Principal's Honor Roll

February 20, 2013

Danielle got recognized for earning Principal's Honor Roll at school today, and I was so bummed that I wasn't able to get away from my class to see her.  Luckily, though, Doug didn't have to work, so he showed up to support her as a surprise.  I love that one of us was able to be there to show her how proud we are!

Principal's Honor Roll

Sept. 6, 2012

My baby girl receiving her award for last semester's Principal's Honor Roll.  They held the awards ceremony at the beginning of this year, and they were kind enough to hold it during my prep so I could attend.

Block A.S.I.

June 2, 2012

I was so proud of Danielle for earning this award!  Students are required to maintain high academics, involvement in athletics, and participation in clubs or community activities.  It's not an easy award to win, but Danielle set her mind to it and did what she needed to do.  She's determined to earn it again next year as well.

Softball Awards

May 4, 2011

I just love working so close to Danielle's school so that I can run over to awards ceremonies and sporting events without missing too much school. Danielle's softball team ended the season this year with only one loss, and she got to play a little first base and a little outfield, as well as catcher. Still, the position where the pitcher throws the ball straight at her face appears to be her favorite one. That's my fearless little girl!

Blue Ribbon Cub

February 8, 2011

Last quarter Danielle not only earned Principal's Honor Roll, but the Blue Ribbon Cub Award as well. I'm so proud of my little girl!

Here she is with one of her good friends, Andrei.

National Honor Society

November 18, 2010

Last week I had the privilege of watching Brianna get inducted into the National Honor Society. In order to qualify, students must meet qualifications which include high achievements in academics, leadership, extra-curricular activities, and community service. Brianna's involvement in Link Crew, the Schools for Schools Club, Key Club, Drama, and Choir, just to name a few, while maintaining an impressive academic record is something she can be proud of. Even more impressive, however, is how she has continued to stay centered and grounded while doing all of this. I am so proud that she continues to be a beautiful young lady on the inside as well as the outside. Natalie Meier, Kaitlyn Sims, and Bree

Bree and Simone Leighty

Way to Go, Miss Danielle!

November 8, 2010

During Parent-Teacher conferences, I learned that Danielle would be receiving Principal's Honor Roll at the upcoming awards ceremony. I was able to attend since the awards took place during my prep period, and I was proud to get to see her accept a certificate not only for her straight A's, but also for the Character Counts Award (being recognized for outstanding responsibility). As always, I am so proud of her!

Most Improved

April 28, 2010

Danielle won the trophy for Most Improved on her softball team! She had a great season and is already looking forward to next year.Also, last Friday was Western/Rodeo Day dress up. I think Danielle is adorable in the corn field-country girl look.

Bruin of the Month

April 16, 2010
Nicholas was nominated by his Academic Block teacher as Bruin of the Month, so on Wednesday I got to attend a luncheon honoring him and the other nominees. It was wonderful to listen to his teacher stand up in front of Nicholas' peers and the other teachers and sing his praises.

In this letter, which may be too small here to be read easily, Mrs. Clemings says, "His parents are his greatest source of inspiration. Here's why: 'When I have a problem with something, my parents always tell me I can do it, and they tell me I will find a way to figure it out,' Nick said, and he pointed out that it has been 'a pretty good year at ASI.'"

Definitely a proud moment for Mom. Nicholas has made the transition to junior high far more easily than I ever expected him to. He has not only transitioned well, but he has absolutely blossomed.

That's My Little Girl

April 11, 2010

Guess who got straight A's for the quarter (seventh quarter running, so far)?

Yup--little Miss Danielle!


And guess whose softball team is undefeated?

My Daniella Darlin'.


One more game to go this week to finish out the season.

Can you tell I'm a proud mama?

A Little of This, A Little of That

March 3, 2010

I'm feeling some love over here on my blog this week. I received this "You're Going Places, Baby" award from Valerie over at Next to Heaven, which is very cool. Thanks, Valerie! I love Valerie's blog, because she has such a positive outlook--it always makes me smile to read her posts. Head over there and check it out, if you're not already a regular reader.

To pay it forward, I'm supposed to post where I'd like to be in 10 years and then award this to ten other bloggers who are Goin' Places.

So where do I see myself in 10 years? Weird to say, but in another 10 years I could see myself looking forward to my first grandchild from the oldest and college graduation from the youngest. I would love to see all three of my kids happy, healthy, and settling into careers that they love. I see myself still working at my current school, maybe having had a thing or two published on the side. Most of all, I see myself still crazy in love with the man by my side, spending our summers traveling and enjoying adventurous road trips.

