Summer is Here!

Our first "mini-vacation" has been taken. The boys' birthdays are close at hand. I've gotten my first sunburn of the season. Summer is officially here. As we were driving to North Carolina this past weekend, Kevin commented on how much more relaxed and energetic I was. Of course... I'm on vacation.

We planned our first little trip to have two purposes. Kevin had his first Nathan's Hot Dog qualifier (for those of you who don't know, my dear husband is a competitive eater) last weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina. Since good friends of ours, Mark and Leah, have moved from California to North Carolina, we decided to pay them a visit while we were in their neck of the woods. Leah always enjoys when we visit with each other and Kevin can share tales of Mark from way back when. She always thanks Kevin for being friends with Mark all those years ago when he was a nerd. We get a real kick out of that.

Late Friday night, we left home to drive straight through to Charlotte. We arrived about 2 hours before the contest was to start. It was being held at a local mall, so we headed into the mall for a break. We walked around for a while, then Kevin left to get registered for the contest while the boys and I walked around, played in the play area, and ate lunch. When the contest ended, Kevin had had his "personal best" performance. Last year, he ate 11 hot dogs and buns in 12 minutes. This year, he ate 12 1/2 hot dogs and buns. A definite improvement, but a ways to go to catch up to winner Hall Hunt's 28 3/4 hot dogs and buns.

Ater the contest was over, we headed for Newton, NC to our hotel. Over the next two days, we spent a lot of time catching up with our good friends and getting acquainted with their 8-month-old, Ben. It's nice to know how much closer they really are. Only a 7-hour drive. For a family that's driven to Alaska, that's nothing at all.

Yesterday was Liam's 6th birthday. It has gone so fast. It seems like only yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital. Ben will turn 4 on Sunday. He's following in his big brother's footsteps with how smart and sweet he is. I've got a busy week ahead of me with getting ready for their parties. Liam, being a big boy who has finished Kindergarten, gets to have a "friend" party and we will have a party for both boys with the family on Sunday. On Monday, it will be all over and I'll only have to worry about day-to-day activities and then our big trip, a cruise. We are really looking forward to that.

Ready For Summer!

I am so ready for summer! The boys are going to be so much fun to hang around with this summer. After taking swimming lessons this spring, they are both ready to spend a lot of time in the pool. I'm ready to spend a lot of time reading books and relaxing by the pool. This is the first time that we will actually have a pool "membership" and I am so excited about that. What's great about our pool, which is at our fitness club, is that there are 4 pools outside. None of them go deeper than 4 feet so the boys will be able to swim and play in the pools all on their own. Kevin noticed the other day just how pale I've gotten. I really haven't spent much time out in the sun over the last couple of summers, so my tan has faded a lot. It won't take much time at all until I get some more color, even with a high SPF sunscreen.

I need to find some really good books to read over the summer. Of course, the new Harry Potter book doesn't come out until almost the end of July, so I need books for the first half of the summer. I have a Nora Roberts trilogy to catch up on, but other than that I am wide open. Any suggestions?

Next month are the boys' birthdays. Liam is turning 6 and Ben is turning 4. Every year we have a combined party for them with the families. I also make their invitations with my scrapbooking supplies. Included in the invitation is usually a picture of the two of them. This year, I found a fabulous studio and took them there to get their pictures done. I usually wait until the last minute and so professional pictures aren't an option. But at this studio, they print the pictures in the studio the day the pictures are taken. They turned out fabulous!!! I can't get over how grown up they are both looking. Ben no longer looks like a toddler and Liam looks so mature!

I love summer and in only 8 days (only 5 school days) it will begin!

Thank a Teacher

I was reminded the other day of why I do what I do. I was sitting in my office at the end of the day when there was a knock on my door. A woman popped her head in and asked if I had a minute. She looked vaguely familiar and I invited her in. So, the woman said to me, "I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Mary's mother." It turns out that she was the parent of a student I had last year. Mary was a very quiet child, always wanted to please and do well, she was just having a little trouble making sense of what she was reading. I had only met the mother once, at Parent-Teacher conferences. With as much as most parents have to work and have other commitments these days, that's about all the time I get to spend with them.

