Happy Retirement Cheryl!

One of my favorite school leaders is retiring!  Cheryl was my principal when I was at La Fayette Park Primary. She was there to help hand me a check for $25,000 on October 23, 2002 from the Milken Foundation!  

What I admired and valued most about Cheryl is that she never stops learning. She read and was just as up to date about best practices as we were as teachers.  When I am asked why I am not a principal, I think of her, because unlike Cheryl, I have not had the experience of working in different capacities at the school site. She once told me that she before she became a principal, she had wanted to know how everything she could about how a school works. And that she did!

CONGRATS AND ENJOY!

CONGRATULATIONS BULLDOGS!!!

BULLDOGS WIN! 

BULLDOGS WIN! 

BULLDOGS WIN!

The boy is asleep by 9:00, 

the Dodgers win too, 

and my classroom is almost clean! 

All is right in the world for tonight. (sigh!) 

ANOTHER GOOD TUESDAY!

You know it's a good day when...

• YOU GO SWIMMING AND ONLY LOSE YOUR GOGGLES AND SUNSCREEN.

• YOU GET A SPECIAL VISIT AND HAVE DINNER WITH AUNTIE SANDRA!

• FRESNO STATE COMES FROM 5 BEHIND TO FORCE A GAME 3 IN THE COLLEGE WORLD SERIES!

• YOU MAKE MOMMY VERY HAPPY BY AGREEING TO BRUSH YOUR TEETH BEFORE BED!

MOMMY IS BEGINNING TO LIKE TUESDAYS!~

GO FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS!  1 MORE GAME!!!

Hot Sunday Night

What do you do when it's 100 degrees outside? 

You "stay home and chill out" on the couch singing your favorite song from Camp Rock.

Is my kid too cute or what?

GO FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS! TWO MORE WINS!!!

From Preschooler to High School Graduate!

It was fifteen years ago today...

I first met Kathleen when she was the little sister of my student Steve. She was so bright and school ready that she entered my Ungraded Primary-Multiage classroom "unofficially" the following year as a preschooler.  Her brother was still in my class and would cry when he didn't know where she was!  I don't think he remembers that, but it made him nervous having the responsibility of watching out for his little sis, even though she was very capable taking care of herself. Here she is with Daniel on Friday night. Her high school graduation!
QUESTION: What does a little boy have for dinner after spending over 4 hours at a graduation ceremony?

ANSWER: Whatever he wants to! (donut, sprite, and mommy managed to sneak in some noodles and meatballs too).
Here lovely Kathleen poses with her familia. 
Here with big brother Steve. I don't think he stresses out over her whereabouts anymore, but I could be wrong. 
Kathleen has the same picture of us 10 years ago. She wants to be a teacher! Finally someone to inherit all the stuff in my garage!  I am working on a essay for Teacher Magazine that was inspired by her. CONGRATULATIONS KATHLEEN!

Another Billboard Story...

Daniel:  "Mommy, that says H-e-ll boy."

Mommy:  "Please don't say that Daniel."

Daniel: "But that's what it says."

Mommy: "You can read it, but you don't need to say it out loud.  Do you know what that means?"

Daniel: "It means somewhere where the devil is."

Mommy: "How did you know that? We have never talked about it."

Daniel:  "I just know."

LET THEM BE LITTLE...

Listen to the kinders, Listen to the kinders...

What can be more beautiful then the faces of kindergarten students on culmination day?

It was a full house... and lots of princess dresses and ties!

Nothing like a screaming kid trying to sing a song with his classmates!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY POPO!

Happy Birthday PoPo! I am so glad you are in Fresno right now on your way to spend the night at the casino, because it's better than being in Los Angeles, where a certain 7 year has locked himself in the bathroom and announced that "I am never, ever going to talk to you until you prove it." (meaning until I can prove I know how to play the Indiana Jones Wii lego game that is frustrating him so much that he has to take it out on his poor, exhausted, kindergarten culmination day mommy!)  I knew Good Tuesday was too good to turn into Good Wednesday. Maybe it will be a Good Thursday?

Happy Birthday anyway PoPo! We love you very much, even when we may not say it enough.

GOOD TUESDAY...

YOU KNOW IT'S A GOOD DAY WHEN...

• Your "Twin" aka Mrs. McGuire, takes your kid to her class for the entire morning and keeps him in line with the rest of her 3rd graders!

• The pizza party for 80 5 & 6 year olds goes off without a hitch.

• You find homes for 40 earthworms in the garden and you didn't have to get your hands dirty because you had more than enough volunteers to dig.

• The Dodgers finally win a game!

• Your  hometown, underdog college baseball team wins a game and is 2-0 in the world college series!  GO BULLDOGS!

• You get to finally put a different CD into your car cd-player for the first time in over 6 months!

NOW IT WOULD REALLY BE A GOOD DAY IF A CERTAIN 7 YEAR OLD WOULD REPLY, "Sure mommy!" WHEN ASKED TO BRUSH HIS TEETH BEFORE BED WITHOUT PROTESTING AND YELLING "You are a mean mommy!"  Would that be asking a little too much?  Would it?  Maybe I should just count my blessings for the day...

We Will Miss You Jacques!

