Grandmotherhood

Grandmamas
I was watching the NFL draft on this past weekend. It was good. I watched a report that was aired about JaMarcus Russell, the #1 pick of NFL draft.

In the piece they showed all of his family and they talked about his home life. During one of the segments of the piece, JaMarcus was sitting in a chair in his grandmother's house. She was standing right behind him. He said something like, "This used to be a house where there was always something to eat. My grandmother used to cook all of the time. But when she thought I was getting fat, she stopped cooking." He laughed. His grandmother slapped him on the back of his head, hard. My husband and I both fell out laughing because that was such a grandmother move. I think JaMarcus is going to make it in the fast paced, star studded world of football with a grandmother like that.

Here he is about to be the #1 pick in the draft and his grandmother smacks him on the back of the head on national TV. That did my heart good to see that there are still grandmothers who are "REAL" grandmothers. The kind of grandmother, that still cooks and cleans. The kind of grandmother who will call you and make sure that you are eating right. The kind of grandmother, that will smack you upside the head if you get out of line. The kind of grandmother, that is matriarch of the family.

My maternal grandmother is like that when she isn't sick. We don't really have those kinds of grandmothers anymore, especially with grandmothers getting younger and younger. When I was a child, my grandmother was in her fifties. Now, grandmothers are in their early 40s and late 30s. That is so crazy.

If we had more "REAL" grandmothers (you know like your Big Mamma or your Memamma). I am talking about the grandmother that all the kids call Memamma, like my father's mother. She was crazy cool. Every one of my friends called her Memamma. She used to give all of us candy when she saw us. It was so cool. The world would be a better place if we had more "REAL" grandmothers in it.

Old Enough to Be Somebody's Grandmamma
My husband and I went to pick up our tickets for Spiderman 3, which comes out on May 4. (Yes, we get them early. He likes to get them early.) When we were walking up to the theater, there was a car with two teenagers (male & female) sitting in it. I am not sure what they were doing in the car, but from where I was looking, they looked like they were up to no good, if you know what I mean. I made a face. My husband said, "You should go up to the car and give them a look." I said, "Yea, by today's standards, I am old enough to be their mother." He said, "Yea, you are old enough to be a grandmother by today's standards."

Heaven Help Me, Please
I am 36 years old. I could be the mother of a 20 year-old person by today's standards. Actually, I could be the mother of someone even older than that. That in turn, means I could have a grandchild that is as old as one of my students (ages 3-4).

The more I think about it, the crazier it makes me feel. I could possibly be the grandmother of one of my students. What in the world is going on?

I have to shake my head every time I think about it. In all honest, I would be a cool grandmother, but I don't want to be one. I mean, I could play PlayStation with my grandchild. I could IM and email my grandchild. I could even discuss a Cover Two defense and the triangle offense with my grandchild. Here's the thing to consider… Why in the world would I want to be a grandmother at 36?

Grandmothers are supposed to be in their late 50s, early 60s. They are supposed to be at a point in their lives where they can sit at home and enjoy their grandchildren, not out hustling trying to make a couple of dollars themselves.

It only makes sense, everyone else in life is getting younger, athletes, models, singers, artists, and preachers; why not grandmothers?

As a foot note, just so you won't think I am crazy. My husband has a friend from his hometown who is a grandmother and she is my age and has a grandchild.

The Imus Aftermath (I know I am late)

I am so late. I won't be commenting on what he said, so you can relax a bit.

I was thinking about this whole saga after I read about it again in the Newsweek. I really thought about how it all came into the forefront of the media and how it got out to the public.

Were it not for the internet and today's modern technology, most of us would not have known anything about it until weeks after it had happened. I didn't (and still don’t) know who Don Imus was (is). Most of the people I hang around with didn't know who he was. I am not sure how many "regular" people knew who he was.

The only reason "regular" America found out about the whole thing is the internet. Someone put it up in a blog and we found out. Someone put a copy of the video up on YouTube and we found out. Someone spammed everyone on their mailing list and then those people spammed other people and we found out.

Here's my conclusion to this whole matter… Be careful what you say and do in this age of technology, it may come back to haunt you.

The NFL Draft

I ended up watching most of the NFL draft on yesterday and today. My husband is a big fan and since he is taking care of me, (I am sick), I thought I would let the TV be on the draft.

So many people get upset because these guys are getting millions of dollars because they are good with a ball.

I do feel that this country puts too much emphasis on sports and not enough on education.

I don't get upset with the guys who get all this money for their talents. Firstly, it is not their fault that they were blessed with such talent. God gave it to them. If they can get paid for doing something they are good at and they love, then so be it. Secondly, their careers are only so long; like 10 years or so, baring injury. They end up making that lifetime salary in those ten years, versus a non-sports person who takes a lifetime to make their lifetime salary. Lastly, at least they are using their talent to make money legally. They could be using their talents for evil.

On a side note, being a teacher this year, I truly realize that Teachers are UNDERPAID! Seeing what kind of children that we have to deal with, seeing the limits that are placed on teachers, seeing the kind of parents that teachers have to deal with, Teachers are not PAID enough!

There are so many children with behavioral, emotional, and psychological issues in the school systems these days. Teachers have to deal with these children's issues everyday and then have to try to teach them how to read and write as well.

I truly admire the teachers that I work with. They are very patient and good at what they do. It is amazing to see how they can easily handle a child who has frazzled me to no end. They are very good at what they do.

The children today are so advanced in their knowledge, their speech, their thought process, and their attitudes. I was once substituting for a kindergarten teacher. The children were writing in their journals. One of them asked, "Can we write about what we want to write about?" I responded, "No, you have to write about something SPECIFIC." I felt like an idiot after I had said specific. One of the students asked, "What does specific mean?" Before I could answer, one of the boys said, "It means you have to write about what she tells you to write about." I was speechless, I had no idea that a 5 year-old child knew what specific meant. The children today are so much smarter.

I believe that teachers should be paid more than they are being paid. They are shaping the minds of the future leaders of our lives. There have been several teachers in the news for doing negative things, but the number of teachers doing bad things is so small compared to the number of teachers who are doing great things.

Teachers these days get an unfair rep because of the few bad apples. When I was growing up, teachers were given the benefit of the doubt. Whenever I told my mother something crazy happened between a teacher and I (which was very rare), she didn't just go up to the school all mad and ready to curse someone out. She went up to the school and got the teacher's side of the story and then went from there. Teachers today don't get the benefit of the doubt.

Most teachers don't dislike their students. Most teachers are not mean to their students. Most teachers do not have it out for their students. This is something that my mother used to say, "I believe my children are excellent children. They have been trained correctly. They know how to act, but I know that they are capable of doing something wrong." I used to hate it when my mother would say that, but now I understand it. My parents raised me right, but there was still a chance that I could make a bad choice.

Most parents don't think like that. They think that their children are angels, knowing full well that if given the chance, their child would set the school on fire and lie about doing it. I think that is so crazy.

Anyway, for what teachers have to go through with today, they are grossly UNDERPAID!

Sick, Oh My Goodness Sick

I was sick today. I lost my breakfast, although I hadn't even eaten breakfast this morning. I had a horrible stomach ache. It was so crazy. I lost my appetite and I just had to lay in bed. I was so miserable because I was hot for most of the day.

I didn't even get on the computer much. I tried to check my email, but without success.

I don't know what was wrong with me, but I still feel horrible. I wish I knew what was going on. If I don't feel better by Monday, I may go to the doctor.

Ready For The Weekend

I am so ready for the weekend. I have had a long week. It has been tiring to say the least. I have also been crabby most of the week. Not mean crabby, but sweet with a hint of crabby. (Like that makes sense.)

Nothing much happened today. I can't even really think of much to write.

I have totally slacked off on Captive By History. I didn't mean to, but I never really felt in the mood to write. I am going to keep it on my goals for the month of May. I didn't make my monthly goal of writing everyday. I feel bad about that one. I was able to do it in March. Hopefully, I will be able to do it for the month of May.

We are closing in on the end of the school year. I was told that there are only twenty days left in the year. I am so glad because I am going to need the summer break.

I signed up to help with my church's Vacation Bible School. That will be fun. I haven't done VBS in a long while, since I was in West Virginia in 1989. Wow, that's a long time.

We are doing to have a summer program at the church as well, but I am not sure that I want to commit to that program. I would prefer to have this summer free.