Well, Mary's mom went on to tell me how wonderfully Mary is doing this year in fourth grade. She loves to read and she always gets top marks. In fact, she has just been identified as Gifted in Reading!!! What a wonderful success story!! But it doesn't end there. Mom went on to say, "We are so grateful for everything you did for Mary last year. She wouldn't be where she is if it weren't for you. Thank you so much! We owe it all to you." WOW!! Those are words that teachers live for. Those are words that revitalize and renew your spirit and dedication for the job you love.

I love kids. I love teaching kids. I wanted to be a teacher ever since the second grade when I got to help some Kindergartners with their Reading and Math. I never considered another career. Even my part-time job in the summers was teaching in some capacity. I was one of the few people I knew who never changed their major in college. Unfortunately, the teaching profession has gotten a lot more complicated since the day I decided to become a teacher.

There are a lot more hoops to jump through these days. State standards, standardized tests, district and building initiatives, acronyms of all kinds. A lot of the fun has been taken out of teaching and out of learning. Every activity that we do with our students has to fit one of the state standards. I want my children to succeed as much as the next parent, but kids aren't allowed to just be kids any more. They have high-stakes testing at earlier and earlier grades every year. Children who have recently entered the United States and children who have learning or mental disabilities are held to the same performance standards as the "average" child of the same chronological age. Teachers are no longer able to come to work, write their lesson plans, teach the students, grade papers. We also have to continue our own professional development by attending workshops and taking college classes, getting our Master's Degrees. We have to develop a plan that tells how we are going to complete our professional development, attend staff meetings, parent-teacher conferences, and after-school activities that our students take part in. Every time we turn around there is some new teaching or learning initiative that we are expected to embrace and jump into with both feet.

Many times we have to pick up the slack from parents who feel that once a child comes to school, they aren't responsible for their education. We also have to fill the gaps for parents who just don't know how to parent. I've had way too many children come to school without having had breakfast, with holes and rips in his pants, uncombed and unwashed hair, smelling of cigarette smoke or body odor. A child (or parent) whose idea of a "healthy snack" is a bag of potato chips that she takes a little from each day for her snack time. Or the child who has been diagnosed with neurological difficulties, but because the parents refuse to give her medicine for it, she gets no treatment at all. We are also in the business of Character Education these days. Teaching "please" and "thank you", responsibility, perseverance, courage, self-control, cheerfulness, wisdom, caring, fairness, trustworthiness and respect.

Do we get to experience the thankfulness and praise that Mary's mom showed me? Sometimes. But unfortunately, those experiences are few and far between. I get a handful of "Thank Yous" at Christmas and at the end of the year through little gifts the children bring me. But more often than not I get to hear, "How nice it is that you only have to work 9 months out of the year but you get paid for 12." For those of you who actually believe that we get a 3-month paid vacation, here's how it really works. We are paid for 182 days of work. But since 182 days of work would leave us without paychecks in the summer, the wonderful people at the District Treasurer's Office take our salary and divide it over 24 paychecks (that's two per month) so that we all don't have to get jobs during the summer to pay our rent. Instead we can use that time, time that is our own and that we aren't paid for, to take classes of our own and to expand our professional knowledge. Or, spend some quality time with our families that we don't get to do during the school year because we are working late after school or coming in on weekends to write lesson plans, communicate with parents, grade papers or attend various school functions.

Well, this week is Teacher Appreciation Week at my school. Our wonderful Parent-Teacher Organization has planned a different activity every day to show us that they appreciate the work that we do every day. If you have school-age children, take a moment to send their teachers a card to let them know you appreciate them. If you live down the street from a teacher, take a moment while you are both at your mailboxes to say thanks. If you have ever had your life influenced by a teacher, let them know that they made a difference for you. We don't need candles, gift certificates, body lotion, or little apple knickknacks. Just a "Thank You" will do.

They're Growing Up So Fast!

I can't believe how quickly my "babies" are growing up! It seems like just yesterday I found out I was pregnant with Liam and now he's getting ready to finish Kindergarten. He'll be 6 in June. And didn't we just bring Ben home from the hospital? Nope, he'll be 4 in June. (Don't we have the best timing? Both boys were born in June, after school let out for the summer. So I didn't have to worry about the hassle of maternity leave and planning for a substitute.)

