Continue the Merriment and Learning After Christmas

There is so much build-up to Christmas, that, if your are like me, the next day tends to feel kind of glum. However, one can continue the merriment by celebrating the little-known holidays between Christmas and New Year's.

Dec. 26, National Candy Cane (National Confectioners Association): Many children build up a vast assortment of candy canes during the Christmas season, and this is the day to put them to use! Here are some activities to get you started: research the story of the candy cane here and here ; create fun crafts, like this mouse or this peppermint pointsettia; concoct yummy candy cane truffles; and hold a candy cane relay race.

December 26th is also National Thank-you Note Day: the perfect opportunity to have your children send out thank-you cards to far-away relatives for gifts received (maybe a hand-crafted candy cane-themed card?).

Dec. 28, Pledge of Allegiance Day: Why wait until July to promote patriotic fun and learning? Check out Home of Heroes for the story behind these important words, view Red Skelton's inspiring rendition of the pledge, and then log onto FamilyFun.com to create your own flag.

Have a very merry post-CHRISTmas!

Lessons I Learned While Christmas Shopping

1) Beware of the Target toy aisles... Marching flourescent frogs and harried shopping carts will trample you!

2) By far, the most entertaining experience at Borders is waiting in line. Afterall, the "line aisle" (for lack of a better term) is the only location in the store where you can find the little boxes of magnetic structures that repel eachother. The fun here? You can bounce and flip them off each other, of course! Sure to cure any and all line boredom (shhh!). :)

3) In the hustle and bustle of holiday traffic, one should not follow a County Connection bus too closely, especially when its lights begin flashing. You may never get home...

4) Even if your merry, Santa hat clad cashier acknowledges your coupon, do not count on them actually using it. In the holiday rush, they may forget--and it's not fun getting back into a line 40 people long!

2010 Gift Rankings

Most Unusual: a large, unmarked Christmas bag with only a disposable fork inside (What does this mean??)

Most Unexpected: a spray of "diamonds and saphires" (brooch)

Most Priceless: One of my pre-k boys was SO excited about giving me one of his very own toy cars (it winds up and drives all by itself!). He was insistent that it not be left at school because he wanted me to have fun playing with it at home. :) He wrapped it all by himself and even made his own bow. So stinkin' cute!!! We had much fun playing together...

Most Fun: There were so many, but here are a couple: movie tickets and a Barnes and Noble gift card!

Most valuable: a watercolor from one of my students who is going to be a famous artist someday and an email address from my dear 5th grader who is moving back to South Korea in a couple of weeks :( :(

Best Smell: Mmmmm... Sweet pea bath and body set

Best Homemade: It's really a tie: moist pumpkin bread, candied walnuts, and old-fashioned caramel

Most Hillarious Quote: "It's a BUTT WASHER!!" -one of my pre-k girls upon seeing a pink lufa I received as a present. She then proceeded to demonstrate ...

How much to Starbucks this year? : $40

This has been a wonderful year; there were even those who went out of their way to make sure they gifted me with something I could eat ... I am soooo blessed!! :D

Coming in First

I needed You today. From the moment I opened my eyes and flew out of bed I needed You. The moment I began racing out the door without breakfast, my mind was spinning around a million other tasks and situations that lay before me. I needed You then, and I need You now. Can I just stop this hurried pace, stop for even just a second, and listen? No matter how fast I move my arms, my legs, my mind, nothing will truly be accomplished without looking to You first. My soul's arms are open wide. I am stopping. I am taking a breath...

Good Eats for Folks w/ Alleriges

Good Eats 1
So, my mom, sister Holly and cousin Michelle inspired me to try yummy new recipes, ones that I could eat even though my list of "can't-eat-foods" is eternally long. Even if you don't have food allergies, this harvest dish (squash, apple and cranberry) is yummy and perfect for fall (which seems to be here already!). Discover the tastiness here: http://www.elanaspantry.com/acorn-squash-with-cranberry-apple-stuffing/

P.S. If you want to healthfully sweeten this dish, add a little stevia (which is what I think I'm going to do!).

T.F.T.D. #25 (Uni-Tasking)

A friend of mine wants to know what people think of this article: http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article4362950.ece

This is what I posted in reply:

"I am in love with uni-tasking! I read an article similar to this a couple of years ago and felt soooo much better after reading it. You know, that part of you that feels it should be concentrating is battling the part that lies that what society tells us about multi-tasking is best (get more done!). It just feels more natural to uni-task...more peaceful, calming... One of the best nights of my life was a night spend with the electricity out. I actually began wishing the electricity would permanently go out in my house and office. Aw, breathe... :) God certainly doesn't want us burdened."