That's all for today. Perhaps I can write more tomorrow.

3 Year-Olds & Being Rough

How To Play Rough
I teach 3 & 4 year-old students. I find wisdom, laughter, and other things in the many things that they do.

You can view this entry in my official blog to read more about it.

I recently learned how to play rough with the boys.

One of the boys (Alvin) was trying to teach one of the girls (Jane) how to hang and swing from one of the bars on the jungle gym. It is one of the higher bars on the jungle him. this is how the conversation went.

Alvin: (He swung from the bar to show her). Just swing like this, it's easy.
Jane: (With a scared look on her face). I can't do that.
Alvin: Yes, you can. Just do it. It's easy.
Jane: No, it's not. It's hard.
Alvin: Just try it, you can do it. (He swings from the bar again to show her how to do it.)
Jane: Uhh uhh, I can't. (She looks like she is about to cry.)
Alvin: If you want to play with the boys, you have to play rough. You know boys play rough.
Jane: But I don't know how to play rough.
Alvin: Well, this is how you play rough. When you get hurt, you don't cry. Like this. (He hits his hand hard on the pole.)
Jane: Oh ok.

Alvin said, When you get hurt, you don't cry, so profoundly, that it stuck in my head for a long while.

Jane never swung from the monkey bar, but I think she learned something important, not to cry so much, especially if you want to play with the boys.

Playing with the Boys
Playing with the boys in my class is fun. Most of time are very active, like to run, have great imaginations, and will make you laugh.

When I have played with them, I have had so much fun. I end up getting tired quickly though. Plus, they play too roughly. They hit. They kick. They crash. They throw hard. It is amazing to watch them play because they are learning and discovering things about the world and themselves everyday. They insist on showing and telling me what they can learn or do. I hear, "Mrs. Boone, watch this, 30 times a day." There are times when it gets frustrating because I have 4 children trying to get me to watch them at once, but it is exciting to see them do something new.

The girls like to play with the boys at times. It's fun to try to see the girls do something that they have seen the boys do. Most of the time, the girls can duplicate the activity. At first, the boys play with the girls as if they are girls. After awhile, the boys tend to forget that they are playing with girls or they just get tired of playing softly and get rough. The girls end up getting hurt and running over to me crying.

What I've Learned: Just Listen
I have learned a lot from the students that I teach. (I think that is what makes a good teacher great, you learn from your students while they learn from you.)

You can view this entry in my official blog to read more about it.

Many times, when the children get hurt, they come running over to one of the teachers crying. We try to calm them down and then check to make sure that they are physically ok. Most of the time, they are.

I have noticed something. Most of the time, they just want to tell someone what happened. One of them will tell me something and then, after they finish, they walk off from me, without ever getting a solution to their problem. When they are telling me their problem, it seems like it is life or death, but after they have said what they needed to say, they walk off.

I have also noticed, that I can be looking at them when something is happening, and they will still come and tell me what happened. I can even say, "I saw what happened," but the child still wants to tell me.

I have learned, that sometimes, you just want someone to listen to your problem. They don't have to help you out. They don't have to give you an answer. You just want someone to hear you.

Many teachers get disconcerted with 20 children walking up to you trying to tell you something. It used to frustrate me as well. I have changed my thinking on this. Now, I let them come up to me and tell me what is on their mind. I smile at them and then they are on their way.

I think we forget this lesson as we grow older. Once we gain a little knowledge; we want to share our knowledge with everyone who asks us to listen, whether they ask for advice or not. We forget that sometimes, people just need us to listen. They don't want help. They don't want advice. They just want someone to listen to them. We need to practice listening more these days.

I am trying to do that more and more these days. I get a lot of practice, weekdays, 9-5.

One Long Day

The Weather
The weather has been crazy. it started off dreary and then the sun shined. When we went outside after 3:30, the sky fluctuated between gray and bright. It was kind of irritating. I had to keep putting my shades on and then taking them off. Oh well, maybe it will get right soon.

Thankfully
I am so thankful that my allergies haven't been acting crazy. I think it is because of the rain. Thank you Lord, I haven't had to sneeze, cough, or hack too much.

Craziness
It is time for school to be out. These kids have lost their minds, all of them at the school; not just my class. Teachers keep walking by asking, "What in the world is going on here?" then they follow that up with, "These children have lost their minds." We don't get out of school until May 24th. Oh my goodness.

Captive by History
I haven't written anything on Captive By History since Wednesday, April 18. I need help around here.

Computer Issues
The computers at school have been acting crazy. oh well. I guess that's the way it goes.

By the way... There is nothing worthwhile in any of these posts for today. I was just doing my goals.

Brainwashed

I was wondering, is anyone besides me brainwashed? I mean, did someone tell you something as a child that you believed and as an adult you found out that what you were told as a child is not right, but you can't quite change your behavior.

I grew up in the Pentecostal faith. I have stated that on many occasions. When I was a child, there were many strict rules that we had to adhere to, such as;
* No make-up
* No jewelry
* Women couldn't wear pants
* Women who wore red were considered Jezebels. (She is the most evilest woman in the Bible.)
* If you even liked a person of the opposite sex, you were going to hell.

Those are the ones that stand out in my mind. I was brainwashed into thinking that most of these things would get you sent to hell. I grew out of them when I became Baptist and was given some latitude.

Most of these rules in the Pentecostal faith have been abolished with time. The one rule that still haunts me today is the fact that Women who wear red are Jezebels. I have no idea why that one still bothers me.

I cannot in clear conscience wear the color red. These days, in the Pentecostal faith, they have 100 Women in Red services. This is where women come to a special service and all of them wear red. It is hard for me to wear red, anything red. I do wear things of that color, but I feel icky when I wear the color. I only own on red shirt. I have worn the shirt several times during Christmas. I own one red suit that I purchased for a 100 Women in Red service. I have worn the suit about three times. It is so crazy that I can't wear the color red in peace.

Rainy, Dreary, and Scary

Today it was rainy, dreary, and scary. All day long it was cloudy. Finally, the clouds expelled what they were holding in. It rained for the longest.

We got tornados, hail, and winds like crazy. It got so bad at one point that all of the shows were preempted by the weather broadcasters, much to my dismay.

I can't think of much to say right now. I want to write a poem, but I don't feel anything right now. Oh well.

I hate computer issues. They always cause such crazy problems. Here's to technology.

I was at home for most of the storm. It didn't affect me much because it wasn't that bad in my area. I mostly heard the wind.

I am going to quit now. Later.

P.S. I want my mommy.

Cold As Ice

I am sitting in the library at the University. It is cold as ice in here. I can't even concentrate good.

My hands are frozen. My nose is running. I am gonna have to get out of here in a minute.

None of my friends are online at ShoutLife. I wish they were.

I want to write something for Captive By History, but I can't think straight. It is too cold in here.

I have left that cold place. I don't feel like writing anything now, so I guess I won't be writing anything on Captive By History today. Oh well.

I guess this is about all that I am going to get for today. It isn't even worth it to type this up. I am just trying to accomplish some goals today.

I will see what I can do tomorrow. Hopefully, it will be more productive.

If I go up to this library again, I am gonna bring me a jacket.

Witnessing, Religious Background

Witnessing

I need a clear cut definition of WITNESSING. What does it mean to WITNESS?

The only definition I have is from my old church… According to the pastor, if you were not bringing people to church, you were not witnessing, so the definition of witnessing was: Bringing people to church.

I haven't asked anyone at my new church, but I plan to.

Here is my personal definition… Telling others about Christ, whether it is a testimony, a "sermon", a word of encouragement, a hug, a reprimand, or prayer.

1 Corinthians 3:6-8 (New King James Version)
6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.
7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.
8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

I know I witness. But, I have never actually led anyone through the Sinner's Prayer. I firmly believe that I am the kind of person that plants. I believe that another follows behind me and waters.

There are those who will go off on me and say that I am not a good Christian witness for the Lord, but I just don't feel that way about it. I know that I can always do more, as we all can do more.

I have just always wondered what a good definition of WITNESSING is.

Religious Background (Make-Up)
Our Sunday School lesson today was about reaching beyond your comfort zone when witnessing and inviting others to your church. It got me to thinking about something, my religious background or make-up.

I think I have a very diverse religious background.

My father is Baptist. He is an ordained Baptist preacher. He was a Baptist pastor before.
My mother is Church of God In Christ (COGIC) which is a Pentecostal religion.
My stepmother was Methodist before she married my father. She leans a bit to the Pentecostal side at times. She is an ordained Methodist preacher.

