It is Only First Grade

I am not in the best of moods today.  It usually takes a lot to make me extremely angry, unless you are my husband or kid.  Then I just get mad on a daily basis.  Other than that, I am pretty laid back.  I am a female. I complain about loads, but that does not mean I am mad.  I do not like the time to blink on the microwave.  I do NOT like temps above 75 degrees without an A/C.  I do not like clothing in neon colors.  Nails are one thing, but a full pair of jeans or shorts.... NO.  They just remind me of pink and yellow highlighter marks that hurt your eyes on paper.  Then people want to blow the color up and wear it on their extremely large ass. Why would you do that?

Then the neon colors make you think of teachers that you never really wanted to remember or the few that were actually good because they were nice.  A nice teacher.  Those are hard to find. I know when I taught I was not nice most of the time.  How can you be with 12 to 20 children calling your name all day or wanting to tell on someone for sneezing?  Lower grades are awful.  Middle school is pretty mild.  I did not mind that too much and was actually nice a lot.  There are rules for the kids for a reason (most of the time for a reason) and every kid will forget a rule sometime during the year. (So will every teacher.)

I get it.  I know my kid talks a lot.  He has stories, and has an explanation for everything.  He also has a sense of humor and finds many things funny in the middle of class.  He is not rude, mostly. He is just social.  I know it can be annoying in a classroom while trying to teach.  So learning when and when not to talk has been a challenge the past 2 years he has been in school.  He could be doing worse things.  The talking does not bother me much.  It is a good quality to have since he will be up in front of the class reading his stories from time to time.  I was always afraid to do that so I am glad he is excited about getting up  in front of his class for readings. 

 I have known a couple that will take away a few points for forgetting ones name on a test.  Mostly in older kids, but who knows.  Apparently I know nothing since my FIRST grade child came home today with his test from last week for me to sign and return.  I was happy to see two 100's then I came to his last test.  His spelling test.  He has made a 100 on every spelling test except for 3 I think.  Maybe four.  I know he has only missed one word since Christmas on these weekly test. I am very proud of my little guy. 

I was not informed that his name was obviously a spelling word every week as well as the words that are sent home to study weekly.  Seriously, his teacher just dropped his 100 to an 88 because his name was not on there in first grade?  First, I want to know which grade was actually recorded on her grading records.  Second, I want to see another spelling test where a name was left off causing the child to go from an A to a B.  It is first grade.  I know my child is not the only one to turn in a nameless test this past week or this year in his class. 

It is first grade and this is the consequence for missing a name at the top of a page where the hardest word on the test is noon? If my child is expected to have such high standards this year, then I expect the school to challenge him, not baby him with sight words from kindergarten.  I also expect a little bit of supervision upon morning drop off.  If a few teachers can not get off their asses to go guide the children into the building safely, then why is forgetting a name in first grade such a big deal?  That is a whole different topic on lack of safety that I will stay away from now since I have already thrown a fit on that issue with no results. Apparently I know nothing and need to walk my child to class every morning to make sure he is safe and remind him to put his name on everything so that he is more worried about his name than what is being taught that day.

Redneck weekend Anyone?

I have had a few weeks loaded with Spring activities.  We planted a few things and have been to the baseball fields more times than I care to count.  My love of romance novels has been put aside with all of the rush going on.  We live in the South where gardening, baseball and turkey season have taken over just about everything.  My goal for today is to write a few chapters in my next novel.  Then relax with a great steamy romance this afternoon before the battles begin on The Voice.

This weekend blew by in a complete rush.  Draining all of us from the non-stop activities.   I love the baseball and gardening.  I could care less for the turkeys.  I have listened to one too many calls this week and am suffering from a massive headache.  I blame my husband who is completely addicted to this little delicious bird. On a plus side, he is out of the house and it is quiet! No more turkey sounds echoing off of the walls making me grind my teeth.  This was also the youth hunt weekend.  Of course he had to steal the child and go walking through the woods making those annoying calls.  He is using his child as a cheating device to see where the turkeys are spending their time.The guys did not bring anything home and I was sent the picture below. 

Pine cones?  They sent me a picture of pine cones and bad face painting.  I have officially produced a little southern redneck.  Good thing about this kind of little monster is that they love their Momma's at the end of the day and can be some of the sweetest guys around.  I thought we were happy with the official country board game we already had, but no. Mother/son bonding was pushed aside for the day. No more "Whitetailopoly" for us.

 

He has learned of the turkey version of "Monopoly". I was hoping for the new Wii U with their new Lego game so I could ride a lawn mower undercover like the old man that would take his lawn mower to the grocery store when I was little and playing ball.  I am still working on that one. 

I can handle deer and fish, but turkeys are not the prettiest of all creatures.  They do taste really good, but I prefer the bought white turkeys.  Not the wild ones that eat all of the deer corn and have a shiny blue head with some kind of nastiness growing off to one side of the beak.  Oh well father and son are bonding and I am stuck here all alone.  It is amazing!  Now only if I can get them to take the dog so I do not have to listen to him lick himself repeatedly, on my new couch. 

