Word Study (or Spelling) test quote of the week:
When asked to use one of their words in a complete sentence, this student shared an interesting thought…
“One day I hope a boy kisses me on the cheek.”
I almost wrote next to it “Boys have cooties!” but I was unsure of the spelling of cooties.
In less than 24 hours I will be here:
Ok, this is actually somewhere in Australia, but I will be with the photographer and I’m guessing there will be some horses involved. It is Texas after all. Yeee Haw!
Many many months ago, some late night facebook browsing landed me on one of my favorite photographers page. She posted that she would be coming to the US soon for some workshops and TEXAS was listed as one of her stops. I was shocked. Even more shocked when I saw that it was in Round Top, one of my favorite small towns to drive through between here and Houston.
Oh a whim I tried to pre-register thinking there would be no chance of getting in. I was pleasantly surprised to get a reply, and one big paypal payment later I was signed up!
Now, some of you are already thinking what I then started thinking. Umm no I’m not a professional photographer. I am barely skilled enough to be called an intermediate photographer. I am only one f-stop away from being a big baby beginner. It scares the shiz out of me.
So do spiders.
But that is not going to stop me.
As I’ve started browsing the sites/blogs of the other women who will be there I’ve had a wide range of emotions. I go from awe to WTH was I thinking. I thought I was going to have a lot of free time to improve between registration and September. Little did I know that Funemployment and the summer job from hell were looming in front of me. All this on top of the fact that I now have a different job than the one I did when I registered and the pressure is overwhelming.
Then I remind myself to keep my mouth shut, listen, take notes furiously to avoid eye contact, smile and nod a lot, and if all else fails use big words that you do know. This is how I got by in Costa Rica for months without knowing much Spanish after all.
I had to post a picture of myself and explain why I chose it. I am not in that cute baby fat phase right now. I’m in that, I was super sad and ate way too much frozen custard in the Freddy’s parking lot every other day phase. I also decided to dye my hair and who knew it would go Katy Perry instead of Mandy Moore like I’d hoped. lol
I chose this photo from our quick trip to Austin yesterday because
1. I love Austin and I wish I was there every day.
2. I have a classic Daliene smirk/I’m about to laugh at you face and
3. It makes me laugh and laughter is good for you 
I even photoshopped the back-to-school acne off my face!
I am definitely not prepared, but I am beyond excited and interested. I have no idea what it is going to be like (other than HOT) and that I’m supposed to bring boots because the poison ivy is bad. I am bringing my goat milkin rain boots. Yep I milked a goat once.
I really wanted to submit this one as my self-portrait, but I didn’t know if it was appropriate.
SO wish me luck as I load up the farm truck and head to Round Top, TX for 3 days of sweatin and shootin one of the greatest children photographers ever Barb Uil aka Jinky Art. Visit her site and you’ll see why I’m hooked.
There seems to be a theme going on around here in SA this week. Nobody is doing their homework! Including ME. I had some really difficult photography homework due yesterday all about post-processing/editing with photoshop.
The only problem is I forgot to start working on getting the educator discounted Photoshop CS5 until this weekend. Who knew they need 3 days to “verify” you are a teacher. Can’t I just send them a picture of my gray hair and freaked out acne face as quick proof!? As I finally managed to download the ridiculously large file at 9pm last night, I realized it just wasn’t worth it. That adorable picture of a very cute 2 y.o. that was a bit underexposed will just have to wait.
I confess I did not do my homework. Neither did about 6 of my fourth graders. It is an alarming trend! I’m such a bad role model and hypocrite. 
I’ve learned my lesson though. This is the last time I get myself into an online class during the busiest time of the year. From now on I’m only allowed to do such things in June.
PLEASE tell me some of you remember the Pizza Hut Book It program!?! If you read a certain number of books each month you got a certificate from your teacher and a a star to add on your button PLUS a free personal pan pizza. LOVED IT. I also seem to remember getting a free ticket to Six Flags if I read every month??? Do any of my hometown peeps remember that?
