Oh January.

 I am not really into making resolutions. Here's why: When I see I must make changes within or adjust my views on the world, Im going to start now. I feel like making resolutions is like waiting until Monday to start that diet, or cut out the treats.  Since I DO teach at a LEADER IN ME  School, Begin with the End in Mind. (That's one of the habits we focus on.) Begin with the change, and accept your efforts! 

If I WERE going to make resolutions, here would be mine ;)

 to DO more, facebook less, to see the good in people and situations, to floss, to eat dessert whenever I dang well want to, to be happy with life, to enjoy the sunsets,  and to find life and laughter in simple moments.

the end.

PoPcOrN BUNDLE!

Oh hey!  this is a teacher type post.....
So I have been working on a little "Home-School Connection"  if you will, involving SIGHT WORDS. I wanted my parents to become more involved in helping their child learn these important words. Well....I then decided to make a TEACHER EDITION- and laminate the cards and flip through them as we are at the carpet together, as we (me included) are waiting <not so patiently> for the recess bell to ring, or as we are lining up to go home.....this "Popcorn on a Ring" is perfect! Take it on the go, in the car, whatever!

  Here is POPCORN ON A RING            

There are 6 alphabet recognition cards, and Popcorn sight words per page. 

Each students will need one card of each. 

Here is the TEACHER EDITION

The Teacher Edition has one set of the letter sounds, letter identifications and sight words.

I print them off on colored card stock, according to their word list.

HERE IS THE BUNDLE! 

SAVE NOW!

Both the Sight word on a Ring, and Teacher Edition all for $9.50

By getting the bundle, you save $1.25. You could buy ice cream with that!

                    

I went and saw the movie "The Giver" tonight. Wow. It was well done.  GO SEE IT!
While reading the book <like five years ago> I kept likening it to The Garden of Eden. Tonight- the same thing kept running around in my mind.  In the Garden, Adam and Eve didn't experience pleasure because they didn't know pain. It was only because of the Fall, that allowed them to feel, to love, to learn, to grow, to progress.
 In the movie,  the GIVER is like our Heavenly Father. He gives us experiences and opportunities to "save us." To become like Him. Sometimes the opportunities or  "memories" He has in store are painful. We cry. We hurt. We are lonely. We are sick. We want it to be over....BUT. We FEEL. We love. We have Faith and Hope.  He is the one wanting us to TRUST not only IN HIM, but to TRUST HIM. 
The relationship between the Giver and Jonas was built by trust. He was slowly showing Jonas memories and experienced the joys and pain with him.  Our Savior, Jesus Christ is also our GIVER. Our Advocate. He has been through the depths of despair and pain and hell.  He knows what its like. He KNOWS.  He hurts when we hurt. BUT....He also is there in the sunsets,  in children laughing, in the sweet smell of summer, in everything that is good. Yep. HE is there with us. Anyways, I just wanted to share my little thoughts. Go see the movie!  Its ALMOST as good as the book!
WATCH TRAILER HERE

Can you give me one of your Saturdays.

So at age 30 I am STILL humbly learning life lessons from my mom. A few weeks before Easter my mom asks me a question. "Can you give me one of your Saturdays?"
As a young single adult, working with kindergarteners day after day, Saturdays are precious! I roll my eyes and say, "What do you need help with?"(Not getting the Daughter of the Year award after that...)
 I let my mind fast forward and thought, does she need help cleaning out the shed, or attaching a photo to an email- my patience in teaching her technology is gone.
She replies, I don't need help with anything. My mind didn't really hear her and I rambled off some Saturday that I would begrudgingly spend time *helping* her do something.
Well, Easter Sunday comes. I was supposed to go over and help her the previous day. I thought she would remind me or call me or something. She didn't.
She says, "Yesterday you were supposed to come over. "  I said Oh shoot. You should have reminded me. She says, "No, I wasn't going to remind you. This was going to be on your terms."
Well turns out, my wonderful and loving mother had set up an Easter girls day for us. We were to get our hair cut, pedicures and lunch. "This was going to be your Easter present." she said.
Me now feeling like a complete idiot and trying not to act like I cared, said oh can we still do it?
You can bet what her answer was....No.
I was truly humbled. There were no others words for how I felt. Humbled. 

Sometimes we are asked to do things, and we may not yet see the benefits or blessings that come from doing what we were asked to do.
A lot of times, blessings come from within the heart. A simple peaceful feeling knowing you helped someone, a moment that allows you to grow closer to Heavenly Father. These opportunities are blessings that allow us to become more like our Savior. We may be stretched at times, but HE knows exactly what He is molding us in to.  It may be painful, lonely or hard, but with Heavenly Father by our side, we can get through!
 photo courtey: http://keepingitpersonal.com/2012/04/potters-hands/

Now go listen to Julie de
Azevedo's "Masterpiece."  #14
"Write your will upon my heart, mold my soul to your design."

I Love you 206

My cute friend Emily recounted this story in her
lesson at church today:

In a father-son game of "I love you more," Dave Barlow thought he had his 6-year-old son, Sam, beat.

"I love you infinity," the father would say.

A short time later, Sam came home from school and stumped his father with "Dad, I love you 206!"

Seeing the confused look on his father's face, Sam explained he had just learned that the human body consisted of 206 bones.

"Dad, that's every bone in my body!" the boy exclaimed.

How often do we truly love with EVERY PART OF US? Sometimes I find myself "loving" others with 103 parts of me-Not fully, but Half.  I put loving in quotes, because in order to love fully, you love with your all.   I feel that sometimes I am guilty of serving not only with part of me, but often with the mentality of  "What will I get out of this." As Dwight Shrute would say, False. We were commanded to love one another. Not to gain something in return, but to truly love others like HE loves us.  When we first understand and truly FEEL HIS LOVE for us, individually we then in return can begin loving others, using that SAME love! 

So, my new goal, loving with all 206 of me!

photo courtesy of: http://projecttgm.com/2013/01/remember-whose-you-are/on-the-seashore/