tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15357910194561689972024-03-13T23:54:27.273-05:00Stop licking the dog!And other absurd things I never thought I'd have to say.Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01726596303618909621noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1535791019456168997.post-48322908261916189562014-06-10T21:25:00.002-05:002014-06-10T21:25:57.832-05:00Sugar DetoxIt's been over a year since my last blog post. Coincidentally, my youngest is just over a year old. Hmm…<br />
<br />
But this is a story worth telling. I could make it really long and philosophical, but I'm going to attempt to cut to the chase.<br />
<br />
<b>Why I chose to do a sugar detox</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I have been unhappy with my weight and health for many years, but especially since finishing grad school. I have done Weight Watchers to great success, but do best on it when I have the group support system which (for reasons I won't go into here) aren't really open to me right now.<br />
<br />
I think in the last 10-15 years I've developed a lot of bad habits that many of us share. A cup of coffee in the morning, another at work, Diet Coke at lunch, maybe another, then another… Caffeine ruled my life.<br />
<br />
I'm sad. I need a snack.<br />
<br />
I'm happy. What's to eat?<br />
<br />
Let's celebrate! Where should we eat?<br />
<br />
Anyone want to get together? I'll bring food.<br />
<br />
I'm stressed. Where's the junk food?<br />
<br />
Emotional eating doesn't even begin to describe it. Every event or daily up and down was met with food. I think everyone does that to a certain degree, but I am the worst!<br />
<br />
One unfortunate bad habit I picked up while counting points was just looking at the nutritional information. As I've discovered, the ingredient list is MUCH more important than the numbers. This was sabotaging my health as well.<br />
<br />
I had heard of this sugar detox on the Rachael Ray Show several months ago and was intrigued, but not nearly motivated enough to take it on. It sounded awful actually.<br />
<br />
Then about a month ago I saw Katie Couric promoting her new documentary <a href="http://fedupmovie.com/#/page/home" target="_blank">Fed Up</a> and there it was again. This time I was ready to attempt it.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS4PL3vZ7Nn1tEixQM9DERqiKisUOt_kDXeMwuwEuWO8GuooR-pRASt1A09b5e5degPRyrUJ_evVKBkuXceV1PkhvDehhDg9FBEy0ZCHJIdS3K1LRfQMWZAJe4quLJ24D9XCWPOqi4ck4/s1600/b7bv-square-400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS4PL3vZ7Nn1tEixQM9DERqiKisUOt_kDXeMwuwEuWO8GuooR-pRASt1A09b5e5degPRyrUJ_evVKBkuXceV1PkhvDehhDg9FBEy0ZCHJIdS3K1LRfQMWZAJe4quLJ24D9XCWPOqi4ck4/s1600/b7bv-square-400.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a>I bought the book <span style="line-height: 1.3;"><u><a href="http://smile.amazon.com/dp/0316230022" target="_blank">The Blood Sugar Solution 10-Day Detox Diet: Activate Your Body's Natural Ability to Burn Fat and Lose Weight Fast</a></u> for Kindle for just $10 (hardback or paperback is about $16 on Amazon). By the end of the first chapter, I was hooked. </span><br />
<span style="line-height: 1.3;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 1.3;">The basic </span><span style="line-height: 20px;">premise</span><span style="line-height: 1.3;"> of the book is that research shows that sugar is more addicting than heroin. The food industry picked up on that and has added sugar in its many forms (sugar, high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners etc.) for many years. They know it's addictive </span><span style="line-height: 20px;">and</span><span style="line-height: 1.3;"> continue to do it. It discusses in length the research, regulation attempts, and lobbying that is involved. Really fascinating back story.</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 1.3;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 1.3;">Then he discusses what sugar does to your body. Not just your weight, but metabolism, blood sugar, kidney and liver function, etc. I can summarize it by saying it's not pretty.</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 1.3;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 1.3;">That's what </span><span style="line-height: 20px;">convinced</span><span style="line-height: 1.3;"> me to do it. After all, what was I hurting and I was only out $10 for the book, right?</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 1.3;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 1.3;">I will say there is another upfront cost for recommended supplements. He </span><span style="line-height: 20px;">conveniently</span><span style="line-height: 1.3;"> sells them on his website as a package, but I found them a whole lot cheaper at Target or Walgreens. My brother, who was skeptical of the whole thing, balked at the supplements, but when I told him what they were he not </span><span style="line-height: 20px;">only</span><span style="line-height: 1.3;"> backed off but also said he was taking several. They're either for general healthy (multivitamin, fish oil) or have metabolism and blood sugar balancing properties. Remembering to take </span><span style="line-height: 20px;">the supplements has been a pain, but I actually think I will probably continue using most if not all of them.</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 20px;">To prepare, you have to wean yourself off caffeine and alcohol. That convinced me that I should wait until the school year was over to try this. I stopped caffeine on Tuesday, May 27 and haven't had any since. That in itself I wouldn't have thought possible. I went without caffeine cold turkey during my pregnancies but I was pretty motivated for that. I've also gone without alcohol since then, but I'm mostly a social drinker so that hasn't been a big deal. I also haven't been at a social gathering that involved alcohol though, so we'll see how that pans out.</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRh3ULVy3NnYDo8pm1WyFgd15FDLjVUVfiFg1NtPu80OWC9Ax2PuH3PZyZ7h3YnzoG6elAf8YZSinfYxBoBe4om32jl6bfXsfLDrdv-6NISNvpVuQUPckyh_O1kOWkIart4rEoUOJQy6E/s1600/IMG_1806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRh3ULVy3NnYDo8pm1WyFgd15FDLjVUVfiFg1NtPu80OWC9Ax2PuH3PZyZ7h3YnzoG6elAf8YZSinfYxBoBe4om32jl6bfXsfLDrdv-6NISNvpVuQUPckyh_O1kOWkIart4rEoUOJQy6E/s1600/IMG_1806.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Del Monte stewed tomatoes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="line-height: 20px;">The next step was cleaning out my pantry and going grocery shopping. I </span><i style="line-height: 20px;">thought</i><span style="line-height: 20px;"> I did a pretty good job of keeping processed foods to a minimum. After cleaning out my pantry, I'd give myself a C+. Pretty much all my pasta was highly processed, the tomatoes and tomato sauces <b>all</b> had added sugar, and most of it had to go. </span><br />
<br />
Then I went shopping for the approved foods. Here's my disclaimer. The book recommends following everything to a T, including doing the exact recipes. Um, I'm not a very good rule follower. I basically used his ingredients but made my own things. I'd say I still achieved the end goal, so I'm okay with that. Here's what you can eat:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>lean protein (chicken and fish)</li>
<li>raw nuts</li>
<li>non-starchy veggies</li>
<li>limited berries (1/2-1 cup in the a.m.)</li>
<li>avacado (my lifesaver)</li>
<li>flax seed (I ground it in my coffee grinder)</li>
<li>healthy oils (olive, coconut)</li>
<li>herbs and other seasonings</li>
</ul>
<div>
Yeah, that's pretty much it. Here's what you must cut out:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>all processed foods</li>
<li>starches, including beans</li>
<li>caffeine</li>
<li>alcohol</li>
<li>dairy</li>
<li>sweeteners, including natural (like honey or agave nectar)</li>
</ul>
<div>
I can tell you're upset at me. But it's only ten days, remember?</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Grocery shopping. I'm a once-a-week shopper, sometimes even every other week if I can just run in and get milk. I found myself going to the store every three days. Why? Because I was buying fresh food. Of course you have to get it more often!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The basic meal plan is breakfast: smoothie, lunch: salad or soup (too hot for soup), dinner: protein and veggies.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I had this great plan to buy the Tyson grilled chicken strips for my salads because that would be easier. Luckily, I flipped over the package and low and behold… added sugar. I wish I was taken a picture of it because I'm sure you don't believe me. I'm talking the green package. The one that's advertised on TV as "all natural ingredients." Sugar may be natural, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't come naturally in chickens. I may have been skeptical about the "added sugar conspiracy" but now I was thinking maybe there really is something to this.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I haven't really gotten the grocery shopping figured out yet because I've just been trying to get through the ten days, but I know I have to find cost-cutting ways to do this. Luckily we have an Aldi's nearby which can sometimes have good produce. We also have a Dollar General grocery which I've never been in but heard the same. Being summer, I'm also excited about our farmer's market but unfortunately, they're not cheap. Last Saturday I got a dozen eggs for $4.50 and a honey bear for $5.00. Good stuff, but not cheap.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That's all the pragmatic stuff. Here's a quick rundown of how the days went.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Day 1-4:</div>
<div>
Exercise. Whew, that was rough. </div>
<div>
Breakfast. Blech, that's pretty bland.</div>
<div>
Lunch. Okay, not too different than I normally eat. Olive oil and vinegar makes a tasty dressing.</div>
<div>
Dinner. Okay fam, please eat what I made.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Feeling like these days will never end, but I made it. Then day 5 came.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">I WANT CARBS!!!!! </span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Days 5-7 were bad. I was cranky. I wanted to give up. I was tired of everything. I didn't think I would make it. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So I cheated. I had a half pint of blueberries for a snack one day instead of the prescribed "crudités" (that's celery sticks for those of you who don't speak yuppie). I put two tablespoons of cheddar cheese on my salad. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And it wasn't so bad. I didn't want to give up because I didn't want to start over. And I kept telling myself, this is not a long-term thing. It's not a DIET, it's a DETOX. I can do anything for ten days. That became my mantra.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Then day 8.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I made my typical morning smoothie: frozen strawberries, 1/2 cup almond milk, tablespoon flax seed, coconut oil, almond butter, cinnamon, ice, water. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It was sweet. I thought that was weird. Must've done something differently.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Day 9. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Same smoothie. Still sweet. Weird.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Day 10. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Same smoothie. Sweet again. OOOOH, I get it now (I'm a little slow). I had become so desensitized to sugar that fruit didn't taste sweet to me. At dinner I ate half a peach and it tasted <i>tart</i>, like a lemon. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I went out at lunch today to Zoe's Kitchen, my favorite greek place. Got my usual, their greek salad with grilled chicken, which is served with warm potato salad. I asked them to hold the potato salad. The only thing on the salad that was technically off limits was the feta, but I was NOT going to give that up. Nope. Their salad dressing comes in a bottle on the table which thankfully had the ingredients on it- olive oil, red wine vinegar, seasoning. Good. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And this is the biggest difference I've noticed (and my husband as well). In the past I would've eaten that whole salad, including the potatoes. Even without the potatoes, I only ate 3/4. And I was plenty full. The book promised doing this would reset your brain so that those signals that are supposed to tell you that you're full would work again. And it really was like a switch flipped. I'm that person that has to clean my plate. It's how I was raised. I will eat until I'm miserable because my plate must be clean. And then I'm allowed dessert. Now, even when I'm filling my plate I put less on it because my brain is more accurately predicting how hungry I am. I can't even describe it. I'm sure normal people do this anyway, but I told you, I had major food issues. I feel fixed. I don't need to nap in the afternoon. I'm still getting up school-year early, but staying up later. And I don't feel tired.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
While out to eat, I went to the soda machine and even the <i>thought</i> of a Diet Coke was unappetizing. That made me so happy. I have wanted to kick my habit for years and it felt unachievable. Maybe it's not. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So I've only been doing this ten days. This is the last evening of the detox. Everyone is really curious what I'm going to do tomorrow. I don't know. I can tell you I don't want to blow everything I've done. I certainly don't want to start over! I do miss dairy and fruit more than anything. I'm sure those will be the first back in my diet, with limits. My goal is to do the Weight Watchers Simply Filling foods, but watching labels more carefully. I would say one fault Weight Watchers has with the foods they market themselves is the chemical junk that eliminates calories or fat. At what cost?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Here are the habits I think will stick:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>exercise (okay, maybe not, but at least for the summer?)</li>
<li>read food labels</li>
<li>eat in moderation</li>
<li>more fresh food</li>
<li>less snacking</li>
<li>drink water</li>
</ul>
<div>
I know I won't abandon coffee for long. I'm about to go to a country that grows the best coffee I've ever had. How can I say no to that?!?</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I promise you I am/was more addicted to carbs and caffeine and junk food that absolutely anyone! I did it. You can if you want to. What do you have to lose?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01726596303618909621noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1535791019456168997.post-90564445897114925342013-01-14T19:55:00.002-06:002013-01-14T19:57:01.303-06:00Creamy Linguine Casserole<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm trying hard to motivate myself to cook more, but it's <i>hard. </i>Luckily a friend introduced me to <a href="http://emeals.com/" target="_blank">emeals</a> awhile ago and I'm back on the bandwagon. It's a subscription site that matches up menus to what's on sale at your selected supermarket that week. The meals are always pretty simple, few ingredients, and inexpensive. You can pick from a wide array of menus to fit your needs, including Natural/Organic, Paleo, Meals for 2, etc. Dave Ramsey-approved. All around winner. You owe it to yourself to at least check out their sample menus.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">But I've touted my love of emeals before. Enough of that.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
This dinner was 90% emeals and 10% poor planning on my part. Luckily, it all turned out good anyway. Here's my slightly revised recipe.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
<b>Creamy Linguine Casserole</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG-qWN4U7GL_pwnKCVCODDb8A0RypEJdhRnA1nd4xHSX92EdQPqZseqOTFK2yqvcKXym0rY8_sFHa9MvNzD1BUkHPg_zOsvSg7utqShvmHiBI_1jr8CKugHDiuIoUCPoNLGPCpqV2f_V8/s1600/IMG_4519.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG-qWN4U7GL_pwnKCVCODDb8A0RypEJdhRnA1nd4xHSX92EdQPqZseqOTFK2yqvcKXym0rY8_sFHa9MvNzD1BUkHPg_zOsvSg7utqShvmHiBI_1jr8CKugHDiuIoUCPoNLGPCpqV2f_V8/s320/IMG_4519.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
1 lb ground turkey</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 t minced garlic</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">24 oz jar pasta sauce<br />8 oz linguine<br />16 oz sour cream<br />4 oz cream cheese, softened</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1 c shredded mozzarella (Or more. We like cheese.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1/4 c parmesan (the real stuff or the stuff in the can, whichever you have on hand)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
Start heating water for pasta.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
Brown turkey with garlic until turkey is crumbly & no longer pink. Drain if necessary (I find that extra lean ground turkey doesn't have much to drain). Stir in pasta sauce; simmer 10 minutes or until you're ready for it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
Prepare linguine to package directions. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
Combine sour cream and cream cheese, set aside.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
Drain pasta, return to pot. Incorporate sour cream and cream cheese mixture until well coated. Spread in sprayed 13 x 9 inch dish (or my lovely <a href="http://www.kohls.com/product/prd-596757/rachael-ray-2-pc-bubble-brown-set.jsp" target="_blank">Rachael Ray bubble and brown set</a>). Pour meat sauce on top.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 – 25 min until heated. Sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan and bake 5 minutes more to melt cheese. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
Serve with a side salad and dinner is ready! Hands on time was about 15 minutes, plus 30 for baking. Not too bad for a work night. Plus we have TONS of leftovers, which is a must in our house. Easy peasy and my big kid AND little kid loved it! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span><br />
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Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01726596303618909621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1535791019456168997.post-79399673899733128542013-01-09T19:48:00.001-06:002013-01-09T20:52:14.408-06:00Meal PlanningI don't know about you, but meal planning is so hard for me. I've tried lots of different strategies- some work, some don't. I thought I'd share some of my approaches with you!<br />
<br />
I would rather try a new recipe that make an old standby any day. I just get really tired of the same old meat and potatoes. Luckily, Pinterest provides a plethora of inventive dinners just waiting to be tried out! How do I filter them all? It goes something like this:<br />
<br />
Click.<br />
"Take four chicken breasts and pound to a 1/4 inch thick..."<br />
No.<br />
<br />
Click.<br />
Ingredients:<br />
Fresh Rosemary...<br />
No.<br />
<br />
Click.<br />
"In your double broiler..."<br />
NO.<br />
<br />
I usually look for meals that are five ingredients or less, 15 minutes prep time, and less than an hour from idea to conception. I don't do the "plan ahead" thing very well these days, so running to the grocery store or roasting a whole chicken for several hours are out of the question.<br />
<br />
The thing I don't like about Pinterest is there's often little feedback on whether the recipe was good or not. <a href="http://allrecipes.com/" target="_blank">AllRecipes</a> is an app and website that I LOVE for this very reason. It's worth looking at the user reviews because often they have comments that really improve the recipe.<br />
<br />
