too. I asked her how her sister was doing. "Well," she said, "she's gained 17 pounds in the last two week. And it's all tumors."

That put my own weight gain into perspective.

DeeAnn said that the tumor growth is causing her sister's midsection to become misshapen and distorted. She's started chemo in Texas, but it's too soon to know if it will buy her enough time to make it until her son returns from a mission in August.

I think I can smile through my weight gain adversity, but the cancer weight gain has left me in tears.

Letter to My Mouth . . .

Dear Mouth,

We, the rest of the body, wanted to write you this letter to let you know that we're important too. We are tired of you always deciding what we eat. It's not all about you.

Yes, desserts taste wonderful for you. But once they hit Stomach and go through the digestion process, the rest of us don't feel so hot. The sweet things you like to party with leave the rest of us feeling flat. Or plump is more like it. Desserts and breads spend a moment on your Lips and seem to last forever on Tush and Hips. Plus too many sweets and carbs leave the rest of us dealing with water retention and fatigue. Enough is enough!

Brain, Legs, Arms and Hands are no longer going to sucker for your sweet talk. In fact, Brain is taking back control. And we're all standing behind her. Legs will walk past the candy section at the store without stopping. Arms and Hands are no longer going to lift large quantities of carb-filled pleasures into your gaping maw. We're doing this because we love you.

We're all in this together. Have you noticed that when the rest of us are feeling crappy you say things that you later regret? Well, here's the thing . . . we've been out of balance. But we're headed back to a good place by reducing sugar intake and swapping refined carbs for whole-grains.

We'll do our part and try to slow down and let you savor the eating process. Food IS good! We're not asking that you eat only tasteless tidbits. Quite the opposite. We'd like you to savor and enjoy the delicious food you get to eat everyday. Foods like eggs, fresh mozzarella chesse with proscuitto and basil (Panino), frozen raspberries in half and half sprinkled with Splenda. Nice juicy steaks.

We're asking that when Eyes spot the plate of brownies that were left on the counter, you'll stay shut. That plate of brownies only provides pleasure for you. They hurt the rest of us.

Thanks for listening.

Sincerely,

The Rest of the Body

The Zucchini Bandits . . .

My husband and I went to our community's 24th of July Pioneer Day Parade. It has been YEARS since I have had that much fun at a parade. The big draw for me was getting to see the Stevens Family Band all dressed like pioneers, playing instruments and pulling handcarts. You guys ROCK!

We were very fortunate to get to stand with a bunch of friends from our neighborhood. As we watched the parade entries go by, we thought it would be fun to create an entry for next year's parade -- something where a bunch of women get together and throw zucchini to bystanders.

The idea didn't really go much further than that at the time, but this morning as I was out picking beans, I fleshed it out a bit more. See if you like it.

The Zucchini Bandits

We could each wear a green t-shirt with "Zucchini Bandits" on the front and one of the following phrases on the back:
-- Lock your doors! It's zucchini season.
-- Spreading the green without being seen.

In addition to wearing t-shirts, one of us could make green masks -- kind of like the green version of Zorro.

We could either push wheelbarrows filled with zucchini to give away, or we could operate out of the back of someone's pick-up truck. Whichever mode of transportation we opted for, we'd create banners with our identification and mottos.

You know how businesses enter local parades and pass out flyers? Well, we could recruit a few of our kids to pass out zucchini recipes! Really, really good zucchini recipes.

I can see this being a fun ward Relief Society entry. My mother even suggested that perhaps we could get our husbands to push us in wheelbarrows while the kids distribute the goods.

Becoming Zucchini Bandits would take a good deal of preparation. Those planning to participate would need to plant more zucchini than normal so that we'd have plenty to give away at the parade. They could either pull up the extra plants after the parade, or we could continue to let them grow in anticipation of a fun ward activity -- ZUCCHINI DAZE.