I was born, raised, and bred Church of God In Christ (COGIC), ages 0-17. When I graduated high school and went to live with my father, I became Baptist, ages 17-24. After graduating college, I moved back to Dallas and joined a Full Gospel Church ages 24-33. Now, I am currently attending a Southern Baptist Church, age 33 and beyond.

I have fellowshipped with AME (African Methodist Episcopal) churches. I have fellowshipped with White Baptist Churches.

Here's some information about these religions.

Church of God In Christ (COGIC)... The religion has changed a lot since I was a little girl. Mainly, this religion believes in the whole Bible. They teach being filled with the Holy Sprit separate from being saved. You must speak in tongues to show that you have the Holy Spirit. Also, you can lose your salvation by backsliding. Many of the tenants of the COGIC are the same as other Protestant religions.
The services are very high spirited and exciting. You can never predict what will happen. There are over 5,000 COGIC Churches all over the world.

Baptist… It is the basic Baptist ideology. They believe as most Protestant Religions. I can't think of anything specific to point out.

Full Gospel… Most African-American people and religions that say they are Full Gospel or Pentecostal are offspring of the Church of God In Christ. Many of them have varying differences in doctrine. Many of the differences are related to women being pastors and women wearing pants. These services are high spirited and exciting. For the most part, the music is a bit slower than COGIC. The services can be unpredictable, too.
(The link for Full Gospel is the church that I use to go to.)

Honestly, I feel most comfortable in a Pentecostal church because of the element of excitement. Most Baptist churches aren't as exciting as Pentecostal churches. But Baptist churches have come a long way with their style of praise since the 90s. I like the unpredictability of the Pentecostal church.

I like the Baptist church because they don't use "scare tactics" to keep you save. In the Baptist church, you are responsible for your own soul salvation. In the Pentecostal church, it seems that you are guilted into living saved and doing other things that you should freely do.

In the Baptist church, there is full autonomy. I like that because you are responsible for yourself and no one else. I also like the fact that most Baptist pastors admit that they are human and that they can make a mistake. That attitude is very rare in the Pentecostal movement.

That's my religious background. I may add more later.

Bored For A Long While

Today was mostly boring. I ate breakfast and then sat around the house doing nothing. I washed dishes. After that, my day was not constructive at all.

I finally did get out of the house around 7:00 PM. I had to leave I was gonna go stir crazy. I went to COMP USA. I got something to eat. I went to Blockbuster. I came back home.

I turned my computer on, but I didn't get on it. It just ran the virus checker and I compacted my Outlook Express folders.

Told ya! It was boring today. The only reason I am writing this stuff down is because I needed to write it to keep my goal of writing everyday, no matter how big or small.

Well, that last part is a lie… I try to write at least 150 words, like it really makes a difference in the long run. I don't get stickers for not meeting my monthly goal. I guess it just adds to my word total in the end.

He Bared It All

Well, the class clown is at it again.

See these entries:
* Got Clowned Yesterday
* But I Brought You Flowers

We were lining up for lunch when He said, "Mrs. Boone, I need to go potty." I said, "Okay, go ahead." The other teacher was standing with the students. I was walking towards the front door.

I look up, he is almost to the restroom and he is walking with his pants and underwear down around his ankles, wiggling his rosy little bottom, among other things.

Both the other teacher and I say at the same time (this is not his real name), "Tracy!" which causes him to dance even more and part of the class to laugh. (Thankfully, most of them were otherwise occupied with playing around in the line.)

So, I direct him into the restroom. After he finishes, I talk to him. I asked, "Why did you do that?" He says, "I wanted to make everyone laugh." I try to reprimand him. He gives me his sad, I'm sorry face, and then says, "I'm sorry Mrs. Boone. I will be good," all the while, trying to get away from me. I had to stop to stop him twice while I was talking to him.

He repeats the same line he just gave me and then I let him leave. He walks out of the restroom laughing and dancing.

I wrote his mother a note and she made him apology and promise that it would never happen again.

My husband was cracking up laughing at me.

Lord, how much longer do we have in school? Close to 5 more weeks. I may not make it.

I really think that "WE," especially them, are all ready for school to be out.

Other than the dance show I received, today was a good day.

Blah!

Today was kind of blah. Nothing exciting happened. Nothing of worth happened. I am writing this entry just so I can make my monthly goal of writing something everyday.

I have been goofing around on ShoutLife a lot, making new friends. I can never seem to be online when my brother is online, ain't that crazy?

Captive By History, my NaNo novel is going good. I am at 11,121 words. I am feeling good about that. I gotta keep writing, though. Better than I expected. I am so glad of that.

I have been making Yahoo! Avatars like crazy. I love making them, too. My avatar favors me, too. Here's one…

I'm cute ain't I?

I'm going to get my hair done tomorrow. I really need to get it done. My head is itching. I hate it when my hair does that. My hair really itches a lot when I am about to get a perm. I don't even understand that one.

This message is a big bowl of goulash. We had neck bones and red beans this week for dinner at the house. It has been good.

I guess I will wrap this up. I am still feeling blah!

Yet Another Student Giving Me Flowers

Recently, a student gave me flowers because he had acted up in class on the previous day, please see the following posts:
* Got Clowned Yesterday
* But I Brought You Flowers

This is the second time that a student has given me flowers after having acted crazy with me.

The first time was much worse than this most recent time. The boy (a 3rd grader who wasn't even in my class) threw a fit. I was at the school by myself.

Here's a poem I wrote after I got the flower.

Yellow Weed
Yellow weed growing in the midst of the grass.
Unwanted, unloved, often thrown aside.
Only wanting to live your life as best you know how.
But how can you do so, when no one gives you a chance?
Emotions growing inside you, no one will listen.
Mowed down, pulled out.
Why don't they give you a chance?
You deserve life just like everything else.
But still, you're treated as a nuisance,
A nuisance, unloved, unkept.
I've always wanted to make a difference,
So, here's my chance, I guess.
Yellow weed, my treasure,
You are wanted, you are kept.

Inspiration Behind Yellow Weed
The poem Yellow Weed was inspired by one of the students in the school that I taught at in 2002. The previous day, he had acted a straight fool with me. I mean he acted crazy. I was very frustrated with him.

The next day, the kids were outside playing. He walked over to me with his hands behind his back. He smiled at me and apologized. He handed me this yellow weed. I smiled and hugged him. He went back on his way.

I looked at the weed and was about to throw it away, but then inspiration hit. I was about to throw away a heartfelt gift of apology from one of my students. I went into the classroom and taped the flower to a page in my journal. Later on during the day, I wrote the poem, Yellow Weed.

Old Wounds Opened

I was rereading the journal entry I wrote yesterday in my blog. It got me to thinking about some things in the past that I have never spoken about. Here it goes.

In 2002, my former pastor decided to open up tuition based school at the church. He asked me and one of our associate ministers to be apart of the school. We both agreed.

You would think that every member of the church with children, or at least 50% of them would enroll their children into a school run by their home church, but no, they didn't want to. We had three members enroll their children.

There were numerous complaints about the pastor's business ventures going belly up. So, the members didn't want to pull their children from their established schools and put them in a school that was more than likely going to close soon after it was opened. A former member of the church enrolled his child in the school.

(Many of the pastor's business ventures had gone belly up. In all fairness to the pastor, he had a short attention span. It was hard for him to stay with anything that he thought was moving slowly and wasn't producing like he thought it should produce.)

Well, we did the school for the whole year of 2002 with 5 students and 2 teachers. As of now, we still have parents who owe money to the school, even though it has been 5 years since the school was opened.

In the 2002 school year, only one family paid their child's whole tuition. One family paid one-third of their tuition. One family, with two children enrolled, paid two or three payments.

Those five students, 3 kindergarteners, a third grader, and a sixth grader, gave the minister (the principal and teacher of 3rd and 6th graders) and I (kindergarten) fits. It didn't help that there were parents who acted a fool for no reason whatsoever.

For lunch, we had to use whatever lunch money the students brought for that day to go buy groceries because we did not have a lunch staff or a stash of food for the school. I had to stay with those five kids by myself for over an hour while the principal went to buy the food and then cook it. Of course, with only one adult there, they acted crazy.

I was the kindergarten teacher and the school secretary. The minister was the principal and the cook. It was crazy.