I've tried sorting <a href="http://pinterest.com/amberjmerrill/" target="_blank">my Pinterest</a> boards into categories that help me find meals faster. One of the approaches we've tried in our house is the "Sheldon Plan." This was inspired by our favorite show, The Big Bang Theory. If you're not familiar with it, the main character is autistic and has to have the same meal for each day of the week; Thai food on Mondays, Cheesecake Factory on Tuesdays, etc. So in our house it's Italian on Mondays, comfort food on Tuesdays, freezer meal on Wednesdays (I have faculty meetings and usually get home late, so the hubby can throw one in the oven), "Exotic" foods (Mexican, Chinese, Indian, etc. To my husband, that's exotic.) on Thursdays, leftovers on Fridays, and pizza on Saturdays. I can just click on one of those boards and find something to try.<br />
<br />
Lately I haven't done much grocery shopping, so we're pretty limited to what's in the house. I started boards based on a main ingredient, so if I have a pound of chicken, I click on the "I have chicken" board and see what I can make. That's working well too.<br />
<br />
I'm also trying to stockpile the freezer for after the baby comes. I did that last time (all in one week) and we ate them throughout the summer. Ironically, I ran out of freezer meals the week I went back to work. Yeah, life's funny like that.<br />
<br />
And finally, I've paid for a subscription to <a href="http://emeals.com/" target="_blank">emeals</a>, which is really nice if you want to take all the decision making out of the process AND want to save money without having to coupon. I've gone through spurts of utilizing it well and ignoring it completely. It really is a nicely done site!<br />
<br />
So those are all the good ideas I have. Seriously, if I were independently wealthy, I think the first thing I'd do is hire a chef.Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01726596303618909621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1535791019456168997.post-58526092029774696192012-10-04T15:00:00.000-05:002012-10-04T15:00:08.439-05:00Flipping OUTMy flipped classroom journey began about six months ago. What a long, strange trip it's been!<br />
<br />
First, let me give you some demographic information about my school.<br />
<ul>
<li>Our school contains about 950 students in PreK-6th grade</li>
<li>I teach four blocks of math, 29 students per block</li>
<li>Each block is 80 minutes long</li>
<li>Our Free-Reduced lunch rate is under 20%. (The achievement gap between our high- and low-income students is what inspired me to do this in the first place.)</li>
</ul>
<br />
Last spring, a friend who teaches college math told me about how they are using the flipped classroom model at UAH. I was immediately intrigued because I'm always looking for new ways to be innovative. I feel like my high achieving students are doing well, but the struggling students are falling more and more behind. I went to Dr. Coman, our instructional partner at Mill Creek, the next day for resources. She had already been collecting articles about the model and happily shared with me. Over the summer, I continued to let the idea stew and read as much information as I could on the topic. I knew I was going to do flipped classroom, but I wasn't sure how.<br />
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I found lots of evidence of flipped classrooms in colleges and high schools, but not in a middle school setting, and definitely not a sixth grade in an elementary school. I know from experience that the key to starting something new is to model and provide scaffolding, so I started there.<br />
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I would caution anyone trying something new to not be afraid of jumping in head first, but also know your limits. This year, we have not only adopted Common Core, but we have a new textbook series as well. I figured with all the changes, my old lesson plans were moot anyway, might as well start fresh! However, coming up with nightly videos was more than I was willing to take on at the time. Do I want to create my own cache of videos? Of course. Everything I've read says teachers who create their own videos see much more growth than those who use stock videos. I believe it, and hope to be creating my own. I've researched and downloaded great apps for the iPad to implement it, but I am still in the overwhelmed-barely-treading-water part of the school year. Maybe next semester. Until then, I love the Khan Academy videos. I almost hesitate to say that because it's so cliche, but "Sal" teaches the way I do. The terminology is the same, the technique is the same, in short, the expectations are the same. Oh, and the kids like the Khan Academy app. Several of them have created accounts and are actually engaging in it on their own, earning badges, doing extra practice problems, etc. I love seeing kids excited about math so much they do extra work! There have only been a couple topics so far (writing and solving expressions) that were too complex for the level of my students. I found videos on TeacherTube that were appropriate. <br />
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Instead of just sending kids to Khan Academy and telling them to search for a specific video, I provide links to them on my website. This is supposed to help prevent confusion about which video to watch, since many of the topics have multiple videos with varying difficulty. I still have kids watch the wrong video occassionally, but that's because they don't follow directions.<br />
Note-taking is a skill that we focus on in sixth grade. In the past, I would say, "WRITE THIS DOWN," or provide outlines for students so the most important information is obvious. Taking notes at home, I knew the quality of notes would vary greatly unless I was<b> very specific</b> in my expectations. I created an outline (see below), copied it on bright green paper, and gave every student a copy. I spent one day in class watching a video with the class and showing them how to take notes. I am happy to report that this process solved the "how to take notes" challenge. It's surprisingly been an non-issue, but I really credit that to modeling and scaffolding. If I had just said, "take notes," I know it wouldn't have worked.<br />
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A lot of teachers hesitate because they don't think the students will watch the videos. I handle that just like if they didn't do their homework. We use a "red form" (see below) in sixth grade. The student has to fill out what assignment they're missing, sign it, I sign it, and their parents have to sign it that night. I mark in my grade book who fills out red forms and whether or not they return them signed the next day. The red forms are great documentation for us for PST or parent-teacher conferences. As with the first six weeks of school every year, I had many, many kids not watching the videos for a variety of reasons. They didn't write their assignments down, they forgot to check their planner, they forgot their binder at school or at home, whatever. At first I wasn't having them fill out red forms and I was getting all sorts of ridiculous excuses, "My mom was on Facebook so I couldn't use the computer," or "My brother was on his PS3 for so long it broke the WiFi." As teachers, we get frustrated when kids go home and tell ridiculous stories to their parents, and then their parents believe it. We always make the deal that we won't believe what they tell us about home if they don't believe what they hear about school. I had one student write on his red form that he couldn't watch the video because, "I had no time to do my homework." Mom wrote back, "He did have time to do homework. I made jelly that night and he wanted to help. I did let him help and once we were done it was time for bed. I reminded him in the morning to do his homework but there was not enough time before the bus came. I told him to go to the lab in the morning to do the homework but he did not do this." It made me laugh. Now that I'm enforcing the red form policy, the excuse is usually just, "I forgot," or "I left it at home." We're now happily into week 7 and I may have five or six kids a day not have their notes done. <br />
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Side note- My husband tells me I'm not allowed to complain until the eight week mark about the kids being irresponsible, disorganized, or immature. They always are. I always do.<br />
Dealing with students who don't have Internet access is another barrier to overcome. It started with asking my administrators to make supervising the computer lab my morning duty station. No problem. I surveyed everyone the first week of school and found fewer than ten did not have a computer or Internet at home.<br />
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The first couple weeks, the excuse language was <strong>TERRIBLE</strong>. I had too many kids making up reasons just to come to the computer lab.The alternative is sitting the gym,so I know why they wanted to come to the lab instead. I simply instituted a rule that said if they're not on my list of students without Internet, they have to have a note from a parent stating why they couldn't watch the video at home. It's worked well. More of the kids are getting it done at night, and the times when they have computer or Internet issues, they still have a back-up plan. I also gave everyone my home email so they can get ahold of me if there are issues. I haven't had anyone need to use it for <em>that</em> reason, but the support is there. I keep a clipboard for the students to sign in each day. Again, I feel like documentation is key so no one can come back and say the support wasn't there. I've actually had kids try to claim they went to the lab and no one was in there. I have a clipboard full of names that says otherwise.<br />
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The problem now is because most of the students who don't have Internet at home have to eat breakfast before they come to the computer lab, they arrive about the time I need to go upstairs to supervise the rest of the students, who have now been released from the gym. So far it hasn't been an issue because I've had a student intern do it for me, but next week she's moving on to her next placement. I don't know if I can trust them to just come up when they're done? I certainly can't leave the rest of my students upstairs and trust they'll do their morning work. It's only a couple students in the lab, and for the most part they're pretty responsible. We'll see.<br />
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Creating a working structure for the class period was the next hurdle. I've fiddled with it a bit and I like what we're doing. My class period goes like this: When the students come in, I have a standardized test problem for them to work on the board independently that is relevant to our unit of study. I let a student do the problem on the board. Then I assign 10 minutes to work on the group challenge. This is usually four to six word problems relevant to the previous night's video. While everyone is working, I check their notes to make sure they're done and to check for understanding. We use a 1-4 numbering system. One means I didn't watch the video, two is I need help, three is I understand the lesson, and four is I can teach the lesson to others. They write the number on the top right-hand corner of their paper so I can do a quick check without interrupting. I record their scores in my gradebook for my information. At the end of ten minutes, I do the group challenge problems on the board. This is my instructional time. Usually by the end of this short instructional period, anyone who was a two is now a three. Some of them just need to see me do it to understand. Next I give about twenty minutes to work on the traditional homework problems. It's usually ten standard practice problems and two or three word problems. I circulate the room, working with groups or pulling students to my table to help when they're struggling. I save fifteen to twenty minutes at the end of class to go over the answers and take questions. If a student has a question, they have the choice of doing the problem on the board, having me do the problem, or having a peer do the problem. It's usually a pretty even divide between the three. In the last five minutes, they have to summarize the essential question and provide an example on an index card. We call this the "tweet" of the day. Likening it to Twitter is a gimmick to keep them interested. I don't grade it (although they can get in trouble if they don't do it), but they are allowed to keep their tweets on their desk during a test, which provides one more incentive to do a good job and keep up with it daily.<br />
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You'd think since I'm not standing up front and teaching, it'd be less work on me, but it's not! I feel like I'm running a sprint pace in a marathon distance. It does make the day fly by!<br />
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It's too early to have data to see if it's making a difference, but I feel like it is. We just took a test on multiplying fractions. Ordinarily I'd still have students incorrectly multiply the whole numbers, then fractions instead of changing to a mixed number. I didn't see that very often, which is encouraging.<br />
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To be continued...<br />
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Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01726596303618909621noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1535791019456168997.post-68594186108714147932012-07-24T08:34:00.000-05:002012-07-24T08:40:45.584-05:00How to beat me at Scrabble<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
You know one of my all-time favorite games is Scrabble. I've been playing since I was old enough to spell, on one of the turn-table deluxe versions with the grooves for the tiles. </div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ekjhAvE09NTWy5pOm3Ctjv68kb_NuD2TCm0PhXMdwMyWyT9LUtsIeVR_NNxyRibx_fJ4U5iIvcRgi2hRdQsavHMWMqmWlYhMtbZOx1mG2cT76gqczRMmvP8jqhEH6JgLDyd_Qx65Skg/s1600/253486_2109762949045_6135227_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ekjhAvE09NTWy5pOm3Ctjv68kb_NuD2TCm0PhXMdwMyWyT9LUtsIeVR_NNxyRibx_fJ4U5iIvcRgi2hRdQsavHMWMqmWlYhMtbZOx1mG2cT76gqczRMmvP8jqhEH6JgLDyd_Qx65Skg/s320/253486_2109762949045_6135227_n.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My highest play ever. I'm still ridiculously proud of it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One of my crowning achievements growing up was beating my grandma at Scrabble. I was twelve, and I remember the feeling of joy and accomplishment at this seemingly insignificant feat. Because in our family, adults don't just let kids win. You have to earn it. This tough-love attitude extended to all venues, meaning we also did our own laundry, made dinner once a week, broke the rules and suffered the consequences (oh, did we suffer). But if Grandma had let me win, I wouldn't remember the first time I beat her, would I?<br />
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When I play anyone now, even past, present, or future students, I don't let them win. But I do hopefully teach some strategy.<br />
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So here's my definitive "How to beat me at Scrabble" (or Words with Friends) strategy list.<br />
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<b>#1. LEARN ALL THE TWO-LETTER WORDS</b>.<br />
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This is not optional if you want to win. You cannot stack words if you haven't familiarized yourself with this list. Keep it handy while you're new and pretty soon you'll know it forwards and backwards.<br />
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<i>Source: http://www.hasbro.com/scrabble/en_US/2LetterList.cfm</i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 14px;">AA: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S rough, cindery lava<br style="clear: both;" />AB: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S an abdominal muscle<br style="clear: both;" />AD: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S an advertisement<br style="clear: both;" />AE: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">adj</em> one<br style="clear: both;" />AG: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">adj</em> pertaining to agriculture<br style="clear: both;" />AH: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">interj</em> – used to express delight, relief, or contempt<br style="clear: both;" />AI: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S a three-toed sloth<br style="clear: both;" />AL: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S an East Indian tree<br style="clear: both;" />AM: present 1st person sing. of BE<br style="clear: both;" />AN: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">indefinite article</em> – used before words beginning with a vowel<br style="clear: both;" />AR: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S the letter R<br style="clear: both;" />AS: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">adv</em> to the same degree<br style="clear: both;" />AT: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">prep</em> in the position of<br style="clear: both;" />AW: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">interj</em> – used to express protest, disgust, or disbelief<br style="clear: both;" />AX: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">v</em> –ED, -ING, -ES to work on with an ax (a type of cutting tool)<br style="clear: both;" />AY: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S aye<br style="clear: both;" />BA: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S the eternal soul in Egyptian mythology<br style="clear: both;" />BE: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">v</em> AM, ARE, ART, WAS, WERE, WAST, WERT, BEEN, BEING to have actuality<br style="clear: both;" />BI: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S bisexual<br style="clear: both;" />BO: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S a pal<br style="clear: both;" />BY: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S a pass in certain card games<br style="clear: both;" />DE: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">prep</em> of; from – used in names<br style="clear: both;" />DO: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S the first tone of the diatonic scale<br style="clear: both;" />ED: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S education<br style="clear: both;" />EF: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S the letter F<br style="clear: both;" />EH: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">interj</em> – used to express doubt<br style="clear: both;" />EL: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S an elevated railroad or train<br style="clear: both;" />EM: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S the letter M<br style="clear: both;" />EN: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S the letter M<br style="clear: both;" />ER: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">interj</em> – used to express hesitation<br style="clear: both;" />ES: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. ESES the letter S (also spelled ESS)<br style="clear: both;" />ET: a past tense of EAT<br style="clear: both;" />EX: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. EXES the letter X<br style="clear: both;" />FA: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S the fourth tone of the diatonic musical scale<br style="clear: both;" />FE: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> –FES a Hebrew letter<br style="clear: both;" />GO: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">v</em> WENT, GONE, GOING, GOES to move along<br style="clear: both;" />HA: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S a sound of surprise<br style="clear: both;" />HE: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S a male person<br style="clear: both;" />HI: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">interj</em> – used as a greeting<br style="clear: both;" />HM: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">interj</em> – used to express thoughtful consideration<br style="clear: both;" />HO: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">interj</em> – used to express surprise<br style="clear: both;" />ID: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S a part of the psyche<br style="clear: both;" />IF: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S