Dude Perfect

I know. I know.  It's New Year and I'm a little behind.  I can only say that fall took me to the wrestling mat and I never got up.

This year Connor and I did partner once again for our Trunk or Treat/ Church Carnival.

There were a lot of great ideas-

Connor had the idea of Dude Perfect- a sports entertainment group on YouTube.

I had no clue how we were going to do this type of "theme" but we actually had more to work with then I originally thought.
It was fun. 

Dude Perfect shirts are +20.00 but I made these iron on transfers on cheap neon shirts for a quarter of the price.

We had the dads put together the miniature basketball hoop from Connor's room.  We had to get creative.

I purchased a $19.00 Dude Perfect toss set from Walmart.

I prerecorded Dude Perfect videos, which we paired with a green blanket, a few Dude Perfect discs, nerf guns, and spiritual rock music.

Connor decorated a Dude Perfect Pumpkin.

(I thought he did a pretty good job.)

I laminated the Dude Perfect "stars", trademark signs, and a YouTube symbol that all hung from the top.  

We created a football throw to the left of the van.

I had not meant for it to be so interactive but it actually was very interactive for all of the children.

I was very tired but the kids had a great night of fellowship and trick shots.  

It got "tricky" trying to juggle candy, taking turns, and finding the football/ nerf bullets/ and basketball.

The boys were a pretty good help (when they were not so distracted).

I told them straight out that if I had to be the focused one, we were really in trouble.

I think I am still picking up nerf bullets in between the seats of my van.

A couple of Dude Perfects-

Other fun scenes from Fall:

Scenes from the Birthday

Scenes from the Birthday

38 things I do better at 38:

love, laugh, cry, teach, learn, listen, reflect, cook, worship, care, understand, forgive, clean, think, pray, smile, sing, write, compromise, plan, work, shop, organize, investigate, argue, adapt, feel, taste, brave, faithful, lead, create, dance

look, express, produce, decide, appreciate

My husband is such a big spender.  He held nothing back to get this HUGE cake for my birthday.  :)

Luckily my Sunday School class provided more than enough cookies.....

and I got a birthday chair cover!! 

Football Awards (on a very WINDY day)

Work Friends
(do I have the best coworkers or what!?!)







my friends trying to teach me to relax and even though it didn't go well, I promise I will try.
Relax will be #39 that I will work on!



Yummy Yummo- New Place for Birthday Dinner

From the Mother in Law  :)

Nana and Papa gifted me with MUCH needed shoes.  Now to be inspired to use them!
#walkinggoals  

Student Interpretations

All Girl Laugh Fest

Vlog: The Perfect Day

Vlog:  The Perfect Day 

Struggling with time?  Balance? Ways to have a healthier day?

Look no further than my review of "The Perfect Day" by Prevention Magazine.

I hope you find it as useful as I did.

The Future of America

You may have heard....

We Are Gettin' a New President Y'all!  

My kids can tell you a little bit about how a leader should act, because they learned all about it today!   I was so proud of this fellow who not only knew the current President's full name but also that Clinton and Trump have something in common- they are both grandparents!!!  (good one)

But first.......

I've got BIG news.

This news is so BIG, that even after the new President will be announced I will still be 

BIG Happy.

Are you ready?  

Connor made the Honor Roll!!

Whooop!  Whoop!  Celebration milkshakes (before Dinner)!  

Happy makes me lose my mind.

You may be thinking- quit bragging brag brag brag..... 

but we have never made the Honor Roll.

A person once told me to never expect Connor to make the honor roll (which I ignored but still it was out there). 

AND I get the joy of showing you our very first graded report card.

(that D was pretty generous)

So you see, grades aside it is so wonderful to see our Connor continue to soar.

(PS. an A in reading!  Imagine an A in reading! )

Carlee is as proud of her brother as I am.

milkshake mustache  

Ok, I'm back on subject now.

Today I was happy to expose my class to some positives about both candidates.

Sadly,

small children are very exposed to those nasty commercials.   While they could not name the candidates they could tell me about the commercials.  

We learned a bit about rules and regulations.

Of course we had to read my favorite.....

We all agreed I would make a great President.  

(could you imagine? You think Donald Trump says crazy things?)

Campaign Signs:

Today was a great day for voting.  We decided to stick with a subject we know and love: Ice Cream.

Can you really trust Vanilla?  Is Vanilla really "All Natural"? 

Does Strawberry support nut allergies?