We barely got paid because the pastor had to take money from the church fund and put it in the school fund. (We could not get support from the church family because they were expecting the school to fail as was the pattern with our pastor. Many people told me this with their own mouths, so this is not second hand knowledge.)

It's Fall 2003. The former member who had enrolled their child wanted to remove their child from the school because the tuition hadn't been paid and they couldn't pay the tuition. Those people were members of a church where the pastor of that church was a "rival" of our pastor. (Another story for another time.)

The student was learning like crazy and the parents were bragging on the school at the "rival" church. Our pastor told the parents that they could keep their child at the school even though they couldn't pay the tuition. (Mind you, this is a tuition based school and my salary was supposed to be coming from the tuition.)

Our pastor wanted the girl to stay @ the school so that he "have bragging" rights and something to hold over his "rival's" head. (Every chance the pastor got to mention his "rival," he did. He got on my nerves with that mess.) That about did it for me and the principal of the school, we were heated. How is the pastor gonna let someone who owes us all kinds of money stay at the school, especially after they themselves have said that they can't pay their bills? We stayed with it though for the children.

This time, we had five students, the two who didn't pay much tuition left and the two that replaced them actually paid there tuition, praise God.

We went through the fall semester pretty much the same way that we went through 2002. Not enough money, not enough support from the church, and no support from the pastor regarding trying to get us money from the parents or more "paying" students. He even refused to accept students who would have used vouchers.

We had to close the school. There was nothing else to do because we had no money coming in and it was a waste of our time trying to run the school with no money and no support.

Many people from the church came to me and said, "See, I told you that it was going to fail."

The minister and I were blamed for the school failing, though it wasn't our fault. We tried to do everything that we could to get the school up and running. We tried to suggest several ideas to the pastor. He shot all of them down because they weren't "HIS" ideas.

The fact that the church didn't support the school hurt me a lot because when the principal and I tried to talk to people about what we (the principal and I) were trying to accomplish, people always went back to… "I know it's going to fail because pastor's business ventures always fail." The principal and I could get no support for us and these were people who said they were our friends. That hurt more than anyone will ever know.

The minister that I worked with left the church a few months after the school closed. He was talked about like a dog from the pulpit by the pastor. Most of what was said about him was not true.

I left the minister a year after the minister did. My reason for leaving will take forever to explain. Some ungodly things have been said about me and my husband since we left.

I was so hurt by all of this, as was the minister. We have yet to receive any kind of apology, acknowledgment, or anything from the pastor. I doubt that we ever will.

I have forgiven everyone involved.

I heard that you will receive some of your worst wounds in the church.

Children's Church

I worked in Children's Church today. I didn't actually have a class. I ended up helping in the kindergarten class, that's usually the class I teach on 1st & 3rd Sundays. There was another teacher there this Sunday.

Hopefully, this won't sound bad, but I am glad that I didn't have to teach the class because they made Arks (Noah's Ark) in the classes. They had 10-20 minutes and they had to use stuff that they just kind of found. Supposedly, an email was sent out to all of the teachers to bring stuff to make an ark with. I didn't get the email. I am not on the mailing list, so I didn't get the email.

Sometimes, our Children's Church services seem disorganized. They sit in a room for 20 to 30 minutes working on a worksheet waiting for children to arrive. Mostly, the children play and talk until they see the adult with the candy bag come into the room, and then they make a mad scramble and try to finish their pages. I usually end up with an onslaught of children's screaming in my ear, "Can you help me with #2?" I help them, of course. (I usually do the worksheet, so I can help them with it.)

They get candy for completing the worksheet. After the candy run, which takes 10 minutes, we have devotion. That takes 10 to 20 minutes. Then we go to the classrooms. When in the classrooms, they eat a snack. That takes forever because everyone wants to play around, and then no one wants what is on the table and we end up having to wait for one person to get the snack they want.

After the snack, everyone wants to go to the restroom. Lord, have mercy. That is crazy.

After the restroom run, it doesn't leave much time to do a lesson, which I have to wait around for because it is not waiting on me. I never know what the lesson is going to be because when I am handed it in the room, that's the first time I have seen the lesson.

I hate being unprepared, which I am every Sunday I go to teach the class.

I hope that since I am on the mailing list, I will be more prepared.

A couple of Sundays, we had a different person running the Children's Church service, in place of the person who normally does it. Those services seemed more organized. She had someone there to actually explain the lesson. It was so amazing how different the services were. I wish they could be like that more often.

I have only been working with Children's Church since January.

Sometimes You Gotta Laugh to Keep From Crying

This post is in response to several posts that I posted about a student that acted up with me.

* Got Clowned Yesterday
* But I Brought You Flowers

Let me say this first, I teach children that are 3 years old or just recently turned 4 years old. The conventional thinking goes out of the window with these students.

An added bonus is that they are teacher's children. Most of these students mother, father, or both parents work or teach in the school district. This makes them more advanced at the age of 3 and 4 than normal students. Several of them can write their names, their family's names, or their friends' names. One of them has started to reading three and four letter words.

I really identify with these students, because I was just like them. My father (Dr. Madkins) was a college professor. My mother (Ms. Linda) is still a teacher. I was very advanced for my age. I could read and write when I entered kindergarten. I see so much of myself in many of my students. It's scary at times, too.

P.S. My father was a pastor and is a preacher. I should be one messed up child. I am a PK, double TK. Lord, have mercy.

Back to the reason for this post…

I am pretty happy-go-lucky. Not much upsets me, if it does; I try to turn it into a positive. My philosophy is... "It can only bother me, if I let it bother me." I grew up in an environment where craziness happened everyday. It was family members talking crazy. It was family members doing something so goofy that it didn't make sense. It was stuff happen at church that I couldn't even imagine.

I learned to laugh at life at an early age from my father and mother.

My mother is good at messing with you and having you busting a gut and she hasn't even cracked a smile. She used to do that to us in church all the time.

My father has a great sense of humor. He made folk laugh all the time without even trying to make them laugh.

My mother would sometimes just be laughing. My brother and I would ask, "Mama, why are you laughing?" Her response would be, "Sometimes you gotta laugh to keep from crying." I still ain't figured that out yet.

The laughter lesson I learned from my mother is… "Learn to laugh at yourself." If you are laughing at yourself, you retain the power of your stupidness.

My mother worked at Wal-Mart. She was forever coming home telling us about the crazy things that happened to her, most of them at her own doing. Here's one of those stories.

"Girl, let me tell you what happened today. I was working in the fragrance department. This man came by and said, 'Do you all have any cool water?' I said, 'Yea, a fountain is right over there.' The man looked at me like I was crazy. He said, 'Mame, do y'all have the cologne called Cool Water?" I looked at him like he was crazy. I showed him where the men's cologne was. I cracked up laughing. I thought he wanted something to drink. I didn't know he was talking about some cologne. I have been laughing about that all day."

The laughter lesson I learned from my father is… "Watch a comedy everyday." In essence, this meant, you need to laugh everyday.

I am a big fan of Andy Griffin and The Beverly Hillbillies because of my father. He would sit for hours and watch video tapes of the shows. My baby brother (24) and sister (21) watch those shows, too. We all grew up watching the video tapes with my father.

I make sure I laugh everyday. I try to laugh at myself, too. That isn't always easy because I tend to be hard on myself. I am learning to do that more and more each day.

I am very thankful that God blessed me with a silly husband. He is always making me laugh.

P.S. When life gets too rough, remember what Ms. Linda says… Sometimes, you gotta laugh to keep from crying.

But I Brought You Flowers

The little boy who clowned me the other day (see previous post) was at it again today.

When I walked in the door, he smiled at me, gave me a hug, and then said, "I brought you some flowers Mrs. Boone." I was happy. (I think the flowers were supposed to make-up for yesterday.)

Everything was good until nap time. He decided that he wanted to act up. He came in the room noisy and then, began doing headstands on his mat. The other teacher and I asked him to stop two times, but he wouldn't. He ended up causing the student next to him to talk. So, the other teacher told both of them to go put their names on yellow. The class clown says, "But I am already on red." The other teacher says, "Well, you're in a lot of trouble buddy." She leaves with the other student so he can go put his name on yellow.

The class clown proceeds to do a headstand and sings, "I'm already on red. I'm already on red." I have to tell him to go sit in time out. After he sits in time out, he says, "But I brought you flowers. But I brought you flowers." I wanted to laugh so bad because he was serious.