a possibility<br style="clear: both;" />IN: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">v</em> INNED, INNING, INS to harvest<br style="clear: both;" />IS: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">v</em> present 3d person sing. of BE<br style="clear: both;" />IT: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">pron</em> the 3rd person sing. of BE<br style="clear: both;" />JO: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. -ES a sweetheart<br style="clear: both;" />KA: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S the spiritual self of a human being in Egyptian religion<br style="clear: both;" />KI: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. -S the vital force in Chinese thought<br style="clear: both;" />LA: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S the sixth tone of the diatonic musical scale<br style="clear: both;" />LI: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. a Chinese unit of distance<br style="clear: both;" />LO: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">interj</em> – used to attract attention or to express surprise<br style="clear: both;" />MA: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S mother<br style="clear: both;" />ME: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">pron</em> the objective case of the pronoun I<br style="clear: both;" />MM: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">interj</em> – Used to express assent or satisfaction<br style="clear: both;" />MO: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S a moment<br style="clear: both;" />MU: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S a Greek letter<br style="clear: both;" />MI: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –MIS the third tone of the diatonic musical scale<br style="clear: both;" />MY: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">pron</em> the possessive form of the pronoun I<br style="clear: both;" />NA: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">adv</em> no; not<br style="clear: both;" />NE: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">adj</em> born with the name of (also NEE)<br style="clear: both;" />NO: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. NOS or NOES a negative reply<br style="clear: both;" />NU: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S a Greek letter<br style="clear: both;" />OD: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S a hypothetical force of natural power<br style="clear: both;" />OE: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S a whirlwind off the Faeroe Islands<br style="clear: both;" />OF: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">prep</em> coming from<br style="clear: both;" />OH: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">v</em> –ED, -ING, -S to exclaim in surprise, pain, or desire<br style="clear: both;" />OI: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">v</em> – oy--used to express dismay or pain<br style="clear: both;" />OM: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S a mantra used in contemplation of ultimate reality<br style="clear: both;" />ON: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S the side of the wicket where a batsman stands in cricket<br style="clear: both;" />OP: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S a style of abstract art<br style="clear: both;" />OR: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S the heraldic color gold<br style="clear: both;" />OS: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S ORA, OSSA, or OSAR either an orifice, a bone, or an esker<br style="clear: both;" />OW: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">interj</em> – used to express sudden pain<br style="clear: both;" />OX: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. OXEN or OXES a hoofed mammal or clumsy person<br style="clear: both;" />OY: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">interj</em> – used to express dismay or pain<br style="clear: both;" />PA: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S a father<br style="clear: both;" />PE: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S a Hebrew letter<br style="clear: both;" />PI: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">v</em> PIED, PIEING, PIING, or PIES to jumble or disorder<br style="clear: both;" />QI: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. -S the vital force that in Chinese thought is inherent in all things<br style="clear: both;" />RE: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S the second tone of diatonic musical scale<br style="clear: both;" />SH: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">interj</em> – used to urge silence<br style="clear: both;" />SI: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S ti<br style="clear: both;" />SO: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S the fifth tone of the diatonic musical scale<br style="clear: both;" />TA: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S an expression of gratitude<br style="clear: both;" />TO: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">prep</em> in the direction of<br style="clear: both;" />TI: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> TIS the seventh tone of the diatonic musical scale<br style="clear: both;" />UH: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">interj</em> – used to express hesitation<br style="clear: both;" />UM: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">interj</em> – used to express hesitation<br style="clear: both;" />UN: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">pron</em> pl. –S one<br style="clear: both;" />UP: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">v</em> UPPED, UPPING, UPS to raise<br style="clear: both;" />US: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">pron</em> the objective case of the pronoun we<br style="clear: both;" />UT: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S the musical tone C in the French solmization system, now replaced by do<br style="clear: both;" />WE: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">pron</em> the 1st person pl. pronoun in the nominative case<br style="clear: both;" />WO: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S woe<br style="clear: both;" />XI: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. –S a Greek letter<br style="clear: both;" />XU: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em> pl. XU a monetary unit of Vietnam<br style="clear: both;" />YA: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">pron</em> you<br style="clear: both;" />YE: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">pron</em> you<br style="clear: both;" />YO: <em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">interj</em> – used to call attention or express affirmation</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 14px;">ZA: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 14px;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 10px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">n</em></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-height: 14px;"> pl. -S a pizza</span><br />
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It still irritates me that they don't accept "ew" as a word. C'mon. Everyone knows that <i>ew</i> means.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-_czEkXCNUyArC7sPtlPGy2wn-TxvDnpSjJwUSyIvSTwgwD2Jjl9nGZsdqow4acP5N7rTO-kNh4GUZoKAGeyZVdTsH5Tm0Mtl8JZRSPf-UoGBYnScr5zo-U3svgCmxFPCi82YJRyoE2U/s1600/Image+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-_czEkXCNUyArC7sPtlPGy2wn-TxvDnpSjJwUSyIvSTwgwD2Jjl9nGZsdqow4acP5N7rTO-kNh4GUZoKAGeyZVdTsH5Tm0Mtl8JZRSPf-UoGBYnScr5zo-U3svgCmxFPCi82YJRyoE2U/s320/Image+1.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a good example of what "stacking" words looks like. <br />
"BOOTY," worth 11 points at face value, is now worth 41 points.</td></tr>
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A couple other notes on two-letter words.<br />
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<ul>
<li>C and V have no two-letter counterparts, so they can block a section of the board pretty easily. </li>
<li>Q on has QI, Z only has ZA, and J only has JO. These are high-pointers though, so look to use them on a double- or triple-letter in both directions.</li>
<li>X is my favorite letter because it works with every vowel- AX, EX, XI, OX, XU.</li>
<li>The two-letter words that don't require a vowel are SH, HM, MM, BY, MY. </li>
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<b>#2. SOMETIMES YOU LOOK FOR A GOOD WORD; SOMETIMES YOU LOOK FOR A GOOD SPOT. </b></div>
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Unless my rack looks like there's a 7-letter word in there somewhere, I look for a good spot first. I'm going to use the same game and show you what I mean.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-_czEkXCNUyArC7sPtlPGy2wn-TxvDnpSjJwUSyIvSTwgwD2Jjl9nGZsdqow4acP5N7rTO-kNh4GUZoKAGeyZVdTsH5Tm0Mtl8JZRSPf-UoGBYnScr5zo-U3svgCmxFPCi82YJRyoE2U/s1600/Image+1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-_czEkXCNUyArC7sPtlPGy2wn-TxvDnpSjJwUSyIvSTwgwD2Jjl9nGZsdqow4acP5N7rTO-kNh4GUZoKAGeyZVdTsH5Tm0Mtl8JZRSPf-UoGBYnScr5zo-U3svgCmxFPCi82YJRyoE2U/s320/Image+1.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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When I look at this board, the first thing I see is the double word in the lower right-hand corner by "ORE." Add a B, C, F, G, L, M, P, S, W, Y.... I think that's all the possible combinations. You get the point. Now I don't have much left in my rack, but I was watching the spot for awhile. A and T have plenty of two-letter combinations that I could stack a word right next to "GOAT" and have a high value play. For instance, "PLAY" would work and I would also get "PORE," "LA," and "AT." Whereas "PLAY" is just worth 9 points, or 18 with the double word score. But put it all together, and it's worth 34 points.</div>
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The only time I try to find a good word is if I'm loaded with the magic combination of letters that looks like it'll net me a 7-letter word (worth 50 bonus points!), which brings me to my next tip.</div>
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<b>#3. I DON'T JUST SHUFFLE. I LOOK FOR MAGIC LETTER COMBINATIONS.</b></div>
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These are magic letter combos:</div>
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-ING</div>
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-ED</div>
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-ER</div>
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-IER</div>
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-IES</div>
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-EST</div>
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RE-</div>
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UN-</div>
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-TION</div>
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-SION</div>
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SH- OR -SH</div>
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CH- OR -CH</div>
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-TCH</div>
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STR-</div>
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-LY</div>
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-ILY</div>
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-CK</div>
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If you have any of these combos, put those letters together and see what you have left. You might find a word that would have eluded you otherwise.</div>
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<b>#4. THERE ARE SOME HANDY WORDS TO KEEP IN YOUR BACK POCKET.</b></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIxQ5F_0aDylg4-ZMLxUvoOoPAcGXebEfvoFuAi101ZmuVtzyBM8BrvLxiR6Do3LyQ4VtAiXfnbIGCWsSWogDVBEUSe3SL9Ejeb4wIyKfs8t6q4rd-gSex69HfzFccK4KEKWkUn3HefSI/s1600/Image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIxQ5F_0aDylg4-ZMLxUvoOoPAcGXebEfvoFuAi101ZmuVtzyBM8BrvLxiR6Do3LyQ4VtAiXfnbIGCWsSWogDVBEUSe3SL9Ejeb4wIyKfs8t6q4rd-gSex69HfzFccK4KEKWkUn3HefSI/s320/Image.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"ZAX" is one of my favorite words. I have no idea what it means.</td></tr>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"></span></b></div>
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These are some of the words that veteran Scrabble players will use to their advantage (not including the two-letter list above). </div>
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The Q is one of my favorite letters, but you have to know how to use it wisely. Don't obsess about having a U. I bet "QI" is the most common Q word I play!</div>
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QAT</div>
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SUQ</div>
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QAID</div>
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BURQA</div>
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AQUA</div>
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QUAI</div>
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QUAY</div>
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J is another good letter to abuse:</div>
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DOJO</div>
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HAJI</div>
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JAPE</div>
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JAVA</div>
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JEEZ</div>
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JETE</div>
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JIAO</div>
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JIN, JINN, or JINS</div>
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JINX</div>
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And Z...</div>
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ADZ or ADZE</div>
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CZAR or TZAR</div>
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OOZE</div>
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ORZO</div>
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ZEBU</div>
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ZORI</div>
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This is by no means a definitive list, but they are some of my favorite tricky words that can net a lot of points.</div>
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<b>#5. DON'T EVER WASTE AN S OR I WILL DISOWN YOU.</b></div>
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An S is a treasure to be held until just the right moment. If you found a hundred dollar bill on the ground, you wouldn't just hand it to the next person you see, would you? No, you save it until an opportune time. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPbUSFlIlo582npoOplQCd9IgYh5mWlQ3JYsLpj-c-gHUBZGXmDoh_NKSRNdfkAuHaiR75qHm7OP0UB2gKe1P7zBKGfbZxxg1oe4yOdcOwDy-c2mtoHz-6o9AzLk2RwqaHBY5lpcWP7o/s1600/Image+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzPbUSFlIlo582npoOplQCd9IgYh5mWlQ3JYsLpj-c-gHUBZGXmDoh_NKSRNdfkAuHaiR75qHm7OP0UB2gKe1P7zBKGfbZxxg1oe4yOdcOwDy-c2mtoHz-6o9AzLk2RwqaHBY5lpcWP7o/s320/Image+2.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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In this game, I have an S in my rack. There are no words on the board right now that can end in S, so it'll sit there unless it gives me some advantage. What would be a good reason to use an S that <i>isn't </i>adding it to the end of another word? I'm glad you asked.</div>
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Look at the first word played, "AWAITS." This looks like a wasted S, right? Wrong. I'm not sure who played the first word here, but the S was used to move the W from a plain square to a double letter, meaning instead of four points doubled, now it's eight points doubled. From four to 16 points, just like that. Boo-yah.</div>
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Unless you have a good excuse, use that S to tack onto another word and rack up those points.</div>
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<b>#6. IF YOU LEAVE A TRIPLE-WORD OPEN, I WILL USE IT.</b></div>
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Consider yourself warned.</div>
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<b>#7. PLEASE DON'T CHEAT.</b></div>
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Yes, I am aware that there are a million Scrabble and WWF cheats out there. I know which of my friends use them and which don't. But I play for fun, not to win. It's not fun if you're cheating. And you'll feel much better about yourself when you beat me for real.</div>
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</div>Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01726596303618909621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1535791019456168997.post-89643219132740992322012-07-23T07:43:00.004-05:002012-07-23T07:43:49.924-05:00A Happy Heart<i>"A happy heart is like good medicine, but a broken spirit drains your strength."</i><br />
Proverbs 17:22 (NCV)<br />
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I know many people have asked me about the trip and when I'm going to share stories, but honestly I'm not ready yet. Anyone who has been on a mission trip knows it takes a while to decompress and process everything you've seen. I'm still in the processing stage, but I thought I'd share some of the lighter moments that kept us going.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRlHyn0svn3lEy04J1Cg-isW_ChqHA7etfqkz03hjnAJAt09BD3L0envjlF0d6JXKSUosYKLSMfzd0Rli3-_HGtv9smH0CxNQhHWe3V7b4zhSNM_rtWrkTemYoDyzXYjHJV6j9Y01W_BQ/s1600/DSC04284.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRlHyn0svn3lEy04J1Cg-isW_ChqHA7etfqkz03hjnAJAt09BD3L0envjlF0d6JXKSUosYKLSMfzd0Rli3-_HGtv9smH0CxNQhHWe3V7b4zhSNM_rtWrkTemYoDyzXYjHJV6j9Y01W_BQ/s320/DSC04284.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Couldn't help but snap this photo at the car rental counter. Glad to know we have options.</span></td></tr>
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After we got our trucks and were loading up, Stephanie and I were looking for an English radio station. We found one, kind of. A cover of "Discovery Channel" by the Bloodhound Gang. Yeah, 'cause that song needed a remake.<br />
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It was because of that song though that we realized we graduated the same year, and we were both at the Purdue vs. Michigan State game in East Lansing in 2000! We both remember it as a cooooooold game. It's nice to find friends down here who understand what "wind chill" and "lake effect snow" mean. :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVHvauttPeTKCvOAp7k0rKdvYnKUgxOZlNg3LkrfiDpetmK6-YGx5Gs_JT1o47oG5mPpgjfhaoEq2l_Ui8zOzcYAN_hMZuBy2fjJATZjI5E4WRUGX0z5eIlNo7gbTLbQSlx6BzrYSTiik/s1600/DSC04291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVHvauttPeTKCvOAp7k0rKdvYnKUgxOZlNg3LkrfiDpetmK6-YGx5Gs_JT1o47oG5mPpgjfhaoEq2l_Ui8zOzcYAN_hMZuBy2fjJATZjI5E4WRUGX0z5eIlNo7gbTLbQSlx6BzrYSTiik/s320/DSC04291.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
This is what I wrote about our hotel the first day. "<i>We're leaving the Villa Nuria hotel for Copan today. It's pretty much indistinguishable from a condo in Florida. Except the electric fence and guards with guns."</i><br />
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I have plenty more happy memories to share. Later. :)<br />
<i><br /></i>Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01726596303618909621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1535791019456168997.post-15738064608667207602012-07-22T16:38:00.000-05:002012-07-22T20:16:04.870-05:00The Meaning of Worship<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I know I haven't posted any Honduras stories yet, but it's tough to get those thoughts on paper and convey exactly what I want to say. I have half a dozen posts started, but none finished. This one, though, is easy enough and I have been excited to share it.</div>
