The other day I showed you one of the homes in our area that were decorated for Halloween.   Since then I’ve had the opportunity to walk around and get some more shots of Halloween decor.  Over the next few posts I will share them with you.  This lovely home is all decked out for Halloween, but not in a scary way at all.  It is all very Autumnal and pretty.

This house just looks so cozy and inviting and really little kid friendly.  We look forward to trick-or-treating here.  Francesca’s been practicing saying “Trick or Treat” over and over again.

This is Ross and his sailboat, The Eliminator.  Sam and Ross worked together to put this kit together and then to paint and decorate it.  The Tiger Cub Scouts had their Rain Gutter Regatta, where all the scouts got to race their sailboat across a rain gutter.  The Eliminator didn’t exactly eliminate the competition but in the end, fun was had by all.  Lessons about sportsmanship, good and bad, were also learned.

He is really proud of the sailboat that he and his dad built.  The biggest joy was seeing them working together on building it.

I went to the Farmer’s Market on Saturday.  It was a bit chilly and the Market is nearing the end of the season.  I went specifically to get our knives sharpened.  They have an older man that comes to the parking lot and sets up his knife sharpener contraption.  He sits on this thing and pumps the pedals and the wheel turns allowing him to sharpen the blades.  I wish I had gotten a photo of him, but I didn’t want to be rude.  He was really busy, you just drop off your knives (or garden tools, scissors, etc)  and he takes them in the order in which they are dropped off.  It took about an hour and an half, during the wait Francesca and I shopped the market.

They had the typical locally grown produce, some beautiful flowers, pumpkins and gourds, baked goods and handmade soaps.  They even had gourmet doggy treats and some seasonal doggy scarves.  We had fun looking and buying.  We bought some butter cookies to munch on while we walked, some mini pumpkins and gourds and a Scooby Do neckerchief for Moose for Halloween.

On the way home, I was driving along and was stopped in my tracks by the Halloween decor on this house.

This is a HUGE display and the biggest spider I have ever seen.  Here is a close up of the carnage.

A little too gory for our house with little ones and all but I applaud their creativity!  I hope to capture some other neat Halloween displays around here - I’ve seen so many - now I just need to get my camera and go for a neighborhood walk.

I did decide to go for it and sign up for the MATC - Masters in Education / Teaching Certification Program at North Park College.  I know that there are more certified teachers graduating these days than there are jobs to fill.  I do hope that in a couple of years school districts will be anticipating openings as the early baby boomers will be retiring.  Gosh, I hope so.  I’ve always wanted to teach but never pursued it.  I’m not sure what grade level I’d like to teach but I do know I am looking at  Elementary Education.  I also have enough classes/credits to be endorsed in Social Studies for middle school so that’s a plus.

I need 3 classes for Special Ed and am considering that as an option as I know it is a specialty in demand - that and Reading Specialist which really interests me but is not an option at my school.  Perhaps after I get my certificate and Master’s Degree I’ll pursue that option.

My first class is almost over.  I just started and I only have one more week - time flies.  We studied how the Brain learns and WOW.  A lot of it was common knowledge but so much was such an eye opener.  It also made me do a double take at our education system since much of what we learned about Windows of Opportunity (best learning times for children in different areas - musical instruments, foreign language, etc.) contradicts when we teach them.  The system is getting better but we are still a long way off.  All this and only one class.  It makes me wonder how teachers reconcile what they know about best teaching practices and the realities of the curriculum and class options available.  My guess is that they work with what they have and try to be the best teacher they can be with the resources they have. 

I have really enjoyed this class and look forward to the rest of them.  I also received my substitute teaching certificate and just got my mandatory TB testing done so I can apply to be a substitute teacher.  The job market for Marketing and Public Affairs is abysmal so this might be a great solution, plus it will give me an insight into different grade levels, etc. and maybe point me in a particular direction.  I look forward to subbing my first class.  I also hope it is a great way to network so that when I am certified as a teacher I might have a better chance to get an interview if I know some of the school personnel.  I’d love to work in our district here, how fabulous would that be?  I do know it is a difficult district to get into, but I sure will try. 

This class has taken me back to some of the great teachers I have had in the past - the ones who knew how to engage the children, and to some of the not-so-great teachers like my High School Geometry teacher who called our row (including me) “no-brains”.  All of us in the row did not do well in the class and I for one know that I shut down after a few of those comments. It wasn’t until college, many years later that I was able to overcome my math issues and start fresh.  From Elementary Algebra to Intermediate Algebra to College Algebra, Finite Math, Calculus, Statistics I and Statistics II, I finally felt I was able to do it.  Okay, maybe not Calculus (my only C in college and happy to get it!) but that’s okay.  I strive to be the teacher that can make a significant learning impact on my students, at the very least I want to be the teacher that does no harm to her students, by words or by actions - I want my students to know that each and every one of them “can do it”.

Photo courtesy of Amazon.com.

So we’re watching Cartoon Network the other night, and this comes on.  Thumb Wars.  I have never seen this and it was hysterical.  Ross is a huge Star Wars fan, we had just finished watching Clone Wars.  Thumb Wars is just like it sounds.  It is a show about the Star Wars characters made with thumbs.  Uh huh, you heard me right, thumbs.   The characters faces are drawn on thumbs.