Below you'll find links to some on-line friends I love to 'visit' on a regular basis. Check out the following blogs, which are definitely destined for bright futures:

Mama-Face at Blog Ignoramous

Mrs. 4444 at Half Past Kissin' Time

Brainella the Librarian

...for a different kind of girl

Kim at Under the Influence

Christy at Cakerwakers

Kim at Thinking Out Loud

JennyKate at JennyKate's Spot

Caroline...Online

Just Making Our Way

While I'm on the subject of blog love, let me tell you how excited I am about having stumbled onto Brainella the Librarian's blog. I found her by blog-hopping, as I am occasionally known to do. I love her blog, and found that we have a lot in common. And the bonus? She happened to be doing a giveaway when I found her, and on a whim, I entered. Now I know people say, "I never win anything!" all the time, but seriously, I NEVER do. But I DID! And this wasn't just any giveaway--it was a bonanza, as you can see below. It felt like Christmas in March when this package arrived on my doorstop yesterday! Thank you so much for such a great giveaway, Julia--you made my day: ) If you get a chance to stop by and check out her blog, too.

In other news, this is a crazy week for me. So much so that I really shouldn't be taking the time to write this, but I am skilled in the ways of procrastination, so here I am. It's the end of a grading period for me, so I've got papers to grade and enter and stressed out parents and students. Bigwigs from the School Accreditation team are scoping out our campus early next week, so we've got to make sure our classrooms are spiffy and sparkly for our guests, we've got to be dramatic and entertaining and terribly insightful when they step into our worlds for a five minute snapshot that will tell them everything they need to know about education at our school, and we are to make ourselves available for additional meetings both before and after school. Oh yeah--we're supposed to wear our badges, too. (Now where did I put my badge? Seriously. I hate wearing a nametag around my neck that says "If found, please return to CUSD District Office at such and such address. As if someone might find ME, cold and lifeless, or wandering around aimlessly, babbling incoherently, and return me safe and sound to my home at the district office. I know they're really just talking about finding the tag, but still. It's so Big Brother-sounding.)

We are also in crunch time for Nicholas' History Day project, and both girls have stepped up their drama rehearsal schedules, since we are nearing production dates. Danielle also has softball practice (when she doesn't get rained out), which adds to the taxi schedule. Oh--and a birthday party this Saturday (for which I have yet to get a present), and a package to mail out that should have gone out, oh, say, two months ago.

On top of that, this weekend is the Academy Awards, so we're gearing up for our annual Oscar party. I'm really looking forward to that, but I'd be even more excited if some cleaning fairy were to show up and make the house more presentable before Sunday. I'm not holding my breath, though, so I've got to add housecleaning to my list of things to do.

Not that I'm complaining, though. I think I just needed to take a minute to detail what all I needed to do, so that I could prioritize. Thinking out loud, as it were. I'm good now, and I've got to go. I've got things to do!

Weekend Wrap Up

November 9, 2009

Friday morning I got to see Danielle accept her quarterly awards. She received the Blue Ribbon Cub Award, an award given to students who exhibit good all-around academics and character--a 'Cub of the Quarter' kind of award. She also received the Principal's Honor Roll award for earning straight A's for the quarter. I am so proud of her hard work and dedication, and am glad that I have a job that enables me to get away to share in these moments with her.

In the evening, we all went out on our weekly Family Dinner Night outing. This week was Bree's choice, so we ate at Pick Up Stix. It's not Danielle's favorite food, but she was a good sport about it. Afterward, we dropped Bree off at the theater with some friends, and Doug and I took Nicholas and Danielle to a local carnival for awhile. It was a pretty small affair--just a few rides and carnival games adjacent to the local mall--but we'd been wanting to do something fun with the kids, and this provided the perfect opportunity. It didn't take a lot of money, and it put some pretty big smiles on the kids' faces. Afterward, we decided to curl up on the couch together and watch an old movie--"Benji"--that we purchased awhile back. Danielle really loved it, but I'd have to say it would be a tough call to say whether she enjoyed it more than Doug did. We couldn't resist making it a double feature--we jumped right into "For the Love of Benji" before calling it a night.