I got these pictures taken two weekends ago, but just got around to scanning them into the computer today. They turned out so good. I had such a hard time picking which ones I wanted to purchase. With such a great experience, I'm going to want to take them more often. But now that they are older, they aren't changing as frequently as they did when they were babies.

So, take a look at my "big boys" and see how they've grown!
















Can you tell how much these brothers love each other?

Losing Weight

Well, I've officially gone and done it. Tuesday afternoon, we got an email through our district email system telling us about the formation of a "Weight Watchers At Work" group. You pay a fee up front to attend meetings at your work place for 6 weeks. During that time you attend one meeting a week, weigh in, get the membership materials and benefit from the knowledge shared at a meeting by not only the leader, but also by other WW participants. One of my co-workers, who knew that I was struggling with my weight loss, suggested that we join together.

Now, when I started getting serious about losing weight, my husband and I had an agreement that I could either join the gym or go to WW meetings, but we couldn't afford the monthly fee of both. So, I chose the gym and figured that I could watch my eating on my own. It went really well for quite a while. I'd been officially down 30 pounds since I joined the gym and started working out on a daily basis. Then I gained some of that weight back. In October, with yet another round of the NBC show "The Biggest Loser" (which I totally LOVE) starting up, one of my co-workers initiated a "Biggest Loser" contest at my school. You know, it's one of those things where everyone who wants to participates pays $10 to join in, then at the end of the designated time, the person with the largest percentage of weight loss gets the big pot of money. Well, the contest came and went (mind you, this was over Thanksgiving AND Christmas holidays) and I'd lost 9 pounds. So now, I'm back down to a net loss of 30 pounds since I started losing weight almost two years ago. But now my weight loss has come to a standstill.

Enter my friend with the idea to join WW at Work together. So, I called Kevin and asked him if it would be alright for me to join this 6 week long program (not that I'm asking permission mind you, just that he's the one that knows if we can afford it at this time.) Being the wonderful, loving, supportive husband that he is, he said that I could do whatever I felt would help me out with this. (Isn't he the best?!) So, yesterday at 3:45, we headed to the school that will be our weigh-in and meeting site for the next six weeks. We got all of our materials and had our first weigh in. Now, I'm not going to list all of my statistics, because I'm just a little too self-conscious to have it all out there like that, but I will post updates. Maybe knowing that I will be keeping an update going here will hold me a little bit more accountable.

I think I've started out really well. Last night before bed, I packed my gym bag as usual, packed my breakfast, snacks and lunch and wrote it all down in my food journal. I read through all of my literature from WW before going to bed. I've "done" WW before, but the first time I didn't really have the drive or the willpower to carry it through. The second time I got "serious" about losing weight, I did really well, but didn't join WW, I just followed the program materials from the first time I had joined. So I'm thinking that if I combine the accountability of a "weight loss partner" and going to weekly meetings with the drive that I had to follow it and be successful on my own, I may finally do it this time.

I was supposed to meet with a Personal Trainer at the gym this morning, but we got confused and missed our meeting. I was thinking 5:45 a.m. (which is when I'm at the gym each morning) and he was thinking 5:45 p.m. So after missing our connection, we rescheduled for 4:30 tonight. I'm really looking forward to connecting all the pieces of weight loss together to achieve the success that I so desperately want and need. I still did my cardio -- 30 minutes on the elliptical machine and my floor work -- abs and squats, so I felt pretty good. Tomorrow is Friday and water aerobics.

Wish me luck!

100 Things About Me

I was talking with my workout (and work) buddy Kathleen the other day as we were walking around the track, and she was telling me about the blog of her friend Shannan. She told me that Shannan had made a list of 100 Things about her life. She sent me the web address and I checked out her list. You can check out Shannan's list for yourself by going to the Links I Like heading on the side of the page and clicking on Mommy Tales. I thought it was pretty interesting, so I set out to make a list of my own. I thought it would be tough to come up with 100 things, but it really wasn't. I found as I wrote, that I could have kept going. So here is my list of 100 Things About Me. I encourage everyone who reads this to make their own list. Be brutally honest about yourself and you'll be surprised at what pops into your head.( If you do make a list, post back a comment here for me. I'd love to read your list.)