I think in his mind, the flowers were a get out of jail free card.

Lord, help me, I am a teacher.

Writing Goals Calendar

I updated my writing goals calendar. I added a yearly stats sheet.

Got Clowned Today

One of my students clowned me in class today.

One student was drumming on his legs, which means that all of the students decided to drum on their legs. I asked them to stop drumming or else. Well, one student decided that he was going to keep on. He was drumming on leg. I have him two warnings and then he had to go put his name on yellow. After he came back to his seat, he started drumming on his legs again. I gave him two more warnings. He had to go put his name on red. After he came back to his seat, he started drumming again. I gave him two warnings. After the second warning, he said, "I am already on red, so I guess I gotta go to purple." The whole class proceeded to laugh and act up. I had to ask the little boy to go sit in time out. All the way to time out he was laughing and singing, "I gotta go to purple."

Lord, help me, I'm a teacher.

1,008 Words

I had written 1,008 words at 3:02 PM. I wrote that many words in like 40 minutes or so. I started a fight at the restaurant. That got my muse flowing. It felt kind of good to write that. I am feeling better right now.

Crazy Week So Far

Yesterday I was feeling antisocial. Today I am feeling goofy. Things have been crazy this week. What is really going on?

Sugar Naw!

My husband saw my new avatar that I am using for my ShoutLife profile. This is what he said,
"Sugar Naw!"

I thought it was funny and cute. What he said as well as my avatar. :)

Continued Editing

I continued editing Captive By History today. I just found out that quite a bit of a chapter is missing. I will have to go rewrite that part. From what I remember, that part was good, too.

I am going to type something up. I am going to check out my older files and see if that part in my files.

Oh well.

Pink-tastic Report

There were six girls wearing pink today.

April Fool's Challenge

This month, I am participating in the April Fool's Novel Challenge. Basically, you state a goal, work towards that goal, and hope for the best.

Here are my goals for the challenge.
1. Edit Captive By History.
2. Write at least 20,000 words on the novel.
3. Edit the newly written material.
4. Update the entire novel.
5. Finish Part One of Captive by History.

Pink-tastic Report

There were seven girls wearing pink today. I keep buying more stuff that is pink. Somebody help me please.

Pride Stickers

I get to put 30 stickers on my computer. Yippee.
Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

Writing Goals

I am very proud. For the month of March I wrote 20,258 words. That is 1,258 words more than my projected monthly goal. Yea!

Monthly Goals For April

Here are my goals for the month:
1. To write something everyday, no matter how big or small.
2. To write at least 20,000 on my Captive by History NaNo Novel.
3. To edit my Captive by History NaNo Novel.
4. To write down more of the story ideas that I have come up with.
5. Update LDW
6. Update GBF
7. Update Maddocha
8. Update Always Inspired
9. Transfer the Adams Family Site
10. Transfer the Adkins Family Site
11. Transfer In Her Shadow

Goals for Last Month

I accomplished four of my monthly goals for last month.

All By Myself

Can I just be honest?

Well, I am about ready to cry. Seriously. I am.
Most of it is because I am being female, but hey, we ladies do that from time to time. Some of it is because I have been abandoned alone in the wilderness with 14 three and four year old children who must have been fed pure came sugar for breakfast.

Here's the whole story.

I am a Pre-K teacher (ages 3 & 4). There are four teachers in my class. In my class, we provide day care for the employees of our school district at my school, so we have the students all day. (Oh Lord. Yea, we have TEACHER'S KIDS.)

Side note: I can't talk because my mother is a teacher and my father was a college professor. Get this... my father was also a pastor. Yep.

The schedule is kind of crazy.
During the morning, all four teachers are in the room. For one hour, there are two teachers in the room. (The main two teachers go to lunch. I and another teacher stay with the students. We read to them and they have recess.) The other teacher and I go to lunch, while the main two teachers take the students to lunch. After lunch, the students nap. I and one of the main teachers get them to sleep, while the other two teachers work with the PPCD students. After all of the students are sleep, the main teacher goes back to the other room. I am in the napping room by myself (with sleeping students) for hour or so. After they wake up, they go to our room, have a snack, and then go play. The other three teachers leave and I am left with them until their parents come to get them. They play outside or in the gym. It's an hour or so or until 5:00 PM (that's usually the case).

Here's what's upsetting me so. For the past three days, the teacher that works with me has been absent and working with Pre-registration for the school, so I have been by myself for that hour. It has been horrendous. I have been stuck with 14 3 & 4 year olds with Spring Fever.

Let's put it like: the boys have been boxing and wrestling each other, the girls insist on screaming at the top of their lungs (high pitched screams), the girls are trying to kiss the boys, the girls are singing the cutest boy in class name, the boy chase the girls and try to hit them, the girls run, fall down, come to me crying, as they say the boys are bothering them, and the whole process happens over and over again.

Today, several of the girls were performing CPR on one of the boys. (Oh my goodness.) The little boy was pretending to pass out. The girls were being the doctor. It was kind of cute to watch because the girls were doing the whole CPR procedure, checking to see if he could hear, checking for a pulse, and then performing CPR. (Yes, lips touched lips.)

I don't want to say anything, but I am very upset because I was supposed to have some help during these two days, according to the vice-principal, but I haven't. In my mind, I am thinking, "This is so unfair. They have left me in here with these rowdy behind kids and no one seems to care." Again, more than likely, I am being over emotional, but that's how I feel.

I am very tired. I am frustrated. I am stressed. My head is hurting. My ears are ringing. It's allergy season. My eyes are itching. My ears are itching. My throat is itching. I wanna cry. I am being female. I want my mommy. I wanna go home. I need a "Mommy Hug".

I need some friends badly right about now. Can a sista get a hug, please?

Weekly Goals 4/1-4/7

Here are my goals for next week
1. Add Another Convert to the Gossip Blog.
2. Give notice
3. Check out In Her Shadow
4. Wash
5. Change all image folders

All Day Long

This entry is just one continuous entry.

BMW
I saw a young lady with a t-shirt on. It had "I want a BMW". Underneath that phrase it said, "Black Man Worshipping". I thought that was so cute.

I thank God that I have a BMW. My husband is in church. He is excited about God. He reads his Bible. He prays. He does all of that more than I do and I am a minister. (I need to get on the ball.) I am very thankful for my BMW.

Hood Boy
I saw the video for Fantasia's song "Hood Boy". That is a crazy song and a crazy video. (She is gonna shake a hip loose.)

I have a hood boy, although he doesn't act like it. My hubby is a hood boy. He walks around in his wife beaters (although he hates it when you call A-shirts by that name) and his jeans.

My hubby takes good care of me, too. He's my baby.

By Myself
I am by myself with the students today. Ugh!

Bracelet
I broke my teacher bracelet. I called myself trying to fix it and I glue the magnet in backwards. Now it wont' closed. AWE!

400+ Friends
I have over 400 friends on ShoutLife. I am so excited. It's crazy, because there are people who have over 1,000 friends.

33 More Words

I need thirty-three more words to make 1,000 for today.

How about a few quotes?

"I like buttered grass." – Ethel Mertz (I Love Lucy)

"Every now and then an average mind has a great thought." – deartra d. Boone

"It's hard to be big, when little got you." – Men of Standard

Well, met my goal. Yea!

Allergies: Oh the Eyes

Today was crazy. My eyes itched a lot. I tried not to rub them. I kept using my eye drops and water. That didn't help much. Ugh!

ShoutLife

I was on ShoutLife too much again today. Ok, I am going t have to monitor my usage. (BIG SMILE!)

Pink-tastic Report

There were seven girls wearing pink. I think that the allergy medicine is affecting me. I am not drawn by the pinkness that the girls are wearing these days. It doesn't faze me anymore. Yea!

Daily Goal

I have reached my monthly goal, so I am not really trying to reach the daily goal I have set for myself each day. If I do reach my daily goal, it will mean an extra sticker.

I am glad that I met my goal early this month. With my allergies, I haven't felt like writing much. I have been going home and lying on the couch.

I despise allergy season! Ugh!

Allergies, Good Day Today

Today was a good allergy day. I used some Triaminic throat strips for my cough. Those things work wonders.

Marques Houston

I was watching VH1 Soul and I saw the latest Marques Houston video. Does he ever sing a ballad? Is it me or does he show his chest showing in every one of his videos? Why does he always wear a hooded jacket or sweatshirt?