I had no idea Pizza Hut still does this program. I can taste the slightly greasy yet crunchy pan crust right now.
Look what I found on their site!
T-SHIRTS! This one says Will Still Read Books for Pizza
This one is my favorite-
So cute. It also makes me want to sing the Reading Rainbow song. Actually I think I will. Sing it with me.
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I remember as a child feeling this odd sadness that the song was almost over. I was odd. I also sang the entire Beauty and the Beast soundtrack over and over again in my room on a regular basis.
PBS you rock my world. The cool thing is my first graders last year knew the song and would willingly sing it over and over.
I started thinking about Book It yesterday after my August book club meeting. I have always had a love for reading. Even as an adult I sacrifice sleep for a good book.
I just finished reading in the past few weeks
The Help by Katheryn Stockett which I highly recommend. The movie was enjoyable, though Emma Stone reminds me of Lindsay Lohan and the entire time all I could think about is how Lindsay Lohan should not be playing Skeeter.
Come on-tell me you see (and HEAR if you’ve heard her speak) the similarity.
EDIT-After typing this I remembered that Emma Stone DID play Lindsay Lohan on SNL…that is where I made the connection
I also read Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
Which I also highly recommend if you don’t mind sad stories. No Holocaust story is light hearted.
I am very pumped to see the movie because I LOVE Kristin Scott Thomas. She is very similar to the character I pictured in my mind, so they did a good job there!
After reading two sad books in a row I just couldn’t handle our book club’s pick for September.
One of the Best Book Series Ever!
Thankfully I’ve already read it, because I can’t handle any more sad books right now. SO my book club buddy and I decided to read this:
I can tell you after the first two chapters there is not a lot of heavy thinking involved!
What book are you currently reading? Did you do Book It when you were a kid?
“Where’s my kids at?” was what the lost kindergartener in the hallway asked me this week. That would probably be my favorite quote from the first week of school.
My second favorite moment occurred yesterday when one of my own students walked up to me as I passed out textbooks and asked, “Ms. Hendon can I sing a song for you?” I paused momentarily trying to figure out what prompted him to want to sing a song. Then I offered him my mic. (For those of you thinking I’m quite the diva for keeping a mic on hand at school, it is actually a Red Cat speaker system our school uses to help distribute our voice evenly and help the students hear/stay focused).
He turned down the mic, but he immediately started sing this song:
[youtube gr_eVcCAUXo 640 510 ]
LMAO
I don’t like the Uncle Kracker version.
I thought I was going to die. Someone is going to be on American Idol in about ten years. Or whatever crazy new version of reality singing competition is around then.
And the kid quote that will go down as the most inappropriate, but true happened at the end of the day yesterday when I was complimenting my class on being so great all week. I was sharing with my class that it was nice to have a class that I enjoyed so much, and that I still had energy left at the end of the day. Then I said something about how when students don’t listen and work hard it makes me sad and tired and all I want to do at the end of the day is go home and… “DRINK?” one student blurted out! Um, actually I was going to say Sleep, but yes some people might feel that way. I almost died. That was one big run-on sentences, but you get the idea.
Overall I had a good week. I spent today running around doing all the things I didn’t have time to do M-F and I forgot to go run on the treadmill…darn. Maybe I will do better tomorrow.
Not only do I have a Farm Boy, but I also have a Farm Dog!
Farm Boy just hooked my TV up for me and discovered I have about 20 channels. This is a big improvement except he is now watching Billy Ray Cyrus host some show on the History Channel. This history of bad hair or something like that.
Oh no, now he found The Jersey Shore.
Tomorrow is THE HELP MOVIE and book club. I’m nervous. I hope they liked my book.
I am sitting at my new apartment surrounded by boxes. The boxes are killing my lesson planning mojo.
I must confess several things this Tuesday, since I missed it last week.
1. I had to use the death glare look today when someone at lunch said to me,
“You’d think someone who ate so much healthy organic food would be skin and bones.”
Someone needs to read the classroom expectations list:
Actually this person needs their own list that says NO TALKING at lunch in big bold letters.