At Zucchini Daze everyone brings a potluck dish to share that includes zucchini as an ingredient. (It would also be a good idea to bring a copy of the recipe for someone to compile and distribute at a later date.) There would also be a fun variety of games and activities that incorporate zucchini. For instance:

•  The peeled zucchini toss: this is a lot like a water balloon toss only using a peeled zucchini instead
• The zucchini crochet relay: teams of 4 or 5 people each are given a medium-size zucchini and a crochet mallet. The object of the game is to use the mallet to hit the zucchini down the field to the next contestant who then hits it down the field in the opposite direction until all members of the team have taken their turn. The first team to cross the finish line with a zucchini that is still in one piece is the winner.
• Biggest zucchini contest: contestants bring the biggest zucchini from their garden to see who has grown the largest squash. (These will be saved to use in the next contest.)
• The zucchini hurling contest: Only those who entered a zucchini in the above activity are elligible for this event. Contestants take their giant squash and get one chance to hurl them down the field of play. The one who hurls theirs the farthest (or who has pieces break off and go the farthest) wins!
• Zucchini craft for kids: our scouts usually do a zucchini boat race for one of their summer pack meetings. This is a fun activity for zucchini daze if your event is near a stream or creek. If that's not the case, simply give each young child a zucchini, mini-marshmallows and toothpicks. Let their creativity take over. (A fun at-home activity would be to use your Mr./Mrs. Potato Head parts to make a Mr. or Mrs. Zucchini.)
• Zucchini sculptures / creative displays: Participants need advance notice of this event so that they can create either a sculpture or some other kind of artistic endeavor using zucchini. You can give judging criteria in advance or simply give a prize for participation.

As you can see, zucchini are a very useful and fun vegetable!

If you have any ideas to add, please leave details in the comments. Enjoy your zucchini!

Don't count your chickens before . . .

Today in Language Arts we did an activity where my 7th grade students completed the beginning of common sayings. I thought the following ones were worth sharing.

Don’t count your chickens before . . . (they hatch)


… they wake up.

… Thursday.

… you take a shower.



Don’t put all your eggs . . . (in one basket)

… under the car tire.

… in your mouth.

… in an omelet.

… in a blender.

… in your pants pockets.

… in the toilet.

… in the bathtub.

… in a sock.



Children should be seen and not . . . (heard)

… hurt.

… hit.

… smelled.

… commanded.

… felt.

… tasted.

… eaten.



A penny saved is . . . (a penny earned)

… not much.

… money.

… practically worthless.

… a step closer to college.



An ounce of prevention is worth . . . (a pound of cure)

… less than it used to be.

… a life.

… a lot more than you think.

… money.



Stupid is as . . . (stupid does)

… funny as it sounds.

… as dumb as you.

… as stupid was.

… stupid as can be.



Forgive and . . . (forget)

… move on.

… be nice.

… learn.



A bird in the hand . . . (is worth two in the bush)

… may poop on you.

… must be dead.

… must be tame.

… might not be smart.

… is probably really hungry.

… is gonna fly away.

… is a baby chick.

… is cute.

… is small.

… should be set free.



What goes around . . . (comes around)

… makes you sneeze.

… hits you in the face.

… makes a circle.

… gets dizzy after a while.



What goes up must . . . (come down)

… not have tasted very good.

… not have been cooked all the way.

… somehow affect gas prices.

… be able to fly.

… be a balloon.



You don’t always get . . . (what you want)

… chocolate.

… rich.

… your way.

… a rubber chicken.

… food.

… it on the first try.

… what you need.

… first place.

… lucky.



You get what . . . (what you pay for)

… I get.

… you deserve.

… I want you to have.

… is leftover.

… is coming to you.

… you ask for.

… you need.



Think outside the . . . (the box)

… gutter.

… school.

… classroom.

… brain.

… rhombus.

… pickle.

… pumpkin.



A stitch in time saves . . . (nine)

… you from bleeding to death.

… a scar in the future.

… money.

… fabric.



You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t . . . (make it drink)

… lead water to a horse.

… push it in.

… pick its nose.

… make water.

… make it poo.



You get what you get and . . . (you don’t throw a fit)

… be grateful for it!

… then some.

… then we take it away.

… then you die.



Every cloud has a . . . (silver lining)

… dark side.