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Confession- I was not looking forward to attending Dr. Cruz's church in San Pedro. I figured it'd be long, hot, and in Spanish. Well it was long, but it wasn't hot thanks to multiple AC units, and even though the music was in Spanish, it didn't matter because it was SO MUCH FUN. More on that later.</div>
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There was a guest preacher from North Carolina, so while much of the service was in Spanish, the sermon was actually in English. We kind of got the feel on how the translating works. There's a balance for keeping the train of thought going, but also pausing often enough for the translator to keep up. The parts of the service that were in Spanish with no translation were still really emotional, so even though I really had no idea what was begin said, I still understood what was going on, if that makes sense. Plus I thought it was good for me to be more sympathetic to guests in our country who don't speak English. I've never been one to think "if you want to be an American, learn the language," but it's still very different being on the receiving end. </div>
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So I'm not going waste my time trying to explain how JOYFUL the service was, because I took some video. Keep in mind the service was three hours long, but they kept up this energy and enthusiasm THE WHOLE TIME. Definitely different from the way we worship most of the time. </div>
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This video is just of the <i>offering</i>. Now we were there on a special Sunday (it was a birthday of the church), so I don't know if it's like this every week, but I thought it was so much more in the spirit of giving than just passing a plate around! (I apologize for the poor quality of the video. I was using my old point and shoot camera, which doesn't auto focus. Boo.)</div>
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So in the end, I was wrong. The service was one of the highlights of the trip for me. Just goes to show you always need to have an open mind, AND an open heart. </div>
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<span id="goog_982008203"></span><span id="goog_982008204"></span></div>Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01726596303618909621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1535791019456168997.post-32485403304794563152012-06-10T15:37:00.001-05:002012-06-10T15:37:45.290-05:00Honduras Day -6<i>Thanks to Joe Stokes for my beautiful journal! I'm not much of a journaler, but I hope to dedicate some time each day to recording my thoughts. I know I'll be glad I did! I'm going to share an edited version of my entries here with you. I hope you enjoy. :)</i><br />
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T-minus six days.<br />
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We've been planning for this trip for so long, it's hard to believe the day is almost here.<br />
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Christians don't own the market on good works, or even just good people, but I do wonder how people can make it through hard times without looking toward God. I know I need His strength right now. I've been through rough patches in my life, but it does seem like it's all coming at me from every angle these days.<br />
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I know I was given the gifts of leadership and teaching. It's just that sometimes, I wish they hadn't been bestowed upon me. That's A LOT of responsibility, and I'm weary. I want someone else to carry those burdens for awhile. Give me the gift of patience! Or compassion! I could stand to sit in the back of the room with my mouth shut for once.<br />
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That box I've kept locked up- the Amelia box? Well it burst wide open today. I can barely stand to <i>write</i> about leaving her. What will I do next week? The thought makes me physically ill. I look at our schedule and the words "free time" induce panic. Lord, keep me busy. Don't let me think about my little girl at home, asking for me.<br />
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That she's sick right now doesn't help. That I can't stop her from getting hurt; that it's my fault, is unbearable. I want to take her hurt away and make it mine. Let me hurt for my child.<br />
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EC's surgery is tomorrow. I know she'll be a trooper and make it through with flying colors. Her poor mom though. I can see the anguish in her eyes. I pray for peace for her. She will not rest, I know, until this ordeal is over.<br />
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God giving his son for us is the symbol we need to understand his love. Anyone would give their own life, their own suffering, for someone they love. But to give your child- your ONLY child- is a much greater gesture. Only a parent understands that. How we would do anything so our children never feel pain or hunger or grief.<br />
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This is what gives me anxiety about this trip. The mothers and their babies. We are the same, us mothers. We all want the same. To love our children to the fullest.<br />
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It is arrogant of me to think my life is better than theirs. This realization, which came to me recently, is what I hope will get me through. We may have cars, lavish houses, a college education; does that mean our lives are <i>better? </i>No. To grow up loved by your parents, community. To know God and live a simple, godly life free of distraction, that may be as God intended it. We should be so lucky!<br />
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This is my mission. To learn what love and family truly mean. This is my burden, my cross to bear.<br />
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<i><br /></i>Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01726596303618909621noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1535791019456168997.post-49827846695980905012012-06-04T08:42:00.002-05:002012-06-04T08:42:27.282-05:00Slacker!I am so so so far behind on blog posts. If I <i>think</i> about posting, but don't actually do it, does that count? If so, I'm on top of things and you're just days behind in your reading. :)<br />
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I'll do some quick posts of what I was up to in the month of May.<br />
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<b>Mother's Day Craft</b><br />
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I bought these adorable felt heart ornaments at Target's after-Christmas sale 3 for $0.10! That made it affordable for the whole sixth grade to do and we tied in a symmetry lesson as well. The kids had fun making them and I think most of them even made it home! I know moms love getting handmade gifts from their kids, no matter how old they get!<br />
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My favorite moment of the day was when I was setting all the supplies up one of the boys said, "Are we making Mother's Day gifts?"<br />
"Yes, we are."<br />
"Oh good. 'Cause I'm flat broke."<br />
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At least he knew he needed to do something for his mom!<br />
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<b>Space Bowl</b></div>
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On a whim, I decided to stage a parents versus kids Space Trivia Bowl right before the kids went to Space Camp. I had about a dozen parents show up, which was awesome. Maybe if I do it again with more warning, more can come. Anyway, all the parents and about half the kids got buzzers. We had to do it in Dana's room because the software and hardware wouldn't communicate with each other using my laptop. I finally just gave up. I made about about 30 questions on everything from Sputnik to the Shuttle program. Garrick had the highest score of course, but I was able to throw in a couple trick questions that stumped even him. A fun time was had by all. :)</div>
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<b>End-of-Year Gifts</b><br />
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For the last day of school, I made little gift boxes for all my students. It was pretty inexpensive; about $1 per kid, and again, I think most of them made it home. Anytime I do these kind of things I have to accept the fact that about 25% of the kids really won't care at all and will throw it away on the way out the door, 50% will at least keep it for a little while, but 25% of the kids will really appreciate it. I do it for that 25%.<br />
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Here's the poem that goes with the items:<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #211922; font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"><b><i>A little box of hope </i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #211922; font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">A star so you can shine in the darkness </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #211922; font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">An eraser for life's little mistakes </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #211922; font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">A paperclip to help you hold it all together </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #211922; font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">A rubber band to remind you to be flexible </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #211922; font-family: 'helvetica neue', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">A marker to make your mark on the world</span><br />
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You can be as creative as you want and work within your budget to make pretty much any little items work! My steal was the favor boxes- dollar section at Target, 5 for $0.30! They weren't even marked on sale, so that was a bonus when I got to the register!<br />
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So that was the end of another year in sixth grade. What a crazy, whirlwind year! Who knows what next year will bring? Keeping my fingers crossed that someone will realize 32 kids in a class is RIDICULOUS and give us our fifth unit back. Until then, I'm not going to worry about it. I'm going to focus on my Honduras trip and making the most out of the days I get to spend there! I already have my first blog post in my head. Maybe this week I'll get it down on "paper". :)</div>
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Adios!</div>
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<br /></div>Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01726596303618909621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1535791019456168997.post-86826955586009093332012-05-06T16:19:00.001-05:002012-05-06T16:19:43.728-05:00The Bag LadyI love bags. A large portion of my enviably large closet is dedicated to my bag fetish. I just can't seem to stop buying them, although I hardly need any. But I keep hoping I'll find the perfect bag. Alas, it doesn't seem to exist.<br />
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In the meantime, I have a million bags each dedicated to their own purpose. Having a baby opens one up to a whole new host of excuses to buy new bags. And yet, like the bag itself, the contents of a perfectly organized, perfectly "be-prepared-for-the-worst" diaper bag seem to elude me. My goal is to compile a list of the contents of a diaper bag at different ages and stages. I'm going to start with age 1+ because that's where I am now, but I'm going to work backwards to coming home day. I'm hoping all my mommy friends will help me and maybe even contribute pictures of the contents of their bags!<br />
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Today, these are the contents of my one-year-old daughter's diaper bag:<br />
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<li>One change of clothes (onesie and shorts for summer)</li>
<li>Wipes</li>
<li>3 diapers</li>
<li>hand sanitizer</li>
<li>diaper cream</li>
<li>Reusable bag for dirty clothes or dirty diapers</li>
<li>Disposable place mats</li>
<li>Wipe-off bib </li>
<li>Sanitizing wipes</li>
<li>One food pouch (We love the Earth's Best yogurt pouches!)</li>
<li>One individual serving apple juice (I can't believe how many places do not have kid-friendly drinks!) </li>
<li>Snack trap containing <a href="http://stoplickingthedog.blogspot.com/2012/02/baby-trail-mix.html" target="_blank">baby trail mix</a></li>
<li>Blankie with paci on a strap</li>
<li>Extra paci</li>
<li>Sunscreen</li>
<li>Sunglasses</li>
<li>Teething toy</li>
<li>Cosmetic bag containing: advil, tylenol, teething gel, bandaids, extra hair clips and rubber bands</li>
<li>Compact umbrella</li>
<li>Board book</li>
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If I get ambitious, I'll spread everything out and take a picture. </div>
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What <i>should </i>I have that I've forgotten? It's hard to find that line between being prepared for anything and packing everything but the kitchen sink!</div>
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*<i>Also in my car is the "emergency bag" that contains extra diapers and wipes, a changing pad for back-of-the-car diaper changes, hand sanitizer, another food pouch, and an extra outfit. In the back seat is a bag of car toys- a stuffed dino, glo-doodle, board books, and teething toy. ALSO behind the passenger's seat is another pouch with wipes and a diaper. Can you tell I'm paranoid about running out of diapers? It hasn't happened yet!</i></div>Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01726596303618909621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1535791019456168997.post-9199042382330308192012-04-28T20:45:00.003-05:002012-04-28T20:45:50.639-05:00Very Hungry Caterpillar Button Art<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I love button art. I think because A) I'm not an artist at all, but this makes me seem creative and B) it's whimsical without being too babyish. So I was going to do a very cute rainbow for Squirt's "big girl" room, but decided to go with the Very Hungry Caterpillar instead. And as a bonus, it made a very cute decoration for her party. :)</div>
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Step 1. Sketch out the shape on an artist canvas. For this project, I used an 11x14. I wish I had done larger. Buttons seem small until you're trying to do button art.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnlpNpR-qFqZkmIQ5HmoBpEFfQBL-hj82cNwc0NNbQCX1tEYme-QjFN6S16tdtN9BpmSIQud09h5uMq2ORKWkCPgG6avJ_otkp93oxk9uTqo7Y8-aJcuAfGQPhvN6C2F1oUPGwr-EDoH4/s1600/IMG_2293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnlpNpR-qFqZkmIQ5HmoBpEFfQBL-hj82cNwc0NNbQCX1tEYme-QjFN6S16tdtN9BpmSIQud09h5uMq2ORKWkCPgG6avJ_otkp93oxk9uTqo7Y8-aJcuAfGQPhvN6C2F1oUPGwr-EDoH4/s320/IMG_2293.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Step 2. I had to use markers for the finer details. There was no way buttons were going to cut it. I thought it would ruin the look, but it really didn't!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKhBl7vEebccN8U93IQc5DZbZhs_5WyRhmVOY4UDk3touneZY1vN_rkVu1bWZX1kjSZtE0RoPe1lqic0c-FQNtgc6xc8WIbfJKK7LA489yKMi7W2XEKcDAzwU0lwdFswP2xncr9_fn_7Y/s1600/IMG_2294.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKhBl7vEebccN8U93IQc5DZbZhs_5WyRhmVOY4UDk3touneZY1vN_rkVu1bWZX1kjSZtE0RoPe1lqic0c-FQNtgc6xc8WIbfJKK7LA489yKMi7W2XEKcDAzwU0lwdFswP2xncr9_fn_7Y/s320/IMG_2294.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Step 3. Okay, so I didn't really do a step-by-step progression here, but this is where you fill everything in. I had tubs of colored buttons. The reds could really be sorted into dark red, pink red, orange red, etc. Pick a hue and run with it. For the body of the caterpillar, it's not just green. There's lots of variation in the picture, so I tried to mimic that.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcaJO949vH-XD2cX9QhvYafVfeh62hpWcWaJUlJuTfSnSFCiz6ZwPk9g7b6zMufa_mNii4LU8d1j_Cb294l15ybIVgJO1wXsV-RrkN7UTiOW-x3LMrFVT4jdEuWs9hapIZ6itLlNocp0c/s1600/IMG_2295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcaJO949vH-XD2cX9QhvYafVfeh62hpWcWaJUlJuTfSnSFCiz6ZwPk9g7b6zMufa_mNii4LU8d1j_Cb294l15ybIVgJO1wXsV-RrkN7UTiOW-x3LMrFVT4jdEuWs9hapIZ6itLlNocp0c/s320/IMG_2295.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Step 4. More accents with the markers. The top of the caterpillar is outlined in yellow.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC-MhqNB-4wxzJrCnCXFoztJ4QMCjOwXXyu9O1uOKB2L7vjM1HHp8yoNmv82vhEdH8aS5oH5LPzFLciGv3cgCQ7ShCp9vG198SUkkdPSrPHxExVnECuQT_2I3J_DqsLt31F3DZk26qj6Q/s1600/IMG_2296.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC-MhqNB-4wxzJrCnCXFoztJ4QMCjOwXXyu9O1uOKB2L7vjM1HHp8yoNmv82vhEdH8aS5oH5LPzFLciGv3cgCQ7ShCp9vG198SUkkdPSrPHxExVnECuQT_2I3J_DqsLt31F3DZk26qj6Q/s320/IMG_2296.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Step 5. Hair accents make the caterpillar fuzzy.<br />
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Step 5: Show off your handiwork!</div>
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<br />Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01726596303618909621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1535791019456168997.post-78160097802267546952012-04-28T20:27:00.002-05:002012-04-28T20:27:55.485-05:00First BirthdayWe survived birthday week. There were some points this week that I thought it wasn't going to happen. Like when I lost my voice on Thursday, or when Squirt's 12-month shots left her bruised and cranky ON her birthday. Poor thing.<br />
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But in the end, I do think we accomplished the goal. Remembering her day of birth with joy, not sadness.<br />
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Unfortunately, her birthday will forever be linked with the tornadoes. To this day, whenever anyone asks her birthday and I say, "April 25," they make the connection. Or they say, "I'll never forget the day you came home from the hospital."<br />
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Yeah, neither will we.<br />
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But I digress. Today was about the JOY of the last year, not the stress of her first week.<br />
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About four months ago I decided her birthday party would be Very Hungry Caterpillar. It's her favorite book, has been since she was old enough to pick her bedtime story. Pinterest is FULL of VHC ideas (Link to my board <a href="http://pinterest.com/amberjmerrill/very-hungry-caterpillar/" target="_blank">here</a>). Some easier than others, I thought it was a theme I could pull off with little effort. Unfortunately, since I've had so much time to think about it, the simple "cake and ice cream with the family" went a bit overboard. But I don't care because I had fun.<br />
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The best part about this theme- it's all about the food. And honestly, what else is there to do at a one-year-old birthday party? Garrick and I had long decided we would only invite family to the birthday parties until our kids are old enough to have buddies that they want to invite. That being said, we weren't going to do any crafts or games for the adults. (Although this morning I thought it would be fun to make everyone list all the foods from the book from memory. Alicia, my brother's girlfriend, correctly named twelve! And Andrew is quite the artist, so I gave him a VHC coloring page, which he and Alicia colored for her memory book.)<br />
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We had Squirt's one-year pictures done this morning, so I'll have actual professional photos of her dress, the VHC quilt I made, and some of the party stuff soon. I'll definitely post it!<br />
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Some of the things not in the photos:<br />
1. The "game" I came up with was pretty fun. I wish I'd thought of it sooner so I could have had a good prize! (The "prize" was the empty helium canister.)<br />
2. I bought a miniature version of the book to use as a guest book. Everyone loved it.<br />
3. We did pre-scooped ice cream in cupcake liners per Pinterest. That and the cupcakes made serving cake and ice cream a cinch. Which was good since I was upstairs hosing someone off.<br />