What do you think?

T.F.T.D. #24 (First Ride)

Hey out there. When was the last time you observed a child, other than a family member or close friend, learning how to ride a bike (training wheel-less!) for the first time? Walking down the Iron Horse Trail this evening, I watched a mother and daughter experience that exact experience. It was priceless. The mom, with her blouse blowing in the breeze, held one strong hand in a solid grasp on her daughter's purple bike while jogging and pushing...careful not to let the her little blonde fall. "This is a milestone," she urged softly in her daughter's ear, never letting her eyes off what was in front of them. "It takes baby steps..."

Shortly after I passed them by, and understanding what a beautiful moment I had witnessed between this young mother and daughter, I glanced back and smiled. The girl had veered off into the weeds, but she and her bike were both still standing. This wise mother knew the exact moment to let go. In her care, she gave her daughter the confidence and encouragement to overcome a big feat--successfully.

I was looking for God on this trail, and I found Him speaking to me, through this little girl's first ride.

T.F.T.D. #23 (Where They Are Now?)

Ever wonder what your favorite childhood stars are up to now? Flipping through the channels this morning, I caught one of my favorite childhood shows on and, since I hadn't heard anything about them since their screen days, immediately wondered where these actors are at now. Here are a couple: :)

Mindy, Mork and Mindy (Pam Dawber): No longer acting, but is involved in Big Brothers, Little Sisters and "EyeQ" (assists reading speed and comprehension). Dawber is married with two sons, Sean and Ty.

Punky Brewster (Soleil Moon Frye): Still working in the film industry (even directing), has been married for about 10 years and just had her second daughter, Jagger Blue (first daughter: Poet, talk about them names! Well, her name is Sun Moon).

Nicholas Martin in McGee and Me! (Joseph Dammann): Still acting and working in reality T.V. production (including The Bachelor--strange to think of him doing that ;) ).



Mr. Belvedere (Christopher Hewitt): He died in 2001 from complications with diabetes. :( However, I am currently reading Julie Andrew's amazing biography and was very surprised to find out from this research that she and Hewitt both debuted on Broadway together (My Fair Lady, 1956)! :)

Webster (Emmanuel Lewis): This childhood star brought his own record label, Emmanuel Lewis Entertainment, to the scene in 2000 and is now jumping back into acting (Doesn't Texas Ever End).

Vici the Robot, Small Wonder (Tiffany Brissette): No longer acting, Brissette, enjoys horseback riding and is a counselor in San Diego for children and young adults.

Ted McGriff, Hey Dude! (David Lascher): Still acting and is married with two kids.

Michelle, Full House (Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen): J/K!

Stephanie Tanner, Full House (Jodie Sweetin): Sweetin is no longer acting, but is excited about teaching. Recently married (2007), Sweetin just had her first child, a baby girl named Zoie.

T.F.T.D. #22 (Engagement)

My sisses' engagement photos from the Presidio (San Francisco) turned out SO cute! She's a good little model and this one's totally classic. :)

For more, view:
http://happenstancephotography.com/slideshows/hollydaniel/

T.F.T.D. #21 (Luxury)

Driving is now a luxury (fit in everyone you can! :) ).

T.F.T.D. #20 (Thinking)

A couple cool quotes for the day from Thinking for a Change by John Maxwell: "...stands between a man and what he wants from life is often merely the will to try it and the faith to believe that it is possible." A belief in the will to try it and the faith to believe that it is possible." 29

" ...call it what you like: the will to succeed, belief in yourself, confidence in your ability, faith. It's really true: people who believe they can't, don't. But if you believe you can, you can! That's the power ..." 170

T.F.T.D. #19 (The Bachelor)

I cannot believe that I actually got sucked into The Bachelor. I had only ever seen one episode before. Through watching the ads and that one show, it appeared that most of the ladies seemed extremely superficial and, while I surprisingly noticed that the show actually had some depth, you can't help but think, "Who in their right mind would put themselves through that?!" And I'm talking about the guy or the girls, take your pick. Blak! (It seems kind of barbaric, too.) However, as much as I kind of hated to admit it, the show did intrigue me.