… problem.

… tear to shed.

… soft spot.

… rainbow.

… raindrop.

… lot of water.



If I’ve said it once, I’ve . . . (said it a thousand times)

…pumped my shotgun.

… made my point.

… said it for you.

… said it enough.

… said it twice.



An apple a day . . . (keep the doctor away)

… makes you wish you had an orange.

… gets old after a while.

… is a lot of apples.



Early to bed and early to rise makes a man . . . (healthy, wealthy and wise)

… grumpy.

… boring.

… rested.

… feel wise.

Losing my class

With the school year drawing to a close, I'm looking forward to the summer but also feeling a bit sad about saying goodbye to the great batch of students I've had this year. 

Here are some things that I will enjoy remembering:

• The first couple days of school we did chalkboard challenges to use up the extra minutes at the end of class. Two students would stand at the board with a dry-erase marker ready to turn around and write their answer. The first to write the correct answer would get a point for their team. I said, "Write the abbreviation for the day after Monday." Both students had it wrong. One even wrote,"Fri." We all had a sympathetic laugh, realizing that the pressure of a game situation can short-circuit even the best brain
• I'd watched Nacho Libre at home and was telling the kids how I love how Nacho does his forward leap with his head back, chest out, and arms out and back. Some students had never seen Nacho Libre. Jackson volunteered to try to demonstrate the leap. It was right on! What talent!
• Laughing to tears during a spelling test when the topic was chickens and the word was "explosive."
• Watching the amazing progress of a student who was adopted into a family from Ukraine 2 months before school started. He came in speaking virtually no English and will leave being able to read and write fairly well. (He has over 2,000 reading pages from this quarter alone!) He is truly amazing. And a lively, michevious, lovable kid as well.
• The way Saif's eyes crinkle and almost disappear when he smiles or laughs.
• The enthuiastic way Jacob Jensen has of writing on the board in chalkboard challenges. He gets his whole body into it!
• Pablo and teasing him about hair gel. He's a good sport. Especially when he and I decided to pull one on the class and pretend that I caught him cheating. You could have heard a pin drop when I ripped up his paper and told him to wait for me in the hall. Even though the door was closed, I'm pretty sure the class heard me hit a locker and say, "What were you thinking?!" Pablo and I came in after a minute. Everyone looked stricken. Pablo and I couldn't help but laugh. Boy was the class relieved!
• Going to start the tape to go along with the class novel and having the radio come on. Me dancing along for a while as a nerdy adult. The kids were floored that I'd do it. And, yeah, they laughed. It was a great way to accidentally start the class.
• Having Parker come up and ask me if I'd broken the wind in class the day before. I was taken aback. Was he really asking what I thought he was asking? After seeing the confusion on my face, he said, "You know -- Mr. Donohoe's yard stick?" Oh yeah. I'd forgotten that Mr. Donohoe called his yard stick "The Wind." I share a class with him, and I had actually made a tiny sliver come off the day before. (I couldn't help but tell Parker what I thought he was asking. We shared it with the rest of the class who, predictably, made "break-the-wind" jokes for weeks afterwards.)
• Making the kids take a rubber chicken as the hall pass when they use the bathroom. (I disinfect it with Lysol spray at least twice a week.) Having Kjia return once with a slightly wet chicken. She claims it fell in the sink. I can only hope so.
• Playing the quiz game, "Squeeze that Chicken!" The first one to squeeze their squeaky chicken and say the right answer gets a point for their team. (Who says rubber chickens can't be educational?)
• Reading the students' fast fiction stories and having the class try to guess which one I wrote. I was constantly amazed at the creativity of my students. Students who were only so-so about writing came up with papers that beat my own attempt at fiction.
• Sharing the ups and downs of student behavior with my husband and then noticing how I always end a rant with the words, "but I still like him/her." I've been pleasantly surprised to find that the students who have the hardest time sitting still or not talking out are every bit as lovable as the others.

Alas, I'm out of time. Can you tell I've loved my first year of teaching? I'm having a hard time believing that next years classes will be able to measure up to the joy and insights this year's students have given me.

