Bring it On, Snow!

This afternoon, I went to lunch with my dad. We had some delicious slices of pizza at Pucchini's. When I got home, I could no longer ignore the layer of snow that had fallen the night before. I started shoveling away, when my neighbor Ed came over to help me clear the driveway. We finished five minutes later. 

This is not the first time Ed has rescued me. In fact, it's the third. The first time was about 2 weeks after we moved in, when I accidentally locked myself out of the house while speaking with the TruGreen guys...darn you TruGreen. Luckily, he saw me frantically checking each entrance to my house, and called me over. He and his wife Maggie let me use their phone to call a locksmith, then offered me food and drinks.

The second time Ed saved me was when we had a huge snowstorm a couple years ago. It was my first time shoveling...ever...and the snow was 6-8 inches high and HEAVY. After getting half of the driveway shoveled in an hour, I heard the sound of a snow blower moving closer. Ed stopped in front of the driveway, and in his gruff, elderly voice, said, "Where do you think you're going like that?" He was referring to the my dinky shovel and lackluster shoveling ability. He used his snow blower to clear the rest of the driveway. I was so grateful because at that point my back had given out on me. It took a week to recuperate! 

This snow was no where near that bad, but nevertheless, Ed was there to help out. What a great neighbor! After the shoveling, I wrote 25 thank you cards to the students who gave me holiday gifts, then went grocery shopping. 

I am totally loving these first few days of break! 

Monday, Monday

Yesterday was a very relaxing Monday. My mom and I went to lunch at the Cheesecake Factory.

Then, I convinced her to buy some UGGs for herself...my new addiction! Actually, it didn't take much convincing once she saw they came in a purple-y color, and she put them on her feet. They are SO comfortable! I am sure my brother will kill me for introducing her to UGGs, since he thinks they are the ugliest shoes every created.

 
Next, I went home and spent the following 10 hours on the couch with my Kindle, finishing The Girl with the Dragon Tatttoo. It was SUCH a page turner! I downloaded the next two books in the series and can't wait to start them! 

Brother-Sister Game Day

Today was a great day. My brother and I went to Bloomington to attend the IU basketball game. We left a few hours early so we could visit one of our favorite restaurants, Yogi's, where we were able to watch most of the Colts game. In case you don't follow football, or the Colts, this was a "must-win" game for the team, otherwise our play-off hopes would fade away. Fortunately, the Colts won, as did the Hoosiers...102-60!

Winter Break is Here!

I can't believe that Winter Break is already here. This year has flown right by, and I know it's because I have such a great class. As they say, "time flies when you're having fun", and I've had a lot of good times with my students so far. 

Now that I'm a woman of leisure (for the next two weeks, anyway), I'm determined to write on my blog EVERY DAY. I know, that's a tall order, considering how I've been slacking, but I feel like knowing that I will have to write about my day will cause me to do something interesting (or at least THINK something interesting) each day. I know that these posts won't be as cool as the ones from last Winter Break, when we went to Barbados, but it will be very relaxing just the same. 

Let's see if I can remember to take pictures, too. We all know how bad I am at that!

Must View This...Especially Teachers!

Normally, I do not post links to YouTube, but this was too funny. Well, not so much funny, as true. This is very much what teachers have to deal with. I've often wondered if it sounded as ridiculous looking in from the outside, as it did being a part of the conversation, and it does! Special thanks to our Media Specialist for sending this out to our staff. Enjoy, and don't forget to comment!

Collaborative Teaching

Kid Quotes

It's been a while since I've posted some of these. Lately, my students have been saying some of the funniest things. Here are some of them.

Student: Mrs. Pinsky, what's a scholar?
Me: It's someone who enjoys learning.
Student: Oh. Well, that's what I'm going to be when I grow up.
Me: That's a really good thing to be.
Student: Yeah, and I'm gonna be a famous one, too!

 ~~~~~~

Me: You are supposed to staple the paper on the left side, not the right, and you forgot to put your name on top.

Student: Oh. Well, I just got a little confused.

Me: OK, well, get un-confused and please fix it. Then turn it in.

3 minutes later...

Student: Here you go, Mrs. Pinsky, and thanks for correcting me.

~~~~~~

Yesterday, one of my fifth grade students printed out the story she typed. Upon reading it, I asked her if she had proofread the story. She, of course, said yes. I pointed out that the word "As" had one too many "s's". She was VERY embarrassed. 

~~~~~~

Student: Mrs. Pinsky, do you know what the problem with "Blacktop Only Recess" is?

Me: No, what is it?

Student: Everyone is in everyone else's way. It's like, you're screwed!