Then, as today was my last "official" day at work (remember, I'm a teacher and it's now summer :) ), I took a few minutes to sit back and enjoy flipping through some channels. Extremely unfortunely, there was a Bachelor marathon on... After 10 minutes, I was hooked and, after a couple of episodes, my roomie had to go to sleep and I had to turn the lights out. and then the TV somehow switched off the Bachelor marathon channel. "Oh no!" I thought as he was down to only three girls (one had just gone off in a sea of tears--ugh...). That's when I found myself frantically searching for the right channel and, fhew, found it. I put the DVR on record and will find out tomorrow who will become Mrs. Firestone. I can't wait!

Pathetic, isn't it? :)

T.F.T.D. #18 (Here we go!)

Here we go! This one's perfect (except that it's a guy, of course :) ). That is exactly how I feel.

T.F.T.D. #18 (Paperwork Procrastination)

Whewww... When getting through paperwork (esp. paperwork you've procrastinated about for endless months), it feels like a boulder falling off your back. Cliche, yes, but oh so true!!

P.S. - I think this blondie should look even more in angst than she does...

T.F.T.D. #17 ('80s)

You know, after watching movies like 13 Going On 30, The Goonies, etc., I'm really starting to think that the '80s were a better time in history than I realized. Thinking back to my own childhood, it/they were quite magical... Life now is too computerized and T.V.-oriented.

Sure, it was a time when mohawks, neon tresses and girls with only half a head of hair were common sites, not to mention crazy punk rockers, but it was also a time when life was much more simple. We were creative kids. I remember my group of neighborhood friends, etc., always dreaming up imaginary worlds to play in, like "lost kids in the forrest" (of course, it helped that I grew up in the country). We were kids who, if we put our whole selves into it, could do anything ("kid power!"), like save our homes and communities, make sure right prevailed and become anything we wanted. We were inventive (think Data in Goonies [I actually was friends with a kid kind of like him] and Elliot's "phone home" invention) adventurous, and much more outdoorsy.

At that time, in many regards, life made so much more sense to me. The times were fun and life was more...real...more organic in feel.

T.F.T.D. #16 (Holidays)

I've always loved celebrating (or at least being aware of) weird daily holidays. However, today I am at a quandry... How on earth do you celebrate My Bucket's Got a Hole in It Day (May 30)??? Right. Any ideas? :)

T.F.T.D. #15 (Perfect Class)

They say there is no such thing as the perfect class. I beg to differ... I had it this year.

P.S. School ended yesterday and I have already been missing my kids for the past two weeks. :(

T.F.T.D. #14 (They're Ba-ck!)

They're drawing pictures of them. Playing with them at recess (and in class...). They're watching them on T.V. They're talking, talking, talking about them... And they're robots in disguise! Yes, the mighty Transformers are back! Isn't it funny how the world works? That's one thing from childhood that both my students and I will have in common. And it's thanks to Steven Spielberg. :)

T.F.T.D. #13 (Stumped)

As a teacher, I am constantly asking kids questions about all sorts of things. Even if they ask me a question in return, I always know the answer--until yesterday... You would think this would be one of the easiest questions on earth. It's not even academic. Two of my students were trying to figure out, if they could get me anything, what they should get me for my birthday (they rock) and asked many questions: "What is your favorite color," "What is your favorite this and that..." Yet what they stumped me with was: "What is your favorite thing [as in something that could be purchased or bought]?" It had to be my absolute favorite thing in the whole world. Wow, what an easy question...or not. My favorite thing? Clothes? No... "Earrings?" one asked. They're very cool, but no... Then what?? When you're a kid, I can see how that question would be easy: "An iPod!" "Transformers!" (yes, they're back!), "Littlest Pet Shop sets!"

The question bugged me all day. Why could I not figure out what my favorite thing was? Did I really not know myself as well as I thought?? No, that couldn't possibly be--I'm analyzing myself all the time...

Finally, at the end of the day, I decided upon a camera. Well, my favorite "things" on earth are people, time spent with them, good memories and scrapbooking. So, I realized the material thing that would be most important for that would be, presto!, a camera.

Fhew... Glad I got that figured out. What's your favorite thing? Ha! Take the challenge...

T.F.T.D. #12 (Mother Whale)

Went to the beach with friends for a beautiful Mother's Day and, surprise of surprise (as if hanging out with our own mom's wasn't cool enough), a mother and baby humpback whale swam in around the shore for a very extended and playful visit. Seriously, they were so close they were playing in the waves! The whole beach full of people stood in awe for about 45 minutes of magic and beauty. Happy Mother's Day! God is good.
(pictured from l-r: Holly, J.J., mua)