Recital Time is coming

Madison's dance recital is quickly approaching.  Last week at dance we have costume day.  A parent said to me "It goes down hill from here, hold on tight and hope for the best."  It didn't take long before I realized things were going to get crazy.  She has three costumes and I managed to get pictures of two of them.

This is for her Broadway number

Here is her whole class together

This is for her Boogie Man number and the finale.  She is holding a tambourine.

I wasn't able to get a picture of her costume for Hello Dolly.  It is red velvet and really pretty with long red gloves and a hair piece.  You put these girls in frilly little Tu-Tu type costumes and they really get into their dancing.  I still have to work on getting her hair in a bun (and to stay there) and figure out the makeup.  We have pictures next week where she has to be in full costume, hair and makeup.  Then a few more days of dance class before the recitals on April 15th and 16th.

Child Labor

Things have been crazy at our house lately between Greg and I both in school and working.  The kids are busy with homework and school as well.  In order to keep the house somewhat livable we have had to use what some may consider child labor.  If you as Madison she is our slave or on a good day just our Maid.  Actually through all of this we have tried to teach the kids some responsibility.  Usually requests for help are met with "I'm too tired" or "I don't want to" or my favorite "You just interrupted my fun"  Greg usually responds with well them I am too tired to fix you dinner, or then I don't want to save time to play games.  They are finally learning to not complain and just do it because they are going to end up doing it anyway.  Here are some pictures of our child labor.

Madison had gotten lucky the day I took these and hadn't yet finished her homework.

What a busy time

This past week has been so busy.  I started a new field experience placement this week.  I had been placed in a 3-5 year old room at  a daycare and that wasn't really working out so I contacted the field experience office and got placed in a kindergarten room at the Reinbeck elementary.  This placement is going to work out much better.  This week we had to teach a learning activity that incorporated art or science with music, art or social studies.  We also had to do  concept of print assessment, phonological awareness assessment and a phonemic awareness assessment on one of the the students.  So I went into this kindergarten room and taught my lesson without ever having seen the teacher work with the kids or even meeting the kids for that matter.  I read the story Daisy Head Mayzie because it was also Dr. Seuss week to celebrate his birthday.  We then had daisies that we wrote the missing numbers in on the petals of the flower.  The flower got colored and cut out and glued to a head band.  The kids really enjoyed it.  I then worked with one of them to do the assessments and it went great. 

Normally I only work three hours a day in the afternoon.  This week I got a call on Monday morning and the full time associate was out sick and I needed to sub.  It was a little after 7 when the call come in and I was in my pajamas in the kitchen just finishing up packing lunches for the day.  I was dressed and ready to go out the door by 7:45 because I needed to drop Jonathan off at the school in Gladbrook so I could drop Andrew off at extended learning at 8 in Green Mountain.  Then drive the 40 minutes to Reinbeck where I work.  Tuesday I got another call but had to do my field experience and was not able to sub.  Wednesday went like a normal day but Thursday and Friday I had to sub again.

I have not gotten much of my studying done this week.  I now get to do it all tonight while Greg is gone to stake meetings.  I will get the kids to bed and then have quiet time to study.  Greg and I have both been fighting some type of crud so that hasn't helped things.  We have both been so tired from work, school and the kids.  Thankfully it is the end of the week and things should slow down a bit this next week and the week after that is spring break for two of the three kids and me so that will be nice.

My Boys and Their Trains

Greg is really into railroads and trans.  It seems genetic because Jonathan has always enjoyed trains and spends a lot of time drawing track plans for his dream model railroad.  Jonathan has always enjoyed playing with his geotrax.  He and Greg have spent many hours building tracks and I have even been known to build one or two.

This is the latest layout.  Building a new one is the only thing he will willing clean his room for.  Oh yeah isn't the rebel shirt nice?!?!  They have been trying to sell off old uniforms and they gave up and started giving them away to the elementary kids.  This is an old basketball warm up jersey.

Andrew also has an interest in trains.  I am not sure if it a real interest or if it is because Jonathan and Daddy have the interest.  He has a wooden train set in his room and enjoys having help building a layout.  Greg was busy helping Jonathan with his layout and it was getting late so I helped Andrew with his layout.

He thought it was pretty cool that I even had bridges.  He gets frustrated though because he train derails because he wants to put all the train cars he has together into one train.

They all really enjoy spending time with their trains.

More Snow

Last week we got more snow and then more snow.  I wasn't sure it was ever going to stop.  Then the wind started blowing and the snow piled up even  more.  Madison, Jonathan and myself had three snow days last week and Andrew had two.  The kids enjoyed helping Greg shovel the snow after he was done with the snow blower.  It took Greg three hours to get us dug out.

 

It was below zero wind chill so I made the kids wear their scarves over their faces and they were really bundled up.  Our terrace box and the garden usually make a great sledding hill for  the kids.  They enjoy being out in the snow and hate it when it is so cold I won't let them go out.