I was just wondering. No, I don't remember the name of the song.

Pink-tastic Report

I don't know.

ShoutLife

I may have to ban myself from using ShoutLife. I have been on there for most of the time. I am addicted.

Laws of Three-Year Olds

1. The world revolves around me.

2. I am not a baby. Please don't call me that. Please don't treat me like one.

3. Whatever you have, I want it, even if you bought it.

4. If you don't give me what I want as mention in Law 3, I will throw a fit.

5. If I see it and I want it, it is mine.

6. I am not that tall, so if I want to get your attention, I may have to touch you somewhere that you might not like me touching don't get mad at me.

7. If I say I don't like you, don't take it personally. In about five minutes, I will be your best friend again.

8. You don't have to repeat yourself. I heard you the first time. I am just ignoring you.

9. I am independent.

10. I may need some help sometimes, but remember Law 9.

11. I am prone to but into your conversation.

12. I have some manners, but I rarely use them.

13. I love hugs. Give me a lot of them.

14. I love to give hugs. Let me give a lot of them.

15. It is okay for you to ask for a hug. I reserve the right to refuse to give you one if I don't want to give you one.

16. I love to learn.

17. Remember Law 16. Whatever I see you do, I will copy it.

18. Remember Law 16. I learn the bad things quicker than I learn the good things.

19. If I see you eating something, I am going to ask for it. If you don't give me any, I may resort to crying. Please remember Law 2.

20. I will not usually cover my mouth when I cough or sneeze. I know I am supposed to, but I choose not to do it.

21. I made a mess, but I expect you to clean it up.

22. I still cry. Please remember Law 2.

23. I like to be carried. Please remember Law 2.

24. I know all of the stuff that I have is mine, but I expect you to carry my backpack, my stuffed animal, and me.

25. Yes, I want you to put all 58 of my pictures on the wall.

26. Please don't put so many barrettes in my hair. I am subject to lose them.

27. Please don't put so many layers of clothes on me. I am subject to lose a layer or two.

28. I like going round in circles. It is fun to me.

29. I will do everything you say, literally.

30. It's Friday. I am allowed to act crazier than normal.

31. I will fall down from time to time.

I will add more later.

I'm Through

I am not going to make my goal for today. I am going to go lay down. Oh well. Allergy season is in full bloom.

Pink-tastic Report

Today, there were four girls wearing pink.

Goldilocks and the 3 Bears

I am considering writing a version of Goldilocks and the 3 bears. In class, we read that story for 5 days straight. We read 3 different versions of it, but we read the story over and over.

One day, in my overactive mind, I started writing my own version of the story.

I am going to try to get my sister-in-law, Jolene, to draw the pictures for it.

I don't know when I am going to get around to doing it though.

Allergies

Today was a horrible day for me. Everything on me that could itch or hurt, did just that. My eyes were itching. My throat was itching. My ears were itching. I felt so bad. I coughed most of the day because my sinuses were draining. I was so miserable.

That's about all I have to say on the matter.

All The Independent Children

My students are becoming very independent, at least during nap time. It's been about two months since I started asking them to put on their own shoes and socks.

At first, I met with resistance. They cried and moaned about it. Now, finally, they are doing it without complaint, for the most part. Every now and then, someone complains.

I must say that the complaints are getting better. They no longer cry. Here's a recent conversation:
Student: Mrs. Boone, I can't put my socks on.
Me: Have you tried putting them on?
Student: No, they are too hard.
Me: Well, try to put them on. Okay?
Student: Mrs. Boone, if you put my socks on, I will put my shoes on.

Of course, I went and put his socks on for him.

After that, one of the other students who was nearby said, "Mrs. Boone, if you put my socks on, I will put my shoes on." Gotta love the chilins'.

Dull, Boring, and Blah!

Today was pretty much a bore. Didn't do a thing. Nope, didn't go to church. I am on vacation. Leave me alone. (SMILE)

I didn't turn the computer on until late. I mostly wanted to check my email. I did join an email group on ShoutLife. Yes, I had time to check out ShoutLife. That's my new spot.

Home Again

We are going home today. It seems like we just got here. Actually, we did just get here. Oh well. I am not ready to go home yet. I wish we could have came down here when we were supposed to and the vacation would have seemed longer. Oh well.

Why does the return trip home always seem to go quicker than the trip there? We got home in no time flat. We stopped for food and for gas.

I think my husband was in a rush to get home. He was driving fast. I mean very fast. (He usually drives the speed limit.)

The Museum

We went to the museum today in Austin. It was the Texas State History Museum. We watched a movie in the IMAX Theatre called TEXAS: The Big Picture. We also toured the museum. That was fun.

Why were we at the museum on a day when half of the Austin schools were at the museum? At least it seemed that way. We saw the movie with the whole seventh grade from a private school. I think it was an all girl school, too. Only the girls were there. They were pretty well behaved for the most part.

We got some ice cream after the museum and walked around for awhile. We went bowling after that. That was fun, too. I won. My score was 69 and my husband's score was 61. We had a horrible bowling game, but we had fun.

Disappointed

We were supposed to go out of town on yesterday, but the plans were canceled at the last minute. After all the hard work I did to make the plans, I had to cancel them at the last minute.

I called to cancel the hotel yesterday. The guy I talked to on the phone was nice. He said, "Maybe next time." I felt a little better after he said that.

I hate it when stuff gets changed at the last minute. URGH!!

Fifty Words

Well, I am trying to write fifty words each day during Spring Break. I haven't felt like writing much the past few days, so I am attempting to try to write at least fifty words. It's only ten percent of my monthly goal, but hey, I am trying. I just made it today. BIG SMILE, NOW!

Too Lazy

Didn't to anything today. I am on Spring Break and enjoying every minute of it.

I am hoping to get out of the house soon.

I don't think I will be writing much during the break. I just don't feel it in my heart. I am only writing because one of my goals for the month is to try to write something everyday.

Finished Another Convert

I finished Another Convert from Gossip tonight. I am so happy. I will post it later.

Gossip

I am going to work on Gossip tonight. Yippee!

It's Official

It's official. I am addicted to ShoutLife. I have been on there all day. I have got to do something about that.

Went to Wal-Mart

I went to Wal-Mart today. I get crazy when I go to the store. As crazy as it may sound, I love going to the grocery store. I can end up spending over an hour in there.

When I was single, my brother and I used to go to Wal-Mart at 2 AM. There would be a lot of people in the store at that hour. Some of the people would have baskets full of things. That would be the funny part.

I miss going to Wal-Mart like that. Oh well.

Seventy-Seven Words

So, I need 77 words to make 500 words for today. It's been a slow day today.

My husband and I have done a NCAA bracket. He is winning so far. We both picked the same champion, Florida.

I want Texas to win

I have Florida playing Texas A&M in the championship game. I didn't have the heart to have Texas play Florida and then have to choose between the two.

I need to go get my hair done. I want to get braids.

I made my quota. Yea!

Nothing Much to Report

After having danced my way all the way home on yesterday, IT'S SPRING BREAK WEEK, I didn't do a thing on today.

I mostly just lay around the house and chilled.

I was tired. I watched my videotapes. I record the shows that I like to watch each week. I can't watch them live because I hate having to watch the commercials. I have been doing that since college.

I started taping my shows so that I could watch then when I got home from school in college. Now, I am so spoiled that I can't watch my shows live.

I guess I lied in the title. I am writing a lot, huh.

My TV Viewing
Here is a list of my shows.

Sunday
Cold Case
Without A Trace

Monday
The New Adventures of Old Christine
CSI: Miami

Tuesday
Law & Order: CI
Law & Order: SVU

Wednesday
Bones (When American Idol isn't on.)
Criminal Minds
CSI: New York

Thursday
CSI
Shark
(With my husband)
Smallville
Supernatural

Friday
Law & Order
Monk
Psych

I try to watch them on Saturdays, but I don't always get to watch them.

I have my tapes set-up so that I have one day on each tape.

Family
It's crazy how you can't pick your family. Sometimes, you like your family members. Sometimes, you don't. It's a crazy thing.

I pretty much like my family. My siblings are all cool. My parents are pretty cool, too. My parents are crazy, but they are cool. They are always willing to dispense advice as well as prayer. My parents' are the kind of parents that other kids like being around. Growing up, there were always other teenagers around my house. One time, my brother and I had six teenagers over at our house babysitting us. I know my brother and I were a handful, but, I refuse to believe that we needed six people to watch us. I only needed one babysitter. My brother probably needed two babysitters. (SMILE.)

