Good things come in pairs.....

Phoebe found a pair of Christmas socks from last year. She was so excited and put one on, then held up the other one and gasped and said "Another one!". I'm so glad socks come in a pair for her delight.

Today she wore her new Christmas dress to go get pictures taken. She pranced around it and said it was "Sassy!".

We saw Santa at the mall on Monday. Mom was looking at the picture and Phoebe pointed to Santa and said, "That's the guy who will bring the gifts". Sadly, she was terrified of the guy and wouldn't get off my lap.



Phoebe loves to play with her alphabet flashcards. This evening we were playing with them and she got to the K with the king. She said it was the "K for the Queen Daddy". (The Q card has a Queen.)

She didn't have a nap today and was tired this evening. About 5:00 she wanted to go to sleep. I told her it was too late for a nap. She said she wanted a drink and she would just "take a little rest".

I'd love a little rest now, but there is still lots to do, like go match up all those pairs of socks......

Turkey time

Phoebe and I made some turkeys today with some of our pumpkins we have. I had some craft feathers and felt that we glued on. Just glue the feathers on the back, we used buttons for eyes, and cut the beak and waddle out of felt. She had a great time making them. I think they would be cute centerpieces for Thanksgiving dinner.




Another idea for Thanksgiving is this turkey cheeseball I made. Use any cheeseball recipe and add feathers of cheesecubes, olives, and cherry tomatoes. Use skewers or sucker sticks to stick them on. I used pecan halves for more feathers and cut a piece from a red pepper for the mouth/beak/waddle. (Is it called a waddle? I don't know.)



My cheeseball recipe is: 2 packages of softened cream cheese, a package of shredded cheddar cheese, and a package of ranch dip mix. I usually roll it in chopped pecans.

Miserable or Joyous?

I love this quote by Haim Ginott. It is so moving to me. It applies to me as a teacher, and also as a mother.

"I've come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It's my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child's life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or de-humanized.” ~Haim Ginott

I hope and pray I'm the teacher who makes children's lives joyous (at least when they are with me). I want to inspire, humor, and heal.

I know at our home that how I react to something is how my children react to it. If I am freaked out by something, the whole house is in a frenzy. If I am in a bad mood, so is everyone else. If I am happy and joyful, so are they.

I'd much rather be joyous than miserable anyway!