Saturday morning we were up bright and early for a Queen Cobras soccer game. Danielle played goalie for the whole game and made some pretty spectacular saves. The other team was really making her work--diving and rolling, trying to keep that ball out of the net. She even sustained a battle injury during the first half when she landed wrong on her arm, but like a trooper she was ready to tough it out and go back in the box for the second half. Honestly, I never really liked soccer when I was a kid, but after years of being a soccer mom, I can honestly say that I love being able to cheer for my kids and their friends from the sidelines. And as a reward for her hard work during the game, Doug came home and made us all Eggs Benedict. I love that I got to partake in her reward, too: )

That afternoon was all about preparations for the big Sadie Hawkins dance for Brianna. This was her first big dance ('big' meaning one of the trifecta: Sadie's, Winter Formal, and Prom) of high school, so I was very excited for her. The theme this year was "Out of This World," so she and her boyfriend Jeff decided they'd get t-shirts from "Wall-E" to wear to the dance. (Jeff loves that movie, so it was perfect.) He wore Wall-E, she wore Eve. The shirts were really cute! She and four friends decided that they would cook a 'breakfast-for-dinner' dinner for themselves and their dates. They all met up at one of the girl's houses and ate there before heading off to the dance. Afterward, Bree, Jeff, Ryan, and Alyssa went back to Ryan's house to finish off the evening. All in all, it was a good night.

While Bree was out at the dance with her friends and Nicholas and Danielle were at their dad's for the night, Doug and I went out for a night of socializing and karaoke with some of our good friends. We met up at Skyline with Jim, Rosa, Bill, Pat, Michele, and her friend Chris. Doug and Jim did most of the singing, but Rosa, Michele, and I got up for a surprise number, too. There was lots of laughing, talking, story-telling, and even a little pool playing. Such a great group of friends to relax and hang out with! I'm pretty sure we're all already looking forward to the next time. The one thing that would have made it even better is if Lisa and David and Carrie could have been there, too. Hopefully, it won't be long til we're all out together again.

Finally, it was Sunday. I love our Sundays, Doug's and my days together. It's our time to reconnect and just focus on each other. Sometimes we go out and run errands together, and sometimes we just curl up on the couch together and watch movies. It doesn't really matter. It's just about being us--being a couple. Those Sundays are what makes it bearable to get up and greet Mondays with a smile.

VMA's, or How Kanye Stooped Even Lower

Sept. 14, 2009

Last night, Doug and I sat down for a little mindless pop-culture fun--we watched the Video Music Awards. We both love to see the fashion and love to hear the live performances, even if we aren't up on all the videos being nominated. It's all about the fun and celebration.

I wasn't a big fan of Russell Brand when I first saw him a couple of years ago hosting one of these things. He was a little too boorish for my tastes. Then I saw him in both "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and in "Bedtime Stories." He's a funny dude! When I saw that he was hosting, I was looking forward to it. Although I'm not sure he was the most entertaining host, he at least did a fine job of attempting to smooth over Kanye's inexcusable stealing of the thunder--("Love to everybody! It's all about celebration!").

Which brings me to the highlight (or rather, lowlight) of the whole affair--the thing that I'm sure has everyone talking still today. Taylor Swift, little doe-eyed deer of a girl, won her first ever VMA. She looked shocked, thrilled, and humbled. As she began to express her gratitude, Kanye, in a move that tops even past Kanye behavior, strode on stage, took the microphone, and essentially steamrolled past Taylor to claim that Beyonce's was the best video, implying that she had, in fact, been the one who deserved to win.

Oh, so much is wrong with that! Who let that young man on stage during Taylor's acceptance speech? Did no one see that coming? Clearly that wasn't in the rehearsal. Wasn't there anyone who thought, "Hey--that guy has a bit of a history, especially at awards shows, of being a little unpredictable and well, obnoxious. Wonder what he's up to, going out on stage right now?"

Taylor looked utterly at a loss, and Beyonce looked embarrassed. She was not trying to have the spotlight on her at that time, in that way. By the time Kanye had finished his rant, time was up and they ushered both Kanye and Taylor off stage. I felt incredibly bad for her, but still felt she maintained her composure amazingly well for a 19 year old. If he felt so compelled, so MOVED to make a statement (as he often is), then he could have preempted some of his OWN screen time to do so--during an interview that was all about him, maybe, or he could have posted about it on his Facebook page. It still would have been rude, and it still would have been, like most of his 'statements,' something of a sour grapes moment, but at least it wouldn't have been stealing the thunder of the young girl who deserved it and was robbed of her moment.

Later in the show, when Beyonce won her award, she won me over. I've never disliked Beyonce, but I've never been a huge fan, either. She's just not so much on my radar. But she graciously stepped aside and used her time in the spotlight to allow Taylor the moment Kanye had ruined for her. Beyonce essentially forfeited her own acceptance speech, because she remembered how important her own first award was, and how much it meant to her to be up on stage. She didn't want Taylor to have missed out on that experience. Now that's class. Pay attention, Kanye--this is how people are supposed to treat each other.