 ~~~~~~

Today, several kids asked me questions about Chanukah. One of them was why there was a "C" in front of Chanukah. I explained that the "Ch" does not make the same sound as in English. It represents a Hebrew letter that makes a sound similar to the one you make when creating phlegm in your throat. It's not really Hannukah, but CHanukah. One of my students started saying, "CHelp me! CHelp me!" I explained to the student that not every "H" word made a "CH" sound, and that just because you pronounced it like that did not make it a Hebrew word.

Turkey Day - Parts 1 & 2

Every year we have two Thanksgiving celebrations. The Sunday before is my family's dinner, and the day of is when we spend time with Kevin's family. We love that our one day holiday turns into a week-long celebration, and that we get to spend time with all of the important people in our lives. 

I have never understood couples who fight about where they are going for the holidays and become bitter about it. To me, petty arguments like that are the exact opposite of what these holidays are supposed to be about. Being with the ones you love should be of paramount importance, regardless of whether it is the actual day of the holiday, or a few days before or after. The spirit of the day, not the actual day, is what counts. 

So I guess what I'm trying to say, is that Kevin and I are thankful to have families who care more about sharing the spirit of the holidays with us...not just the day!

Below are pictures of my family's Thanksgiving celebration, which was delicious. It was held at our house, where we enjoyed football and food...which was delicious. We actually used our dining room set for the first time, as well as our china and fancy silverware. It was very exciting for me. 

Unfortunately, I slipped into my old ways and did not take any pictures of our Cincinnati Thanksgiving. I think I'll just blame it on the fact that we were extremely busy. We had a yummy dinner at my sister-in-law's parents' house, helped Kevin's parents move into their beautiful new house, and finished up our holiday shopping. 

This weekend, we head back to Cincy for Chanukah on Saturday, and then for the Indy family celebration on Sunday night. I PROMISE to take pictures of all the present-opening and family time!

I'm Back!

After a long blog-hiatus, I'm finally posting again. I hope there are still people out there reading this, who haven't lost faith in me! 

At the end of October, I took a trip to Texas to visit my best friend Jenn, her husband Robbie, and her three beautiful girls, Emma, Katy, and Addison. It was nice to see them again. The last time we had been together was for my wedding, over a year ago. I had never met Addison, and I have to say, she is the best baby. If all babies were that cooperative, everyone would have 10!

I'm definitely counting down the days until Thanksgiving Break. It seems like it's been forever since Fall Break...even though in reality, it's only been 3 weeks! Today is my family's Thanksgiving, and we are once again hosting at out house. It will be a much smaller crowd, and I actually planned ahead and prepared most of the dishes last night, so I'm not stressed at all this year. I will post pictures later...I promise!

On Tuesday, my father, brother, and I will sing in an interfaith Thanksgiving service at SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral in downtown Indy, with their choir. We do this every year. I highly recommend people come to see this, as there are 6-7 faiths represented. Each one sings or says a prayer of thanks in their own unique way. Very cool.

On Thursday, we are headed to Cincinnati to spend Thanksgiving Day with Kevin's family. On Friday, we are excited to help his parents move into their new house. Pictures to come of all that as well!  

All in all, this will be a busy week. I should have a lot of things to add throughout the holiday!

Fixed!

After one week, our kitchen has been put back together. The refrigerator looks beautiful. So glad we endured a week of ugly kitchen for this end result!

  

FYI - This is my 100th blog post! :)

The Fridge Debaucle

Last weekend, Kevin and I spontaneously bought a new refrigerator. We've had our eyes on the new Samsung 4-door fridge. You know, it's the one with the cute little boy reaching into the nifty refrigerator drawer for a juice box. Well, we decided that we should just get it. Plus, it was on sale for 25% off! 

The refrigerator came this Friday, and while Kevin had measured correctly, we found that the wall on the right of the fridge narrowed towards the bottom. Therefore, the fridge did not fit. Kevin took the cabinet next to the fridge of the wall, and moved the counter, so now our kitchen looks like a bit of a construction zone. The carpenter is coming this Friday, and hopefully all of this will be an easy fix, because we are NOT getting rid of this amazing fridge!

Ta-Da!!

HERE IT IS....the delicious pumpkin oatmeal I talked about in my last post. Thanks to my fabulous teaching assistant, who purchased some canned pumpkin for me at her local grocery store. 

 

Oh Pumpkin, Where Art Thou??