Mother's Day -- with teenagers

This year for Mother's Day I tried something new, something different, something aimed at my teenagers. On Wednesday or so I was looking through the ads that came in the newspaper in the morning. There were a number that had really nicely done Mother's Day reminders. I'm not sure what came over me, but I got out a pair of scissors.

I spent the next 15 to 20 minutes looking through all the ads -- even the ones in the recycle basket -- and cutting out cute Mother's Day reminders. When I got home from work, I taped them throughout the house. On the computer screen. On the main light switch. On the DVD player -- anywhere I thought my kids would see them.

Lou was the first to notice. "What are these," she asked. They're just little reminders I put up to annoy, and well, remind you that Mother's Day is Sunday. "Oh," she said without any enthusiasm.

Bug took a different approach. When he saw one he said, "You can thank me for putting up the Mother's Day reminders." He was so sincere that Hubby asked me a bit later if Bug really had put them up.

When Lou had a bunch of friends over on Saturday evening, they noticed too. They were curious about why I'd put them up. I told them, "If stores can advertise, moms can too!"

So now that Mother's Day is here, what were the results of my advertising? Not much. I already knew that my hubby was getting me a couple of great gifts (a notebook computer that I'm writing this post on, and a black wrought-iron bench for the front porch), and I didn't expect too much from the kids. They fulfilled my expectations. Bug did give me an oral gift -- a verbal coupon, so to speak. These are his words: "Now don't ask all the time and tell me in advance, but I'll make dinner and do the laundry one time each during the summer." Neither daughter had a gift to give, although Beans did play her viola in a large ward orchestra as the prelude to sacrament meeting today. Walking into the chapel and hearing the strings, knowing that my 12-year-old was among them put me on cloud 9! It was awesome.

Was my Mother's Day advertising a failure? Nah. I got a secret buzz watching my kids notice the reminders. It was like silent nagging. And I'm the Queen of Nag. (See previous post.) I often call myself The Nagivator -- even at school.

The way I look at it, it's occasionally a good thing for a mom to remind her kids about all the things she does for them. Especially teenagers. The results, well, that's not in my control. Enjoying the small joys of nagging -- what a treat!

Take my invention idea and run with it!

What could possibly get me blogging after an absence of five months? An idea for a new invention.  One that I really want created, but one that I don't have the time/talent/expertise to see through production.

Here it is . . .  click-on skis for grocery carts.

Here in my neck of the woods we experienced a blizzard that the weathermen referred to as snow-mageddon. After it blew in and left about 6 inches of snow, the temperatures plummeted, leaving packed snow on roads, driveways, and in parking lots. When I went to the grocery store to stock up for Thanksgiving, it was very, very difficult to push my heavy cart back to my car through the snowy parking lot. I experienced the same problem when we lived in Idaho Falls.

Someone needs to invent plastic skis to fit onto grocery carts. I think they really only need them on the front of the cart. Maybe something that allows the bottom inch of the cart wheel to extend below the skis so that if there isn't a lot of snow, the carts can roll smoothly on the asphalt. But when there is a lot of snow, the skis would allow the cart to slide on top of the snow. Voila!

If you happen to know someone who is an entrepreneur, someone who might be interested in developing grocery cart skiis, pass this blog entry on to them. Really. I retain no intellectual rights. I only ask that they contact the grocery stores in my neck of the woods to offer this amazing new product.

Because what I really want is to be able to go grocery shopping during the winter time!

The Joys of a Summer Evening . . .

• a chocolate chip smudge on the wall above the cooling rack -- the only trace of the cookies that Beans and Loula Belle made.
• sprinklers in a grain field catching the rays of the setting sun.
• sliding the windows open to let in the fresh breeze; knowing that by morning the house will be crisply cool.
• listening to the jangle of silverware and dishes as Lou unloads the dishwasher.
• hearing the hum of an airplane and wondering if Brad Wursten is up in his stunt plane.

It's a bird . . . It's a Western Tanager!