Which reminds me I need to type this thing up and print it for the classroom. I cracked up because while we were creating the list a kid said something about washing hands and another said, “yeah especially if you go #2.” EWWWW I don’t care what # you go you must WASH YOUR HANDS!!! Ick
2. Instead of working on lesson plans after school I played with paint and glitter. My friend Andi knows this means I am stressed. Crafts=stress relief.
Aren’t they cute!? I mixed turquoise t-shirt paint with a little bit of Elmer’s school glue and Martha Stewart turquoise glitter. I am loving it. I can’t wait to hang them up on the bulletin board strip tomorrow. Now if I can just find my hot glue gun. I’ve went through a ridiculous number of velcro dots in the past few days.
3. I promised pictures of my classroom, but I was an idiot and didn’t set my white balance correctly so my shots all turned out ugly. I will post a few things but don’t pin em…they don’t have that OH SHIZ factor I get when on I’m on Pinterest. Pinterest makes me cuss. I get so pin happy I have to cuss because there is yet ANOTHER picture of a white desk or a gray and yellow pillow I just HAVE to pin.
Here are some of my journal bins. Thanks to Mrs. Farley for the ribbon inspiration!!!
My fishbowl window partially covered by a Target shower curtain. Inspired by the super smart Suzanne.
GO POKES! We have to post our University’s flag and diploma. One thing done (now if someone will just buy me a fancy diploma frame…) We also all seem to use Walmart $5.00 sheets to create our Word Walls. I had given up on straight lines by the time I put this one up. Sorry perfectionists. I’m a lazy bum.
Willing workers with no defined jobs. Sounds familiar. I’m no better than Rick Perry. lol
My calendar and behavior zone. You better shut yo mouth when it is CODE ZERO!
The Sweet Behavior points will be cupcakes. I couldn’t handle staring at the “Brownie Points” pan many teachers use. I love brownies too much. Notice there were no cupcakes today…that is because they lost ALL their Blurt Outs. Some Chatty Cathy kiddos in this group! whew
My Final Confession
My desk is covered in crap right now (which makes me crazy) and I sit on a pillow like a granny.
I really wanted to just rant about the lady who basically called me fat to my face, but instead I will share one of my favorite mantras from Bambi.
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That is my excuse for why I haven’t blogged. A hole created by a giant mountain of boxes, and teacher crap. Lots and lots of teacher crap.
I don’t know why after all these moves I still pack at the last minute. Not wise.
Here is the before picture of my classroom. Before eight days of professional development. That’s right Teacher Barbie friends. That was EIGHT days. My @$$ will never be the same again after sitting that long. I did enjoy seeing Marcy Cook, the funny math lady who is quite the hippy! OH and it is always fun to make your To Do list over and over again using all of your NEW PENS!!!!
Tomorrow I will post some after photos. I have sugar plum fairy dreams of seeing my classroom pics pop up all over Pinterest so start pinning people! lol I want to be famous in Pin land.
Today was the first day of school. My first day of teaching fourth grade in Texas. In order to be prepared to teach Texas history, we made a quick dash up to Austin so I could immerse myself in the Lone Star capitol and all it’s glory.
I will post those pictures later. Today started at 5:30 am and tomorrow must start at 5am because that just wasn’t early enough to get ready. I am dead. I must say it was a good day. Very low key as far as first day jitters go. I only lost one kid, and he was on the loo (which I am told he is in the habit of visiting for long lengths of time…) so I don’t feel as guilty. I found him dancing down the hallway in the opposite direction when I went to find him. If only I had had my camera then!
OH and I also must share. I can’t quit reading this book. That would be why only the kitchen is unpacked.
I plan to see the movie Sunday with my Rowdy Readers book club! I am so nervous that they hated this book (that I recommended). Both books have a movie out right now. FUN!
Oh and new hair. I’m calling it my Katy Perry hair.
Edward protects my bookshelf. My name is Daliene, and I’m a teacher living in Texas.
This blog follows my life and my interests in food, photography, crafts, teaching, and having fun. All these adventures make me Happydally!
