Mel's Box of Chocolates

Today was the day that I was videotaped for my last entry for my Board's...YEAH! What a liberating feeling to know all my lessons are finished and now it is just the typing, typing, and more typing. Oh yeah and revising! This last lesson was a science lesson with a strong math focus so we have been doing shadows. They have traced their shadows three times on two separate days and collected data measuring their shadow and watching it change position. They used their data table to create a graph and today analyzed their graph and created a shadow poster on the video. The kids really seemed to enjoy it and I know I got some good discussion on the video. The best part thought was when in the middle of my video one of my little darlings ran to the trash can and puked! Yes, that is right...in the middle of my video for my National Boards one of my students vomited!! That pretty much sums up this whole science lesson as I have worked on it for the past 3 weeks pushing things back for two...

I love tax time! I know many people do not agree with my sentiments but being married, not making a whole lot of money, and having two kids one of which goes to daycare, all adds up to a pleasant tax time. Every January I anxiously await my W2's and then I bug the crud out of hubby until he does our taxes. This year we were even more blessed than usual as we both made more and were put in a higher tax bracket, which meant more deductions!!! Woohoo!! We usually cap out for deductions, but now we could get even more back. I know, I know, we should raise our deductions so the government is not holding our money all year and we aren't making interest and honestly, I really have increased mine, but I really like a big refund. Anywho, the reason for saying all that is to say... I bought our plane tickets today for SAN DIEGO!!! I am tickled pink since that is where I was born and have always wanted to visit. Every year we use our tax money for a vacation over spring break. Since my hu...

When I used the card reader to get these pix off my cell phone camera card, I was pleasantly surprised to find some old pix from last summer. I thought I would share them with you since pictures have been scarce around here. SUMMER 2007 A DAY AT CHUCK E CHEESE'S FEB 2007 The kids sent me this picture while I was in Florida.

That is what I kept asking all day. Let me explain... First of all...Board's...I know you all are probably just as excited as I am to get my portfolio finished and sent in so you don't have to listen to me anymore. But you have a few more weeks to go so just bear with me. Anyways, I am trying to get my last entry finished and this one is a science lesson with a strong math focus. The lesson I chose is about shadows. My students work with a partner and we go outside to trace our shadows. We trace in the morning, at noon, and right before dismissal. After tracing we measure the length of the shadow and record it in a data table. The data is then graphed showing the students that their shadow is long in the morning, short at noon, and getting longer again around dismissal time. They also realize that their shadow moves so we have great discussion about what is really moving....US. The kids love this lesson because it is so hands on, they get to be outside using chalk, an...

My parents visited last weekend and Sunday was relatively warm so we headed to the beach. We took the kids bikes so they could ride on the boardwalk and even went down to check out the ocean. Of course, no trip to the beach is complete without bringing a couple seashells home.

After nights of working on my Board's and many nights to go it was nice to take a night off to go see Disney on Ice at a local convention center. Every Feb/Mar Disney on Ice comes to town and this year one of Dave's co-workers gave us free tickets. Thanks, Hope...you rock!! The great thing was that it was all about princesses this year and Zoe was in heaven...Dyl not so much, but with a little smoke and pyrotech's he got into the show too. The castle turned so it looked like each of the princess' castle. Here is Jasmine with the Genie and check out the big ice skating elephant. He made me laugh!! Snow White with the Seven Dwarf's Every princess has to have a wand...or two...or ten in Zoe's case!! The prettiest princesses of the night!! No, really the boy's weren't into the show at all! We girl's loved every minute of it. Zoe got a wand and Dyl enjoyed a bright, blue snow cone in a Mickey Cup. This was his highlight of the night!

What I missed it...it was a couple weeks ago you say?! Well it is never to late for some pictures. As I told you I have seemed to misplace my camera cord so hubby borrowed another card reader from work so I could at least get the pictures off the camera. Dylan and Zoe got a happy heart day package from Gramma and Grampy who are in Florida right now. It was full of lots of goodies including these... No, Dylan isn't having an allergic reaction. This was just a giant gummy tongue that Gramma gave him. Zoe got some nice comfy socks that Gramma knitted for her. The color is her "absolute favorite." Here we are spreading some of our love as the kiddos fill out those little Valentine's Cards for their friends, I stuff bags for all the classmates, and we make some heart shaped Rice Krispy Treats.

My district has a two hour delay...Normally this would make me ecstatic, today not so much. Why you ask? Two extra hours of sleep, shouldn't that make everbody happy. Well I got the call and heard the radio announcement as I was getting OUT of the shower. One thing about me is that once I shower and do my hair I cannot get back in bed with wet hair. Oh well I decided to get up and obviously I am here blogging, plus got some more Board's finished. The two hour delay affects much more though. First of all my class was supposed to particapte in a science investigation that requires tracing shadows first thing in the morning, at lunch time, and then before dismissal. Without gathering morning data this isn't happening. Oh and did I mention this is lesson that I needed to have the students complete in order to have tomorrow's lesson video taped for my Board's. Next, I have spent the past three days frantically planning a field trip. While planning, I came to t...