Perhaps you've noticed the small, brightly-colored birds hanging out in the valley this spring. They have a red-orange head and face, a yellow body and a black back and wings. They're actually male Western Tanagers. And they seem to be everywhere this year. Begging the question, why?

I decided to call my local newspaper, and ended up leaving a message for the editor I worked with on the hiking articles from last year. I said something like, "Hi, with all the Western Tanagers in the valley this year I thought you might want to do an article on why there are so many. A lot of people have been talking them. I don't have to write the article, but will if you want me to. Let me know."

Well, the editor called back and said, go for it. (With the deadline being the next evening.)

Long story short, I got busy and sleuthed out the answer to why there are so many Western Tanagers in Utah this year. The article printed today in the Outdoors Section. Here is the online link:
http://news.hjnews.com/features/outdoors/article_3fcc0e24-6fe4-11df-9f6f-001cc4c03286.html

The Bridgerland Audubon Society also has an article on their website written by Holly Strand of the Stokes Nature Center up Logan Canyon that explains the phenomenon as well. You can read it here:
http://www.bridgerlandaudubon.org/wildaboututah/100603westerntanager.htm

All in all I really enjoyed being in the birding element for a few days. It was nice getting updates from Utah Birdtalk about the sitings others were having across the state.

Happy birding!

Spring Break -- Nauvoo

As long as you're going to be driving to Iowa and Illinois, you might as well make a detour and see Mt. Rushmore. On Easter. While over 200 drummers are performing a well-choreographed number. Very rousing.

Also, I must say the the Quality Inn in Rapid City, South Dakota had the best complimentary breakfast of any hotel we've ever stayed in.

This was the highlight of the trip for Bug -- getting to drive my brother's stick-shift. (And doing a good job of it.)

The weather and climate in Nauvoo was fabulous -- green, moist, and warmer than what we'd left at home. The daffodils were out, the magnolia trees in bloom. Unlike the cold mountain valley we live in, it really felt like Spring.

This was a fun photo that captured the temple and a bit of the restored town. Note the water tower to the left of the temple. Beans, our youngest, referred to these are upside-down onions. They're all across the midwest.

Perhaps the most moving experience for me of the whole trip was our time at the Carthage Jail. I'd heard of the experiences that took place there and of the mob that stormed the room where the Prophet Joseph Smith and other men were. But being in that place of martyrdom brought home the realities of what happened.

For example, the prophet and his companions were in the bedroom of the jailer and his wife because the ground-floor jail cell was deemed unsafe and because the upstairs jail cell had reached 120 degrees the previous day before. The jailer did all in his power to keep his prisoners safe until they could come to trial, even giving up his own private quarters. But that was not to be.

As we left I heard mourning doves cooing nearby. Altogether it was a sad and holy site.

On Spring, Bliss and Throwing Out All My Diet Books!

Before I get to the part about throwing out my diet books, I'd like to focus on bliss for a moment. Bliss, according to my Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition, is defined as complete happiness. Which pretty much sums up what I experienced this morning -- bliss on a bike.

I dusted off my bike seat after a long winter, put the dog's harness on and went for a short ride up to my parents' house. Annie, my three-year-old Golden Retreiver/German Shorthair mix, loves going for bike rides. When she saw me put on my bike helmet and reach for her harness, I had her complete and devoted attention. Once I'd checked the tire pressure, adjusted my rear-view mirror and secured my pant leg with a band, we were read to go.

And go we did! At the start of every ride Annie has oodles of energy. I encourage her pulling efforts by ringing my bike bell like crazy. I'm sure some hapless observer would think we were nuts, but really, I've got her under control.

I've been riding my bike with Annie since she was about 7 months old. It was a lot slower and more cautious in the beginning. I also taught her some important commands. To slow down I say "whoa." My command for left is "left." (Propper mushers use haw for left and gee for right.) For right-hand turns I say, "this way," as she's following my lead.

I didn't read any articles on bike mushing like this one. I just did what came naturally. We don't use genuine musher equipment, but we both have a great time. In fact, I think that part of what makes the whole experience blissful for me is watching Annie completely enjoy herself. It's as if her enthusiasm is contagious, and I can't help but smile and whoop for joy.

