Friday Five #3

One day late, I know...I spent all Friday PM organizing and chaperoning a hundred 11, 12 and 13 year olds at our Middle School Dance Party!

The Husband and I have been planning our summer travels. So far, we have our plane tickets booked, and a couple cities confirmed.


5 places we plan/hope to visit this July & August:

1. Tokyo for a week. Hotel is confirmed! Mt. Fuji here I come.

2. Singapore for a family reunion a la 2006

3. Bangkok is confirmed. Anyone have suggestions on which Thai beach towns to visit? Koh Samui, Koh Chang, Phuket or Krabi again?

4. Siem Reap, Cambodia to see famed Angkor Wat (with my lovely cousin). Still in the planning stages.

5. Only a MAYBE, mostly in my daydreams...the Maldives...what a trip that would be. Same lovely cousin is looking into it for us!

Guitar Hero Gripe!

This is The Husband's new addiction and bane of my existence this week. Currently, there is nothing more annoying than the constant clicking of buttons while he plays the game, becoming one with the rock band...his saving grace are the wireless headphones my girlfriend bought for him last year. Thanks Van!

Lost In Translation

Once again, The Husband and I headed to our favorite city beach for some sun

On our way home, we stumbled on Chinatown's Night Market..which is in the sketchiest location with the sketchiest people milling about and Chinese vendors selling some sketchy wares (you'll see what I mean, just scroll down)!

What?!? For the record, they were trying to sell shirts and pants.

Friday Five #2

5 Things I currently cannot live without:


1. I could easily eat a box of these if not careful.

2. A good pillow is on top of my list of must haves.

3. The Husband and The Dog

4. Good old girlfriends who know exactly where you've been and where you're coming from

5. Jesus
How would I ever get through my day without YOU?

Photo Challenge #1

Rainbow Photos
Portland May 17th, 2008

Who Let 3 Dogs Out?

Just returned from an overnight trip to Portland with friends and their dogs. Going out with 3 dogs anywhere is a bit of an adventure.

First Friday Five

5 Places to Which I connect the Word PARADISE

1. Thailand's Beaches


2. Mykonos, Greece


3. Any well stocked Scrapbook Store

4. Heaven

5. A 75% off shoe sale

ZZZZzzzzz...

Yesterday at school we continued our discussion on healthy habits and how an adequate nights sleep is crucial for a healthy lifestyle. As the students paired up to discuss why they thought sleep is important and then shared their partner's thoughts, one student stated, "my partner wonders if sleep is a medicine?"

Clever kid.

Or I wonder, is sleep more like a drug?

On another note, I'm headed to the land of Target, Nordstrom, and Trader Joe's tomorrow. Yippeedoo!

Prayer is a Powerful Thing

Every morning I pray with my students. They often will share their requests. And even more often, those prayer requests have to do with an ailing stomach, sore throat, runny nose, scraped knee, hurt ankle...you get the point.

Me: Sara, what is your request?

Sara: I'm not feeling well.

Me: Would anyone like to pray for Sara?

Sweet Lil' Girl in My Class: I'll pray for her.

Me: Ok...go ahead.

Sweet Lil' Girl in My Class: Dear Lord, Please help Sara feel better because she isn't feeling well. And if she doesn't feel well, she can't learn. And God, if she can't learn, she won't be able to get a good job when we grow up. Amen.

Back From My No Screen Hiatus

At school, we have been discussing healthy habits and as a class, after reading The Bearenstein Bears NO TV Challenge, we decided to have a NO-SCREEN TIME CHALLENGE for a week (to encourage other pursuits). I think it was harder for me than for the kids. I had no problem staying away from the TV. In fact, it was a welcome change to the constant sporting events The Husband blasts all evening long. Sorry Husband. It was my laptop that was hard to give up and all the surfing that goes with it.

Here is what I did all week instead:


1. Made Mother's Day and Birthday Cards


2. Finished 2 books



3. Enjoyed the sun
Sushi picnic @ English Bay

Kids Are Colorful

Ever noticed that kids are not afraid of wearing color? Is it that they just don't know better style wise or do our color choices dull with age?

An English Bay Stroll

Two nights ago we took the dog for an evening walk down by the bay...our absolute favorite haunt in the city - English Bay.

After lunch everyday in my classroom, we read silently for 20 minutes. By this time of the year in Grade Two, most of the kids are able to read many of the books in my classroom library and it is the most rewarding feeling to see them intently concentrating, captivated by whatever it is they are reading.

Little eight year old boys are funny....ever since I picked up a set of Matchbox cars for the classroom months ago, this is all they ever want to play with (I've had to hide it several times to give the cars a rest) and it really only ever involves crashing them into one another. And if the car breaks...even better.