4. We bought a helium canister because we thought it would be cheaper than buying individual latex balloons at $1.29 +tax each. I don't think it ended up being a savings. I'll know better next time.<br />
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Here's a rundown of my execution of all the Pinterest ideas I found. Since none were original ideas, I'll just post the pictures. It's up to you to find the original pin if you want to copy it! If anyone is doing a VHC party in the near future, let me know and you can borrow all of my stuff!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHqKsU3fzN07eOiLUikek8apEkwfgUYXUjBcKxSJ84cj-HBuzOkwEYZbmzNVGs4Ms7XMfqcc4b1YfIEF5tt2WJsGTa0UmGRcfvw_opZNqJd0eeN8KZdHJg6htKth-ycykEvnRhbRoTIo/s1600/IMG_5055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHqKsU3fzN07eOiLUikek8apEkwfgUYXUjBcKxSJ84cj-HBuzOkwEYZbmzNVGs4Ms7XMfqcc4b1YfIEF5tt2WJsGTa0UmGRcfvw_opZNqJd0eeN8KZdHJg6htKth-ycykEvnRhbRoTIo/s320/IMG_5055.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flowers, using orange slices to brighten the look.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl2lNAIEx-E6qaKkM_N-adpgmUcqxMAk2NoRcLc9f6H0xvrtaQR4bSitrXZoONhMaaLqLK-w1rlrJ-LOXLKGg5PMBSajXyFGoGpoLfh32OcvXjSAJeL-L0y23FvdWfR526Eq4DUltaDuE/s1600/IMG_5056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl2lNAIEx-E6qaKkM_N-adpgmUcqxMAk2NoRcLc9f6H0xvrtaQR4bSitrXZoONhMaaLqLK-w1rlrJ-LOXLKGg5PMBSajXyFGoGpoLfh32OcvXjSAJeL-L0y23FvdWfR526Eq4DUltaDuE/s320/IMG_5056.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watermelon (cut into butterfly shapes using cookies cutter. Wilson bug set found at Joann's) and Strawberries. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmajp73AulkSCa9P1w_J1CUdjnUWiN-_o20ptitAy4fIeWImR6hxQT5BhW1Pq5ljuHmqF03bT1dsSnFkU1qrC9Xq-tn0PFGJqrJMksmY9J2-0xKs2IYTgOJfNQ5U-g68IPiXwHpKkR26Y/s1600/IMG_5057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmajp73AulkSCa9P1w_J1CUdjnUWiN-_o20ptitAy4fIeWImR6hxQT5BhW1Pq5ljuHmqF03bT1dsSnFkU1qrC9Xq-tn0PFGJqrJMksmY9J2-0xKs2IYTgOJfNQ5U-g68IPiXwHpKkR26Y/s320/IMG_5057.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apples and Oranges</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEgil9XjMt498bu357dnBl4vEKw_XPv8KRT_JXEvkdBs5H3s0dIPdTsdPkTnRl52XnrOvSLvjYsFsCWV8o0aQtxKEparv5d0_WHyBupZWl_o9hNGUdqoOt8_CayDvG5pLnsUIsoOEFOQQ/s1600/IMG_5058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEgil9XjMt498bu357dnBl4vEKw_XPv8KRT_JXEvkdBs5H3s0dIPdTsdPkTnRl52XnrOvSLvjYsFsCWV8o0aQtxKEparv5d0_WHyBupZWl_o9hNGUdqoOt8_CayDvG5pLnsUIsoOEFOQQ/s320/IMG_5058.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lollipops from Party City. Great party favor for big "kids."</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtdxgOJD3kapRvnsGPvn3zAkv3IQJE1ltR81Hd9bnBooGotrFpvUEJR80g0drM-j6kyF63hEEqjhKehH0uVb2ks5vkDESUAIvTEj9mr_s_NKPBFtsgwNmF5W_pWkn6vSg1SwFhzdMs6ME/s1600/IMG_5060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtdxgOJD3kapRvnsGPvn3zAkv3IQJE1ltR81Hd9bnBooGotrFpvUEJR80g0drM-j6kyF63hEEqjhKehH0uVb2ks5vkDESUAIvTEj9mr_s_NKPBFtsgwNmF5W_pWkn6vSg1SwFhzdMs6ME/s320/IMG_5060.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salami (butterflies) and Swiss Cheese (caterpillars) cut with the cookies cutters. FYI- cutting salami with a cookie cutter is not as easy as you might think. Cheese was easier than you might think. The butterfly crackers come in the Pepperidge Farm Entertaining Pack.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikwLes6EG6QAu_44ZNJ3fBZ56K-qfoyBzzhaKDnyG4e1OTYqfsqtwDq_zxaCNQ5Rfj6Nk6FXtK6fPC3FWFNHwyG9JqdzFVf10C2u8-4guDNPzVQm2wX-NKKGkWIr14qyJ8Y6_vq21NQaY/s1600/IMG_5061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikwLes6EG6QAu_44ZNJ3fBZ56K-qfoyBzzhaKDnyG4e1OTYqfsqtwDq_zxaCNQ5Rfj6Nk6FXtK6fPC3FWFNHwyG9JqdzFVf10C2u8-4guDNPzVQm2wX-NKKGkWIr14qyJ8Y6_vq21NQaY/s320/IMG_5061.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chocolate cupcakes (cake mix+greek yogurt+water) for the grown-ups and white cake for the babe. <br />This was actually my husband's idea. Even though I had seen it on Pinterest, he had not and came up with the suggestion all by himself! Impressive!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5sj-Hn9adUzAUJh2tIHvEctAYqEyvFvFR38OfqyW2DvYo8G4oS6Qfyi343V7gl2l8y36gxMM4vC90xRpyz795U9mWUc7_KQD-T96rxHzHHlx_U6hXD-R1snjnUxT-QA6AVlRp87iiZzk/s1600/IMG_5063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5sj-Hn9adUzAUJh2tIHvEctAYqEyvFvFR38OfqyW2DvYo8G4oS6Qfyi343V7gl2l8y36gxMM4vC90xRpyz795U9mWUc7_KQD-T96rxHzHHlx_U6hXD-R1snjnUxT-QA6AVlRp87iiZzk/s320/IMG_5063.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The spread</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIB4VcLHBEhn926VrbyqjgvdMncPXdGUeZEbGPK7PiR0aHYlVTy_PtoncOmYcRU9FQtgqXLrlNneM59iu0D2NeJshFU99fO2jRykxLzWxzrjHNZdK9QIYTB9HTf6SNZ2tAvOF3mryhLRs/s1600/IMG_5071.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIB4VcLHBEhn926VrbyqjgvdMncPXdGUeZEbGPK7PiR0aHYlVTy_PtoncOmYcRU9FQtgqXLrlNneM59iu0D2NeJshFU99fO2jRykxLzWxzrjHNZdK9QIYTB9HTf6SNZ2tAvOF3mryhLRs/s320/IMG_5071.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gorgeous dress made by Squirt's Nanny. <br />If you must have one, contact her via <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/NannyGoatsKidsPlus?ref=top_trail" target="_blank">Etsy</a>! She's very good at custom orders.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieWAWXYZa2m1ESK4KZMdd1zPDR-J6wOIfL8Flm9DjiKvRc2vhlZYL6UaIeXhy5mnLm5I76NkMghgS7_3Cybg3JLUJPFg6L7xq_sTamLFWPfs4rK9vQDHAI2T0vCHWkFxLaLxwcYQcQxGk/s1600/IMG_5081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieWAWXYZa2m1ESK4KZMdd1zPDR-J6wOIfL8Flm9DjiKvRc2vhlZYL6UaIeXhy5mnLm5I76NkMghgS7_3Cybg3JLUJPFg6L7xq_sTamLFWPfs4rK9vQDHAI2T0vCHWkFxLaLxwcYQcQxGk/s320/IMG_5081.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frame off an artist's canvas. We got pictures with Squirt and everyone at the party.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDnTkMsLeFg5GI6nhm9CqvmlZyVqT1w2yZO3k1m0bVLiz1tiVuwkkjMAlGc0FMczegwJ5wvjxNAWWb5bQqPFoayd-Y2LK542oPRspSEXCd_rgi4sEI7P4FDzjuLLA9YKkIdfD3OMRTej0/s1600/IMG_5162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDnTkMsLeFg5GI6nhm9CqvmlZyVqT1w2yZO3k1m0bVLiz1tiVuwkkjMAlGc0FMczegwJ5wvjxNAWWb5bQqPFoayd-Y2LK542oPRspSEXCd_rgi4sEI7P4FDzjuLLA9YKkIdfD3OMRTej0/s320/IMG_5162.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boons!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLaslVzekAuYEVIFm8Amp7uKRmvbEZ18vODpyk18gHqgKIGmOzUAGZGxH3fZlhdxJuvLLOzHqkKxeu-H_Rth0ZJgVYN3QDOcwCDDUCH3pYZ5cthve5fWxoyxoTckpB_ylThxfPJFQWrp8/s1600/IMG_5164.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLaslVzekAuYEVIFm8Amp7uKRmvbEZ18vODpyk18gHqgKIGmOzUAGZGxH3fZlhdxJuvLLOzHqkKxeu-H_Rth0ZJgVYN3QDOcwCDDUCH3pYZ5cthve5fWxoyxoTckpB_ylThxfPJFQWrp8/s320/IMG_5164.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Memo board found at Joann's and button art by me. Ok, so that was original. <br />I'm going to do a post on how I did that sometime soon.</td></tr>
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<br />Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01726596303618909621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1535791019456168997.post-9719399975533611312012-04-07T09:25:00.004-05:002012-04-07T09:25:52.075-05:00Meal PlanningIn our house, we take the "divide and conquer" approach to mundane household tasks. We've had to reexamine our duties a few times, especially with the arrival of Squirt, but it seems to be a pretty even divide. So I'm not <i>complaining</i> that I'm in charge of meal budgeting, planning, and execution, but it is a tedious exercise. And it doesn't seem to matter how many times I do it, they seem to want dinner every night!<br />
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This week we seriously went to Chick-fil-A (the ol' standby) not because we didn't have food in the house or because I didn't feel like cooking, but because I was simply too tired to decide WHAT to make. That's the worst part for me. The deciding.<br />
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So on our way to CFA we were playfully ribbing my husband (yes, the one I promised not to talk about in my blog) about how he would have a Sheldon Cooper-style meal plan if he could. (If you're not a fan of <i>The Big Bang Theory</i>, shame on you! Just kidding. The main character is either OCD or on the spectrum or both and always has the same food each week. Thai food on Monday, Cheesecake Factory on Tuesday, Pizza on Thursday, etc.) My hubby and Sheldon have a lot in common, and although he doesn't like to eat out much, he very much liked the idea of a routine.<br />
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Well, I'm more OCD than I care to admit as well, so when we got home we decided to nail down a schedule. After much discussion, here's what we decided to start with:<br />
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Monday- Italian<br />
Tuesday- Comfort food<br />
Wednesday- Freezer meal<br />
Thursday- Mexican<br />
Friday- Leftovers<br />
Saturday- Pizza<br />
Sunday- Husband's choice<br />
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There is some logic to the schedule. He eats mostly leftovers for lunch during the week, so Monday-Wednesday are theoretically meals that would make good leftovers. We try to have date night on Friday nights, so we often wouldn't need a meal that night anyway. On Sunday, he agreed to make dinner if we don't go out with our usual Sunday night crowd.<br />
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To further help me, the oh-so-indecisive one, I've made a Pinterest board for each night. Theoretically, all I have to do is scan that day's board for something that looks good and I have the ingredients to make, and meal planning will be MUCH simpler!<br />
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Let the playful ribbing commence....Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01726596303618909621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1535791019456168997.post-43060141882579462792012-03-09T11:07:00.001-06:002012-03-09T19:36:58.362-06:00My day is Pi Day!We celebrated Pi Day today. I am fully aware that the official Pi Day is March 14 (3.14, in case you don't speak nerd), but we're on Spring Break next week, so we always celebrate the Friday before.<br />
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We've been planning for a few weeks now and I'm relieved to say that everything went very smoothly! With over 130 sixth graders, this is the largest group I've ever done this with! Plus it was the day before a break and a full moon, so pandemonium was almost a given. But the kids were soooo excited to have a whole day of fun activities that they were really enthusiastic and well-behaved. We integrated math, art, language, writing, and reading so everyone would have something that appealed to them. Oh, and food. Who doesn't like food?<br />
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The rest of this post is going to be logistics for fellow teachers who are looking for their own Pi Day activities, so I won't be hurt if you skip the rest. Most of the stuff we did I found online and pinned to my Pinterest page <a href="http://pinterest.com/amberjmerrill/pi-day/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-gLU6XKArD5ZOoVJHv6EK_9rsK4UXf_t0mOvJ4L41VCQ3Ph0LebowXw3X0sWp83HrFa_AVKGPzMKbWBdQc_knWl4D1CxswRHwTUYCxxjYM4G4gH-o8QWwTlxg_EE9S1Ly2hfhfBRbNkk/s1600/IMG_1993.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-gLU6XKArD5ZOoVJHv6EK_9rsK4UXf_t0mOvJ4L41VCQ3Ph0LebowXw3X0sWp83HrFa_AVKGPzMKbWBdQc_knWl4D1CxswRHwTUYCxxjYM4G4gH-o8QWwTlxg_EE9S1Ly2hfhfBRbNkk/s320/IMG_1993.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me reading "Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi" to a class. <br />
Notice my awesome pi hoodie (ThinkGeek) and Pi bracelet (etsy)!</td></tr>
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I made "Passport to Pi Day" booklets for all the kids so they wouldn't ask me "What's next???" eighty-seven million times today. We did five 45-minute rotations, with breaks for P.E., lunch, and one class had their regularly scheduled art time. I left five minutes between each rotation for travel time and catch-up if we needed it. It was just the right amount of time.<br />
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These are in no particular order.<br />
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<b>Rotation 1 - Math lesson on the area of circles</b><br />
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In my class we used pizza boxes and menus from Famous Joe's, a locally owned pizza place that was kind enough to donate the materials for us. After discussing the derivation of the formula, which we'd done in class previously (If you take the radius of a circle to form the length and width of a square and find the area, that area will fit into that circle 3.14 times), we found the area of their 12" and 16" pizzas, then they got to pick their three favorite pizzas from the menu and calculate the "cost per bite" (square inch) and write a summary of which they would order and why. The cheapest per bite, the large cheese pizza, was $0.07 per bite and the most expensive, the Avery (a yummy concoction with grilled chicken, roma tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and a balsamic glaze) was $0.15 per bite- over twice as much! I made a data record sheet to help them keep everything organized.<br />
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<b>Rotation 2 - T-shirt decorating</b></div>
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Everyone brought in a plain, colored t-shirt to decorate with bleach pens instead of boring fabric markers on white shirts like we used to do. I got the idea from several Pinterest posts, such as <a href="http://makingtheworldcuter.com/2011/03/foam-stamps-bleach-cool-shirts/" target="_blank">this one</a>. We learned several things for next year:</div>
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1. Don't put the bleach gel on too heavily or it's too hard to rinse off.</div>
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2. Use the Science Lab because it has larger sinks to rinse the shirts!</div>
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3. 100% cotton shirts in dark colors (with the exception of red) work the best.</div>
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4. Leave plenty of space between letters because they do bleed into each other.</div>
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I thought the shirts turned out really cute! Mrs. Betts and all the wonderful parent volunteers were real troopers putting up with the bleach stench and cold water all day!</div>
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<b> Rotation 3- Pi Poetry</b><br />
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The awesome Mrs. Benefield came up with several different poetry prompts to inspire pi-related prose. She had rhyming dictionaries for each group and examples of limericks (St. Patrick's Day tie-in there) to get them started. As they shared them with each other, they got to enjoy their pie!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"When I first learned about pi,<br />I thought I was going to die.<br />There were so many digits,<br />I started to fidget,<br />and looked up in the sky."</i></td></tr>
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<b>Rotation 4- Math lesson on the circumference of circles</b></div>
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Mr. Thaxton read "Sir Cumference and the First Round Table" to his class, then they got to make fortune tellers (remember those?!?) that gave them lots of practice with circumference in a really fun way. This was the first year we did those as a fellow teacher found the activity <a href="http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fortune-Teller-Finding-the-Circumference-of-a-Circle" target="_blank">here</a>. </div>
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<b> Rotation 5 - Pi jewelry</b><br />
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Mrs. Armstrong is really crafty, so she did the Pi jewelry. Using colored paper clips from Staples, each digit was assigned a unique color. Then they were given the first 20 digits of pi to put into order on a paperclip chain. Lots of schools do bead or paper chains to see how long they can make it in a day, but I like this because they all get a visual representation of pi to take home with them.<br />
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If you have time, you can do a musical clapping game to help them memorize the digits. The kids can sit or stand in a circle and clap-snap at 60 bpm:<br />
3.<br />
3 point.<br />
3 point 1.<br />
3 point 1, 4.<br />
3 point 1, 4, 1.<br />
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And so on. They can all do it together, or make it a contest and if you mess up, you're out. Keep going until you have a winner.<br />
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<b>Bonus!</b><br />
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Since we had some down time with some classes at P.E. or Art and others weren't, I printed out several geometric coloring sheets involving circles. Everyone got to pick one, color it with colored pencils, then cut it out and glue it to colored paper to make a "Happy Pi Day" card to give to a math geek in their life next Wednesday, the real Pi Day!<br />
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All in all, a really fun day. I'm so glad I work with a team that likes to do crazy stuff to keep the kids engaged, and that we have such wonderful parents that send in supplies and volunteer their time so we could all have a great time!</div>
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<br />Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01726596303618909621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1535791019456168997.post-18598171065181374772012-03-07T20:23:00.002-06:002012-03-07T20:27:10.005-06:00In the event of inclement weather...Remember last Friday how I was checking out textbooks and was really interested to see how the publishers were going to integrate technology into the mix? Yeah, not so much.<br />
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My friend Elizabeth and I carpooled and after much driving up and down US 31 (yes, Indiana peeps, the same one), we finally realized we were looking for a sturdy campus building, when in fact we should have been looking for a metal shed. Granted, it had a very large sign on it announcing its presence, but we're math teachers. We don't read.<br />
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So this warehouse where we were supposed to spend our day was really just a steel frame with a metal roof and walls. Not very reassuring considering the weather forecast for the day. In all honesty though, no one thought it was going to be bad until around 2 p.m.<br />
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Our poor presenter was from Arizona. In the whole 15 minutes she got to speak I think she said, "I've never seen this much rain!" three times. Oh, you poor ignorant woman. When the tornado sirens went off and we all huddled over our phones and iPads checking the radar, she said, "Now, let's all focus!"<br />
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What? We were focused. Very focused. Just not on her.<br />
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Here's where it gets good.<br />
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The organizers interrupted and said there was a tornado (duh) and that the building was not safe (duh) and we needed to seek shelter immediately (duh) and we should all GET IN OUR CARS AND DRIVE TO THE STUDENT UNION THREE MILES AWAY. Seriously?!?<br />
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Power goes out.<br />
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Panic mode sets in.<br />
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What would you do? We were being forced to leave, the tornado is very nearby according to the radar (And was in fact very nearby. We had difficulty getting home because of large trees and power lines in the road), and we're in a town that we're only semi-familiar with. I didn't drive, so I hopped in someone else's car and we followed the lead car, as ordered, parked a block away from the building, and ran for it. We made it inside, soaking wet, and waited. About the time they told us they were canceling the event because the weather didn't look like it was going to improve and the power could be out for quite some time, a man from the university told us they were shutting down and we all had to leave the building! Gee, thanks.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The city of Athens on Friday morning. Wait, you can't see where Athens is? Oh yeah, that's because the tornado tracks are RIGHT ON TOP OF IT.</td></tr>