100 Things About Me

1. I’m named after my 2 grandmothers
2. I never met another Carolyn until I was in college
3. I love being a mom
4. I think I’m really good at it
5. I’d rather be a mom than anything else
6. I’m the only one in my family with blue eyes
7. I’d like for one of my future children to have blue eyes
8. I hate my hair because I have cowlicks
9. But I love it when it grows long
10. My oldest son has hair that’s thick like mine
11. My youngest son has hair that’s fine like his dad’s
12. I met my husband my second week of college, when I was 18
13. We’ve been together ever since
14. I’ll be 34 in August
15. That doesn’t bother me a bit
16. I hate my body
17. My husband hates it when I put myself down
18. He thinks I’m beautiful
19. I’m addicted to my DVR
20. My favorite show is LOST
21. I would spend all my free time scrapbooking if I could
22. I LOVE my kids!!!!
23. I think they are brilliant
24. I love my husband
25. I love to read
26. And don’t get to do it enough
27. I hate being fat
28. I’ve been overweight all my life
29. I want to get healthy for myself and for my kids
30. I want to have two more kids
31. Most people I tell that to think I’m crazy
32. I don’t care what other people think
33. I’d like to be a stay-at-home mom more than anything
34. But I love my job as a teacher
35. And I’m grateful that my husband is a stay-at-home dad
36. I’d like my next two kids to be girls
37. Because I don’t want to be outnumbered
38. But I’ll be fine if we have more boys
39. Even though we’ve run out of boys’ names
40. I only dated one other person before my husband
41. I’ve never smoked anything
42. I think it’s disgusting
43. I’ve done things that NOBODY will ever know about…EVER!!!!
44. I hate to argue
45. But I love it when I’m right
46. I like being in on the gossip
47. But I don’t like being the subject of it
48. I don’t think I look as fat as the scale says I am
49. I don’t like being told I can’t do something
50. I love to travel
51. I love reading with my kids
52. My husband and I drove to Alaska (from Ohio) with our two children
53. We camped in a tent for all but two of the nights we were there
54. I was in labor for 14 hours with both boys
55. My first son, Liam was born by C-Section
56. My second son, Ben was a VBAC birth
57. I would never change careers because I love getting my summers off
58. I don’t mind creative criticism
59. But I’m sensitive to mean or harsh words
60. My husband is a better cook than I am
61. I go to the gym every morning before work
62. I wish my house was cleaner
63. I loved being pregnant
64. I am the oldest of three children
65. And I am the most stable
66. I am an impatient driver
67. I love show tunes
68. I sing along with the radio in the car, but only if I’m in a good mood
69. Really attractive people intimidate me
70. My husband does a better job of picking out clothes that look good on me than I do
71. I love getting presents
72. I rarely spend money on myself—unless it’s scrapbooking supplies
73. I love taking pictures
74. And I think the digital camera is the best piece of technology I’ve ever owned
75. I want to live some place warm
76. I was born without hip sockets
77. And I had 7 surgeries before I was two years old to correct it
78. I don’t like talking on the phone
79. My mom drives me crazy with her horrible mood swings
80. One of my biggest pet peeves is people who misuse than/then in their writing
81. It bothers me when parents don’t teach their children to take responsibility for themselves and their actions
82. I love it when I see kids saying please and thank you without prompting
83. I really enjoy doing Sudoku puzzles
84. I would rather read a trashy romance novel than the current best seller
85. I believe in God, but don’t think I have to go to church to prove it
86. I played 5 instruments in high school
87. I think my husband is a terrific writer
88. My favorite kind of movies are romantic comedies
89. And I actually kind of like going to the movies alone
90. My best friend is moving out of state, and that makes me sad
91. I cheat on diets
92. I can’t stand OSU – I think they are way too focused on football rather than academics
93. I like being complimented
94. But I don’t always believe it
95. I’m really good at packing for long trips
96. I’m a pack rat at home
97. I like it when someone asks for my advice on parenting or education
98. I like it even more when they take my advice
99. I snore
100. I really enjoyed making this list