Bliss on a bike -- the most fun I've had in weeks!

And now onto those old diet books. . .

About a year ago I read a book called Health at Every Size: The surprising truth about your weight, by Linda Bacon, PhD. I even wrote a couple blog entries about it such as this one and this one. At that time I was going to give up on dieting, but my anti-dieting resolution didn't last long. I've tried both low-carb and WeightWatcher's momentum plan since then. With little results.

But this time I'm serious. This time I bought the book Live a Little: Breaking the rules wont' break your health, by Susan M. Love, M.D. and Alice D. Domar, Ph.D. Once again, it confirms what my body has known all along -- everyone's body is different, and no one is completely in control of their own health or weight either. These two authors have anazlyzed the research on health, wellness and living a longer life, and they report what is and is not really going to help women live longer, healthier, happier lives. (This really is a great book!)

One of my favorite parts debunks the calories in, calories out myth. They write, "According to this theory, big people are big simply because they eat so very much more than their slender counterparts--and weight gain is inversely proportional to the amount of a person's self-control. But Sims's studies, and other like it, suggest this is not necessarily the case. It's far more likely that each of us has a genetically programmed weight range of about ten to twenty pounds. One person's natural range might be from 160 to 180 pounds, while another's might be from 115 to 130. Yet both people may eat the same amount of calories and perform roughly the same amount of exercise." (emphasis added)

There it is in black and white -- what my body has been trying to tell me for years. I am not genetically programmed to be thin. Yes, I'm bummed about that. (Literally.) But just because I carry more weight than others my height, it doesn't mean that I can't be healthy. On the contrary. After a discussion about BMI (Body Mass Index), Love and Domar state, "A study by the Centers for Disease Control found that overweight people tend to live longer than those in the obese or normal categories."

So live a little! And love the body you're in.

Instead of focusing on my weight, I'm going to do what I can to be healthy and be more appreciative of my body. It may not be January, but these are my resolutions.
--------------------

Side Note: I just went on Amazon.com to buy Health at Every Size. Apparently it's out of print. A USED paperback copy (only two available) goes for $124.00 or more. I guess it's time to issue a new edition. I'd buy one! (But not for $124.)

My Husband's New Nickname for Me . . .

Earlier this week while Hubby and I were eating breakfast, he said something like, "It's alright, Rear."

I asked him, "Did you just call me Rear?"

"Yeah," he said. "But I meant to say Dear."

"Oh, so now I've gone from being dear to being a rear. That's okay. I'll just call you Bum."

All this was said in good fun and after a good laugh (on my part -- one of my life's goals is to get my hubby to laugh out loud more. I've given up on getting him to laugh until he cries, but anything audible is a step in the right direction).

As I kissed him before heading out the door to substitute teach I said, "Have a good day, Bum. I'll see you when you get home."

Even a couple days later we've used the tongue-in-cheek nicknames a time of two. And it never fails to make us smile.

Who would've thought that calling your wife Rear or your husband Bum could be a marriage enriching moment?

My Stint as a Washing Machine Repair Woman

I do laundry once a week, and today is the day. Or WAS the day. I'd started a batch of dark clothes in the washing machine and came back a few minutes later to add my black exercise pants. That's when I noticed that although the machine sounded like it was working, the agitator (the white spiral thingy in the middle) wasn't moving. The clothes were basically just sitting there in the water.

Looking back, I'm pretty sure that the washing machine hasn't been working for a couple weeks now. Each time I'd take the dark clothes out of the washer a few articles from each batch still had detergent residue on them. At the time I thought that maybe I'd overfilled the machine. (Which can definitely happen when you're only doing laundry once a week.)

I was not thrilled about the prospect of having to get the washing machine fixed. Although the thought of a new machine was temporarily exciting, I remembered that we'd spent over $600 last month getting the car to pass inspection. There was no money for a new machine, and having a repairman come out for a house call costs $70.