As the weather begins to cool and become more "fall-like", I begin to change some things around the house. For example, I flipped the thermostat from the "Cool" setting to the "Heat" setting. I am highly contemplating swapping my summer tanks and tees for my winter sweaters and turtlenecks. Another thing that I switch out are my recipes. I put away my light summer recipes and get out my yummy crock pot and casserole recipes.

One of my favorite fall ingredients is canned pumpkin. It can be incorporated into all sorts of different recipes. Pumpkin gives more flavor and "oomph" to food without pumping up the calories. Two of the most delicious pumpkin-filled things I've made are pumpkin chip cookies (except I substitute dried cranberries for walnuts) and this DELICIOUS Hungry Girl oatmeal recipe. 

I plan to make the oatmeal this weekend, but I've looked in a couple grocery stores and can't find canned pumpkin!! It still may be too early for it to officially be pumpkin season, but it got so cold so fast, that it feels like it should be! My next attempt to hit the "pumpkin jackpot" will be Whole Foods (they usually have EVERYTHING), but if I don't find it there, I'm not sure where to look! I'm open for suggestions, though!

A Fleeting Luxury

I have NO grading tonight!! I'm not sitting at home with stacks of papers in front of me, along with my gradebook and a calculator. I should be doing something productive with my time, like going to the gym to work out, reading a book I've been trying to get into for the last 2 months, or watering the plants. I'm not going to do any of that. I am just going to savor this night and do NOTHING. I know that tomorrow, this will seem like a dream, and I'll be back to the one constant that teaching has to offer...grading papers.

An Important Lesson

In my class, we often have discussions regarding differences of opinion. One thing I love about my kids, is that as young as they are, they are generally open to seeing another side to an argument. I try to teach them that while they do not have to agree with someone's opinion, they do have to accept that others have a right to have their own opinions. I mean, what would it be like if I graded their writing based on whether or not I agreed with what they said??? That wouldn't be fair! They generally understand this concept, especially when I use that example.

Today, I stopped importing my blog posts to Facebook. 

Some people haven't yet learned that it's OK for others to have different opinions. I am sorry to all my friends and family who have less access to my life because of this, and I hope that you will continue to follow me here.

Warning: Teacher Rant Ahead

My class is about to start some new novels. Two of them are by Carl Hiaasen. According to Scholastic, the grade-level equivalent of the books is 5.8 (for all you non-teachers, that means students in the eighth month of fifth grade should be able to read this). Since my fourth and fifth graders are reading at middle school levels, we are always looking for novels to meet their needs. Our next Social Studies unit is about making economic decisions that impact the environment. Carl Hiassen's books, Hoot and Flush are about just these topics. (If you haven't read them, you should.) The problem? There are about 5-7 curse words sprinkled among the 250-plus pages. I sent a letter home to the parents informing them of our reasons for choosing these books and the modest amount of inappropriate language in the book. Most of the parents were fine with this, agreeing that the content and themes of the books outweighed the few choice words, and knowing that we would address the language issue as it came up. One parent, however stated that while he would allow his child to read the book, he did not agree with our choice in picking them. Since cursing was against the school rules, he asked, why was it "OK" to read books with curse words in them? Fair enough. He also stated that one of the books includes a couple who smoke. OK. Now this is where I draw the line. These books are REALISTIC fiction. That's right...in the real world, people smoke and curse, and do all sorts of other things that we do not condone at school. Now, I am not saying that we should expose kids to things they should not be exposed to, but if kids were to be introduced to sensitive issues in the safety of a novel group, where an adult could monitor their conversations, kids might be less inclined to make bad choices. Studying characters who make poor choices might lead kids to make good ones, and learn from the mistakes of others before they make those same mistakes for themselves. Plus, the focus of the book is NOT the language, but the connection between the environment and the economy. I hope that when I am a parent, I focus more on monitoring the types of TV shows and video games my kids watch and play, rather than the educational books they enjoy and read under the guided supervision of trusted adults, like me and his/her teachers. I hope that rather than shielding my children from all the bad things in the world, I am able to address sensitive issues with them, helping them to make informed decisions about appropriate and healthy ways they should behave. I don't know...maybe that's just me.

Overload!

Not me (for once!)...my poor DVR! There are so many shows back on, and I am sad to say that I watch way too many for my own good. I wasn't always such an avid TV watcher. Don't get me wrong, I had my favorite shows...all of about 4 or 5, and if I missed one, it was no big deal. Enter Kevin, who, on our first date, listed his hobbies as, "Hanging out with my friends and watching TV." Now I watch a billion different shows. The cost? Sleep. I know it's wrong, but I can't help it! Shows worth losing sleep for? Law & Order: SVU, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, Dancing with the Stars, The Biggest Loser, Amazing Race, Survivor, The Middle, Cougar Town, Criminal Minds, Hell's Kitchen, Desperate Housewives, Bones, House, The Next Iron Chef, Project Runway, Hell's Kitchen Shows I'm ashamed to admit I watch? 90210, Teen Mom, The Real Housewives of (insert city), The Real World/Road Rules Challenge Any shows you are losing sleep over???