Once, when I was in college, my father had a Super Bowl party. He had invited a bunch of the college students over to the house to watch the game. When the game was over, my dad went to his room and left me in the kitchen with 15 college kids. They refused to leave the house after he left. I was trying to wash dishes and they were bothering me. It was truly irritating that night.

My family is cool. I love them a lot.

Another Convert, Forever

So, Another Convert has been listed on my Goals list forever. I am going to have to finish that up before too long. I need to add it to the Gossip Blog.

Weekly Goals 3/18-3/24

Here are my goals for next week

1. Finish Another Convert
2. Add Another Convert to the Gossip Blog.
3. Apartment hunting
4. Give notice
5. Check out In Her Shadow
6. Wash
7. Change all image folders

Bolded goals in Arial Font have been completed.

What I Did Today

I finished writing on my short story from the 14th. It's a cute story, but it is a bit sentimental. Oh well.

Pink-tastic Report

I didn't pay attention, so I don't have a report. Oh well.

Nothing Much

Didn't feel like writing much today. I mostly just played around on ShoutLife. I am hooked.

Short Story Continued Or Not

Today, I meant to write on the short story that I started yesterday, but I didn’t feel like it.

I mean it is two days until Spring Break! Yippee

Pink-tastic Report

I don't even know how many there were today.

One of the teachers that I work with had her baby shower at the school today. I was in charge of the paper ware. I ended up having to buy pink plates, napkins, and a tablecloth. Pinkness all around.

She is having a girl, so the color for the shower was pink of course.

Pink-tastic Report

I didn't count today because things were too crazy today. I didn't even notice the color pink.

Three-Year Old Behavior

I think I have said this before, but I work with 3-year olds. I have watched them carefully and observed their behavior. Here are some of the things I have noticed.

Three-Year Olds & Friendship
Three-Year Olds & Their Imaginations
Three-Year Olds & Bossiness
Three-Year Olds & "Do It Again"

P.S. My husband is always telling me that I act like a 3-three year old (even before I begin working with them). I have noticed from the above that I do. It's so crazy.

See what other wonderful things 3-year olds do, click here.

Three-Year Olds & Friendship

I have noticed that the students in my class have a crazy friendship dynamic. One of them can say, "I am not your friend anymore." Within 5 minutes, the students involved are back playing as if nothing ever happened. This happens nine or ten times a day. It is so funny to see this happen.

They can get into a scuffle and hurt each other, but give it about ten minutes, and they are back to being friends.

I am like that. I don't hold grudges long.

Three-Year Olds & Their Imaginations

The students in my class have some over active imaginations. They have made whirling action figures out of plastic gingerbread men and string. They have turned fake food and cardboard into a restaurant endeavor. They are forever making up something.

I am like that. I have an over active imagination.

Three-Year Olds & Bossiness

Most of the girls in the class are very bossy. Some are bossier than others. It is too funny to see them bossing each other around. It is even funnier to see the girls bossing the boys around. Most of the time; the boys end up doing what the girls say to do.

They have even been bossy to me and I am the teacher. It's easier to play with the boys. They aren't that bossy. :)

I am nothing like that. Just kidding, I am bossy, too.

Three-Year Olds & "Do It Again"

I am forever being told that I am so funny or so silly. I am always making faces or using crazy voices. Usually when I make a face or two, I hear, "Do it again, Mrs. Boone." It is so crazy.

I do my husband like that all the time when he does something funny. After awhile, he is like; I am not doing it again.

Pink-tastic Report

There were four girls wearing pink today. Felt good not to be surrounded by a lot of pink today.

Feeling Blah!

I had some other stuff to write about today, but I am feeling kind of blah right now. I think I have caught Spring Fever. I have Spring Break next week. I am trying to figure out something to do next weekend. I really want to get out of town.

It isn't like I can go to a beach or something for the week. I just wanna get out of the house.

Allergies
My allergies have been irritating me all day. My eyes, ears, and throat have been itchy all day. I have been scratching all day. I am trapped in a building. I want to go outside, but I am scared to be out there for more than 20 minutes because I might end up regretting it.

I am beginning to think that I need a chocolate fix. The nurse at my school is selling chocolate bars for her son. I bought a couple of them. I am seriously considering eating on of them. I am not into to whole chocolate thing. I am not even into sweets. I very rarely eat chocolate. I eat sweets even less, which is odd because my brothers and sister eat sweets like it is going out of style.

Siblings
Speaking of siblings, all of them have MySpace pages, Jerry, Kevin, Jeremy, and Alisha (in order of birth after me). I was the last one to get one and I am the oldest. (Please note that I am not responsible for anything that appears on any of their pages. Jerry's page is not bad. He is a preacher.) I can only control what appears on my page.) Anyway, I got a MySpace page so that I could talk to my little sister. She never answers her phone and I don't know her email address. (I am so off topic. Anyway.) My sister has posted some silly comments on my page. She is my baby.

Free Writing
I am really free writing right now. I am just typing what pops in my head. I haven't done that in awhile. I have been writing more structured stuff.

(She knows she can get up, so what is she waiting for.)

Gossip (Short Stories) & Gossiping
I have been working on My Short Story Series: Gossip. It is turning out rather nicely. It is crazy how much church folk gossip, especially preachers. Church folk sure can talk about each other, under the guise of "sharing" information, telling people what to pray for, or a combination of both. If I hear one more person say, "I am just sharing so that we will know what to pray for," I am gonna scream. It is just flat out gossiping, plain and simple. I had to be delivered from gossiping. I still have yet to figure out how I got so caught up in gossiping, too.

I did not grow up in an atmosphere of gossiping. My mother does not gossip. She does not find out the latest gossip until it is two years old. No joke, I am serious. My taught my brother and I not to gossip. (For clarification purposes, my father has three different sets of children, Jerry and I, Kevin, Jeremy and Alisha, in case anyone was wondering.)

I got caught up in gossiping so quickly at my last church that I was a full fledge gossip before I even realized I was a gossip, by then, I was in too deep. I was gossiping with the leadership of the church, high ranking leadership. It was referred to as VERIFYING INFORMATION that was already known. Basically, I would go verify some information for another person. Oddly enough, I had access to resources where I could verify the information.

Once I was able to get out of the web of gossip, I laid before God, cried, and repented like crazy. I felt so bad for getting tangled up in that sin. Sin will suck you in and make a fool out of you.

I guess I am pretty much through free writing for now.

It felt good to get that out of my system.

Seventy Words

I need seventy words to meet my goal today. I am having issues meeting my goals.

I guess I can talk about my favorite food.

I am trying to pick one out of the three that I can eat at any given time; BBQed ribs, fried catfish, and tamales.

I think the one I would like to have all the time is fried catfish. I love me some fried catfish; especially if it is coated with Louisiana Fish Fry. Uhm, that's some Good Eats. What's up Alston Brown?

Got my 70 words and then some. Yippee! I am going to try to do better.

Allergies

Today was a bad allergy day. My eyes were itching all day. My throat started itching mid way through the day. Later on, my ears started itching; all three itching right now.

I drove by some guys who were cutting some grass. I hate driving by fresh cut grass, which usually causes my allergies to act up, no matter how much medicine I have taken.

I really hate Spring.

Hot Desk

I have my laptop on a table. Sometimes my laptop gets so hot. I am going to have to find a way to cool my laptop down when I am using it.

Speaking of Handwritten Novels

I looked at the spiral that contains the handwritten portion of my Allegations Novel. I had handwritten quite a bit of the novel. I was going to tear the pages out of the spiral, but when I saw how many pages there were, I didn't tear them out.

Wow!

Wire Bound

I took my two novels to FedEx Kinko's and got them bound. They look so good. My husband laughed at me because I got the bound.

Having them bound has further inspired me to finish them.

Editing Past NaNo Novels

I have decided to edit my past NaNo Novels. I read part of one of the novels. I saw that there were some errors. Both of the stories are good stories, and they could be even better with some editing. I am planning to do it over Spring break.

For the most part, Flirting with Danger can be considered finished. I just need to do some filling in and revising.

Captive by History needs to be completed. I need to do some filling in and revising as well as finish the story. I think that this story could be multiple books. I really like this story because it involves quite a few characters that I have created in the past.

