Christmas Decorating & Shopping

Today was spent with the grand-p's decorating for Christmas. We (Mom & big little brother Dan) put up their tree and helped decorate it. I left my phone there, but Gam and Papa promise to return it tomorrow when we go Christmas Shopping! Everything in the world will be alright ... if we go SHOPPING!

Oh yeah, speaking of shopping, I have been good and I have followed my plan of buying non-sweatshop clothes. I didn't buy a bunch of books at the mall yesterday because the shipping guy didn't know about their manufacturers. He did say that most of the books that this specific bookstore published were manufactured in India. I just don't know. But I got some of those wraps that you heat in the microwave and then put on your shoulders & neck; they were made in California.

I think for my nieces & nephews I am going to shop in a store called "Ten Thousand Villages." They have all kinds of learning toys and crafts. I don't think any of their stuff is made in America, but it is made in under-privileged villages and the proceeds go back to the specific village that made whatever you buy. So that makes me feel better.

It's Thanksgiving Day!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

It took me 4.5 hours to drive from Peoria, Illinois last night. We had our first snowfall of the season; apparently when the first snowfall is big, it takes the plows by surprise. The reason for the extra time was mostly on a lesser used route in Peoria, which I should have avoided. Anyway, cars were actually stranded in the road, and you had to drive extra carefully to avoid the cars on the road. The police cars were trying to sit in front of the stranded cars and flash their lights, but there weren't enough police cars for all the stranded cars.

Go ahead, ask me why I drove in this weather.... I don't have a good answer. But I was careful.

Thanksgiving

It's that time of year again...

time for family... gathering... eating too much... laughing... playing games... eating more... watching the bears... loud kids (that's everyday for me, but different kids on holidays)...

Today in school grandparents visited my first grade classroom. Only about 7 or 8 kids had grandparents there. We made finger puppets where your fingers are the legs. The kids had fun doing this, it was a multi-step craft, but we broke it into phases and had breaks in between. In one of the breaks, I sang the kids a song I wrote to go with the tune of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame"...

Take me over to Gramma's
Take me to Grampa's house...
They let me play with their pots and pans
They let me mix cookie dough with my bare hands
And they let me play on their swingset
They read to me when I ask
They've read one, two, three hundred books
Now their in... my... class!

Not bad I say. Sometimes I amaze myself, really. Bottle me up, baby. I'm selling like hot cakes. Only my consumers don't have any money...

So after we made the puppets, each of the kids put on a finger puppet (one-act) play:

Characters
Grandchild
Grandparent

Act 1:
Grandchild:(In a high-pitched voice) Grandma, I am so thankful to have you!
Grandparent:(In a less high-pitched voice) Well thank you for saying that.
Grandchild: It's true! You take me to the park, you cook with me, we have lots of fun together!
Narrator: You get the point, I think

The grandparents really liked it, and the kids loved showing off their grandparents.

Revised Holiday Shopping Plan

I have found new information that will guide my shopping this year. My main objective is not necessarily to help the U.S. Economy, but that is a concern. My main goal is to boycott companies who use child labor or who trade with factories where working conditions are poor. When I consider these factories, it's hard to see how they are different from the plantations of colonial and the early United States. The only difference I see is that so many people don't even realize their possessions are made possible through the mistreatment of people in poor economic locations. Just check out these websites, see what I mean.

Made in Misery

Shut Down Sweatshops

Sweatshops on U.S. Soil

Monitoring Factories Overseas

Reebok's Efforts

Lord of the Rings!

Frodo Baggins If I were a character in The Lord of the Rings, I would be Frodo, Hobbit, heir of Bilbo and humble keeper of the One Ring. Who would you be? Zovakware Lord of the Rings Test with Perseus Web Survey Software

Saturday, November 13

I started holiday shopping on Thursday. As I stepped up to the counter, a woman in front of me was celebrating her final purchases for this year's Christmas. Wow. That was my first purchase, and as I shopped, I decided I have a mission this year: I am going to buy only things made in America. Not only will this help keep jobs in America, it helps me to know that there were labor laws where things were made.

America's jobs may not pay a lot, but at least there's no one with a whip denying you a bathroom break after 10 hours working. Bosses may not be cheerful, but they are not in charge of 9 year old children.

So as I spend my money earned teaching, I will also be trying to help the world.

Happy Veterans Day!!

Happy Veterans' Day everyone!

Ummm, for the last two days I've been on a mission to put my cats on here. I finally have had success, and you can check them out in my side bar!!! I'm there too, now! I took the picture myself, so I know it looks kinda closeup... just stand ten feet from your monitor.

I love my kitties! Oscar is shy and very quirky! She loves to have people "watch" her eat. If you walk toward her "feeding room" she will run to get there first, and she'll wait till you get there and then start eating, checking periodically to see that you are still being attentive.

Snuffy is egregious. He wants to be where the action is, and seems to me the picture of defiance sometimes. I love him dearly, but I think if he were bigger than me, he would bully me. You see, Snuffy has his claws. Oscar was declawed before I got her. So Snuffy has the upper-hand in defense and attack modes. He likes to sink his claws into Oscar's supple fur as she runs away; the effect of this reminds me of water-skiing. Snuffy looks like he is a water-skier and Oscar is the boat.

I love my cats! I only wish Oscar had her claws so she could defend herself!

Feelin' philosophical

I think it's time to bring out a couple song quotes that are near and dear to my heart.

"With...Without... And who'll deny it's what the fighting's all about?"
- Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon: "Us & Them"

"Why are you different? Why are you that way?
If you don't get in line we'll lock you away."

-Dave Matthews Band, Under the Table & Dreaming: "Typical Situation"

I wish I could find enlightenment. Really. I think I'm almost there... but then I'm always so self-conscious.

Gotta run in the morning... Should go to bed soon.

Happy Sunday

I had a dream this morning that I was in a meeting where they were making me listen to gospel music. (My alarm was set to radio, and it was Sunday Service on this particular station. I usually don't have my alarm set for Sunday, but I forgot to turn it off.) Anywho, the bears are beating the Giants after scoring 20 points in 5 minutes and leftover chili is better than just-made chili. Sunday is good.

Day 2 of My Own Web Place

I hope I always wanna write in this thing...

It's the first Saturday after the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of '04. I want W. to quit and admit he sucks.

My brother Jake & I are making bread bowl chili. It's kinda spicy. I'm gonna work on getting some pictures of my classroom on this site. I teach first grade here in Peoria. It's a good job. No comments about the best three reasons for being a teacher: June, July & August. That is so cliche and so wrong. So don't say it.

First Entry

I am tired of not having a website... so now I'm gonna have a website.