We had a really nice good luck dinner for our friend Jacques last night.  Unfortunately, because of the budget cuts, we are losing our link to the California Science Center... and a good friend. He has poured his heart and soul to the project and we are thankful he did. I remember the first time I met Jacques at my interview for the school. Lets just say, I couldn't read him... and I thought I was pretty good people reader!  Luckily, I found out that he was all about the kids, just like so many of us.  And he throws a mean BBQ bash!

Math Coach, soon to be AP-Bill, another one I lost!  Hilary, who is an amazing (soon to be NBCT) young educator, and Dana who is retiring to the good life soon!

Does this look familiar?  At least he let mommy have a nice meal with great company and Mrs. Kosla found his Indie hat! Thanks Mrs. K!  Mommy would have been very, very upset if that hat ($$$) would have been lost!
Our lovely Ms. Dongon with mommy's future GATE student Samantha!

FATHER'S DAY 2008

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there, especially the first time daddies!  

We spent a crazy 24 hour turnaround to Fresno and back. Hot weather, no running water, and two smelly dogs throwing up. What fun!  Since I was actually home for once on Father's Day, we went to the cemetery this morning. After a stop at Trader Joe's for flowers, we took Daniel to visit his grandpa's grave site. Although Dad has been gone for almost 14 years, I still miss him very much ... and his sense of humor. Daniel helped fill the vase and did the traditional three bows of respect. He also left a few things behind (helped "watered" a tree nearby, BOYS!), and thought it would be nice for his Indiana Jones and Professor Jones lego people to have a photo opt next to grandpa's picture.  We also stopped by great grandma (PoPo's mom), uncle Ray and his wife, and the other great grandma's  site.

PoPo teaching Daniel Chinese...

Indiana and Professor Jones visits grandpa.

Last night, after a grueling trip up to Fresno, we had dinner and a nice visit with baby Zach and his papi and daddy. What a good natured 5 month old! Daniel got an added bonus, more Indiana Jones Legos! (Just what a kid who loses little Indiana Jones people needs).  We hope to visit baby Zach again and maybe convince him to visit us and go to Disneyland someday too!

A visit with new papi Geoff!

And new daddy Clark too!

How cute am I... really!

No baby was hurt to make this video... honest!

______________________

FOUR MORE DAYS LEFT WITH STUDENTS!!! YAY!

GO FRESNO STATE!

Happy (Belated) Birthday Lai Eee and Chinese Birthday PoPo!

Aka Auntie Julie!

It was her birthday on Tuesday. We don't have a current picture of Lai Eee, so here is one from last summer when we visited her and Uncle Steve.  She is going to come take care of me in July when Mommy leaves me to go off to DC by herself.  Mommy cannot believe Lai Eee is so old now. Mommy use to use her as a doll when she was little, but now Lai Eee is taller than her so she cannot do that anymore.  We (Uncle Wayne, Aunt Vickie, PoPo, Mommy, and I) went to Hometown Buffet for her birthday. It was also Popo's Chinese birthday. PoPo likes Hometown Buffet... a lot!

FRIDAY, JUNE 6TH IN URBAN LOS ANGELES...

BRIGHT AND EARLY MARCHING FOR EDUCATION!
OUR NUMBER #1 CHEERLEADER, MS. DONGON!
EVEN STUDENTS GET INVOLVED! MIKO -MY STUDENT NOW, AMBER-MY STUDENT 3 YEARS AGO!

No,  Miko is not my only student, but you gotta' admit, she is says the most amusing things and is pretty darn cute! 

THEN BACK TO THE CLASSROOM TO TEACH AND LEARN ABOUT LIVING THINGS!

TEACHERS ENDING THE DAY! COMING NEXT WEEK: REPORT CARDS, CUMS, CULMINATION, ASSESSMENTS, CLEANING... 

Happy (Belated) Birthday Aunt Vickie!

It was Aunt Vickie's birthday last week, but Uncle Wayne took her to Las Vegas so we couldn't celebrate on her birthday. Instead we celebrated this Thursday instead!

I took a picture of mommy and PoPo. We went to El Cholo to have dinner. 

PoPo bought me a big boy shirt. Don't I look handsome! Mommy thinks so!

I sang Happy Birthday and let mommy take Aunt Vickie to see that movie about the girls in New York City,  while I taught Uncle Wayne how to play the Indiana Jones Wii game at home.

One more for the BOYS!

Yay! It's another baby boy! Zachary Geoff Willits was born on January 17, 2008- a very nice day to be born! He went home with my friends Geoff and Clark last week. Congrats to the new forever family... and GOOD LUCK! Been there, still living it!

Baby Zach (another cousin for Daniel) and daddy Clark!
Zach and Papa Geoff!
How cute am I?

Cousin Anthony

How cute is my cousin Jackson's baby? He's pretty darn cute! We drove 4 hours (2 there and 2 back) to spend some time with my uncle, aunt, cousin Jackson and his wife Cheryl, and their baby boy Anthony. He is such a good baby and Daniel loved playing with him.  Daniel loves spending time with family.

Anthony and I looking at cousin Daniel take a picture.

Anthony and Daniel live on video!

Anthony and his grandma!

What you cannot see is that under the Indiana Jones hat is a freshly cut head of curly hair!  I managed to convince Daniel that Nick Jonas got a summer cut too!  And if Nick Jonas can cut his hair...

Someone else looks pretty darn cute in Indie's hat as well!

Having fun with my newest cousin!