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I don't know whose cat I ran over, but my karma must be seriously messed up.<br />
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In the end, we did get home safely, but I wouldn't wish that mess on anybody. The tornado we narrowly missed was an EF3 and did some considerable damage. If it had hit us directly, either in the warehouse or when we were driving, I'm not sure I'd be here today.<br />
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I've had it with tornados, but I have learned some valuable lessons that may help you in the event your city decides to get pummeled by severe weather every other month.<br />
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Lesson #1<br />
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Cell phones are not reliable. At all. Even if all the towers haven't been taken out (like last April), everyone and their brother is on the phone at the same time. On Friday, I had four bars and couldn't get a call out. Luckily, someone I was with brought a WiFi hot spot and I had my iPad already tethered to it, so I could use iMessage to text or use email. Last April all (and I do mean all) of the AT&T towers were out, but Verizon had at least one still up and working. Best to have friends on different networks.<br />
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Lesson #2<br />
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Assume you will not have power. No power means you can't charge your cell phone. See what I mean about cell phones being unreliable? I saw on Facebook last week that when the weather was getting bad, everyone put their cell phones on the charger. At least you can go into it at 100%. And stay off Facebook! It drains your battery.<br />
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Lesson #3<br />
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Get cash. Another hard lesson from April. Even if you could fight your way to the front of the line at the gas stations, there was no power to run the credit card machines. No cash, no business. Last Friday the AMTs emptied quickly and even the grocery store had a sign that said "$25 max cash back."<br />
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Lesson #4<br />
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Buying milk will be of no help when you have no power for six days. And you just wasted your cash. Good one.<br />
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Lesson #5<br />
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When all hell breaks loose, you'll wish you were married to an enginerd. Thanks to Garrick, I think we may very well be the model of preparedness. Seriously. We now have an underground storm shelter that is fully stocked for eight people. Yes, the fire station knows we're there, and yes we used the ADPH list to stock it with the appropriate supplies. We also keep a back-up battery in there that can charge our cell phones and has a light so I don't get scared. We added a fan, which wasn't on the list but seemed necessary if we're stuck down there in the summer.<br />
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Our generator is wired correctly through the electrical panel to run our entire house on natural gas. Unless something fails on the gas company's end, we don't need to worry about that going out. We have the weather radio app on our cell phone and a real weather radio. We're about to get a newer, better one with more features. I think it puts a forcefield around the house or something.<br />
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THANK GOD we haven't had to use the storm shelter yet because it's coffin-scary, but I rest easier knowing we have it. My biggest problem is I want everyone I love safely in it with me. On Friday I was calling everyone to come over if it got bad.<br />
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One friend realized, "do you have room for all of us?"<br />
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"Well, maybe not. Just pick your favorite kid and send him down with us."<br />
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That poor woman from Arizona probably got on the plane home, never to set foot in this state again.<br />
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So whatever happened with the textbook expo? It got rescheduled for this Friday, which is when we're celebrating Pi Day. Which will be my next post. :)<br />
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<br />Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01726596303618909621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1535791019456168997.post-43135597736806180522012-03-02T08:03:00.003-06:002012-03-02T08:03:39.545-06:00The new lives of textbooksI'm about to head off to the math textbook adoption expo, where all the publishers get to persuade us, the teachers, to buy their book. It's a real turning point for us as a system and for the industry. As publishers develop flashier products with more interactive features, apps, online tutors, I'm afraid the content is suffering. With all the other "stuff," the number of actual problems is diminishing to make room for it all. I'd love to compare a sixth grade math book from 1950 to the ones I'll see today and see how many examples there are for each lesson, how many practice problems, and how many lessons in the book. I bet I can guess how they'd compare.<br />
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Keeping my fingers crossed I can find a book that has:<br />
1. Clear examples that correlate with the homework problems<br />
2. Plenty of practice problems that get progressively more complex<br />
3. Useful supplemental materials<br />
4. Online access (across the board, this is what my students' parents want without exception. They didn't agree on the rest)<br />
5. A student book that doesn't weight 10 pounds!<br />
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Wish me luck!Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01726596303618909621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1535791019456168997.post-28473134127127061612012-02-26T19:04:00.000-06:002012-02-26T19:20:39.865-06:00Kiddo Cubby<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It is my fervent belief that every kid needs a fort. I remember growing up, some of the most fun we had was tearing apart the living room, fashioning grand creations out of blankets, couch cushions, the coffee table, etc. I saw this great idea on Pinterest:</div>
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I thought I could easily adapt this for my little one's bedroom with little cost. I was right! Luckily my mom is one trip to Joann's short of being on hoarder's, so I raided her stash of fabric instead of spending my own money. The old shower curtain I had wasn't adjustable to a short enough length, but she had an extra one of those too.<br />
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We moved a bookcase from one side of her crib to the other, opening up this space. I purchased the foam floor squares from Sam's a while ago (grr for the impulse buy), but we hadn't really had a place to use them yet. The play kitchen got moved up from our living room, which was beginning to look less like a space for entertaining and more like a daycare facility.</div>
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I added a pillow for comfort and a canvas crate for books and toys:</div>
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I adjusted the tension rod to about 4 feet wide. The curtains are about 32 inches long. The flannel fabric is standard 42" wide and we had 2 yards, so 1 yard for each panel. We just did a simple roll hem on all four sides, then a 3 inch casing at the top. In the original blog, they made a full cube out of PVC pipe and used bed linens to fully encase the nook, but I didn't think all that was necessary. Maybe once she gets older I'll put a top on it, but I'll probably just use another tension rod along the back and use that to make a more tent-like atmosphere. I probably shouldn't add that my husband was all for putting up a white picket "fence" (i.e. cage) instead of the curtain.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiCYNS4LZ67i77yfCzB5RkRetCvDjdxPKP8qeG3W_X3IaEGa2k_pdYBfO4TnEczaALbXpFAHPBOjBHnHim_YCLXW32I9ZI1v9fILjDbGkSO3iSEUHUFGcgg4cJWsGIGjR-EKiv_K2tbug/s1600/199706564695784659_CqjMk5hL_f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a>It feels good to be among the living again and working on Pinterest projects!</div>Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01726596303618909621noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1535791019456168997.post-25050406278505665522012-02-26T18:06:00.000-06:002012-02-26T18:06:05.451-06:00Hello?!? Is anyone home?I know all my fervent followers (ahem) have been wondering where I've been all week. Well apparently the 1940s were as hard on me as my students. I wasn't feeling well toward the end of the Great Ration Experiment and over the holiday weekend, I spent 90% of my free time in bed. By Monday, I absolutely had to go to the doctor. Turns out I had pink eye, strep throat, an ear infection, and a sinus infection. Thank you, daycare.<br />
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My students are currently working on their self-reflections. I'm looking forward to reading their interpretation of the week's events and will share with you, my loyal readers, what they have to say.<br />
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I am pleased that other teachers have contacted me wanting to know more about our little project. Anyone who knows me well knows that I love to bounce ideas off others and especially appreciate when other dedicated teachers help me do my job better.<br />
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Keep Calm and Carry On!<br />
<br />Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01726596303618909621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1535791019456168997.post-35459075440306484422012-02-13T20:46:00.003-06:002012-03-09T19:39:46.249-06:00The Great Ration Experiment<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Day One</span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I had a few last minute tasks to complete before the kids arrived this morning. One was taping "Family" signs down on the floor. I have seven groups, so I looked up the top seven surnames of the decade (Smith, Jones, Williams, Johnson, Davis, Brown, Miller) as determined by the US Census. It was mostly a symbolic gesture, but I thought it would help them feel more connected as a family unit.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I had carline duty this morning, which didn't help me to feel calm and settled. I was adequately prepared, but something about running from one end of the school to the other just didn't help my mood. I needed to feel ready to conquer the chaos, or at least deal with it, and I didn't feel that way. I am VERY OCD, so this whole thing is really pushing my comfort zone.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">Side note: I was really disappointed none of my coworkers recognized my costume.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The kids quickly realized something was amiss when they were directed to ONLY bring in their planner and ONE pencil or pen. The planner was a gimme because we record everything in there. Not just assignments, but their discipline log, bathroom passes, etc. I didn't want them thinking they got a free pass on all that this week just because of our little experiment. The pencil was because they needed something to write their assignments down. More on the pencil later.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Getting them to follow those simple instructions was a monumental task. No, you can't bring a book. No, you can't bring your phone or iPod. No, you can't bring two pencils. No, you can't bring boots AND shoes. ONLY your planner. ONLY one pencil. *sigh*</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We got everyone settled into family units and I explained the task. I asked them to observe the sparse room and new artwork on the walls and think of one word that could describe it. I heard scarcity (good!), Great Depression, war, propaganda, and yes, ration.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I showed them my authentic ration books and explained how they would each get their own, and how it would be their ticket to everything they would need that week. We discussed sharing between family members and bartering between families. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It was interesting to see the individual versus group dynamic. I had some students immediately come to me wanting to buy a locker or backpack or chair, all "expensive" items. I asked them if they had discussed it with their families first. Emphatic no. But they bought them anyway. In other families, they pooled all their ration stamps together and didn't pay attention to whose ration book it was. I'm REALLY interested to see what happens in those families when the person who used up all his stamps first, for the sake of the family of course, needs something for his own on Thursday. Will one of his family members buy it for him? What if they don't? Remains to be seen. :)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I saw those who caught onto the black market quickly. We use a certain template to do vocabulary words. I purposely assigned work this week that requires them. I had a boy very quickly try to buy all of my vocab sheets so he could resell them at 5 times their face value. I had already explained that those dealing in the black market would be dealt with most harshly- a loss of all rations and jail time (detention). But it's still encouraging to see them "get" the system so quickly.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I had some hoard their stamps compulsively, and discuss possible purchasing options several times before buying anything, and even then you could tell it was painful for them to part with their stamps. I had a couple spend all their stamps already. One realized as he was about to leave that he hadn't purchased a reading textbook and he had homework. But he already used all his stamps. Oops.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Note to self- I priced items in products of 5 because that's how we think. However, the ration books are 4 stamps across, making 5s inconvenient. Next time, do products of four.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Not everything could be planned. The kids asked great questions which led me to refine my ideas. In my second block they wanted to define their home space a little better. I told them they could have 16 square feet of space. See that math tie-in there? But I have to admit, it made my control freak self feel a little better. They also asked if they could "carpool" to the bathroom to ration their gas stamps better. Not usually allowed, but I liked their thinking, so I'm bending the bathroom rules this week.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So far, the parent feedback I've gotten has been really positive, but isn't it ridiculous that I'm worried? I'm just sure someone is going to demand that their child have all their stuff with no hardship because that's just not fair. It's sad, but that's the society we live in. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(Let me go check work email and get back to you on that.)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Just one voicemail (Just from someone who was sick today and her mom wants her to come in early to get caught up. She's heard about the project and is super excited!) and one email from a mom who wondered if I had sent anything home to explain it. I didn't. Maybe a parent letter would have been a good idea. Hindsight...</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And one last note, you may wonder what I'm rationing this week to show solidarity with my students. I am not using my SMARTBoard at all to teach. This is a first for me. But I know...</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">WE CAN DO IT!</span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Day Two</span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">E.X.H.A.U.S.T.E.D.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I can't even really explain why I'm so tired, but this experiment is wearing me out. Or wearing me down, I'm not sure which. My best hypothesis is the more cat wrangling I have to do in a day, the more tired I am at the end, and this has been the most cat-wrangliest day ever!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If the word of the day Monday was "Buyers' Remorse" than the word of the day Tuesday was "frugality."</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I did email the parents last night before I went to bed and I must say, the feedback I've gotten so far has been 100% positive, even from the parents of the kids who are absolutely freaking out about the whole thing. But in the email, I told them my goal is to get the kids to waste less, appreciate more, and develop camaraderie with their classmates.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Today, a glimmer of hope.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">First, no one bought a desk yesterday. That was the single most purchased item today. Before, I would hear constant bickering about one person spreading their stuff all over everyone's desks. Four people couldn't share four desks without fighting. Today, four kids successfully shared one desk with nary a peep in complaint.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I have always been so frustrated with what little regard is given to the school supplies I purchase for my classroom. We live in a community where the majority of kids can buy their own supplies, but there's always stuff I furnish, like specific graph paper or poster board for certain projects, colored pencils, scissors, staplers, etc. Whenever a class leaves my room, I have to pick up dozens of pencils, bits of paper, textbooks, MY books, and whatever else is left behind. And if someone asks to borrow a hole-punch, calculator, ruler, or what have you, that will be left wherever it was used last. FRUSTRATES me to no end. Even if I can track down the culprit, I get an exaggerated sigh and eye-roll. There goes that crazy lady again, fussing about some stupid stapler. THE STAPLER I PAID $15 OF MY OWN MONEY FOR! DO YOU UNDERSTAND I COULD HAVE BOUGHT A MARGARITA WITH THAT $15? TWO, EVEN! (Ok, I don't sound <i>exactly </i>like that, but pretty close.)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And TISSUES. DON'T get me started on tissues or paper towels. They grab three tissues, barely wipe their nose, and in the trash it goes. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But today, hope.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Glimmer #1</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For Valentine's Day, I bought cutesy pencils for everyone. At the beginning of the year I bought math pencils for all my classes. Later that day, I found several on the floor, in desks, the hall, wherever. I maybe saw five in use after the first day. Well today, they hoarded those Valentine's pencils like they were gold. Some got bartered, but I was okay with that. It was an acknowledgement of their value.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Glimmer #2</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">One of my worst offenders (as far as lack of respect for my materials goes) gave me a good laugh. He was in another teacher's room, but I happened to be standing near my doorway when he made a find. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"LOOK!" he called excitedly from across the hall. "Someone left this brand new piece of graph paper on the floor! And it's just a little crumpled!" he said as he tried to smooth it out. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"What wonderful luck!" I grinned.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Glimmer #3</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I had one student with a runny nose. I felt pity for him and gave him an individual packet of Kleenex without charging him for it. He asked if he could bring a handkerchief tomorrow. A HANDKERCHIEF! My dad uses a handkerchief! My grandpa uses a handkerchief!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Logistics lesson. I haven't properly explained how I'm keeping track of who bought what. I am employing stickers and "receipts" for all purchased items. Pencils, rulers and the like get a sticker. Textbooks or other items that I don't want stickers on get a receipt, just a post-it note with a stamp and description of the item purchased. Some of the other teachers are having fun asking them for proof of purchase for everything they have. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My Math Team gets in on the action. I told them they'd have to buy a copy of the practice test, or they could just work the problems off the board. Yes, the SMARTBoard, but that's the first time I've used it this week!</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In closing, here are some words from the parents about the conversations they're having with their kids at home. IMHO, this is of VITAL importance to the project:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">On a personal note, it has provided some discussion fodder for why [name omitted] </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">grandparents are the way they are. I think Morris Massey said "who you </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">are is what you were, when". It's so true, and provides some rationale </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">why my parents did certain things. They are "savers" from this period, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">and these tendencies can go haywire, like hoarding. I recall stories of </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">my dad going to the grocery with his mom to get their 1 pound of coffee </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">or sugar for the month cause they just got their stamp to be able to buy </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">them. Or making 1 can of tuna spread across a family of five (yes, we </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><i>ate cream tuna on toast as a child, too, because of their upbringing)</i>. (side note- I made creamed tuna for the class during our Great Depression unit) </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>[Name omitted] started talking about the experiment the moment he walked in the door this evening. He said it's, "going to be a hard week since I'm out of money." [He] is definitely learning what "black market" means :) He was somewhat apprehensive this evening when he had to get lined paper from his room to do his language homework, and he assured me that he plans to tell you about it tomorrow since he "has no money to purchase paper"...one hardship that has already risen :) I guess having a place to sit (he told me that he purchased a chair) is more important than purchasing paper! Not only is he learning about resourcefulness, he is learning a nice lesson in prioritizing too! </i></span><br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This was certainly an interesting topic of discussion last night at our dinner table. [Name omitted] came home and shared all the details of his first day's experience. I also have a teenager so it was that much more interesting to hear him come up with ways to try to "beat the system". In any case, I think this is a wonderful idea. This is a great way to teach the children about the hardships our parents/grandparents had to endure and the challenges we faced as a nation. </span></i><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Day Three</span></b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Fatigue is setting in. I could definitely tell I'm breaking their spirit. But totally in a good way. They thought sitting on the floor all week was going to be so cool, but now it's just cold, hard, and uncomfortable.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The word of the day is "appreciate." I think they are definitely starting to appreciate how good they have it. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Notice the different ways they're getting around sitting directly on the floor? I got a chuckle out of the guy sitting ON his History book.</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Everyone has pretty much come to the conclusion that they can't do this on their own. They have to share if they're going to make it through the week. Gas stamps are starting to come in short supply. No longer does anyone dawdle in the room when we leave to go to PE or lunch, because if they miss the "bus" they have to pay with their own stamps. But I also see kids paying others' way when they have extra. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I have one student in particular who reads voraciously. She had already bought two books to read this week, then tried to buy a third. Her family went CRAZY, telling her she didn't need it. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"But I do need it," she whined. "I have nothing left to read!"</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"You don't need it! We NEED paper. You can read one of the books we already own!" argued a family member.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I think our next project will be learning to budget and manage expenses. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">His mom reads the blog, so I thought I'd throw this in here. :)</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">One. more. day.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><strong>Day Four</strong></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'm standing in carline this morning, in the rain, when one of my students gets dropped off. His mom waves me over. As he's getting out, she said he's really glad it's finally Thursday, as he's been out of stamps since Monday. He grins sheeplishly and proceeds to drop his math homework, on half a sheet of paper I might add, in a puddle. The look of horror! His mom and I both got a laugh at his expense.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">One of my groups that's been sharing a desk since Tuesday had a falling out, arguing over whether the desk belonged to all four of them, or to the one person whose book was used to buy it. You can guess who was aruging that point of view. The group won out over the individual, but they asked me when they got all their desks back. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Tuesday," I said (Monday is a federal holiday). </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Oh good," she replied. "A week is too much time to spend with these people/"</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Thought for today, "I'm so glad it's finally Thursday!"</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If I had a ration stamp for every time I've heard that today, we wouldn't have a problem buying what we need.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I pulled everything out of the store this morning, so they have to make do with what they already have. They're definitely learning to share!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I did a debriefing at the end of each class. We talked about what kinds of things they learned. I was glad several of them said they had a better appreciation of how hard it must have been to live during that time period. Several said they understand why their parents fuss at them about saving money or being wasteful, or not appreciating how much they have. They all said they're sick of their "families" and can't wait to get new groups!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I would like to think they will be more respectful in the future and not so wasteful, but that seems foolishly optimistic. At least I know what to threaten them with if they forget!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">One happy class</span></td></tr>
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<br />Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01726596303618909621noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1535791019456168997.post-34570901905832895152012-02-12T20:12:00.001-06:002012-02-12T20:12:14.234-06:00Baby Trail MixMy 9-month-old daughter's school doesn't celebrate Valentine's Day. "Friendship Week" is somehow more politically correct I guess? So her class doesn't swap Valentines (too bad I had already made the <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/44613852528396749/" target="_blank">mailboxes</a> before I found that out), instead they'll do a snack swap on Friday.<br />
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Favorite snack? She's a baby! She eats puffs!?!<br />
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I send in canisters of puffs all the time, so it felt kind of lame doing that for a special occasion. Instead, I created a baby trail mix of some of her favorite finger foods.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0B4ZFHFlDUKB7p7wnOdmm2DbT8ql5mRsrYG93Iq9auTCsrw51yG1qqIxUkjbZa5NpN4RmMDPUfq2TpcZOim5bAKLTW88qwAskgCjXhXznkh-RnZF4DdxxBH7nO5zTeTqc11x1rIYQ8g/s1600/IMG_1717.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0B4ZFHFlDUKB7p7wnOdmm2DbT8ql5mRsrYG93Iq9auTCsrw51yG1qqIxUkjbZa5NpN4RmMDPUfq2TpcZOim5bAKLTW88qwAskgCjXhXznkh-RnZF4DdxxBH7nO5zTeTqc11x1rIYQ8g/s320/IMG_1717.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6mCod1tU806eK0imah5WEYU-HrTdejUt-AnPg7N7SC7215lCRHX3g7BNGS5r6kd6ki6sR3BT0fv3hvOfwrc9TNCabkACMMQdoq6Pv3IxCekSoxtLax4CICoJe12pTDvNNzgnaYboq7xo/s1600/IMG_1718.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6mCod1tU806eK0imah5WEYU-HrTdejUt-AnPg7N7SC7215lCRHX3g7BNGS5r6kd6ki6sR3BT0fv3hvOfwrc9TNCabkACMMQdoq6Pv3IxCekSoxtLax4CICoJe12pTDvNNzgnaYboq7xo/s320/IMG_1718.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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"Recipe"</div>
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1 cup "yellow box" Cheerios</div>
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1 cup chocolate Cheerios</div>
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1 cup puffs</div>
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1/2 cup yogurt melts</div>
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This made just enough to fit into my empty puffs container!</div>
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So tell me, what would your little darling enjoy in his or her trail mix?</div>
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<br />Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01726596303618909621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1535791019456168997.post-19606933366278128912012-02-12T19:53:00.000-06:002012-02-14T19:37:59.146-06:00Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do, or Do without!We just finished studying the Great Depression and are starting my favorite time period in history, World War II, tomorrow. I'm not sure what it is about this time period in world history that intrigues so many people. I know I'm drawn to the stories of individuals, just ordinary people who fought oppression, hatred, and evil. <i>The Greatest Generation</i> by Tom Brokaw is a wonderful compilation of many of those stories. I need to take that in and share it with my students.<br />
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Anyway, the kids have a short week this week because Friday is a teacher work day. I decided to seize the chance to maybe give them a glimpse into what scarcity really was like. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Propaganda Posters are a lesson by themselves.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhESOHlctKGr-GM0xpHF3DuIqThV3RgfmzqxLNVRo_blMOAkG8BpNSOoaSEOqeWf7qX5mul6pLhm6sPIoxU7s7r6ca6j8fp-Amokk3zaZF1zaZ_d_Bnhih_zh0jFuOlcWhFzghNk0b8kv4/s1600/IMG_1720.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhESOHlctKGr-GM0xpHF3DuIqThV3RgfmzqxLNVRo_blMOAkG8BpNSOoaSEOqeWf7qX5mul6pLhm6sPIoxU7s7r6ca6j8fp-Amokk3zaZF1zaZ_d_Bnhih_zh0jFuOlcWhFzghNk0b8kv4/s320/IMG_1720.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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My buddy Nelson actually gave me this idea. I emailed him and asked him how exactly he worked the simulation, but he basically just laughed at me and implied he made it up as he went along. </div>
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I could have done that on my own. I started brainstorming with my dream team colleagues last week. Luckily for me, they're really supportive and are all for playing along, even if it inconveniences them this week.</div>
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Step one: Remove all desks and chairs, stacking them wherever you can find space. (Hilarious side note- we have, like, NO janitorial staff, so one class is awarded a trophy each afternoon for leaving the room neat and tidy. Guess who won on Friday? :) )</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrMrYrnZT3Ty4RjfFELbtWfk5ui_RUC9ctxHCsBESTABeLmVxNO2JffeWBkcFHtPlYP8EKgtNjK-7gRFttTdanqwtapLqK0VDk3ytK4pItMjhA-LNkfPL5JcRuHJNfEfJD_wEtd1x40eI/s1600/IMG_1707.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrMrYrnZT3Ty4RjfFELbtWfk5ui_RUC9ctxHCsBESTABeLmVxNO2JffeWBkcFHtPlYP8EKgtNjK-7gRFttTdanqwtapLqK0VDk3ytK4pItMjhA-LNkfPL5JcRuHJNfEfJD_wEtd1x40eI/s320/IMG_1707.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Step two: Move all consumables out of reach of students. I have a little cubby hole area in my room that I placed my desk in front of to block the possible black market dealers.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC8VqvG9Yabe6LKEf_s_4HHDwYjnU2fC-zO9Dzi9-ZMfAoC-dW-OILkDfQ2ZiZ0HlzeuV-Zk6xsScQRsf_XMg8ta6sxp30xnt4locxc1uXnjYj93c_okXw4t-ns6HJIFZMSQGC3csbA84/s1600/IMG_1721.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC8VqvG9Yabe6LKEf_s_4HHDwYjnU2fC-zO9Dzi9-ZMfAoC-dW-OILkDfQ2ZiZ0HlzeuV-Zk6xsScQRsf_XMg8ta6sxp30xnt4locxc1uXnjYj93c_okXw4t-ns6HJIFZMSQGC3csbA84/s320/IMG_1721.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Step three: Establish your general goods store and determine prices. In four days, my students will get two pages of ration stamps, 48 per page. I set the prices high purposely so they will have to be smart in their decision-making. I also have limited how many of each item I will have available each day. For example, for my first block I have 7 groups of four (each will be considered a "family" for the purposes of this simulation) but I only have 10 pencils available. I also planned activities during the course of the week that require certain items, like scissors, rulers, or calculators, that will force them to NEED the things I have for sale. Quite the opportunist, aren't I?</div>
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Step four: Create your ration booklets. I am incredibly lucky- I actually possess two ration booklets that belonged to my Great Grandfather. (Strangely, I discovered you can buy them on eBay if you really want an authentic artifact.) Print them at 4x6 inches and staple. I did a front, two pages of stamps, one page of gas rations (they must use one every time they want to go anywhere, like the library or bathroom. heehee) and then the back, which has the instructions.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikrd0wTyPBz8nTLoqZnljBCZmscs9AJeleFysEZYWgP2mTJuA0ynFnCwgJT5Dl_Zf18Fb-0PuNSLc1GBEwkLUTqR305JBC6PF4gN8ZfblAKDh5zSyt-AEPV4rAOisYiub-BcvxJ6qH3hg/s1600/!CFHMORgCGk~$(KGrHqR,!iwE1MJ6kGIuBNUE0u(Rfw~~_3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikrd0wTyPBz8nTLoqZnljBCZmscs9AJeleFysEZYWgP2mTJuA0ynFnCwgJT5Dl_Zf18Fb-0PuNSLc1GBEwkLUTqR305JBC6PF4gN8ZfblAKDh5zSyt-AEPV4rAOisYiub-BcvxJ6qH3hg/s320/!CFHMORgCGk~$(KGrHqR,!iwE1MJ6kGIuBNUE0u(Rfw~~_3.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Step five: Let's see how the kids react tomorrow. :) I'll continue to journal the logistics. I've put a lot more thought into it than I have listed here, but it makes more sense to talk about it chronologically.</div>
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<i>(Go check out my "Great Ration Experiment" post for the day-to-day journal of how it worked)</i></div>
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<br /></div>Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01726596303618909621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1535791019456168997.post-26147986626149333662012-02-06T21:09:00.000-06:002012-02-06T21:09:05.864-06:00Copycat Smart Ones recipesIn my quest to be healthier, I've done a pretty good job of cutting processed foods out of my diet- EXCEPT for Smart Ones. If I have a beef with Weight Watchers, it's that the foods with their logo on it are some of the worst processed foods on the shelves! Yes, they're low points, but at what cost? The reason I buy them is because I like to spend ZERO time in the morning packing my lunch.<br />
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But I know I could do better.<br />
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I am going to take my favorite Smart Ones meals and make them freezer meals so that I still have the convenience that I love, but much healthier. As an added bonus, right now I can't use them doing Simply Filling, but if I make my own, substituting the less appealing choices with better ones (such as brown rice instead of white), I don't have to count them toward my weekly points!<br />
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Take one, Santa Fe Style Rice and Beans. LOVE it. Eat it at least twice a week. I get fresh lettuce and tomato from the school cafeteria (I may be a school lunch critic, but they have a lovely salad bar) and bulk up the meal without bulking up the points.<br />
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Here's a<a href="http://my-extraordinary-life.blogspot.com/2010/10/lean-cuisine-santa-fe-style-rice-and"> copycat recipe </a>I found at the <i>Extraordinary Life </i>blog, with some changes I made and points included.<br />
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<b>S<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">anta Fe Rice and Beans</span></b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Ingredients:</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">^ 2 cups brown rice, uncooked (32 points)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">*4 cups Water</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">^ 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce (0 points)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">^1/2 cup salsa (usually 0 points, avoid fruity salsas with added sugar)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">*2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix (see Pin <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/44613852528366473/" target="_blank">here</a>)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">^ 1 can black beans, rinsed (4 points)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">^ 1 can kidney beans, rinsed (5 points)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">^ 1 can corn (4 points)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">*1 teaspoon salt</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">* pepper to taste</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">To serve- optional:</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">^ 1/2 cup fat-free grated cheese (2 points)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;">^ 1/2 cup fat-free sour cream (2 points)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><i>*seasonings are typically 0 points, as is water</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">^ </span><i style="line-height: 18px;">indicates a Power Food </i></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><i><br /></i>Directions:</span></span></span><br />
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<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: initial; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Combine all of the ingredients (except dairy) in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.</span></li>