(By the way, I'm not one to advocate booing. It's rude behavior under any circumstance, in my opinion. However, I'm not gonna lie and say it didn't bring me just a small bit of satisfaction that Kanye got booed after that, whenever his name was announced. See Kanye? People don't like rude people! Time to grow up, my friend.)

There are people who will say that Kanye got exactly what he wanted: everyone is still talking about him today. Obviously, I'm one of those. But I promise you, I would much rather people NOT talk about me than say the kinds of things people are saying about him today. If that's the kind of thing that makes him happy, I'm sad for him. Not sad enough to ever buy a CD that puts money in his over-privileged, self-entitled, arrogant pockets, but sad, nonetheless.

Why does all this matter, anyway? It's just a Hollywood awards show. There's so much more going on in the world, so many more important things. True. Absolutely true. But when we see people treating each other like this on a public stage, broadcast to the world, is it no wonder that we have politicians caught on video being rude and disrespectful and boorish to one another? Or high-profile athletes behaving like spoiled children? Is it any wonder that in everyday life we see people who are more interested in their own agendas than they are in the effects on other people? This whole attitude of "act now, apologize when they make you apologize later" is getting old. Wouldn't it be a better place we live in if we all tried to think before we act? Just a thought.

Yay--A Tag and Two Awards

June 30, 2009

Sassy Cass over at Sassy and the Boys tagged me in her meme the other day, so I thought it might be fun to share a few little unknown trivia facts about me.

Ten cool (or not cool--take your pick) hidden secrets of msprimadonna67:

1. When I was a little girl, my mom thought it would get me in good with the 'in-crowd' to make me take both accordion lessons and baton twirling lessons. Who knew that these skill sets would have limited application in my adult life.

2. I have two brothers and two sisters. I desperately wanted our family to be The Brady Bunch when we were growing up.

3. Even though I'm an English teacher and I love to read, I'm not a particularly fast reader. I'm a good reader, just not a fast one.

4. I'm obsessive about taking pictures. I never go anywhere without my camera, and I upload my pictures onto three different computers (desktop, laptop, and even some to my work computer), just to make sure that if one crashes I don't lose them all.

5. I find my children utterly fascinating and adorable. And I love that they still love for me to join them on their school field trips--I wouldn't want to miss out on some of those experiences we've been able to share together, and it gives us some really unique one-on-one mama/kid time.

6. My husband and I got married two years ago, twenty-two years after we dated each other in high school. I thought he was hot then, and I think he's gotten even better looking over the years.

7. I love my job, and have been at my school for nineteen years. I'd love to retire from this same school. As long as they never give me sophomores, I think it might work out that way.

8. It is one of my goals to become a published author, even if it's something just local.

9. When we are retired, Doug and I want to buy an RV and travel the country. We also hope to travel the world, but sooner, and not in an RV.

10. I would love to make our family of five a family of six, especially after seeing what an amazing step-dad Doug is to my kids. It seems, though, that time is likely not working in our favor. I am incredibly blessed to have my babies without a doubt, and I feel selfish sometimes wishing for another, knowing that there are some who are still waiting for a baby to come into their lives.

I'd like to tag the following people, because I'd love to know a little more about you:

Kate

Always Home and Uncool

Dana

Amy

Housewife Savant


Also, in honor of the fact that one of my good friends recently gave me the 'constructive criticism' that my writing isn't really about anything and that 'no one is really going to want to read anything I write unless I get angry and really go on a rant,' I've decided to make myself feel better and indulge in a little positive feedback that has come my way in the form of blog awards. (By the way, I'm not really a 'rant' sort of a person, so if that's what you're looking for, you'll not likely find it here. I'm a pretty positive person, and I like to focus on the things that are more productive for me than negativity.)

The first award is the Love Your Blog award, from Hit 40 at sanewithoutdrugs. I, of course, love Hit 40's blog, too, so I think you should check it out. This one just sends love, but there are no tags or pass-it-ons. If you are listed below for the Sisterhood Award, then obviously I love your blog, too, so feel free to take this one as well.

The second award,from Kate at sauciewee, is the Sisterhood Award. She actually awarded it to me a few weeks ago, and I'm just now getting to the post. Sorry about that, Kate--I really wasn't trying to ignore you, and I'm thrilled you nominated me for this! If you get a chance, go check out Kate's blog--it's one I always look forward to reading because she's so real and honest.
The award looks like this:





Here are the rules for the Sisterhood Award.