I just realized that I had forgotten to chat a minute on my weight loss for this week. While I have been very busy it's really been more because there is not much to report. My scale is staying strong at 143 fluxuating maybe by a 1/2 pound up or down depending on the day before. Here I complained about the frustration with making excuses and I am doing better about not making them. I did make my 0 point soup and have been taking it for lunch everyday. It is very filling and good too. I have been eating more veggies and have at least one fruit a day. With my National Board deadline looming I have not been able exercise which I think impacts the loss. Since I am down to the last 13 pounds I think exercise is what I am going to need to do to get them off. However, from the moment I walk in the door after work until about 11 at night I am typing and working on my Board's. I know some would say that you have to make time for exercise, right now it just is not my priority ...

I have been working intensly on my Board's and am getting really nervous now that I am almost within the last 30 days before it is due! Yikes...a month until I have to submit it all. I keep making all these corrections, but I am so apprehensive about the whole thing. This week I am teaching my last lesson for my last entry, but I still have to type up two entries and am correcting the other two. It just seems like I can't get any piece completely finished. Instead I keep finding more and more changes to make. I think I am way to OCD for this!!! Perhaps I need to just realize that it may never be perfect enough for me. I just to have to do my best and then rely on prayers to get me through the rest!!! This is where you can help...send prayers, thoughts, well wishes, chocolate, wine, shoes, new clothes... :-). It will all be most appreciated!!! I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!!! I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!!! I can do a...

I kind of feel that is what I have been sounding like whenever I talk about my weekly weigh in. It's always the same "I had the munchies", "I didn't eat enough fruits and veggies" and then the same goals "eat more fruits and veggies", "walk on the treadmill", "stay within my daily points." Then the next week I find myself saying the same things about the previous week and making the same goals. I am kind of at a loss of what exactly I need to do. I've been trying to get out there in the blogosphere and visit some more people to get some jumpstart ideas on how to make these last 15 pounds disappear, but have to admit that I am becoming very frustrated with myself. I have come so far to just hit a wall so there must be something I can do. I think I may try to attend a WW meeting on Thursday to see what they are all about. So far I have lost every pound on my own using only the online tools figuring why should I change somethin...

I was switching back and forth between my cell phone camera and real camera to record Snowy's adventures. Now that I have a card reader I can share some more pix of our adventures. The first thing Snowy did when we got in our room was check out the view from our window. Then he hopped on the bed for a rest. He mostly slept during the days, but sometimes I took him with me to the convention center and one day he even jumped out of my bag to listen in on a session... I think Downtown Disney may have been his favorite though because he got to hang out with princesses, check out a train, and even terrorize a Lego creation... Here we are blowing kisses to everybody before heading out to The Melting Pot to eat this On our last day as we were walking around when we came across this interesting building...it reminded him of a story one of his friends, Toto, once told him. Something about a time that he and his owner discovered they "weren't in Kansas any more". Finally, bef...

I'm here in sunny Florida and it is so warm! We actually had dinner outside tonight and it was awesome. Before I left Dylan asked if I would take his Dalmation Webkinz on the trip and take pictures of where he went...just like that Cingular commercial where the dad takes his daughters monkey on his business trip. So pardon the pictures the next few days as they are for Dylan to keep up with "Snowy's" adventures. Or enjoy them yourself! Here is snowy getting his boarding pass to get on the plane... and here he is on the plane. I used my cell to get his pix picking up the baggage and resting on my bed in the hotel room so I won't post them on here. So far I think he is enjoying the trip and I know I am too. I miss my Dylan and Zoe and hubby too, but loving the warm weather and being with some friends.

Last night I spent about 3 hours packing or maybe it was 1 hour packing and 2 hours re-packing determined to get every outfit in my bag. I finally relinquished 2 outfits and 2 shirts leaving me with about enough outfits for a good week or so. I had to keep promising hubby that I wasn't leaving forever as I kept putting outfit, after outfit in. A light packer, I am NOT! Anyways, today is the big day. My first day of going away on a business trip. I always thought if I had not chosen education as my career that I could be a top business woman somewhere, just because I am a pretty driven, and some may say power happy, person. However, this trip has me very jittery so now I am not so sure that if the job required much traveling that I would be happy. Now if I could take the family with me, I would be happy as a clam. I know that I am going to have a grand ol' time and will be so busy at the conference and going out to dinner that I'll be just fine. Dylan is a bit nervous and l...