LOVED The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes

I love Diane Chamberlain and this is the novel that got me hooked.  This has to be one of my all time favorites.  Consider the lack of trashy romance that is saying loads.  Who can resist a long hidden secret that involves the whole family?  This reading starts when CeeCee was a teenager hanging out with the wrong crowd as most troubled teen movies began.  A pregnant lady is kidnapped and held for ransom.  While being held, she goes into labor.  The dying woman notices a lot of blood plus the fact that she has been kidnapped and pleads with the only female there to make sure her baby is safe.  

The teenage girl leaves with the newborn.  She has a few helpers along the way that give aid to begin a new life for her and the baby.  CeeCee finally settles down.  Marries and raises another child of her own.  The entire time noone knows that her first born is not actually her first born.

The body of the kidnapped woman is finally found while an aging CeeCee is faced with the decision to keep her secret or to let an innocent man face judgement for a murder he did not comment.  The emotions felt while reading this is a roller coaster ride of ups and downs.  The writing is amazing at making you feel exactly what the characters are feeling.  The family battles feel real, and the situation the teenager is placed in is an amazing wrong time wrong place situation that she tried to make the best of the only way that she thought was right.

I highly recommend this for any type of reader.

Brave...Another Disney Hit at Mothers

Ok I love Disney movies.  They are cute and funny at times.  Kids love them and what child or adult does not want to go to the magical place with rides and amusements to meet their favorite characters with a big hug or to be a princess for a day? Their movies have great animation that gets better each year and completely original story lines, except for one thing.  The mother.

Why does Disney always try to get rid of they mother? Bambi's mother gets shot, Nemo's gets eaten, what ever happened to Cinderella's mommy, and now Brave.  A bear.... ok so it fits the story line and she does come back back. One small win for mothers every where.

The trend has gone on for so long that it has to be one of the long kept secrets of the huge brand of Disney.  There are so many different movies made over the years with out mothers in them that it could not have been just one animator pissed because of the loss of his mommy.  I never really though about this growing up. Then I had  a wonderfully smart little boy that asked "Where is their mom?"  It got me thinking and I had no answer.

So my question is why is the happiest place on earth trying to scare the crap out of their primary market?  At least we finally see a mother in Shrek.  Maybe Disney needs a few girls working for them.  A little change never hurts.  I am open if you would like a few honest suggestions on any topic to better your company. Plus my child is dying to visit Animal Kingdom.

The Voice New Season

Who is excited about the new season of The Voice?  I will miss the old coaches, but I am really liking what the new coaches bring to the show. Shakira is really aggressive and goes for what she wants with all guns blazing. The fun attitude is still there and who could go wrong with Adam and Blake?  They make a great entertaining team.  The first night was amazing and loaded with talent.  I can not wait to see which team wins.  The guest artist should me amazing as well.

Most of the contestants so far have heart wrenching back stories so you want them all to have their dreams come true  They younger try outs are rocking it hard!  They have great potential for future stars. The competition is already fierce and the season has just began.  The couches are going to have a rough time eliminating singers.

I am a sucker for big voices and indy artist, but am having a hard time deciding which is my personal favorite.  Next week will probably make my decision worse.  It is a great decision to be bothered with so I can not wait to see what else the show has in store for the season.  Good luck to all of them! They all deserve a shot at winning.

Finally watched The Hobbit

The Hobbit: an Unexpected Journey told a great story of good vs evil in the form of dwarfs plus one hobbit, against a lot of ugly goblins.  They go on a journey where a hobbit that has never left his home before finds out that he can be courageous.  He eventually wins over all of the dwarfs and slays a few goblins of his own.

Everyone I talked to had seen this in theater and loved it. I can see why.  The costume design, makeup, settings and special effects were seamless.  So on a huge screen, I bet it was stunning.  It was amazing to watch here at home.  The different landscapes as the group traveled were as near perfect as anything can get.  Even the darker, more gloomy places were amazing to watch.  I loved all of the design elements that went into the film.  The acting was solid, but I just could not get in with the plot.  It did nothing for me.
 
I have to admit though, my husband was the one who loved Lord of the Rings.  I watched to because it was a good story and looked great on tv.  I just never really fell for it.  Not my kind of story.  I love supernatural things, but I see dwarfs and think of Snow White being cared for in a forest.  Then the same thinking always hits me : Why does she need seven to get the job done?  Then I pull my mind out of the gutter and get down to the principle and the emotions those dwarfs stand for.  Finally remembering it is a kids movie. One I never liked. I over think things, but that is where the fun comes in.

Anyway back to the fighting dwarfs and hobbit.  The little hobbit saves the day and earns the respect he deserves from everyone.  They meet a few nasty creatures along the way, and for me that is that.  It is worth a watch just for the design and graphics alone.

Movie night

It is a nice cold and rainy day.  I have a good book that I just started, and plans for at least one movie tonight. The little monster is wanting to go see The Croods I still have not see The Hobbit.  I guess we will see how the weather is this afternoon.  If it is still raining than I think a night in would be great for us.

Who knows, we may find a couple of movies to watch since it is the last official late night of spring break.  Either way, we will be staying up late, eating popcorn and ice cream while catching up on a few movies and good reads.  I think a nap is in order now so I will be able to keep up with him later tonight.  It will be fun.  I love late nights like this.