I am going to have to type up the hand written portions of Allegations as well as finish it up. I am no where near being finished. I am going to work on it in the summer.

I have my work cut out for me.

P.S. I am thinking about having Jolene design the covers for me. My girl is off the chain. She drew some stuff for me before, but I lent them to my father and I never got them back. I am so sad about it, too.

Pink-tastic Report

Today there were four girls wearing pink. Whew, it was a low day.

Fifty-Six Words

I need 56 words to make 500 words for today. My husband and I went into BlockBuster the other night. We noticed that they didn't have any VHS tapes on display. We both pondered why there were no video tapes at the store. We figured that people no longer needed to rent video tapes anymore. Before long, they won't be making VCRs anymore. We will be able to record our favorite shows on DVD. Perhaps, everyone will have TIVO.

The world is getting very high tech.

I got the word total that I needed. Yea!

I am shamelessly padding my word total again.

Too Much Stuff

I was looking at some people's MySpace pages. Some of them have too much stuff on their page. It causes my computer to lock up and I have to close down Internet Explorer.

It can be very irritating when you want to look at someone's page and it takes forever to load. I also get upset when someone has music playing on their page and I have to try to scroll down forever to try to get to it to turn it off.

Oh well, I can't control what people put on their page. I just wish they wouldn't put so much stuff on their page.

The Power of Music & Songs

Another pastor that came on the Black Family Channel was Pastor James C. Carrington. He is the pastor of the Willing Workers Baptist Church - http://willingworkers.com/ in Houston, TX. (A Home state boy.)

He preached about the power of music. His sermon was about how music affects our demeanor, mood, mind, and life in Christ.

Here's what stuck out to me. He stated that our breathing and heart rate can be affected by music. I thought that was interesting.

It is amazing what affect music has on us.

The Will of God

My husband and I were watching the Black Family Channel. A preacher by the name of Bishop Mack King Carter was on there preaching. He is the pastor of New Mt. Olive Baptist Church in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

This is what I got from his sermon.

He said that we live in either the Circumstantial will of or Intentional will of God. The Intentional will of God is what God intended for us. The Circumstantial will of God is when or circumstances get in the way of God's intentional will.

He explained it like this...
In a game played by the Indianapolis Colts, Peyton Manning threw an interception in the red zone; that was circumstantial will. Peyton intended for it to be a touchdown for his team; that is the intentional will.

Bishop Carter said to keep on throwing passes in the red zone, you will eventually throw a touchdown; meaning that what is supposed to happen will happen.

He further said that everything that God will bless us with everything that He intends to bless us with, in spite of our circumstances.

Hearing that blessed my soul.

Bishop Carter gave quite a few good analogies in his sermon.

BirthVerse

A friend of mine from ShoutLife posted a blog about BirthVerses. A BirthVerse is a Bible verse that coincides with the date of your birth.

My BirthVerse is...
Ecclesiastes 7:20 NIV
There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins.

I am not sure what to make of my verse.

Check out your Verse.

Irreplaceable

Have you heard the song called "Irreplaceable" by Beyonce? I have a question about that song.

In the song, she says, "I can have another you in a minute, matter fact; he'll be here in a minute." Also, she says, "I'll have another you by tomorrow, so don't you ever for a second get to thinkin', you're irreplaceable."

Apparently, the general premise of the song is that the guy she is with now has been cheating on her and she is kicking him out. On top of all that, she has bought him everything that he has including the clothes that he is wearing on his back.

Here's my question, WHY WOULD YOU REPLACE THE GUY YOU ARE WITH NOW, WITH A GUY WHO IS JUST LIKE HIM?

I know it is just a song, but I listen to the lyrics when I hear songs. I keep asking myself the same question every time I here that some because it just doesn't make sense to me.

WHY WOULD YOU REPLACE THE GUY YOU ARE WITH NOW, WITH A GUY WHO IS JUST LIKE HIM?

You would think that you would replace him with a different kind of guy, but that's just me.

Has anyone else ever wondered the same thing?

A Greased Scalp

There is a tradition (a former tradition) in the African-American culture of greasing a person's scalp. What this entails is a person combing your hair, making parts in your hair, scratching the scalp, and then putting some hair grease (a toiletry for the hair) on the scalp.

It is a tradition that is no longer done because it has been said that greasing the scalp causes a lot of problems for the hair, as well as weighing the hair down.

I still grease my scalp; rather, I have someone grease my scalp. I only do it once a month, so it isn't that bad for me.

Getting your scalp greased is a very cathartic. It feels good to have someone's hand massage your scalp with loving hands. When your scalp is scratch that feels so good.

My mother used to do it when I was younger. That was the coolest thing because we would sit and talk while she did it.

My brother, Jerry, used to grease my scalp. Having him do it was funny because I had to give him money to do it. On top of that, he would do it quickly. There wasn't much love in it.

My husband, Boone (he goes by his last name), he does it now. He takes his time and gets every inch of my scalp. It helps that he likes playing in my hair, too. We have to watch Smallville while he does it, but that is cool with me.

I wish some of the old traditions that we had back in the day were not dying out. It seems like the stuff we used to do is old fashioned and cliche. I still enjoy some of the traditions we used to have.

I enjoy singing old hymns that I grew up with. I heard a preacher mention, "He's a Battle Ax," in a sermon he was preaching. I haven't heard that song in so long.

I enjoy the big family get togethers for holidays. I haven't been to one of those in a while. We did a smaller one for Christmas last year, but it wasn't the same as when I was younger. Check out this poem. I am talking about Christmas like in the poem.

I guess with the modernization of our society, some things fade away. I just wish they didn't.

Pink-tastic On the Weekend

I thought I had gotten a reprieve on the weekend from the color pink, but I ended up wearing my pink bandana. My husband commented on the bandana several times. Oh brother. Pink is taking over my life.

Allergy Pill

I had to pop an allergy pill right quick. I have got to fix it so that I can take them at night.

ShoutLife Friends

I have been making new friends on ShoutLife like crazy. It is the place for Christians to be. It seems like everyday I make new friends. It is a very nice place, too. I am glad that someone told me about it. I am trying to tell everyone that I can about ShoutLife. Hope to see you there.

Daylight Savings Time Epilogue

I have been thinking about DST. Why do we have to do it? Here's what I found out.

Daylight Saving Time let's enjoy sunny summer evenings by moving our clocks an hour forward in the spring.

The main purpose of Daylight Saving Time (called "Summer Time" in many places in the world) is to use the daylight better. We change our clocks during the summer months to move an hour of daylight from the morning to the evening. Countries have different change dates.

The idea of daylight saving was first envisioned by Benjamin Franklin during his time as an American delegate in Paris in 1784, in an essay, "An Economical Project."

Daylight Savings Time begins at 2:00 a.m. on the second Sunday of March and ends at 2:00 a.m. on the first Sunday of November.

Today, approximately 70 countries use Daylight Saving Time in at least a portion of the country. Japan, India, and China are the only major industrialized countries that do not observe some form of daylight saving.

Information gathered from: http://webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/

Daylight Savings Time

Here's a Public Service Announcement.



Remember to set your clocks forward one hour on Sunday. It's Daylight Savings Time!

Weekly Goals 3/11-3/17

Here are my goals for next week

1. Add picture to Transformed on Gossip
2. Finish Another Convert
3. Add Another Convert to Gossip
4. Apartment hunting
5. Give notice
6. Check out In Her Shadow
7. Wash
8. Set Clocks Up One Hour on Sunday
9. Change all image folders

Bolded goals in Arial Font have been completed.

Pink-tastic Report

There were eight girls wearing pink. I am almost ready to quit fighting. I may just give in to liking the color pink.

Someone help me please!

Ketchup Disaster

So, I am driving to work today trying to eat my Sausage McGriddle with cheese and a hash brown. (I don’t' normally get a hash brown.) I try to squirt ketchup on the hash brown. The next thing I know, I have ketchup all on my shirt and my pants. It's not like it is a small spot either. It is a big mess. I have to go to the store and get a whole new outfit. I am so embarrassed. I have a mess down the front of my shirt and I smell like ketchup. Great start to the day.

Speaking of Spring Break

I will be glad when it gets here. We are all almost bouncing off the walls. It is a mad house around here. It will be here in a few more days. YIPPEE!!!!!!!!

I have the whole week off. I wonder what I am going to do for that week.