Mythical Figures Explained

As a parent, we often have to tap into our creative talents. When you have children, you don't get an instructional manual or a how-to guide. Luckily for the Carr Family, Daddy is a writer and Mommy is an elementary school teacher. When it comes to explaining various mythical figures, we've had to pool our resources and, at times, think on our feet to get around some sticky questions. Everyone has their own "beliefs" about what to tell their children about Santa Claus, The Tooth Fairy, The Easter Bunny and so forth. Some people feel it isn't right to "lie" to their children about these figures. For the most part, they tend to respect the desire of other parents to keep that "mystique" alive and keep their mouths shut when they are around other people's kids. I can't say as much about their kids though. As a teacher of 2nd and 3rd graders, the age when they begin to question the real existence of these figures, I see children almost taking delight in debunking and spoiling these childhood myths. And then there's the poor kids who want so badly to believe but are made to feel like babies by their peers because they still believe in Santa or the Tooth Fairy.

I remember a story that Kevin has told about his childhood and believing in Santa. He has a sister, Kelly, who is older by two years. He was getting toward the middle/end of elementary school and had yet to mention to his parents that he no longer believed in Santa Claus. (They were a little bit worried about his relationship with reality at this point.) So, they sent Kelly to find out what the deal was. He admitted that he no longer believed that Santa was real but he wasn't going to mention it because he was afraid he'd stop getting presents.

Luckily, we haven't gotten to the age of questioning with our boys, but we have had to deal with the issue of, "How does Santa get into our house when we don't have a fireplace?" Got that one covered. A few years ago, I was a Longaberger Basket Consultant. They also make pottery, wrought iron and pewter items. One of the items they make is called the Pewter Santa Key. It comes with a story of how Santa can use
the key to get into houses on Christmas Eve that don't have chimneys for him to climb down. Well, not having a fireplace, that was an issue we were sure to face, so I purchased a Santa Key. It looks like an old-fashioned skeleton key, but has a head of Santa carved into the top of the key. We hang it on the tree with the rest of the ornaments, then on Christmas Eve, we hang the key on the outside of the front door knob. Santa will arrive, use his magic and open our door with the key. After he has left all of the presents, eaten the cookies and drank the milk, he leaves the key on the empty plate (which is also a Longaberger plate/cup set) and we put it back on the tree for the rest of the season.

Another mythical figure that needs explaining at some point in every child's life is The Tooth Fairy. There are a few different aspects to this tale that need addressing. Here's why we've come up with.

• What does The Tooth Fairy do with all those teeth she collects?

The Tooth Fairy collects teeth from children all over the world and puts them in the new babies about to be born. That's why you have to take such good care of your teeth, by brushing twice a day and going to the dentist. They need to be in good condition for the babies. (Thanks to Bethany for this one!)

• What happens if you swallow or lose a tooth that has come out?

The Tooth Fairy knows that things like this happen, so she has a solution. Find a pebble about the size of the lost tooth. Write a note to The Tooth Fairy explaining what happened. Put the pebble and the note under your pillow. The Tooth Fairy will use her magic to turn the pebble into a tooth.
(I came up with this one on my own after Liam cried hysterically that he wasn't going to get any money from the Tooth Fairy because he had thought he'd swallowed his tooth.)

• I saw Mom/Dad getting my tooth. Are they really The Tooth Fairy?

I once came across a children's book that was a fantastic explanation for this. There was once a child who woke up and saw the Tooth Fairy. He got scared and started crying because the Tooth Fairy was a stranger to him. The Tooth Fairy was very sad that she had made the child cry. So, from then on, whenever
she goes into a child's room, she uses her magic to make her appearance look like that of someone the child knows and loves. If they wake up while the Tooth Fairy is there, they won't be scared. That's why the Tooth Fairy may look like your Mom or Dad or Grandparents or baby sitter or big brother or sister.
Every parent needs to have this book!
(Thank you to "The Real Tooth Fairy" by Marilyn Kaye.)