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low. </span></li>
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Cover and cook on low, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes.</span></li>
<li style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-color: rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.496094); border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Optional- Add cheese and sour cream and mix well.</span></li>
</ul>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Serve immediately or from the freezer, reheating in the microwave, atop a bed of romaine lettuce and diced tomatoes if desired.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Total points for this recipe- 49 (with dairy), divided into seven servings is just 7 points a serving, one point less than the Smart Ones meal! </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01726596303618909621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1535791019456168997.post-3262366696829834252012-02-06T19:25:00.003-06:002012-02-06T19:25:36.887-06:00Busted!I went to Weight Watchers confessional today. I admitted that since I started doing Simply Filling six weeks ago, I haven't tracked a thing. Since this week's theme was all about tracking, it seems like a good time to reinstate good habits.<br />
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I love how Lisa, our leader, keeps us motivated through her positive energy. This week she introduced the "Magic Tracker" (it's magic because if you use it, you lose weight. Ha!). One person per week will use it and report back the next Monday. I was nominated/volunteered to go first. I thought I was just volunteering to track for a day, not the whole week, but I need the kick in my rather large butt anyway. You may not know this about me, but I'm a tad bit competitive, so give me a task and I will complete it to a T.<br />
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I went back and tracked what I ate today. Pretty easy since I generally eat pretty much the same thing at work every day. Breakfast sandwich (Jimmy Dean's turkey sausage with egg white on whole wheat English muffin) this morning, Black cherry jello for a snack, Sante Fe rice and beans with lettuce and tomato on top, with a side carrots with roasted red pepper hummus for lunch.<br />
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Dinner. *sigh*<br />
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I had nothing planned, so I checked my stockpiles and decided to make a light stroganoff. I did a side of steamed baby carrots ($0.49 for a 2-lb bag at Aldi's. I'm STILL excited about that!) and leftover pineapple (in its own juice, no syrup!).<br />
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Here's my stroganoff recipe:<br />
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Cook 2 cups noodles according to package directions (I had something brown on hand. They look like egg noodles, but they must be whole grain. What did I buy?!?) while preparing stroganoff.<br />
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Brown about 1 pound ground turkey and drain any excess fat (if you have the extra lean like I did, you may not have any fat to drain.) Alternatively, you may use Boca crumbles to keep the points value low.<br />
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Add one can cream of mushroom soup and one cup of skim milk. Heat through.<br />
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When noodles are done, add to the mixture and stir thoroughly.<br />
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Stir in 1/2 cup light or fat free sour cream.<br />
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Four servings, 9 points each.<br />
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SUPER easy, less than 20 minutes from idea to table. I got my food mill out and mushed some up for Squirt. She LOVED it, had seconds and ate half the carrots off my plate too!<br />
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I used my juvenile divided plate (Have you seen it? Great idea if I do say so myself!) to keep my portions under control and made sure to fill up on the carrots and pineapple rather than go back for the creamy stroganoff.<br />
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At the end of the day, I have four points left over (I get 29 points a day) plus I took a walk with the family after work (2 Activity Points) and did the elliptical after dinner (2 more Activity Points).<br />
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And yes, I tracked it all.<br />
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Day 1 - Success<br />
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Thought for the Day: "You're not a dog- don't reward yourself with food."<br />
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I'm rewarding myself with a bubble bath. And perhaps a glass of wine. After all, I still have points left.Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01726596303618909621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1535791019456168997.post-46621752709464209992012-02-04T20:03:00.001-06:002012-02-04T20:03:12.111-06:00Hand and Heart<div style="text-align: left;">
Squirt's school is having Teacher Appreciation Week soon and requested artwork from each of the students. Her first response when given a crayon is generally to eat it, and I really don't think Crayola poop is what they had in mind.</div>
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I came across a <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/44613852528489179/" target="_blank">very cute pin</a> recently and thought, aha!, as soon as I saw it. I knew I could replicate this very easily and it would suffice. As a teacher, I know that my favorite gifts from students are cards and letters. As a preschool teacher, I'm sure anything with the babies' handprints on it is cherished.</div>
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The first step was to trace her arm. Easier said than done, but I got a good enough outline to make it work. I made the mistake of tracing it on regular paper. Don't do that. Trace it on card stock, which will come in handy later.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuBeCtpFHHZGz9zdyvStLiYh5b-5D-I2KTuKo9-LIUd2RNNR4-IGo8orgGy2ccuqND9VjW5jYZDajWia2wrTBp-GyYZiBKcMHo3QvbXQn8JtLh_7SfjFm8WpjI_Fc5aR8ZDfp_GqqQdZg/s1600/IMG_4537.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuBeCtpFHHZGz9zdyvStLiYh5b-5D-I2KTuKo9-LIUd2RNNR4-IGo8orgGy2ccuqND9VjW5jYZDajWia2wrTBp-GyYZiBKcMHo3QvbXQn8JtLh_7SfjFm8WpjI_Fc5aR8ZDfp_GqqQdZg/s320/IMG_4537.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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The next step is to wait for nap time, because you can't get anything done when you have to stop every three seconds to say "stop chewing on the electrical cords."</div>
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Nap time has arrived.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi13K6p8Y3TQTS6xYyi6ezU89O5-2aqfhgM3uxgQudXY8Fxr8c2jpEqen4UNoeLA9H8n-Kq1FxVEHasJpasg-JbaVX5n6Bi3JNPMMsv10FvgEKjmp5nJSC612EfdwQLufQEB-va6y1wfyA/s1600/IMG_4543.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi13K6p8Y3TQTS6xYyi6ezU89O5-2aqfhgM3uxgQudXY8Fxr8c2jpEqen4UNoeLA9H8n-Kq1FxVEHasJpasg-JbaVX5n6Bi3JNPMMsv10FvgEKjmp5nJSC612EfdwQLufQEB-va6y1wfyA/s320/IMG_4543.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I may hold your hand for but a moment, but I'll hold you in my heart forever." Cute, right?<br />
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My next step and your next step will be different. I realized later on, while cutting and cutting and cutting red hearts, that I wanted some sort of cute poem on it. This was after I had already layered the paper. I had to take it apart so I could send just one sheet of paper through the printer. Well, actually I tried sending both sheets through the printer and was very lucky I didn't break the thing. The grass didn't feed through, but didn't jam the feed mechanism. That would have been hard to explain to tech support!</div>
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I wanted to do a more literal interpretation of an outdoorsy scene, so I went through my scrapbooking paper looking for just blue and green. I was surprised to find I actually had paper that looked like grass and clouds! I didn't have enough clouds for eight (4 teachers, plus extras for the other staff members), but I had other blues that would do. In the end, I liked the abstract blues better. The grass was pretty cute though. They requested that the end artwork be no larger than 8.5 x 11, so I cut down the scrapbooking paper to fit. The grass is 4 x 8.5, following the photography rule of thirds. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgihZB62YihLz64xF-cPMsEgNoC4vdxaV8Q4dzm-ArlJII9tEHnrghs2eJCT66vy-F4iP6_Sl2H5unSGDT_6o1FE_lNb_1X9xsAaOO6w7GhpZw4NrvLkNUFXkXLLxfrrYqZw7KV_USVp9c/s1600/IMG_4541.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgihZB62YihLz64xF-cPMsEgNoC4vdxaV8Q4dzm-ArlJII9tEHnrghs2eJCT66vy-F4iP6_Sl2H5unSGDT_6o1FE_lNb_1X9xsAaOO6w7GhpZw4NrvLkNUFXkXLLxfrrYqZw7KV_USVp9c/s320/IMG_4541.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Next I got some old magazines and tore out pages with browns for the arm (tree trunk) and reds for the hearts. I ended up needing more than I thought I would, so tear out plenty the first time around.<span id="goog_1052451127"></span><span id="goog_1052451128"></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhswBcSxNzPxROoV1zxlH7gQ7a3EVaP2o3B-h-ZgMetKfd4xhROjfYt524USsZsxh0UGv5aUVgriYSGOUWPDOMEF4Q03TyzO2cCB8FOQh3ZrWXqKtJV5wYocjY3TwM5Zj4mrjqjJ-6_5cg/s1600/IMG_4538.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhswBcSxNzPxROoV1zxlH7gQ7a3EVaP2o3B-h-ZgMetKfd4xhROjfYt524USsZsxh0UGv5aUVgriYSGOUWPDOMEF4Q03TyzO2cCB8FOQh3ZrWXqKtJV5wYocjY3TwM5Zj4mrjqjJ-6_5cg/s320/IMG_4538.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now you will need to use your arm template to cut out tree trunks. I used the negative space so I could see what I was cutting out. As you see, I did the same thing with heart shapes, but I figured out pretty quickly that it was much easier to simply cut the hearts out of the red much like we did in elementary school- fold along the line of symmetry and cut. I was able to utilize more red space and they had cleaner edges.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM0PiyxIsfY9QvjTEcCp_AzumPiY4J8kqZcR7AhU223w8mQPFXuJkRP-LhQzcyG9vM__V1J8vWgotPvk8hLIpHa8RVJVTBq6LE9ZMz4xf1_Og1EYd9MhWZP4jjw3ox_b1U5xNapGH6iUI/s1600/IMG_4539.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM0PiyxIsfY9QvjTEcCp_AzumPiY4J8kqZcR7AhU223w8mQPFXuJkRP-LhQzcyG9vM__V1J8vWgotPvk8hLIpHa8RVJVTBq6LE9ZMz4xf1_Og1EYd9MhWZP4jjw3ox_b1U5xNapGH6iUI/s320/IMG_4539.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Forget the heart cut-outs. Save time and improvise!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkw_cGMyief6DgLoSGuX4BNX624jnmjGIluOWNI7u6F4X0Y8ZbtbxROEBQlFzshSf9kfAXNIbI9DyoBXrtxHxh-GYPfelSxRccXDIO-0ZnH1JF5_mD9PbMMrS1XnLtHO-JfMycdVAClKU/s1600/IMG_4540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkw_cGMyief6DgLoSGuX4BNX624jnmjGIluOWNI7u6F4X0Y8ZbtbxROEBQlFzshSf9kfAXNIbI9DyoBXrtxHxh-GYPfelSxRccXDIO-0ZnH1JF5_mD9PbMMrS1XnLtHO-JfMycdVAClKU/s320/IMG_4540.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I used a small piece of scotch tape to help keep the template from shifting.</td></tr>
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I ended up using mod podge to glue everything down because magazine print is hard to work with. If you choose to use scrapbooking paper (which I seriously considered halfway through - it's not a bad idea) you could probably use a glue stick. Still, if you're not going to frame or laminate the final product, mod podge is the way to go.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Lhyphenhyphen0yplnSWSNyz-JfgX2vBChoqHF33jxQgFYklH0omyrpC80LnZ_qmuRBapTJMhwo3FYB0qUDr-9vP_IhBNZl5wsu0BhWAHvXC2CEvTn0XbT4ApeSzdZrj1Z3wZXi2H8bhCVZH7Ax9A/s1600/IMG_4547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Lhyphenhyphen0yplnSWSNyz-JfgX2vBChoqHF33jxQgFYklH0omyrpC80LnZ_qmuRBapTJMhwo3FYB0qUDr-9vP_IhBNZl5wsu0BhWAHvXC2CEvTn0XbT4ApeSzdZrj1Z3wZXi2H8bhCVZH7Ax9A/s320/IMG_4547.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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Working with the hearts was trial and error as well. What I finally decided worked the best is to have a large pile of hearts ready to go, put a thin layer of mod podge down, quickly place your hearts, then another thin layer on top of everything. Later, I went back and cut smaller hearts to fill in the gaps as needed. Lay flat to dry, and count on at least one hour to get fully dry. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5RYRpvFUzLQ_g6_tc4kW3Rm07gg2B75rtROw465SZKx2geM4flan67rj3RnAjD6GQEJfqmJFeShs2U84IfirSy6C_BZ4Mun2HmV8m0OoQ8AxPcQ-7LHm0Rp8RqBO0Sa2vyJORamhQpZY/s1600/IMG_4545.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5RYRpvFUzLQ_g6_tc4kW3Rm07gg2B75rtROw465SZKx2geM4flan67rj3RnAjD6GQEJfqmJFeShs2U84IfirSy6C_BZ4Mun2HmV8m0OoQ8AxPcQ-7LHm0Rp8RqBO0Sa2vyJORamhQpZY/s320/IMG_4545.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Look who's up from her nap! Good thing, she needed to "sign" the back. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWdH4Y0juMAQ_VaMBY-6ZQsjvJd5XI4hxWHbxvgu17-tE-zcnHzObwxz2PtbETbB1G5mkg7lf28RTt8Xjw6butp7e1MukFwvHjXJZ53ixRTk9hAV70I7poF10IEGYgRBkaiabhhx4bdos/s1600/IMG_4546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWdH4Y0juMAQ_VaMBY-6ZQsjvJd5XI4hxWHbxvgu17-tE-zcnHzObwxz2PtbETbB1G5mkg7lf28RTt8Xjw6butp7e1MukFwvHjXJZ53ixRTk9hAV70I7poF10IEGYgRBkaiabhhx4bdos/s320/IMG_4546.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> See, crayon in the mouth.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbBDn5Yii1ru0STTpjbxW0gKB65Srw4xVGT0ugMdQhRv-hgJhSIyfi-3ylncHZ0FxpdarsR9ZujjpO4F7JnZXL19ZLtJHlYF54TrQUpyH2g6X6xh3zEUHc7ZrDbOiwlRFndFJe0tOHo3Q/s1600/IMG_4549.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbBDn5Yii1ru0STTpjbxW0gKB65Srw4xVGT0ugMdQhRv-hgJhSIyfi-3ylncHZ0FxpdarsR9ZujjpO4F7JnZXL19ZLtJHlYF54TrQUpyH2g6X6xh3zEUHc7ZrDbOiwlRFndFJe0tOHo3Q/s400/IMG_4549.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Final product! I hope her teachers like them!</span></td></tr>
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<br /></div>Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01726596303618909621noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1535791019456168997.post-3065394188379235842012-02-03T21:51:00.001-06:002012-02-03T21:51:14.909-06:00I made my standard Friday night grocery run after Squirt was in bed tonight. She doesn't really nap at daycare, so she's usually in bed no later than 6:30. Tonight it was 6:00. That may seem like heaven, but it actually makes me sad because I only get to spend a couple hours playing before bedtime.<br />
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Anyway, I digress...<br />
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So, shopping. The sales this week were pretty blah, so I didn't anticipate having a good run. Plus, I needed dog food which always throws off my total. Still, I like to make a night of it because it's generally the only time during the week I have to myself with no one saying, "Mrs. Merrill, Mrs. Merrill, Mrs. Merrill..." or "mamamamamama." I know, I've reached a new low when grocery shopping is relaxing. But it really is! And I love competing with myself to save money.<br />
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I started out at Target, as usual, as went straight to Starbucks, as usual. I had not so much as made it to the freezer section when my latte, completely unprovoked, JUMPED STRAIGHT OUT OF MY CART AND ONTO THE FLOOR.<br />
<br />
Tear.<br />
<br />
I took a deep breath, acknowledged that it was purchased with a gift card from a student (one over $10, but he moved this week, so I'm pretty sure it was ethical to accept it) and went on with my life.<br />
<br />
Scratch that, I'm still upset.<br />
<br />
I should have taken a picture of my cart before I checked out. I didn't have that many items, but they included:<br />
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<ul>
<li>a 33-pound bag of dog food</li>
<li>three large boxes of diapers</li>
<li>a large box of wipes</li>
<li>a jumbo pack of toilet paper</li>
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That's just the big stuff. I had regular groceries too! I was convinced the whole thing would come crashing down before I reached the checkout. After all, that's how my night was going. But I made it all the way to the car sans catastrophe.</div>
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Grand total at Target:</div>
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Spent: $199.72</div>
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Saved: $78.87</div>
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Gift cards for future purchases: $20</div>
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Not bad, considering! The dog food is usually the hardest thing to get a good deal on, but tonight wasn't bad. On a normal run, I get the 20-lb bag of Iams for $17.89, or $0.89 per pound. Tonight, I got the 33-lb bag on sale for $29.99, plus I had a $3 Target coupon and $3 manufacturer coupon, for a total of $0.72 per pound. Win!</div>
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However, my favorite deal was on a pack of Archer Farm coffee. It was regularly priced at $6.89, on clearance for $3.44 (pretty sure it's been there since November, but the expiration date is in July. Probably won't last a week at school), plus I had a $1 Target coupon. Final cost, $2.44! I also got Alexia sweet potato fries (Super Bowl snack) for $1.09.</div>
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Next stop, Publix. My goal at Publix is always to save more than I spend. It's a lot easier to do there than Target. I had to buy formula, so I didn't think that was going to happen. Plus I bought alcohol (Mike's Lite Hard Lemonade was on sale. Like I wasn't going to buy some? I have to have <i>something</i> to drink on Sunday.)</div>
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Grand total at Publix:</div>
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Spent: $78.51</div>
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Saved: 79.30</div>
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Gift cards for future purchases: $10 (I was able to use the $10 off $100 coupon because my total before coupons was over $100)</div>
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My best deal was on a bottle of method baby shampoo. I love method products, and this was marked down from $5.29 to $2.65 and I had a $1.50 coupon! $1.15? Yes, please!</div>
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I also got 8 jars of Beech Nut baby food for $0.70 total (regularly priced $4.40), Ritz munchables for $0.50 a box (regularly priced $3.00), Oikos vanilla Greek yogurt for $0.20 (regularly $1.75 each), and Frizz-Ease styling spray for $1.38 (regularly $5.50).</div>
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So all in all tonight I spent $278.23 and saved $188.17 (including gift cards I'll use later this month). That's a 40% savings! Definitely worth the hour I spent planning.</div>
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If couponing sounds interesting to you, check out local coupon guru Laurie's site at <a href="http://passionatepennypincher.com/">http://passionatepennypincher.com/</a>. You can also coupon with my friends and me at school at 3 p.m. on Thursdays if you're around. Or just ask for help one-on-one. I love talking coupons. :)</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1WIkXcP9RexVv7bFNi-888Ku20NeMuDrFnU1RF4WG6nmlt6_B-VA7UFDhxwBwHKp4TIb1g32-o5GjNH3GHS4lhXmWhAusrL1j3VunieQUQqJMiT2E4Eoe8IflLWzr1-p03DdYclomezA/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1WIkXcP9RexVv7bFNi-888Ku20NeMuDrFnU1RF4WG6nmlt6_B-VA7UFDhxwBwHKp4TIb1g32-o5GjNH3GHS4lhXmWhAusrL1j3VunieQUQqJMiT2E4Eoe8IflLWzr1-p03DdYclomezA/s320/photo.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good deals make me happy. Spilling my coffee does not.</td></tr>
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<br /></div>Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01726596303618909621noreply@blogger.com0