It seems that this has been around for a while but since I never had a boy before and my girls were not  taken very much by Star Wars, this escaped my path.  Ross is smitten - I think Thumb Wars will be a new favorite in our house.  May the force be with you.

With Kiddie Land closing this summer, I thought it would be nice to bring the kids there for a first and last visit.  We used to go to Kiddie Land when my older girls were little and I remember going with my parents as a child.  We had a fun time, although we were supposed to meet one of Ross’ friends and his family.  They got there about a half an hour after us and literally could not park.  It was that crowded.  Even with the crowds though, we didn’t have to wait too long to get on the rides.  The kids had a blast and went on many a spinning ride.  I snapped this picture of the kids on one of the spinning rides, Ross looks like he is going to throw up.  When I asked him if he felt sick, he said “no - I just like to hold my breath when spinning”.  Uh, okay.

It’s kind of sad that they are closing up the amusement park.  At least we got to experience it as a family and will have the memories and the photos.  They are still open on weekends through the end of this month I believe.  We may try for one last visit since the weather is so summery now.

With apologies to Bill Martin Jr.  and Eric Carle. (Photo from Barnes and Noble)

Brown Bear, Brown Bear…

What Do You See?

I See Francesca Looking At Me!

Sorry for the bad photo, that’s actually a reflection of Francesca in the window.  The bear walked right up to the window to get a better view.  Not sure who was looking at who.

It has been a busy week for back to school this week.  We had been looking forward to Ross’ first day of Kindergarten today, but we were pleasantly surprised with the turn of events for other family members.  I went back to school on Tuesday, with a cohort program that will earn me my MATC, a Masters in Education Degree and Teaching Certificate.  Ashley also signed herself up for school by registering for her first class towards her undergraduate degree.  We are quite the scholarly family this week.  And while I do not have photos of Ashley’s first day or mine, I do have some of Ross’.

Ross and Francesca before firstbell.

What does a boy do when you tell him it’s too heavy?  He tries to prove you wrong.  Look at his face.  This lasted a few seconds before he finally turned over the backpack full of school supplies.

A hug for her brother, the Kindergartner, after his very first day of school.  It was a good first day for the class, no tears from any of the children.  I can’t say the same for the moms.

I am in a state of flux.  It’s been a while since I posted.  I’ve been doing nothing and I’ve been doing everything.  School starts soon for Ross.  I can’t believe he will be in Kindergarten.  School may or may not start soon for me too.

I still look for jobs.  I look all the time for jobs and there really is not much out there.  And what is out there isn’t great - and for all that “not great”ness, there are hundreds of people hoping to get an interview.

I’ve thought alot about going back to school in the last year and a half.  Switching careers entirely.  I’ve always wanted to teach.  With the kids being young and in 3 years Francesca will enter school too, timing might be good.  By then I could be done with my Graduate degree and have my teaching certificate.  And I can be home in the summer with them, as well as Spring and Christmas break and other holidays.  I’ve really enjoyed being home with them and it seems to be the blending of both worlds, the work and home worlds.

I might have found a program that would allow me to do that and still manage my home life and family obligations.  I just need to decide quickly.  Classes start in less than 2 weeks.  Fortunately I do not need to take the GRE as my grade point average was well above the 3.0 designation.  3.94 in fact.  Thank you.  Thank you very much.  I would need to take the basic skills test and order official transcripts from my two schools/degrees.  And fill out the application and psych myself up for school - as in NOW.

I have some questions about this program and need to get adequate answers before I pursue this option.  I’m actually very excited about the possibility of going back to school.  I could be teaching in 2 years and only 4 classes shy of my master’s Degree.  It’s a very disciplined program similar to the Elmhurst Management Program I took in the late 90’s.  There is no break taking or lessening of schedules for 2 years.  It would be too hard to catch up and recover.  It’s funny how such a chain reaction comes about from job loss or other events not orchestrated by ourselves.  I likely would never have quit my job to make a career change.    

If this program does not work out for me, I am left to look at programs beginning next fall based on application deadlines.  Not the end of the world but a while for a dream deferred.  Although I can use that time to take any additional undergrad classes / gen. eds. I may need for my teaching certificate.  In the meantime I have an application for Substitute teaching.  We used to laugh and say “Change is Good” at work when there was yet another policy or procedural change or shift in focus, which seemed to happen all the time.  We were being facetious, of course.  This time, I really mean it.  Change is good.

I was ever so tempted to get rid of this planter.  I’m glad I didn’t.  Although the plants in the pots overhead are not trailing as in their name “trailing verbena” and the potato vine hasn’t really trailed either - that’s some simple tweaking for next year.  Picture pots overflowing with trailing, flowering plants.  Not so bad huh?

What was once a really unattractive area of the yard is actually becoming attractive.   In a few years when the Annabelle Hydrangeas that I ordered from Michigan Bulb last year grow in the area will be filled with Hydrangeas.  The bigger Hydrangea plants that you can see - to each side of the planter were picked up from Home Depot for just $12.50 a few weeks ago.  They were on their last legs.  Looking at the pole of the planter the one on the left is doing really well, the one just to the right of the pole (hard to see as there is only one flower you can see in the photo) is not doing as well but I think it will make it.  Next year it should be pretty.  Fingers crossed.