WINTER WONDERLAND

Jessica Simpson and Ozzy Osbourne's version of the song always heard at malls during this shopping season. Have you made your wish list yet?

VEGGIES IN A PAN

Here's my husband's recipe for a quick veggie fix. This is what we've done for the past two weeks to help us get our vitamins, but not have to worry about all the work that goes into it each day after work.
1) Wash and slice one eggplant, two large zucchinis, two red peppers, two green peppers, four onions, and two sweet potatoes.
2) Drizzle some olive oil on the veggies. Mix and put into a deep baking dish.
3) Bake at 400C for 45 minutes. Mix the veggies and baked for another 45 minutes.
4) Enjoy!

CHRISTMAS CONCERT SEASON

It's one month until Christmas and teachers everywhere are preparing their students for the annual Christmas concert. As much as I know parents love these shows, the practice time it requires makes teaching time suffer. Really how can I find enough time to organize twenty grade students for a show while teaching curriculum?

It's beyond tough and that's why I believe the concerts should be optional. I know that I would love to see Hannah perform when she's of school-age, but in the long run, I would also rather her dedicate time to science experiments or work on her language. Although it's really just a few weeks of class time, the amount of stuff the kids are expected to learn (and us poor educators trying to teach) really does require every minute to be spent on that.

Though Christmas concerts are fine and dandy and make lasting memories, it's sad that teaching time has to suffer.

HATS OFF TO YOU!

Hannah hates wearing hats, but for some reason, any winter hat with ear flaps, she doesn't mind. I recommend the ones from JOE FRESH found at Loblaws. Lined with fleece and super soft, the hats come in a range of hip colours and designs. Ranging from $6-$10, they are colourful, hand-knit, and warm. We found a white one with brown and gray, a perfect accessory for her winter gear.

SHOPPING!

To celebrate the end of report cards (writing them, not distributing), my husband suggested a weekend away to shop! Who am I to argue? Away we went right after work on Friday and it took a little over two hours to get there. Traffic was crazy, but NOT even close to what we endured on the way home.

Anyway we checked into the hotel around 7pm, visited the nearby Fallsview Casino Resort, and grabbed some pizaa for dinner. Chilled in the hotel room while my husband finished his report cards via the free wireless internet. Technology's great! :P

The next morning we got some Starbuck's and Timmy's and headed over the border. Did some major damage at the outlets and had time to swing by Boulevard Mall. LOVED LOVED LOVED the Gymboree Outlet as well as Esprit. Unfortunately we got stuck on the border along with the other deal seekers and got home about four hours later. We also got taxed (this has never happened to me in about ten years of Buffalo shopping), but still the deals were awesome! Can't wait to go back again...perhaps to celebrate Term 2 reports? Ha ha...

CHICKEN LASAGNA

Decided to substitute creamy mushroom soup for a regular tomato sauce and what a hit! Less sour for Hannah and more healthy with an added dose of milk. Instead of using extra lean ground beef, I also decided to use chicken. Added an ample amount of carrots, peas, onions, and green peppers, the recipe was full of vitamins! Try it yourself and see how your little one likes it!

REPORT CARD FRUSTRATIONS

Raise your hand, teachers, if you've experienced this. You hit a key and wipe out your previous comments created during the past ten minutes. You don't have enough days in the week and you give a unit test two days before report cards are to be finished. Your school board is doing reporting on-line and the site crashes. As you choose from the comment bank, you realize that they are so wordy, NO parent can fully comprehend what these comments mean. Sound familiar?


I know it's mere exhaustion and frustration this time of year, but it is report card season and all my teacher friends know what I'm talking about. Colleagues who are usually out the door by 3:31 p.m. are in their classrooms in front of the computer. People who go out on weekends to go lounging are at home marking final exams with their laptops. Bedtime is no longer 10 p.m. but midnight, and you grab a rare coffee (don't normally choose caffeine) on the way to work. Ahh, the season of class averages and next steps.


As much as I don't mind writing reports (I type fast so it really isn't too bad, just harder with a baby nowadays because I can't get to work until after 9 p.m.), I enjoy interviews more. It's the time of year I get to talk to the parents and I mean really talk. I get to explain my expectations of them NOT just the students. Sometimes notes and ten-minute phone calls don't do justice to what I need to say. I also love for them to see exemplars of Level 4 work and then show them their child's work in comparison to it.

I remember one year when a parent asked why their child received a C in Writing and I was happy to explain. "Your child doesn't start her sentences with a capital letter, she doesn't end them with any punctuation, and she doesn't print her letters correctly or neatly on the line. It's been three months of school." The parent seemed surprised, but much less taken aback when she saw her child's work presented in front of her. Personally, I think a C was generous and only given because this student tried to print familiar words and sounded out her words phonetically with some success. Despite some poor spelling attempts, her sentences more or less made sense.



Reports are due next Monday. I think my own personal deadline is tomorrow. Just want to get them done. Out of my hands, out of my mind, and of course, I need to get out and celebrate on the weekend...