~ Put the logo on your blog or post.


~ Nominate up to 10 blogs which show great attitude and/or gratitude!


~ Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.


~ Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.


~ Remember to link to the person from whom you received your award/

So here are just some of the awesome blogs that I'd like to nominate for the Sisterhood Award today, because they're all pretty cool:


Sassy Cass

Caroline...On Line
Ginger
Fidgeting Gidget
Rita
mrs.4444
anymommy
JennyKate
Mom
Brandi

My Little Scholars

June 11, 2009

While Bree and I are toiling through finals, Nicholas and Danielle are all fun and games this last week of school (and much of last week, truth be told). Both of the littles earned the right to go on Monday's P.R. (Personal Responsibility) Trip to John's Incredible Pizza. P.R. trips reward students who exhibit good character and, well, responsibility, each quarter. John's is the heavenly combination of all-you-can-eat-pizza and video arcade games as far as the eye can see. It's a kid's Nirvana. When the kids were smaller I couldn't stand taking them there, not because of the cachophany and visual overload--I'm cool with all that--but because of the sheer size of the place. With a three-kid-to-one-parent ratio and ALL of us being shorter than every machine in the building, if one of the kids rounded a corner out of my sight, it was a nightmare to try to find him/her again. (Those little suckers can move fast when the siren's song of a video game beckons them.) Those days are behind us now, though, since they are old enough to be afforded a little autonomy in places like that. As an added bonus, the kids don't ask to go as often, since that tends to be a destination of choice for the P.R. trips.

On Tuesday Nicholas got to celebrate again at an off-campus outing. As part of the 6th grade farewell, the big kids all board busses and spend the day at Island Water Park. He ran around the slides and wave pools with his buddies and came home thoroughly wiped out. Not only that, but he came home red as a lobster. Poor kid. Despite warnings to the contrary, he thought a good slather of sunscreen at 7 a.m. would do the trick for the day. By the time he arrived home at 5 p.m., the sun had crisped my little boy, though he stubbornly refused to admit it. That kid slept GREAT that night.

Meanwhile, Danielle received two very important awards Tuesday morning. She received her Principal's Honor Roll, and then received the Principal's Medallion, signifying straight A's all four quarters. I was incredibly bummed, because I couldn't sneak away to see her get the awards. Usually, people in my department are really good about covering each other's classes when our kids get awards, but this is finals week, and the assembly took place right in the middle of a final I was giving. I didn't feel right about leaving. I'm hoping it doesn't scar her for life. I missed one--ONE--of my older daughter's awards when she was in elementary school for the same reason: I was giving a final. (And believe me, that kid seemed to get an award every other week for something or another. I made it to ALMOST every one.) She still reminds me of that at least a couple of times a year, for good guilt-measure. Anyway, luckily Doug was able to make the awards ceremony, as was her dad, and they both sent me pictures.

The next day was the 5th and 6th grade awards. Nicholas received the B.E.A.R. Award (Be Excited About Reading). This was a big deal for us, because Nicholas started out his educational career a decidedly un-excited reader. He was what we like to call a 'reluctant reader'--one who is quite capable, but who just doesn't see the draw. Well, a light went on for him in the past couple of years, and suddenly he is reading up a storm. So much so that it became a double-edged sword. He became so engrossed in reading that he pretty much quit doing anything else in class. When his progress report came out a few weeks ago, he was precariously close to a sad, dismal, and lonely summer. With the threat of physical labor (and no video games!) looming over his summer horizon, he managed to put the books aside (weird irony here) and get his schoolwork in gear. I was very proud of him for bringing his grades up to a very acceptable Honor Roll mention during the awards assembly.

Today at the elementary school, they are having the annual sprinkler run. I used to think they did this because they wanted to reward the kids for all the hard work during the year by letting them cool off and play during what usually is 90+ degree weather. The real reason, though, is that the teachers have already stacked their desks and chairs and are cleaning shelves and floors. They don't have anywhere to put the kids! Tomorrow, when they have a half day before the doors close for the summer, the kids will all sit on the rugs and play board games brought from home. Teachers, meanwhile, will be scraping 6 month old gum off the underbellies of 36 desks.

**Okay, see what I did? I was resolute in the fact that this would be a short and sweet post--a mere picture or two of the kids basking in their glory, tiny caption below each. Turns out, I am incapable. I am verbose in spite of myself. Hopeless.