The students created their own campaign signs.  

They looked VERY tasty.

Ballots

  I guess the empty bowl is the Independent?

ha. ha.  

I'm just kidding.

Once I checked that each child was registered to vote, they all picked their "best" flavor.

Registering

Time to VOTE.

 

Your Vote COUNTS.

The Results

Mrs. E. called out the ballots.

One child was a bit mad during the vote and decided to pick the empty bowl.  (That child would have voted for strawberry.)

I explained to the class how one vote could change things.

BUT WAIT......

The Re-Count

A Non-English speaking student stood up in quite the frenzy!  We didn't know why he was so keyed up.  

To make us understand, he actually acted out me on the computer not paying attention.

no.

seriously.

the child acted out me not paying attention.  

He kept pointing to chocolate.

We did a recount and HE WAS RIGHT.

I MISSED A CHOCOLATE VOTE.

Chocolate did win by a landslide.

Wow.

Kids really amaze me.

Your VOTE matters but more than that your daily choices matter.

Impact someone in a positive way TODAY! 

Wild Kids are Blessings

Dear Parents:
I have encountered A LOT of mommies/daddies this year with little "wild" children that are movers and shakers in the most unique of ways. Even if I don't know you, I can spot you a mile away. I know how you feel.
Apprehensive. Worried. Tired.
I want to rush up to you and give you chocolate and a hug and tell you things (but I've learned some people get freaked out by that kind of thing). I am thinking of you.

I want to say to you: the thing about school- some are simply not ready to conform, they are not ready to sit all day, they are not ready for cause and effect, they are not ready for the curriculum, they are not ready for certain social skills.
In short on an assessment that means- behind/ below/ bad. (a mom reads 'I am behind/below/bad'). You can say what you want but that is what we feel.

Let me give you a spoiler alert: it all means growing. (No you don't get an award for it at the end of year program or even a high freaking five while you sit on hard bleachers for hours but it STILL counts.)
The judgement is the hardest part. We know the scriptures tell us that each child is different, each child is at their own pace, each child is a blessing 'fearfully and wonderfully made'...but that is easy for you to say when you are not the one facing the judgement. Judgement from those we love. On top of that, I know how people REALLY feel about 'different'. We all judge (we can't help it). But when you know it's being done to you because your child is not doing 'like everyone else' it is crippling.
My child might be acting like a nut but I'm not one (completely), and I know good and well what that look over my head means. A few notable well meaning but misunderstood quotes that will never leave my head.... 'this 4 year old can do it, so why can't Connor? I'm tired of your excuses.' 'if you would give him a few good spankings he might quit acting like that...' (oh really? its the first thing I tried and it's the easiest thing to do.) 'I wouldn't expect the honor roll from him but he will make it', 'he won't behave in church unless you make him'.

There are a lot of you out there crying at night because you want to know your child isn't living a hard day of being 'that kid'.
Each communication about 'behavior', each time you have to discipline when you would rather cuddle, each proactive plan you make, each book you read, each revision of schedule, each prayer, each doctor's visit.... it is exhausting but it really counts. No seriously, it counts. Not counts like when the wifi and cable go down and you tell off the technician while it boots back up, but it counts like wayyyyyy down the road when all the skills start coming together.

This year, oh sweet year! I'm starting to see something happen.
An assessment would call it a- "result".

I see a fine young man emerging.
No one appreciates a fine young boy emerging like a parent of a wild child. A very dyslexic boy who can write his own stories and has an A average in reading. A boy who can do his own homework. A boy who likes school. A boy who is excited about being in the church Christmas play and who is excited his equally wild best friend was saved this year. A boy who can process more plays in football and doesn't feel so very behind. A sick boy who doesn't want to miss school so he can 'take his test' before he forgets the skills he studied. A boy who teaches his 'quiet' sister how to show grace to others she deems as 'a non rule follower'.

Oh sure, these skills might be behind but who gives a turkey? They are coming.
Oh sure, our journey is just starting. The strong will is alive and well. The tween is coming (and I want to smack it down). The work is still hard. He still tries to gauge the loudness of his burps and he says things like 'don't say shedding with a British accent or you might hear something else....[insert his laugh]'.


But I can appreciate every little thing because Wild Kids are Blessings.
To survive I think we will: a. laugh often b. be consistent (and find) what works for positive change c. embrace the special village that loves the wild children as much as we do d. pray

......because it all COUNTS.

Love,
The Queen of the Wild