Quality Time

This weekend, Kevin and I traveled to Cincinnati to spend time with family. First, we had lunch with Kevin's parents, his brother Ben, our nephew Eli, Aunt Jo, Uncle Sherman and Aunt Nancy. We celebrated my father-in-law's birthday, and presented him with this present.

Later that evening, we celebrated cousin Beverly's 75th birthday. We were able to visit with family we hadn't seen for a while...some since our wedding! Here are a few snapshots from the party.

Before we came home, we were able to babysit our nephew Eli for a few hours. Here he is playing with me, and pointing out his head and tummy. The kid is a genius!!

Tobi's favorite part of the trip? Being able to lay on the bed!

I'm Addicted!

I'm officially addicted to the Wordfeud App on my Droid!! I know, I'm a total geek, but I can't help it. Anyone up for a game??? My username is apinsky. No, seriously, ANYONE??? :)

My Anniversary Gift

Here it is...after three weeks of living with out it, my ring is finally complete. Kevin got me an anniversary band to match my wedding band. The completed ring is AMAZING! This picture doesn't even begin to do it justice. Have I mentioned how awesome my husband is???

This Apple Pie...

...almost caused me to have a nervous breakdown. ...needed a second batch of homemade crust, since the first was as tough as cement. ...took six attempts to roll out the bottom crust, and three to roll out the top crust. ...stressed me out enough to make me take a run. ...BETTER TASTE DARN GOOD!!!

Diamondhead & Kayaking

Our last day in Hawaii was full of adventure. First, we woke up early and made our way to Diamondhead State Park. We trekked to the top, with a few stops along the way so that I could catch my breath. The view of Honolulu was very pretty, but it was a little disappointing that there was literally nothing at the top. Diamondhead was used as a military lookout point, and I can see why. Kevin and I decided that at the very least, we can now say that we have climbed the famous Diamondhead. Afterwards, we rented a kayak and paddled out to a few little islands off of Waimea Bay. Kevin actually did most of the work, but I would like to think that I helped out...at least on the way to the islands. On the way back to the bay, I got a little freaked out by the waves, and had to focus on not freaking out! We were doing quite well with landing our kayak, until we got back to the bay. We were propelled by a wave, and our kayak flipped over...in front of a large crowd of people. Kevin stood up and yelled, "Safe!!!" I'm sure this gave some people (including the two of us) a very good laugh! After we hosed ourselves off, we enjoyed some yummy Hawaiian shaved ice. This is not just regular shaved ice. It is very thinly shaved and the best part is there is ICE CREAM at the bottom. It tastes like a creamsicle at the bottom. YUM! It was a sweet end to a very busy day!

Hawaiian Minutes

After hiking through a volcano, Kevin and I decided it was time to relax. The next day, we spent some time reading on the beach. Later that evening, we went to Germaine's Luau. We boarded a bus where our escort, Cousin Tate (apparently, that night we were all family, hence, everyone was referred to as "cousin"), entertained us. He told us about that evening's schedule, and said that he would be back on the microphone in "five Hawaiian minutes" to tell us about the night's menu. Twenty seconds later he was back on the microphone! Apparently, "five Hawaiian minutes" means whenever the heck you feel like it! After he explained the menu, Cousin Tate told us that we would get to the luau site in "five Hawaiian minutes". What he meant was that we would get there when we got there. I think next time my students ask me how long something will take, or when we will be moving on to our next subject, I will say, "In five Hawaiian minutes." It beats saying, "When I say so!" Anyway, here are some pictures from the luau. We had trouble photographing the show because it was so dark, and my camera was not cooperative. ENJOY!

We're in a VOLCANO!

While we were in Hawaii, we took a day trip to the big island (called Hawaii). We had a wonderful time there. Possibly the coolest thing we did while on vacation was to hike through the Kilauea crater. It is most certainly something that Kevin and I would love to do again. After that, we went to a black sand beach, which was also a beautiful sight to see. The only negative to this whole day was that Kevin lost his Oakley sunglasses, which he has had for the last 10 years. We were able to purchase him a new pair once we got back to Oahu that evening, but of course, he claims the old ones were better. R.I.P. Oakleys...at least they were lost in paradise.