Fortunately, I remembered my 13-year-old daughter's favorite fix for problems -- Google it. I decided to see what I could find out about the costs of fixing a washing machine agitator. And that's when I happened upon this video:



It sounded like something that would work for my problem, so I did just like the guy in this video and took my washing machine agitator apart. Presto! My parts were stripped too. I needed a set of new "Dog Agits" with grippy teeth.

A short car ride and $10 later, I was home and installing the parts. I put everything back together, and IT WORKS! I saved over $70 by watching a YouTube video and fixing my washing machine myself. And it certainly feels a whole lot better than forking over a tidy sum to the fix-it shop!

All For the Love of Jell-O

Note: I just submitted this write-up for the next Chicken Soup for the Soul's Family Matters book.

Jell-O is the official snack for the state of Utah, and it’s reported that the state also holds the record for the highest per capita sales for green gelatin of any state in the U.S. But few people know the lengths that one woman went to in order to ensure that her family could continue to enjoy their favorite Jell-O dessert.

It all started back in November of 1985 when my mother went grocery shopping. On her list was blackberry Jell-O, the necessary ingredient for the popular dessert Mom enjoys bringing to family parties, church cookouts and work dinners. She had looked for it at two different grocery stores only to find empty shelves. On a return trip to one of those stores, Mom discovered they no longer even had a tag for it. Suspicions mounting, she decided to find out why her favorite flavor was disappearing.

Someone finally had to call General Foods to find the answer. They were no longer going to make blackberry Jell-O. “What? No blackberry Jell-O?” Mom went into a panic.

Much like a dedicated environmentalist determined to preserve a species for the enjoyment of future generations, Mom began her own preservation efforts. She methodically searched the shelves of every grocery store in her area for her beloved flavor. When she found it, she bought it. All of it.

Storing the boxes in several different locations made it possible to disguise the actual numbers of the growing horde. After a few months, however, Dad caught on. Mom recalls, “I really didn’t know how much I had. I didn’t start counting until Dad said, ‘Don’t you think you have enough?’ ‘No,’ I said. To which he replied, ‘Well, let’s see how much you’ve got.’ It was then that we realized I had spent a couple hundred bucks. But you know, if you’re just buying six or ten boxes at a time, you don’t realize that it’s adding up.”

Just what would motivate an otherwise sane woman to spend well over $200 on blackberry Jell-O, accumulating over 300 6-oz. boxes? I put the question to Mom. “I love it!” she said. “I wanted to make that Jell-O until I died.”

It is now 2010, 25 years since Mom’s search and rescue efforts. I asked her how many boxes remain. “Just four,” she said. “I’m saving them so that you can serve my favorite Jell-O dessert at my funeral.” (Mind you, Mom is nowhere near death’s door.) Those may be her wishes, but unless she puts it in her will, I have other plans.

You see, just the other day as I was trolling the aisles at the grocery store, I noticed a new Jell-O flavor – blackberry fusion. Now that they’ve reintroduced a blackberry-flavored Jell-O, I’ll use it in the Jell-O traditionally served at funeral dinners in Utah, and save the four vintage boxes to display near Mom’s casket. In fact, I just might slip a box of blackberry Jell-O into the casket to be buried with her. That way Mom can enjoy her favorite Jell-O recipe in heaven!


Mom’s Heavenly Jell-O
2, 6-oz. boxes blackberry Jell-O (or 4, 3-oz. boxes)*
1 large can crushed pineapple, including juice
1 can blueberries, including juice (not pie filling)
1, 8-oz. container sour cream
1, 8-oz. package cream cheese
½ c. powdered sugar
chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:
Boil 4 cups water. Add Jell-O and dissolve. Pour into a 9x13 inch pan, adding scant 2 cups of cold water, pineapple and blueberries (with juice). Stir carefully. Let set in the refrigerator at least 4 hours or overnight.

Once set, top by mixing together sour cream, cream cheese and powdered sugar. (We like this topping lumpy.) Sprinkle with nuts and keep cold until ready to serve.

*If they discontinue making blackberry fusion Jell-O, you can substitute one, 6-oz. box of raspberry Jell-O and one, 6-oz. box of berry blue Jell-O.